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Investing.com-- Apple Inc is scouting for Indian companies to manufacture the equipment required to build the company’s flagship iPhone devices in the country, Business Standard reported on Thursday.
The Cupertino, California-based technology giant plans to locally source the manufacturing equipment, which it will then supply to its Indian vendors as it looks to build out its capacity in the country, the Business Standard report said, stating that a senior official from India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had confirmed the development.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) had earlier flagged plans to drastically increase its iPhone production in India, especially as its manufacturing hubs in China face increased U.S. trade tariffs. While the company still intends to maintain a manufacturing base in China, it has signaled intent to produce all of its U.S.-sold iPhones in India.
The company’s attempt to source iPhone manufacturing equipment from India also signals a bigger pivot away from China, who is also a major producer of the capital equipment required to manufacture and assemble iPhones.
India has been steadily growing as an iPhone manufacturing hub for Apple, with manufacturing majors such as Foxconn, Pegatron, and Tata Electronics all having largely ramped up their production over the past two years.
Foxconn, which is by far Apple’s largest supplier, plans to invest $1.5 billion to build a new component factory in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.