Foxconn India iPhone Factory Survey: Expansion Progresses Not as Expected

IT Home reported on November 30 that according to a report by foreign technology media Rest of World, Foxconn's process of promoting the expansion of its Indian factory was not smooth.

Foxconn sent Chinese employees to India to oversee operations and train employees. However, the employees sent to India do not know much English and do not know enough about the local culture.

Foxconn has copied almost all factories in Chinese mainland, using domestic-sourced machines, many with Mandarin text and instructions.

Foxconn factory in Sunguvarchatram, signage at the entrance to SIPCOT Industrial Park, photo via Rest of World

"All machine documentation, including SOPs, work instructions, and commands, is written in Mandarin, the software interface is in Mandarin, and even the panic buttons are not localized," said a senior manager in India.

Employees have started using translation apps and communicating using basic body language, with human translators helping, but overall, the expansion of Foxconn's India plant has not been as well as expected.

The government tried to change it to 12 hours by passing legislation that had an 8-hour working day in Indian law, and the proposal was shelved after major protests.

Chinese employees dispatched to India were shocked by the schedule adherence in India, with one manager lamenting, "In addition to working 8 hours a day, there are breaks built into the shifts. You've just settled in your seat, and it's time for your next break."

Foxconn China relies on China's lax labor laws, using additional wages and bonuses to attract employees who work longer shifts. It tried a similar tactic in India, but to no avail – Indian workers refused to work overtime.

According to the report, Foxconn's Sunguvarchathram plant currently assembles less than 15% of iPhone 15 models. The original address of the report is attached, and interested users can read it in depth.