Tata To Partially Restart Operations At Fire-Hit iPhone Unit in Hosur

Tata Electronics has said that it will resume some of its operations at the fire-hit iPhone facility in Tamil Nadu’s Hosur. 

Last week, a major fire broke out at Tata Electronics’ iPhone plant in Hosur, prompting the officials to suspend its production for an indefinite period after which Apple has reportedly sent a supplier responsibility (SR) team to the facility to review the situation and “counsel and advise” the contract manufacturer.

“We plan to restart work in many areas of the facility today. And as we work toward resuming full operations, all our team members will continue to receive full pay,” Reuters reported, citing a company spokesperson.

Earlier today, reports confirmed that a government-related probe was underway and the director of the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) would inspect the unit affected by fire.

As per Reuters report, district administrative official KM Sarayu said that the director of industries for the state has given the company a go-ahead now to resume operations.

M Velu, a district fire officer, said in the report that the value of damages is not yet known.

“We will know more only after the removal of the debris. The entire shed has collapsed with little visibility into the damages,” Velu also said.

The fire incident looks to challenge the iOS owner Apple’s plans of diversifying its manufacturing units and operations outside of China.

In early September, reports confirmed that Apple supplier Jabil was planning to invest INR 2,000 Cr to build an electronics manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu’s Trichy.

Additionally, the tech giant was considering using made-in-India chips for the iPhones produced in the country, where Apple began conversations with Micron, the Tata Group, and other chip manufacturers setting up plants in India to source supplies worth $12 Bn for the India-produced iPhones, as per reports.

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