Foxconn Technology Group has reportedly recalled hundreds of Chinese engineers and technicians from its iPhone manufacturing facilities in India — a move that could hinder Apple Inc.’s ambitions to scale up production in the country.
According to a Bloomberg report, most of the Chinese staff stationed at Foxconn’s iPhone plants in southern India were asked to return around two months ago. Since then, over 300 personnel have left, with Taiwanese support staff stepping in to manage operations, sources familiar with the development said.
Foxconn’s southern India facility assembles the majority of iPhones produced in India. Tata Group’s electronics arm, which acquired Wistron Corp. and oversees Pegatron Corp.’s India operations, also plays a significant role in Apple’s local supply chain.
While neither Foxconn nor Apple has issued an official comment, the shift comes amid reports that Chinese authorities have been informally discouraging tech transfers and equipment exports to India and Southeast Asia. The move is widely seen as an effort to retain manufacturing dominance within China.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has previously praised the skill of Chinese assembly workers, crediting their expertise as a key reason behind Apple’s China-centric production model.
The withdrawal of Chinese personnel is expected to slow the training of Indian workers and delay the transfer of specialized manufacturing knowledge — potentially raising production costs and impacting efficiency, sources said. However, it is not expected to affect the quality of output.
This shift comes as Apple plans to move the entire assembly of iPhones sold in the US to India by next year. Currently, India accounts for about 15% of Apple’s global iPhone production, or roughly 40 million units annually, while all US-bound iPhones are still produced in China.