production Archives - Gizmochina

Xiaomi doubles Xiaomi Car’s early production target despite manufacturing woes

Sean — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 12:51:17 +0000

Xiaomi is gearing up to launch its first ever smart electric car in the market soon. But ahead of its unveiling, a new report revealed more details regarding the Xiaomi Car‘s production and the challenges the company is facing as it gets closer to mass production.

Xiaomi Car launch faces production woes

According to a new report, the Chinese tech giant reached the fifth stage of production line verification from its Yizhuang factory last week. The company plans to build 300 units of the EV this month, which is double that of its target in November. Meanwhile, the mass production stage is expected to kick off in the first quarter of next year. For its first EV, the company is also emphasizing stability rather than speed. Xiaomi is apparently lowering production on certain products from its Xiaomi Home portfolio to make room for the new car.

Xiaomi SU7 EV ID photo

During this stage, a higher target for production isn’t the objective. Rather, the company is still in the production line debugging and verification stage. The report adds that there are various problems in mass production. These issues include problems with the car. Although, some of these were addressed through a remote OTA update. R&D employees at the headquarters are also facing issues in the manufacturing process, while final assembly is also suffering from line shutdowns and late parts delivery.

Based on what we know so far, the Xiaomi Car could likely be released next year. It could also have a starting price tag of 149,900 Yuan (roughly 20,777 US Dollars). Earlier this year, the upcoming EV was even spotted being tested on the snow. Notably, the company’s founder Lei Jun was also spotted during this test.

China’s electronics production surge, over 900 million phones produced in first eight months amidst recovery

Soumyakanti — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 10:59:24 +0000

In Q1 2023, China experienced a nearly 15% decline in semiconductor production and a 13.8% drop in smartphone production, primarily affecting local brands like Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi. This decline in electronics production contrasted with a 4.5% GDP growth and 3.9% industrial output increase in March. The US export control regime on semiconductor equipment and increased competition from factories in Vietnam and India are contributing factors to China’s challenges.

Now according to recently released data by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) indicates a notable recovery in the electronic manufacturing sector in China from January to August. Key findings from the report reveal:

Chinese Electronic Manufacturing Sector Is Recovering Slowly

Steady Improvement in Production: Electronic manufacturing enterprises contributed to a 0.9% year-on-year increase in value added, showing improvement compared to the first seven months.

August’s Strong Performance: August witnessed a remarkable 5.8% year-on-year increase in value added by the electronic information manufacturing industry.

Mobile Phone Production: Despite a slight decline of 0.9%, mobile phone production reached an impressive 935 million units, with smartphones contributing 679 million units but experiencing a 7.5% decline.

Decline in Microcomputer Devices and Integrated Circuits: The production of microcomputer devices fell by 21.7%, and integrated circuits saw a 1.4% decline.

Mixed Export Picture: The electronic information manufacturing sector faced an 8% decline in export delivery value, though it improved slightly compared to the earlier part of the year. Exports of laptops, mobile phones, and integrated circuits declined by 21.7%, 10.9%, and 6.2%, respectively.

Financial Performance: The industry generated an operating revenue of 9.21 trillion yuan ($1.2 trillion), with a 3.5% year-on-year drop, which showed signs of improvement. Costs decreased by 3%, totaling 8.06 trillion yuan ($1.12 trillion), and profits stood at 354.7 billion yuan ($49.6 billion), reflecting a substantial decrease of 20.6% but improving over the previous months.

China’s electronic manufacturing sector has displayed resilience and a positive trajectory despite facing challenges during the first eight months of the year. While there have been declines in certain areas, such as smartphone production and exports, the overall industry has shown signs of recovery and growth, with August particularly standing out as a strong month. The sector’s ability to adapt and improve, along with a potential boost in the coming months, indicates a promising future for China’s electronic manufacturing industry.

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Apple iPhone 15 series production reportedly slashed due to supply chain issues

Jeet — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 00:12:11 +0000

Apple is gearing up to launch the next generation of its smartphones in the form of the Apple iPhone 15 series in a few weeks, which will include the iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, and 15 Ultra or 15 Pro Max.

