iPhone Production in India Suspended as Population of 1.3 Billion Begins 21-Day Lockdown

Apple's iPhone factories in India are closing temporarily, after the Indian government ordered the country's population of 1.3 billion people to stay at home for at least three weeks in a bid to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

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The factories in India have suspended production until at least April 14 following the nationwide lockdown ordered by President by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As reported by Bloomberg:

Foxconn and Wistron Corp. have suspended production at their India plants, which include the assembly of some Apple Inc. iPhone models, in order to comply with a nationwide lockdown ordered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., is suspending operations until April 14, the company said in a text message to Bloomberg News. It intends to resume India production based on further government announcements. A Wistron representative said the company is also adhering to the order, while declining to comment on exactly what products are affected.

The 21-day lockdown was announced by Modi via a televised address to the nation on Tuesday evening. "For a few days forget what it means to go out. Today's decision of a nationwide lockdown draws a line outside your home," the PM said.

Wistron's new plant in India was poised to assemble printed circuit boards (PCBs) for iPhones in April, a first for the Taiwanese contract manufacturer that will save Apple having to pay import taxes on the vital Indian smartphone component.

Wistron's other plant, located in central Bengaluru, has been pumping out ‌‌iPhone‌‌ SE, ‌‌iPhone‌‌ 6S and ‌‌iPhone‌‌ 7 models since 2017. Wistron's larger rival, Foxconn, began making ‌iPhone‌ XR models in India last year. Apple also has an office with thousands of employees in Hyderabad, working on Apple Maps data.

All of the plants and offices are likely to be impacted by the virus-fighting measures, which come into force just as Apple planned to ramp up efforts to bring online and in-store sales to customers in India for the first time.

Apple was the fastest growing premium smartphone brand in India last year with 41 percent annual growth, according to recent market research data. India also recently relaxed rules on local sourcing of components, paving the way for Apple to open an online store in India later this year and its first retail store in the country by next year.

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Top Rated Comments

Queen6 Avatar
73 months ago

Yeah and you know what’s crazy? There are people who think the world will be back to normal and functional by May.

Even if the pandemic ends in April, the effects are going to be felt until the END of this year and probably beyond.

It’s literally disrupting every single thing.
Easily, my kids broke up from school for Christmas, with the expectation of a short return then to break again for Chinese New Year. They have yet to return, schooling is now conducted via the internet. Personally my business is heavily reliant on international travel, I don't expect to work until summer at the very earliest, potentially next year...

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Q-6
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Abazigal Avatar
73 months ago
There’s a certain irony in some people people having criticised Apple for not moving their production outside of China, when it turns out that those companies would likely not have been able to carry on with manufacturing due to the virus anyways.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
newyorksole Avatar
73 months ago

We are still a long way away from understanding the impact of COVAID-19 on world supply chain (all products and services) and on world demand. We will probably see many more interruptions to supply and demand before things seem to get better.
Yeah and you know what’s crazy? There are people who think the world will be back to normal and functional by May.

Even if the pandemic ends in April, the effects are going to be felt until the END of this year and probably beyond.

It’s literally disrupting every single thing.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
calzon65 Avatar
73 months ago
We are still a long way away from understanding the impact of COVAID-19 on world supply chain (all products and services) and on world demand. We will probably see many more interruptions to supply and demand before things seem to get better.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SuperCachetes Avatar
73 months ago

Yeah and you know what’s crazy? There are people who think the world will be back to normal and functional by May.

Even if the pandemic ends in April, the effects are going to be felt until the END of this year and probably beyond.

It’s literally disrupting every single thing.
Yes. I am "somewhat confident" I could survive COVID-19 based on my age and health. I am not confident about what comes after. The impending recession is likely to be worse in the US than 2008-2009. There are a LOT of people not making money right now. Several industries will either be decimated or even non-existent by the end of the year. One of my children is supposed to start college in the fall. Generation gap aside, I don't even remotely know what that will look like for them.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RalfTheDog Avatar
73 months ago

How badly will this impact production in India? Does this imply Apple will import products to meet India demand, considering the worst case scenario?
I don't know if India will have much of a demand in the near future. People sitting at home don't purchase new products.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)