The outbreak of large-scale food poisoning incidents, Foxconn India iPhone factory extended the closure time

According to foreign media sources, senior officials in The Indian state of Tamil Nadu said that the Foxconn iPhone factory in India is at the center of a large-scale food poisoning incident and will extend the one-week shutdown time by another three days.

Last week, more than 250 female workers at India's Foxconn iPhone factory were taken to hospitals for food poisoning, sparking protests. The incident drew local attention to the living conditions of workers in factory dormitories in Chennai (the capital of Tamil Nadu).

The local government asked Foxconn to review services for workers, including backup power, food and water in dormitories, and the Industrial Safety and Health Bureau also recommended entertainment facilities such as television, libraries and indoor games. Foxconn has acknowledged to Indian officials that "production is increasing too quickly" and will gradually ensure that workers' living facilities are upgraded before they return to full capacity.

The plant is responsible for producing the iPhone 12 model and has started trial production of the iPhone 13. Analysts say the plant is strategic in the long run, with Apple trying to reduce its reliance on China's supply chain amid U.S.-China trade tensions.

The poisoning at foxconn's factory is the second time in a year that an Apple supplier has suffered a production outage in India. In December 2020, thousands of contract workers at a Wistron plant were suspected of destroying equipment and vehicles due to unpaid wages, resulting in damage estimated at $60 million.

Apple began pushing for supply chain shifts to India in 2017, and the company hopes to shift 7%-10% of its capacity from Chinese mainland to India. Three Apple suppliers, Foxconn, Wistron and Pegatron, have jointly pledged to invest about $900 million over five years to produce iPhones in India. However, in the past two years, the Indian factory has been affected by the epidemic and other factors, and the output has decreased compared with before. At the same time, the price increase of electronic raw materials has also affected the local competitiveness, and the production and manufacture of high-end iPhones and iPads are still carried out in domestic factories. (Proofreading/Seven-Seven)