The upcoming smartphones are already in the mass production phase, but as per the new report, the Cupertino-based technology giant has slashed production because of supply-chain issues.

The report by Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu claims that the forecast of the new iPhones has lowered from 83 million to 77 million units.

On the other hand, analysts from Mizuho Bank in Japan are now expecting 73 million units of the iPhone 15 series instead of 84 million. It also anticipates Apple to produce 217 million units of iPhones in 2023 instead of its earlier forecast of 227 million.

If the reports are to be believed, then Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 15 series smartphones in the month of September, with models being available for purchase from 22nd September, except for the iPhone 15 Pro Max (Ultra).

It is said that the launch of the 15 Pro Max could be delayed to October. This is being linked to Sony not being able to deliver enough camera sensors in time for this model. It’s noteworthy that the iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to be the first iPhone to use a periscope lens.

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Apple iPhone 15 Has Reportedly Entered Early Trial Production Phase

Jeet — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 03:17:21 +0000

It’s been just months since Apple launched the iPhone 14 lineup, and rumors about the iPhone 15 have already started surfacing online, and it appears that not just rumors but the company itself is moving at a rapid pace.

As per the latest report, the upcoming Apple iPhone 15 has entered early “machine trial production” with the Cupertino-based technology giant’s primary assembler Foxconn.

The report adds that Foxconn has received instructions from Apple to begin “new machine trial production” for the new iPhone 15 and to begin new product introduction (NPI) for the device. The process is meant to introduce the device’s specific design and production needs for the company.

The development comes ahead of the mass production of smartphones, which is still several months away. This time, the company appears to be going through the process early, given that the production will be a bit different as manufacturing will take place in two countries — China and India.

Apple’s upcoming iPhone 15 series is expected to have four models — iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, and 15 Ultra. The Apple iPhone 15 Ultra will be replacing the Pro Max model and will be the top-end offering from the brand. As per the report, the Ultra model will have a titanium frame, a solid-state haptic volume button instead of physical buttons, and a USB-C port with faster transfer speeds.

This time around, all the iPhone models launching will come with a Dynamic Island, unlike the iPhone 14 series, where only the Pro models have the new front panel. All the phones are expected to have a 48MP primary camera sensor, and they will have a USB-C port.

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Apple reportedly scales back iPhone 14 production due to lower demand

Jeet — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 05:49:55 +0000

Apple recently unveiled its next-generation smartphones in the form of the Apple iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max. This time, the company has replaced the Mini model with the Plus mode.

Now, as per the latest reports, the Cupertino-based technology giant is scaling back production of the iPhone 14 due to low demand for the latest model.

According to the report from ITHome, which cites supply chain employees as a source to claim that Foxconn has been instructed to dismantle at least five production lines that were making the iPhone 14 in Zhengzhou, China.

Currently, it is not clear if the scale of production is only for the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 model or if it also includes the larger 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus.

This isn’t surprising given that the Apple iPhone 14 comes with the same display as the iPhone 13 model. It also packs a processor found in the iPhone 13 Pro instead of the latest one. It isn’t exciting for the customers, and they wouldn’t;t want to spend more money on the new model when they are essentially getting a phone similar to the last year.

On the other hand, a report from Ming-Chi Kuo indicates that Apple is ramping up the production of the iPhone 14 Pro, which is in high demand. He adds that the company is moving production resources from iPhone 14 to the iPhone 14 Pro to keep up with demand.

Samsung reportedly cuts production due to slowdown in global demand

Jeet — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 05:01:18 +0000

Samsung, the world’s leading smartphone manufacturer, has reportedly cut down production of its devices at the massive plant in Vietnam due to the global fall in consumer spending

The report, coming from Reuters, cites employees as the source. The scale back of production comes as the retailers and warehouses deal with a rising inventory.

As per the report, America’s largest warehouse market is full and the major retailers in the United States have warned of slowing sales given that shoppers are not spending as much as they used to before and during the early era of the pandemic.

One of the workers at the plant told Reuters, “We are going to work just three days per week, some lines are adjusting to a four-day workweek instead of six before, and of course, no overtime is needed.”

