Tata Group an Indian conglomerate, has started talks with Wistron, one of the three Apple vendors in India, to buy its manufacturing facility in Karnataka, India, reports Inc.

If the transaction goes through, it will help Tata ramp up the manufacturing capabilities of group company Tata Electronics (TEPL) in precision engineering. Inc. says it should be noted that TEPL is already a components vendor for Apple’s iPhones and plans to also deal with other large manufacturers from Korea and Japan as part of a “larger electronics ecosystem.”

If the facility buyout did not work out, Tata Group would independently also pursue the JV route. TEPL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Sons. It was set up to lead the conglomerate’s ambitions to become a scaled mobile phone and component contract manufacturer.

Currently, Apple produces the iPhone SE, iPhone 12, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 (basic) models in India, while the Pro models sold in the country are imported. Besides Wistron, the other two leading vendors for Apple in India are Foxconn, Pegatron.

In August it was announced that Apple would begin manufacturing the iPhone 14 in India about two months after the product’s initial release out of China, “narrowing the gap between the two countries but not closing it completely as some had anticipated.

And in September, the Indian Express reported that Tata Group was in talks with Taiwanese-based Wistron to establish an electronics manufacturing joint venture in India, seeking to assemble iPhones in the South Asian country.

From the article: The discussions with Wistron Corp. are aimed at making Tata a force in technology manufacturing, and the Indian salt-to-software conglomerate wants to tap the Taiwanese company’s expertise in product development, supply chain and assembly, people with knowledge of the matter said. If successful, the pact could make Tata the first Indian company to build iPhones, which are currently mainly assembled by Taiwanese manufacturing giants like Wistron and Foxconn Technology Group in China and India.



Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today