Tata Group becomes the first Indian giant to manufacture iPhones taking over Wistron’s factory

Since 2016, Taiwanese manufacturing companies Pegatron, Foxconn and Wistron have been manufacturing iPhones in India. In a major development, Indian giant Tata Group is taking over Wistron’s manufacturing plant based in Karnataka. This means that Tata Group will be responsible for manufacturing and assembling iPhones in India for global and domestic markets within two and a half years.

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar confirmed the same on Friday, highlighting how India’s Make in India government supports Tata’s initiative to manufacture iPhones. The Tata Group bought the Wistron plant in Karnataka for a whopping $125 million, which includes 100% stake in the unit. Currently, Wistron manufactures the iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone SE (2nd generation) and iPhone 12 and with Tata taking over the Indian manufacturing unit, there are also plans to introduce new iPhones.

Wistron set up its assembly in India, in the southern state of Karnataka, to market the Made in India iPhone SE models in 2016. Rumors were circulating that the manufacturing giant was shutting down its operations in the country and, With the latest developments underway, Tata Group has taken over, which will give further impetus to ‘Made in India’ as India becomes a major pivot towards the global electronics value chain.

Currently, India is the second largest manufacturing hub for OEM, ODM and other businesses. India’s smartphone exports stood at $5.5 billion between April-August in FY24, almost double compared to the same period in FY22-23, at 3 billions of dollars. Apple is also looking to diversify its manufacturing given escalating tensions between China and the United States, providing a much-needed boost to India’s manufacturing and supply chain.