The manufacturing plant in Vietnam’s northern province of Thai Nguyen has been the most affected. It is one of the two mobile manufacturing bases in the country where Samsung produces half of its smartphones.

While Samsung says that it has not discussed reducing its annual production target in Vietnam, the South Korean giant is optimistic about smartphone demand in the second half of the year as it said during its earnings call last week that supply disruptions had mostly been resolved and that demand would either stay flat or see single-digit growth.

Apple iPhone 14 series smartphone models reportedly enters EVT phase

Jeet — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 03:11:29 +0000

Apple iPhone 14 series, which is expected to go official in the month of September this year, had entered the initial production trials last month. Now, the iPhone 14 models have reportedly entered the EVT phase.

For those who are unaware, EVT stands for Engineering Validation Test. The development comes from Haitong International Securities’ analyst Jeff Pu and was reported by 9to5Mac.

As per the report, the lockdown in Shenzhen, China has not impacted the production timeline for the company as the Foxconn factory in that particular location accounts for only 10 percent of the global iPhone production.

Given the iPhone 14 series has entered the Engineering Validation Test, it implies that the company has locked down the final design as well the specifications for the models. The test is to ensure that the product performs and looks as intended.

If the recently leaked schematics for the iPhone 14 Pro series models are anything to go by, then the company will have minor changes in terms of design, which should not be visible to the naked eye. However, the camera bump is said to be a bit thicker as Apple is opting for a larger 48MP camera sensor instead of the regular 12MP.

The Apple iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will have a punch-hole cutout for the front-facing camera as well as the Face ID. These models will also be powered by the Apple A16 or A16 Pro Bionic chip manufactured using a 4nm process.

On the other hand, the regular iPhone 14 and 14 Max are said to keep using the notch on the top of the screen and be powered by the Apple A15 Bionic or the A16 Bionic which will just be a rebranded A15 processor.

Apple contract manufacturer Foxconn temporarily shuts down Shenzhen factory

Jeet — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 00:54:05 +0000

Foxconn, the contract manufacturer of Apple’s iPhone models, has been forced to shut down its production facility in Shenzhen as the government has ordered lockdown because of new cases of COVID-19.

Because of this new lockdown and shutdown of the factory, there could be some delay in shipments of some Apple devices for which Foxconn is responsible for production, which also includes some iPhone models.

The whole city of Shenzhen in China has been placed under lockdown for one week and everything is closed for the 17.5 million residents of the city, including bus and subway system of transportation.

Everything that is not considered essential has been shut down for a week, including the Foxconn factory. The company said that its Shenzhen operations would be suspended until further notice and added that it will now depend on backup plans to prevent disruptions.

Multiple Chinese provinces and cities have tightened restrictions, a move which is in line with Beijing’s zero-tolerance goal of suppressing contagion as quickly as possible.

If the new COVID-19 cases keep rising in China, then the lockdown period could be increased, disrupting production and supply chains, leading to a shortage of chips and components needed to make devices. Some reports indicate that the total number of COVID cases in China this year has already topped the numbers seen throughout 2021.

Apple’s upcoming iPhone 14 series reportedly enters trial production phase

Jeet — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 02:37:56 +0000

There have been several rumors about the upcoming Apple iPhone 14 series smartphones, revealing what we should expect from the next-generation devices from one of the world’s largest smartphone brands.

Now, in a new development, it is being reported that the Apple iPhone 14 has entered into the trial production phase.

A report from UDN claims that the Apple iPhone 14’s design is currently in trial production which means that a small number of devices are being built which will be used to collect data that will be used for the mass production process.

The aim of this trial production is to find out if the design has any issues or problems or if there is any possibility of improvement for the product. This phase is also used to determine the production output capacity for the company as well as for developing the quality control procedures.

Interestingly, Luxshare, the company which is assembling the Apple iPhone 13 Pro, hasn’t received a production service order yet for the iPhone 14 series. It is being speculated that the company won’t get orders for the iPhone 14 Pro but instead, it will be assembling the base iPhone 14 model. Last year, Luxshare managed to receive 3 percent of the total iPhone 14 Pro orders.

