A department of Apple Inc’s contract manufacturer from Taiwan, Wistron Corp has received approval from the government of Karnataka to construct a new Apple facility in Bengaluru.
The Karnataka state government granted Wistron Infocomm Manufacturing India Pvt Ltd’s request for 43 acres of land. The new site will be located at the Narasapura Industrial Area, located some 50 km away from the Bengaluru International Airport. The location is already home to the assembly operation of numerous firms with the likes of Honda Motorcycle, Scooter India and Mahindra Aerospace.
Wistron is planning to invest around $105 in developing the land and producing smartphones, internet of things (IoT) apparels and other bio-tech devices, according to the document.
On the application, Wistron did mention that the new facility will create around 6,000 jobs to Indians.
“When discussions started, their (Wistron’s) requirement was 50-100 acres,” said an anonymous senior government official, “But we were not immediately able to provide all the land.” However, the state did promise Wistron that they would do the necessary to meet their requirements.
The development of a manufacturing facility certainly means that Apple plans to assemble its iPhone in India. The initiative is also beneficial to Apple as it will allow them to cut the rising labor costs in China, where its largest manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Co is located and are renowned for making iPads and iPhones in bulk. Many analysts perceive India as the world’s fastest-growing smartphone markets and Apple’s focus at the moment is to increase their global market share. Since the sale of their smartphone has drastically slowed down in Western markets, it is not surprising that the tech giant is turning to India to refuel their gross sales.
Wistron’s ICT service Management Solutions unit is already assembling Apple’s low-cost iPhone SE model in Bengaluru. Wistron also works on contract with a wider range of other electronics companies. However, Cupertino, Apple’s base in California did express the company’s long-term commitment with Wistron’s Indian procedures. In a report published last month, it mentioned that Wistron was providing waste management training and also launched women’s health programs at their built Bengaluru plant.