Tata, India’s top conglomerate, in talks to make iPhones with Taiwanese manufacturer Wistron
- The pact could make Tata the first Indian company to build iPhones, which are currently mainly assembled by Taiwanese manufacturers like Foxconn
- Apple is looking to deepen its supply chain in India and diversify more production away from China, where Covid lockdowns have disrupted factory operations
The discussions with Wistron Corp are aimed at making Tata a force in technology manufacturing, and the Indian salt-to-software conglomerate wants to tap the Taiwanese company’s expertise in product development, supply chain and assembly, people with knowledge of the matter said.
It could also persuade other global electronics brands to consider assembly in India to reduce their reliance on China at a time of increasing geopolitical risks.
The structure of the deal and details such as shareholdings are yet to be finalised, and talks are ongoing, the people said, declining to be named as the conversations are private. The plan could entail Tata buying equity in Wistron’s India operations or the companies could build a new assembly plant, one of the people said. They could also execute both those moves, the person said.
It was not immediately clear if Apple was aware of the talks, which come at a time the US tech giant is looking to diversify more production away from China and deepen its supply chain in India.
Apple is known to work with local companies in regions where it sets up manufacturing bases – but assembling iPhones is a complicated task that entails meeting the US company’s tight deadlines and quality controls.