Tata Electronics captures 26% share of India's iPhone production

Tata Electronics has cemented its position as a significant supplier for Apple Inc’s iPhone, pressing the pedal in 2024 on three critical fronts — production, exports, and direct employment — to meet the needs of the Cupertino-based technology giant.

 

Tata Electronics — which acquired Wistron’s iPhone facility in Narsapura, Karnataka, for $125 million in October 2023 — has significantly ramped up operations since mid-2024. The plant’s annual production soared to over Rs 40,000 crore during the January–December 2024 period — a 180 per cent surge compared to Rs 14,300 crore in the previous year. This performance positions the Tatas as responsible for 26 per cent of the total iPhone production in India, where Apple’s other vendors include Foxconn and Pegatron. 

 

During the year, Tata Electronics recorded a 63 per cent increase in direct employment at its iPhone assembly operations, with the workforce expanding to 31,000 from 19,000 in 2023. This growth elevated its factory to the position of India’s second-largest iPhone manufacturing facility in terms of direct job creation, according to quarterly data submitted to state and central governments.

 

The factory now accounted for 17 per cent of the total direct employment generated across Apple’s iPhone ecosystem in India (185,000 workers as of 2024), which encompasses assemblers and component suppliers. By comparison, the largest factory, operated by Apple vendor Foxconn in Tamil Nadu, employed over 42,000 workers at its peak. 

 

Exports also surged, with over 77 per cent of the factory’s output shipped overseas in 2024. The export value for the year exceeded Rs 31,000 crore, up 125 per cent from Rs 13,751 crore in 2023. Tata’s contribution accounted for 29 per cent of India’s total iPhone exports in 2024.

 

The company’s rapid scaling has made it the second-largest contributor to both iPhone production and exports in India, trailing only Foxconn. Tata Electronics, along with other production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme participants, regularly files data on production and employment with the government. However, a spokesperson for Tata Electronics declined to comment on an email query on the aforementioned figures, stating: “We regret that we cannot take it ahead at this time.”

 

In addition to its current operations, Tata is in discussions with Pegatron to acquire a stake in the latter’s Tamil Nadu-based iPhone facility. If finalised, this move would consolidate iPhone assembly in India under just two vendors. Meanwhile, Tata is investing Rs 6,000 crore in a new iPhone manufacturing facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, which is slated to commence commercial production later this year.

 

Of 31,000 workers directly employed by the Karnataka facility, 22,000 are women, most of whom are first-time job seekers aged 19–24. Over the past four years, the factory has consistently expanded its employee base; the previous year, it was in the 17,000–19,000 range.