Apple in talks with Aequs, Rayprus to deepen manufacturing ops in India

Currently, Tata Electronics is the only Indian vendor for Apple, and it is also looking to double its casing facility

In a bid to deepen its manufacturing operations in India, Apple is in talks with several component makers like Aequs Group and Rayprus Technologies, according to a report by The Economic Times (ET). It is also in preliminary discussions with Dixon Technologies as it looks away from China for manufacturing iPhones.

Rayprus is a subsidiary of Foxconn and makes high-quality precision cameras and lenses. Aequs, on the other hand, manufactures consumer durable goods and aerospace parts in India. The report added that the Cupertino-based tech giant is looking for countries other than China owing to delays in government approvals for imports.

Currently, Tata Electronics is Apple's only Indian vendor. The report said it is also looking to double its casing facility. Apple has some of its largest electronics manufacturing players in India, including Foxconn, Pegatron and Wistron, which Tata Electronics took over.

Earlier, Business Standard reported that Foxconn plans to invest an additional Rs 13,911 crore in Karnataka. The company has already received approval to invest Rs 8,000 crore in the southern state.

Moreover, the Financial Times (FT) reported that Foxconn is also planning on setting up worker dormitories in Tamil Nadu to increase manufacturing in the country. The report said that Foxconn is building a factory to make Apple's AirPods through its subsidiary FIT in 2024. The factory site at Kongara Kalan near Hyderabad's airport is expected to include a dormitory for its workers.

Foxconn has long used dormitories in China and Vietnam, where a large part of the production of Apple devices takes place.