Apple is all set to roll out its iphone 17 series devices at the company’s “Awe Dropping” event on 9 September. Ahead of the event, there have bee a lot of leaks about the new phones that have more or less revealed most of the specifications and other details about the new iPhones.
However, a new leak from DigiTimes now states that the tech giant is significantly accelerating the rollout of automation and use of robots across its manufacturing supply chain
The company is said to have been advocating for increased automation in supplier facilities for over to years but it is now reportedly requiring automation as a standard prerequisite for awarding manufacturing contracts.
The move by Apple is being attributed to the compay’s broader effort to minimize labor dependency, stabilize product quality and uniformity across different facilities and reduce long term production costs while it runs supply chain diversification away from China.
The automation mandate by Apple reportedly spans across all major product categories including iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch.
Surprisingly, Apple is now said to expect suppliers to fund their own automation upgrades. This is in stark contrast to Apple’s previous policy where the tech giant invested in tooling and machinery for contract manufacturers to meet its specifications.
The financial burden of this new automation push is reporedly already showing on the suppliers. The high initial capital expenditure along with operational disruptions during the period of integration of robotic systems has led to strained profitability for some suppliers.
Apple, however, is said to continue to assist suppliers in areas related to environmental responsiblity. Notably, the tech giant has a target of achieving carbon neutrality acrosss its entire supply chain by 2030.
Apple’s iPhone manufacturing in India:
The company has been focusing heavily on Indian market in recent times and has five operational iPhone factories in the country which are operated by Foxconn and Tata Group. The company is now sourcing its US sold iPhones in India and has been reportedly working on ramping production capacity in the country.
Recent reports had revealed that Foxconn had begun the productin of iPhone 17 series at small scale in its second largest manufacturing unit at Bengaluru, India.
The company is said to be manufacturing all four models of the iPhone 17 series at its iPhone factories in India.
iphone 17 air, iphone 17, app, apple iphone 17
#Apple #tells #suppliers #adopt #robots #reduce #reliance #workers #ahead #iPhone #launch #Report