Team siliconindia

• Foxconn is setting up a new unit in Tamil Nadu to locally manufacture iPhone metal enclosures for the first time.
• Apple supplier Jabil plans a new factory in Tiruchirappalli to produce plastic casings for AirPods.
• These expansions are part of Apple’s broader ‘Make in India’ push to localize and scale up its supply chain.

Apple is accelerating its ‘Make in India’ strategy with a sharper focus on localizing key iPhone and AirPods components. Amid ongoing global supply chain shifts and a cautious pullback from China, the tech giant is reportedly expanding its local manufacturing footprint across Tamil Nadu.

According to a new report by The Economic Times, Apple’s major contract manufacturer Foxconn is preparing to set up a dedicated unit to manufacture metal enclosures or chassis for iPhones in India. This facility is likely to come up inside the ESR Industrial Park in Oragadam, near Chennai. Foxconn already assembles iPhones at its Sriperumbudur plant and produces AirPods in Hyderabad. It is also working on a massive new iPhone assembly unit near Bengaluru. However, this would mark the first time it will locally produce iPhone casings significantly deepening its India operations.

Currently, Tata Electronics is the only manufacturer of iPhone casings in India. With Foxconn joining this niche manufacturing segment, Apple is poised to increase its local iPhone production value by an estimated 2–3 percent. While this development may not immediately influence the iPhone’s end pricing for consumers, it is expected to enhance Apple’s go-to-market timelines, improve inventory availability, and potentially amplify export volumes.

Construction of the new casing unit is reportedly underway, though the exact launch timeline remains undisclosed. Additionally, Foxconn is believed to be setting up another line within the same facility to produce display modules for iPhones a move that could further localize Apple’s value chain in India.

Also Read: Apple Unveils iPadOS 26 at WWDC 2025: Redesigned Look, New Features, and Enhanced Multitasking

Parallelly, Apple is also stepping up the production of plastic enclosures for AirPods in India. Jabil, another Apple supplier, is planning to establish a new factory in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, to support this effort. Jabil already manufactures AirPods casings at its Pune facility. The India-made components will reportedly be exported to China and Vietnam for final assembly.

These developments underscore Apple’s growing confidence in India as a key global manufacturing base not just for assembling devices, but also for producing core components critical to its supply chain.