https://9to5mac.com/2023/02/14/iphone-casings-produced-in-india/ [cropped-cr] Switch site * Exclusives * Store * iPhone + iPhone + iPhone 12 + iPhone 13 + iPhone 14 + iOS 15 + iOS 16 * Mac + Mac + MacBook Pro + MacBook Air + iMac + Mac mini + macOS Monterey * Watch + Apple Watch + Apple Health + Apple Watch Series 7 + Apple Watch Series 8 + Apple Watch Ultra + Apple Watch SE + watchOS 8 + Apple Fitness+ * iPad + iPad Pro + iPad Air + iPad mini + iPad + iPadOS * Music + Apple Music + AirPods + HomePod * TV + Apple TV 4K + Apple TV + tvOS 15 * Guides + Reviews + How Tos + AAPL + Apple Store + Apple Arcade + Apple Card + Apple Silicon + Apple One + CarPlay + Siri + HomeKit Toggle main menu More social networks Submit a Tip / Contact Us Cashback Fix Toggle dark mode Search [ ] Search Toggle search * 9to5Toys * 9to5Google * Electrek * DroneDJ * Space Explored * About * Privacy Today 50% rejection rate for iPhone casings produced in India shows scale of Apple's challenge Ben Lovejoy - Feb. 14th 2023 4:45 am PT @benlovejoy iPhone casings | iPhone 14 Pro Max with open casing 15 Comments * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest * LinkedIn * Reddit * A 50% rejection rate for iPhone casings produced by an Indian company is a stark illustration of the difficulties Apple faces in reducing its dependence on China. Apple's target for casings that fail to pass quality control is 0%, with Chinese suppliers reportedly getting extremely close to this. The attitude of Indian suppliers is also said to compare poorly with the can-do approach of Chinese companies, with one former Apple engineer saying that there is no sense of urgency in its Indian supply chain ... [INS::INS] Very poor iPhone casings yield The Financial Times reports that poor yields is a key challenge faced by Apple in attempting to replicate its Chinese supply chain in India. At an iPhone casings factory in Hosur run by Indian conglomerate Tata, one of Apple's suppliers, just about one out of every two components coming off the production line is in good enough shape to eventually be sent to Foxconn, Apple's assembly partner for building iPhones, according to a person familiar with the matter. This 50 per cent "yield" fares badly compared with Apple's goal for zero defects. Two people that have worked in Apple's offshore operations said the factory is on a plan towards improving proficiency but the road ahead is long. Former Apple employees said that Chinese suppliers had a totally different attitude, aiming to exceed the Cupertino company's expectations. On more than one occasion, they said, a Chinese supplier would be given a task expected to take several weeks, and would have it done literally the next day. There is optimism that Indian companies will adapt, and learn the standards required from an Apple supplier, but the process is expected to be a lengthy one. Tech entrepreneur and academic Vivek Wadhwa said that it will likely take three years or so for Indian suppliers to be capable of the kind of volume production needed to make a noticeable dent in Chinese production. Provincial governments "are bending over backwards to bring industry in, and they will do what China has done", he said. "But, these are baby steps. Apple is now getting its feet on the ground, learning what does and doesn't work . .. Give it three years and you'll see it scaling up. He also suggested that Apple, too, will need to adapt - especially when it comes to dealing with the bureaucratic government. He suggested its engineers learn the art of jugaad -- a way of "making do" or transcending obstacles. "Because everything in India is an obstacle," he said. 9to5Mac's Take It's unsurprising that new Apple supply operations in other countries cannot match those that have been refined for decades in China. It's likely that similar issues will arise with new Apple suppliers in other countries too. The prospects of transitioning a substantial chunk of iPhone production to India remain good in the medium-term, with recent estimates of 25% of global production by 2025, and 50% by 2028. All the same, the report does illustrate the scale of the challenge faced by Apple between now and then. Photo: iFixit Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. google-news FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. [ACRONIS-795-ACPHO-04] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news: You're reading 9to5Mac -- experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don't know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel Guides AAPL Company AAPL Company Breaking news from Cupertino. We'll give you the latest from Apple headquarters and decipher fact from fiction from the rumor mill. iPhone iPhone Introduced in 2007 by Steve Jobs, iPhone is Apple's flagship iOS device and easily its most popular product around the world. The iPhone runs iOS and includes a large collection of mobile apps through the App Store. china India About the Author [ecf44b2f82] Ben Lovejoy @benlovejoy Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He's known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com! Ben Lovejoy's favorite gear NordVPN NordVPN Dell 49-inch curved monitor Dell 49-inch curved monitor What's new in iOS 16.3.1? Apple fixes an annoying HomePod bug 15-inch MacBook Air coming in April iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro: Which should you buy? Powered by WordPress VIP