Apple, Samsung suspend India production amid coronavirus lockdown
What's the story
In compliance with the 21-day, nation-wide lockdown enforced by the Indian government to combat the spread of coronavirus, leading smartphone manufacturers Samsung and Apple have suspended most of their operations in the country. The companies have closed their local manufacturing units with immediate effect, following the footsteps of several local companies that have either suspended or limited their services. Here's all about it.
Apple
Apple's partner factories halt production
As reported by Bloomberg, Apple's manufacturing partners in India, Wistron and Foxconn, have confirmed that operations have been halted at their respective plants in Chennai and Bengaluru. The companies said that the production at the plants would remain suspended till April 14 (the last day of the lockdown) and resume based on further announcements by the Indian government.
Impact
This would slow down supply of some iPhone models
While the two plants in question manufacture plenty of gadgets, a large chunk of their output revolves around older iPhone models, including the iPhone Xr, iPhone 7, and the iPhone 6s. This means that the supply of iPhones (at least some), which has already slowed down due to the closure of factories in China, would take a further hit in the coming weeks.
Samsung
Samsung has also closed its Noida plant
Like Apple, Samsung India has also followed the same protocol and suspended all activities at its manufacturing unit in Noida, TOI reported. The plant is the biggest one managed by the South Korean giant for the production of smartphones and had debuted in 2018 with the end goal of doubling smartphone manufacturing capacity in India from 68 million to 120 million by 2020.
Impact
A mere speck of COVID-19's impact
The suspension of services at Apple and Samsung facilities in India is just one aspect of how COVID-19 is affecting the manufacturing sector of the Indian economy. The pandemic, which has killed over 22,000 worldwide, has led to the shutdown of several factories, bringing many businesses to a halt, starting from automakers, smartphone makers, and consumer electronics firms to appliance majors and many others.