Towering ambitions: Foxconn's expanding footprint in India
iPhone or very soon even the Google Pixel that amps up your swag quotient might owe its existence to a Foxconn shopfloor. And yet, the story began rather modestly in India, 18 years ago. But lately, as India climbs the affordability and style quotient ladder, the Taiwanese major is pumping in billions to expand its manufacturing footprint in the country.
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Expansion of current facilities and product portfolio, establishment of new greenfield facilities and alliances with other Indian conglomerates that allow entry into sunrise sectors — diversification and dominance happen to be Foxconn’s pronounced leitmotif in India’s gadget manufacturing.
In 2006, Foxconn started operations in Chennai to make products for Nokia, then the leader in handsets in a country at the cusp of a data revolution. For a decade, its presence was rather sedate. A turning point came in 2017 when the company began manufacturing iPhones in Sriperumbudur, a special economic zone (SEZ) outside Chennai. Since then, it has been instrumental in the India electronics manufacturing boom — buoyed by insatiable demand from Apple.
China plus one
As Apple looks to diversify away from China, India has been a big beneficiary. Foxconn has immensely stepped up its investments in mobile assembly in India and this is expected to get only more intensified as Apple sharpens
