The former Wistron facility in India, now owned by local company Tata Electronics, suffered a fire over the weekend and remains unable to reopen while an investigation is underway. Case parts and other components of the iPhone were already being produced here, and the assembly of smartphones was supposed to begin before the end of the year.
Image source: Techopedia
The fire, as established, began at 5:30 am local time on Saturday, as a result of which the roof of one of the production buildings collapsed. According to local media, the fire started in a workshop responsible for painting iPhone accessories. The danger of the release of volatile chemicals forced the company’s management to evacuate a shift of 523 workers; about ten people were injured in the fire, who received medical assistance, and two more people were hospitalized.
Chemical fumes prevented firefighters from entering the burning building in a timely manner, although in the absence of these factors it would have been possible to minimize the damage. Conditions for safe exploration of the fire site will take place within a few days. Tellingly, on the day the fire broke out, Tata Electronics management promised to double the workforce at the Tamil Nadu plant by hiring 20,000 more employees. This company became the first manufacturer of iPhone components of Indian origin; before that, Taiwanese Foxconn, whose enterprises are also present in the country, specialized in similar activities. However, the Indian contractor received his enterprise from the Taiwanese Wistron, so he did not have to build everything from scratch. By 2028, Indian authorities expect to produce every fourth iPhone in the world in this South Asian country.