Apple Expands India Footprint With New Office In Bengaluru

Continuing with its Indian expansion spree, Apple has unveiled a new 15-floor office in the country’s Silicon Valley, Bengaluru.

The new office, located on Cubbon Road in Minsk Square, will house up to 1,200 employees. It has designated lab space, places for wellness and cooperation and Caffe Macs.

This comes at a time when the Cupertino-based company aims to achieve a significant milestone by manufacturing more than 50 Mn iPhones in India by March this year, as it looks to double down on production in the country as part of its efforts to reduce reliance on China.

 “Apple is thrilled to expand in India with our new office in the heart of Bengaluru. This dynamic city is already home to so many of our talented teams, including software engineering and hardware technologies, operations, customer support, and more,” Apple spokesperson said. 

The company further said that like its products, this workspace is created to foster innovation, creativity and connection. 

The team which will be posted at the new office will work across various verticals, including, software, hardware, services, IS&T, operations and customer support, among others.

Like all other facilities and offices of Apple, the new office has also been designed with sustainability as the core value as it will operate 100% with renewable energy. According to Apple, with this, it aims to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum rating which is the highest level of LEED certification. 

Currently, in India, the company operates from Mumbai, Hyderabad, Gurugram and Bengaluru, and has more than 3,000 employees. 

In addition, Apple’s association with its Indian vendors of all sizes supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country.

The iPhone maker is reportedly scouting for Indian, Japanese and South Korean suppliers who can provide critical components to its contract manufacturers in India.

Apple is in preliminary talks with potential suppliers capable of custom-designing and producing parts and machinery for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), as well as those who currently act as contract manufacturers for several global firms.

Several suppliers have already begun investing in new capabilities, machinery and equipment, positioning themselves as potential suppliers to Apple pending an extensive cycle of certification and approvals, according to Mint. 

Apple aims to diversify its operations in India, which has been predominantly concentrated in China.

According to an Economic Times report, the tech giant is looking for equipment like batteries, camera lens, chargers and others required to make its flagship iPhones and iPads in India. 

This comes at a time when the Indian government has delayed approvals to import such above-mentioned equipment from the existing suppliers, majorly of Chinese origin. 

In November last year, during the Q4 2023 earnings conference call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that India plays a crucial role in the growth of the company with substantial growth opportunities and numerous advantages within the country’s expansive market.

In addition to increasing the manufacturing capacity in the country, Apple is also focussing on the retail front. Last year, it opened two official stores in Mumbai and Delhi, and is reportedly planning to open up more stores in the coming years. 

Further, the tech giant was also reported to have raised the sales target of the franchisee-owned exclusive retail stores in India by as much as 100% in some cases.