TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The three electronics giants from Taiwan making products for Apple Inc. in India have all been affected by the COVID-19 wave in the South Asian country, reports said Saturday (May 22).
Foxconn Technology Group and Wistron Corporation have asked many of their Taiwanese managers to return home, while Pegatron Corporation was asking its subcontractors to continue work, CNA reported.
India’s COVID surge has expanded from the north to the south, threatening staff at plants operated by the Taiwan companies in the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Both states have been reporting more than 30,000 new cases and over 1,000 deaths per day.
Foxconn repatriated 13 Taiwanese managers, leaving only one in charge, but local government orders to cut personnel have led to a slowdown for the company’s projects. Even so, the manufacturing of iPhones is continuing apace, according to the CNA report.
Wistron shut down a factory in Karnataka for five days early this month for disinfection, also sending managers back to Taiwan while experiencing delays in the expansion of its production capacity.
The most recent Apple supplier from Taiwan to set foot in India, Pegatron, was still trying to get an iPhone X production line ready before the end of June, but the pandemic might interfere with that plan, CNA reported.
Foxconn is responsible for manufacturing the iPhone 12 in India, while Wistron and Pegatron concentrate on the iPhone X.
