Wistron, one of Apple’s iPhone manufacturers, is ramping up its investment in India. According to a new report, the company has vastly increased its authorized capital expenditure in India to meet its future development plans.
This follows on from another recent report, suggesting that fellow manufacturer Foxconn is set to start building flagship iPhones in the country.
Wistron started producing producing iPhone SE models in India at a factory in Bangalore in 2017. When this apparently went well, the company expanded its Indian production line to also include the iPhone 6s.
There’s no word on which handsets Wistron might build next in India (or even that these will be for Apple), but the timing is interesting. As noted, Apple has expressed interest in having more of its devices built in the country. Recently, India’s Commerce and Industry Minister said he will meet with Apple execs at next month’s Davos conference to talk about this topic.
Much of this seems to be based around the burgeoning U.S. and China trade war, which could result in tariffs being placed on new imported devices built in China. However, Apple faces other challenges in China, too, which could necessitate it expanding its manufacturing to other markets.
Growing its presence in India
Wistron’s current paid-up capital in India is INR1.8 billion. Its new authorized capital expenditure is for INR30 billion ($430.62 million). In addition to increasing the smartphone production at its plant in Narasapura, Wistron is also said to be moving part of its computer, Internet of Things, medical and cloud service businesses to India.
Apple has long been chasing India not just as a possible manufacturing location, but also as a potential consumer market. With a population of around 1.339 billion, India one of the fastest growing mobile markets after China and the U.S. It’s also one that Apple has struggled to crack. During the first half of 2018, Apple supposedly sold fewer than 1 million iPhones in the country.
Source: Digitimes
