The Tata Group is reportedly in talks with Taiwan-based Winston Corp to join the bevy of iPhone makers in India. It is a part of Apple’s plans to broaden its Indian manufacturing unit. Wistron, who is a supplier to Apple will establish an electronics manufacturing unit in India in partnership with the Tata Group if the talks materialize to reach a conclusion.
“The structure of the deal and details such as shareholdings are yet to be finalized, and talks are ongoing,” Bloomberg quoted about the matter.
Game changer for smartphone manufacturing in India?
If the talks take share and the agreement is successful, then Tata Group will become the first Indian company to manufacture Apple iPhones, capturing a market that currently sees the monopoly of Taiwanese giants like Foxconn and Wistron in China. Tata aims to gain Wistron’s expertise in product development, supply chain, and assembly so that it can turn into a key manufacturer in the future.
An Indian company like Tata making iPhones would be a massive boost for India and reduce its dependency on China in the future. It can persuade other global electronics brands to consider setting up assembly lines in India to reduce their costs as well as reliance on China. Also, this new venture will increase the number of iPhones assembled by as much as 5 times what Wistron currently makes in India. The partnership will lead to Tata getting a share of Wistron’s manufacturing business beyond smartphones as well, sources said.
For India, in the long run, a company like Tata getting the technology to make iPhones and learning the way to manufacture iPhones can lead to the giant introducing a high-end smartphone range of its own, that might be inspired by the iPhone series. Who knows in the future, India might have its own smartphone series inspired by iPhones from Apple. Also, other Indian smartphone manufacturers might also be able to make iPhones in the coming years.
For those unaware, Wistrong began making iPhones in India in 2017, after years of efforts by Apple to add manufacturing units in the country. It currently assembles iPhones at its plant in Karnataka in southern India.
