Apple supplier Foxconn to resume normal production in coronavirus-hit China by end of March
- More than half of Foxconn’s seasonal workforce had restarted work following the coronavirus outbreak
Foxconn Technology Group, Apple’s main iPhone assembler, said it would resume normal production in mainland China by the end of this month and that more than half its seasonal workforce had restarted work following the coronavirus outbreak.
Taiwan-based Foxconn, however, said that it was still unable to predict the virus’ actual impact on its full-year results.
“Prevention of outbreak, resumption of work and production are our top priority,” company chairman Liu Young-way told an online investor conference on Tuesday.
The flu-like coronavirus, which originated in China late last year and can be transmitted from person to person, has spread to more than 60 countries. It has infected over 86,000 people and killed more than 3,000 people, the majority in China.
Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, is among the major manufacturers worldwide which are grappling with virus-related curbs that have upended supply chains and hurt demand. This week, Hyundai Motor reported its worst monthly sales in a decade after earlier highlighting problems in parts supply from China.
Apple, Foxconn’s top client, rescinded its March quarter sales guidance because of a slower-than-expected ramp up of manufacturing in China amid travel restrictions and an extended Lunar New Year break.