Tata Electronics Begins iPhone Assembly At Hosur Facility Amid US President Trump’s Call For Apple To Exit India

Tata Electronics has initiated the assembly of iPhone models, including iPhone 16 and iPhone 16e, at their Hosur facility amid US President Donald Trump urging Apple CEO Tim Cook to move production out of India.

This development could potentially position Tata as a significant player in the mainstream smartphone supply chain, a field currently dominated by Taiwanese companies such as Foxconn, the Economic Times reported.

The Tata Group's electronics division has inaugurated a new section at their facility for the assembly of mobile phones, according to individuals familiar with the progress. Thus far, the firm has been producing iPhone enclosures at its Hosur location.

Previously, Tata Electronics conducted assembly operations at their Wistron facility situated in Karnataka, according to one source. A few months ago, they initiated assembly at a newly established plant within their Hosur campus. They initiated approximately two lines and plan to expand this to a minimum of four additional lines in the near future.

According to this individual, every line has the potential to engage over 2,500 workers as it encompasses comprehensive assembly. Once the new assembly unit in Hosur is operating at its maximum capacity, it will surpass the size of operations at the Wistron plant, he stated.

Tata Electronics has been expanding rapidly, taking over the Indian branches of other Apple suppliers such as Wistron and Pegatron. The expansion also helps Apple, which has been nudging its suppliers to diversify beyond China.

Vice president of the industry research group at CyberMedia Research, Prabhu Ram said, "With Foxconn and Tata Electronics rapidly scaling and gaining operational maturity, Apple is well-positioned to mitigate supply chain risk while accelerating production for both export and domestic markets."

In order for Apple to expand its influence in India and lessen its dependency on China, having two robust, well-established suppliers will play a crucial role in facilitating this growth, he stated.