India reportedly begins exporting mechanical components for Apple products to Vietnam and China, potentially signaling an increasing development of India's manufacturing ecosystem thanks to Apple suppliers.
The Economic Times, citing unnamed sources, reported that several Indian suppliers, including Motherson Group, Jabil, Aequs, and Tata Electronics, are now producing mechanical components such as enclosures for Apple products like MacBooks, AirPods, Apple Watches, Apple Pencils, and iPhones before shipping to international assembly plants for final integration in China and Vietnam, a development underscoring Apple's efforts to diversify its supply chain.
For over 20 years, India has depended on imports, even after India became the second-largest mobile phone producer under Narendra Modi's Make-in-India initiative. This shift is expected to boost the growth and self-reliance of India's electronics sector by reducing this dependency.
Although an increasing number of manufacturers are producing electronic goods in India, a majority of intermediate goods and capital goods are still imported from China.
In the past year, Apple has expanded its supplier network in India by adding US-based Jabil, which produces AirPods components from its Pune factory, and Aequs in Hubbali, Karnataka, which manufactures MacBook components. The Motherson Group has also joined, producing iPhone enclosures. Jabil and Aequs have further enhanced the supply chain by adding components for the Apple Pencil and Apple Watch, respectively.
Apple is anticipated to release its updated list of top 200 suppliers, which is typically revised on an annual basis. This updated list may incorporate new information about changes and developments within its supply chain.
The latest Apple supplier list reveals that Jabil runs a manufacturing facility in Maharashtra dedicated to producing components for Apple products. In total, there are 14 suppliers, both international and Indian, involved in component production or assembly for Apple products within South Asia.
Article edited by Jack Wu
