Apple suppliers are in talks to produce the Apple Watch and MacBook in Vietnam for the first time, Nikkei Asia reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Apple’s Chinese supplier Luxshare Precision Industry and iPhone assembler Foxconn have started trial production of the Apple Watch and MacBook in North Vietnam, the report said.
Apple is shifting some areas of iPhone production from China to other markets, including India, where it began manufacturing the iPhone 13 this year, and also plans to assemble the iPad tablet.
India, the world’s second largest smartphone market, along with countries such as Mexico and Vietnam, is becoming increasingly important to contract manufacturers supplying American brands, as they try to diversify production away from China.
Apple, Foxconn and LuxShare Precision did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Last week, Taiwanese contract maker Foxconn gave a cautious outlook for the current quarter after posting higher-than-expected results, citing slowing demand for smartphones after a pandemic-fuelled boom.
Like other global manufacturers, Foxconn – formally called Hon Hai Precision Industry – has dealt with severe shortages of chips, which hurt production, as bottlenecks from the pandemic persisted and the Ukraine war disrupted logistic channels. made more stressful.
© Thomson Reuters 2022
