iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will be assembled in India by the Tata Group, according to a recent report. Apple could gain a fourth assembler in the country ahead of the launch of its next generation of handsets that are expected to debut in the second half of 2023 as the successors to last year’s iPhone 14 series. Tata is reportedly expected to get small orders from the Cupertino company, and assemble the non-Pro models in India.
A recent report by market research firm TrendForce states that the Tata Group will receive 5 percent of assembly orders from Apple for both the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Plus. The iPhone maker usually gives new suppliers smaller orders for lower-end models, and the conglomerate will reportedly be the fourth iPhone assembler in India alongside Foxconn, Luxshare, and Pegatron.
Apple’s expected iPhone 15 series assembly orders for India
Photo Credit: TrendForce
TrendForce states that for the iPhone 15, Foxconn and Luxshare will assemble 70 percent and 25 of units in India, while the remaining 5 percent of orders will go to the Tata Group. Similarly, for the iPhone 15 Plus, the conglomerate will make 5 percent of the larger phone, while Luxshare and Pegatron will assemble 60 percent and 35 percent of units, respectively.
Apple has been working to move production of its iPhone models outside China, after long delays and assembly challenges — including worker unrest — at its largest contract manufacturer in China during the coronavirus pandemic. The firm is working to move some production outside China, to other developing countries like India and Vietnam.
Last month, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that Apple exported $5 billion (roughly Rs. 41,200 crore) worth of goods from India in 2022, while stating that the company plans to produce 25 percent of global units in the country within the next 4-5 years.
Reuters reported last November that Tata was in talks to buy Wistron’s iPhone assembly facility in the country. Tata Electronics, another division of the conglomerate, is a component supplier for the Cupertino company’s phones, but Tata’s acquisition of Wistron’s only plant in the country — expected to be completed this month — would mean the exit of the latter from the Indian market, according to TrendForce.
