Foxconn has rapidly scaled up its newest iPhone manufacturing facility near Bengaluru, hiring close to 30,000 workers within eight to nine months, marking the fastest workforce expansion by any factory in India to date. The swift ramp-up at the Devanahalli plant underscores Apple’s push to diversify its supply chain beyond China, according to people familiar with the development, ET reported. Spread across 300 acres, the facility is notable for its predominantly female workforce. Around 80% of the employees are women, most of them aged between 19 and 24 and entering the workforce for the first time, the people said. “The factory started testing production in April-May this year with iPhone 16 and now makes the latest iPhone 17 Pro Max models,” said a person privy to the details. More than 80% of the output from the plant is exported, the person told ET. As production scales up, employment is expected to rise further. A second person said the unit has the capacity to engage up to 50,000 workers once it reaches peak production next year. “There are six large dorms, several of which are currently functional to house the women staff, and construction for the rest are also in full swing,” the person told ET.
What’s next…a mini township?
With its planned expansion, the Devanahalli facility is expected to house more women workers at a single location than any government or private entity in the country. Women migrants from neighbouring states have already found employment at the plant, which is envisioned to eventually function as a mini township. Plans for the site include residential facilities, medical services, schools and entertainment spaces within the premises. Industry estimates suggest that, along with free accommodation and subsidised food, workers earn an average monthly salary of about Rs 18,000, placing it among the better-paying blue-collar jobs for women. Foxconn, Apple’s largest contract manufacturer, is investing Rs 20,000 crore in the project. Once fully completed, it is expected to become India’s largest factory in terms of both production capacity and employment. “With a production floor space of nearly 250,000 sq ft, it’s massive by any standards but certainly amongst the largest in the country,” said the first person. The new plant is set to surpass Foxconn’s first iPhone manufacturing unit in Tamil Nadu, which currently employs around 41,000 workers. People tracking the Bengaluru project said the facility is likely to house up to a dozen iPhone assembly lines in the future, compared with about four at present.Apple has beensteadily shifting iPhone production to India, aided by the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme introduced in 2021. “Apple’s operations in India are a shining example of government-industry partnership,” said a government official. “This size and speed of expansion was unimaginable just four years ago. Apple’s plant has broken multiple records setting a new benchmark for what is possible in manufacturing and exports from India.”According to ET, all iphone models are made in India from the start and then exported globally. The rapid scale-up has been supported by the expansion of Apple’s supplier network in India to nearly 45 companies, including local component manufacturers and sub-assembly firms.