William Gallagher
The Indian government has announced that Apple is increasing its local operations and in addition to iPhones, will also be making components and chargers in the country.
According to Reuters, India's Ravi Shankar Prasad, information technology minister, said Apple is to expand its manufacturing operations in the country.
Apple already uses Indian firm Salcomp to manufacture iPhones, but over the next five years will make chargers and unspecified other components.
Salcomp is to invest approximately $278.7 million in its southern India plant near Chennai. Prasad expects that the expansion will create 10,000 new jobs.
He also confirmed iPhones made in India would be exported and estimated that this would be worth $1.6 billion to the country annually.
Changes in India's laws over limitations to do with locally and foreign-sourced components are helping Apple and other suppliers to the company are believed to be investing $1 billion there to meet demand.
Apple is already producing iPhones in India and is reported to have recently selected a part of Mumbai for its first Apple Store in the country.
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
2 Comments
Well, at least India is a democracy, the world’s largest in fact. I think the problem there might be skilled labor though.
India is getting somewhat better in infrastructure support and reduced government bureaucracy. China was/is centralized one rule country so decision making, building infrastructure and cutting bureaucracy,cheaper reliable labor pool to attract foreign investment, manufacturing was key to it's industrial success. India being democracy, government can not support IP stealing,force IP transfer like Chinese government, so just follow China's rest of strategy at national level and India can be huge industrial base/success. Apple and others will have easy time to build, sell and export products.