Tata Group is aiming to gain full control of the Wistron iPhone manufacturing plant in Bengaluru, India, potentially becoming the first major Indian supplier for Apple.
Business Line first reported the news, which is that Tata Group is likely to complete its takeover of Wistron’s iPhone plant by the end of April.
The two companies have been discussing the move since fall 2022. Once the transition is complete the plant will become the country’s first all-Indian factory, though Tata seems to plan to fire thousands of employees as it takes over work there.
Those lay-offs may or may not be temporary. The plant currently makes iPhone 12 and iPhone 14 across eight production lines, but as interest dwindles in expectation of the iPhone 15 range it’s possible the new factory owner simply plans to upgrade production lines to manufacture the next iteration of the Apple smartphone.