Kevin Bostic
A new rumor has it that the three-building facility Apple has registered in Pudong, Shanghai, will be dedicated to supply chain management, not research and development as was previously believed.
A report from Chinese language tech site Tencent Tech (via investment news service BrightWire) claims that Apple has begun hiring high-end supply chain management experts in Pudong, with the aim of making the area a central hub to manage its southeast Asian supply partners. The publication reportedly got word from a member of Apple China's marketing department that the Shanghai facility was not being prepped for research and development duties.
Rumored Apple facility in Shanghai, China. | Source: CNET China
Other sources said previous indications that Apple intended the multi-building complex to be an R&D hub were based on flawed reports that CEO Tim Cook had promised to establish such a center in China during one of his previous visits to the country.
The future of Apple's Chinese operations has been a source of rumors for the past several months. Earlier accounts had the company establishing R&D and data centers in Beijing, but those soon gave way to claims that Pudong, Shanghai, would be the site of Apple's new facility.
Recently cited documentation from the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce revealed that Pudong would be the location for some type of Chinese expansion on Apple's part, though the purpose of the space remains unknown.
Apple's products are designed in California but manufactured by the company's partners in China. Southeast Asia is also home to many of the companies that produce the components that go into Apple's best-selling devices, so locating a supply management center in the region could help the company exert greater control over its supply chain. Supply chain troubles have been a source of trouble for Apple of late, with iMac component issues beginning to impact sales and quarterly results.
Christine McKee
Malcolm Owen
Wesley Hilliard
Marko Zivkovic
17 Comments
Um this would be R@D for Apple. The very type of R@D they would want int China. R@D about the supply chain. "A chain about nine miles long" (see William Gibson) Those in power would want this too.
I wonder what happens to all the opinions in the [URL=http://forums.appleinsider.com/t/155471/rumor-apple-to-open-r-d-and-data-center-facilities-in-china]thread[/URL] from 2 weeks ago. I presume Tim is still king of supply chain, and therefore have a though time thinking this rumor to be true. [quote name="deanishteman" url="/t/155716/rumor-apple-shanghai-facility-to-be-supply-chain-management-center-not-r-d-center#post_2267774"]Um this would be R@D for Apple. The very type of R@D they would want int China. R@D about the supply chain. "A chain about nine miles long" (see William Gibson) Those in power would want this too. [/quote] [VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyZKHvlrctQ[/VIDEO]
A new rumor has it that the three-building facility Apple has registered in Pudong, Shanghai, will be dedicated to supply chain management, not research and development as was previously believed.
It makes more sense. Too many companies have lost decades of R&D to China's "cooperative attitude". I can't see Apple making that same mistake.
A few days ago is was reported on AI as confirmed that this was going to be an R&D center. http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/01/28/apple-shanghai-rd-center-confirmed-for-summer-2013 Now it is back to being a rumor again and that this is now going to be for Supply Chain Management. As far as I am concerned, until Apple says something this doesn't exist.
A bit of a shame if this is only about supply chain management.
One way for Apple to win over Chinese consumers more is to design a device that is more suited to the needs of the people in China.