Foxconn's iPhone output in India said to be down amid Covid-19 surge
- Production at a Tamil Nadu facility has decreased by half, said sources
- Coronavirus cases and deaths in India have jumped in recent weeks
Production of the Apple iPhone 12 at a Foxconn factory in India has slumped by more than 50 per cent because workers infected with Covid-19 have had to leave their posts, two sources told Reuters.
The Foxconn facility in the southern state of Tamil Nadu produces iPhones specifically for India, the world’s No 2 smartphone market.
Tamil Nadu is one of the worst hit states in the second coronavirus wave engulfing India. Officials imposed a full lockdown in the state from Monday, closing public transport and shuttering shops, to try to slow surging infections.
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More than 100 Foxconn employees in the state have tested positive for Covid-19 and the company has enforced a no-entry ban at its factory in the capital of Chennai until late May, one of the sources said.
“Employees are only allowed to leave but not to enter the facility since yesterday,” the person said. “Only a small part of output is being kept.”
More than 50 per cent of the plant’s capacity had been cut, both sources said, declining to be named as they were not authorised to speak to the media.
They did not specify the plant’s capacity and it was unclear how many workers were at the facility, which provides dormitory accommodation for employees.
Taipei-based Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics maker and a major supplier to Apple, said a small number of employees at one of its facilities in India tested positive for Covid-19 and the company was providing them with support, including medical assistance.