The process of the production of the Apple iPhone usually beings in February with Apple issuing the orders to the manufacturers. After getting the service order, the manufacturers create a Bill of Materials (BOM) for the production and testing machines for quality control.

Foxconn to start mass production of electric vehicles in Thailand in 2024

Jeet — Tue, 08 Feb 2022 00:34:00 +0000

Foxconn Group, the company known for being a contract manufacturer for Apple, is rapidly trying to increase its footprints and has already announced its plans for entering the rapidly growing electric vehicles market.

The National Petroleum Corporation of Thailand (PTT) has announced that its electric vehicles factory in the country, which is a joint venture with the Foxconn Group, will start mass production in the first quarter of 2024.

If the reports are to be believed, then both these companies are planning to invest around $1 billion in setting up this new factory in Thailand. The National Petroleum Corporation of Thailand estimates annual production of about 50,000 vehicles initially which will later be expanded to a capacity of about 150,000 vehicles.

It’s noteworthy that Foxconn isn’t limiting the electric vehicles production business to Thailand but it is spreading it across regions. Just a few days ago, the company announced that it is partnering with the Indonesian Investment Ministry along with other firms for the development of electric vehicles in the region.

Prior to that, the Taiwanese company had also signed an agreement to acquire its first electric vehicle manufacturing plant in North America. It is a part of $280 million in deals with U.S. electric vehicle startup Lordstown Motors that also include a share purchase. It is also considering setting up electric vehicle plants in India, Europe, and either North or South America by the year 2024.

A few months ago, Foxconn unveiled three prototype EV models that the company aims to release in commercial quantities sometime this year. The three new prototypes are a culmination of Foxconn’s partnership with Taiwan’s Yulon Motors.

Foxconn resumes Apple iPhone production facility in India after protests

Jeet — Thu, 13 Jan 2022 04:49:13 +0000

Almost three weeks after it was shut down amid major protests by the employees, the Foxconn plant for Apple iPhone production located in Sriperumbudur near Chennai is now partially reopening.

For those who are returning to work, the company is conducting COVID-19 tests. As per the report, the factory reopened with one shift and 120 workers, adding it would take over two months for the Foxconn plant to produce at full capacity.

The production plant, which employs about 17,000 people and operates three shifts, was closed on 18th December 2021 after 250 workers fell sick with food poisoning, leading to workers organizing protests.

The workers alleged that the food at Foxconn’s dormitories was stale and sometimes crawled with worms. Further, the toilets were unhygienic and inadequate, without running water. Additionally, dozen of them were forced to share small rooms.

After the protests last month, Apple had put the Foxconn production plant on probation, demanding rapid action. The US-based tech giant has said that the plant remains on probation and that it would continue monitoring conditions at workers’ dormitories and dining halls, along with independent auditors.

The facility in question had recently started trial production of the latest iPhone 13 model but now it may get delayed as it is expected to take more than two months for the production to resume at its full capacity.

Apple reportedly starts trial production of the iPhone 13 model in India

Jeet — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 03:48:12 +0000

Apple launched the iPhone 13 series smartphones in September this year and now within just a few months, the Cupertino-based technology giant is all set to start production of the iPhone 13 model in the Indian market.

As per the latest report, Apple’s contract manufacturer Foxconn has started the trial production for the iPhone 13 in its plant near Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India.

Interestingly, Apple has no plans of manufacturing the iPhone 13 Pro and the 13 Pro Max models in the Indian market. It will only manufacture the standard iPhone 13 model in India, which is also the largest selling phone from the company in India.

If everything goes according to the company’s plans, then the commercial production of the iPhone 13 in India for both the domestic market and the international markets could start from February 2023.

To expand the production of the latest iPhone to the Indian market, the company has already secured the required semiconductor components, which are currently in short supply due to global shortage.

About 20 percent to 30 percent of the iPhone production from the Indian market is usually exported to other regions. If that holds true for this new model as well, then it will help the technology giant with the supply boost.

For those who are unaware, Apple is already producing the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 in the Foxconn plant in Tamil Nadu while the iPhone SE is being produced in the Wistron plant in Bengaluru. Based on the estimates, around 70 percent of the Apple smartphones sold in India are manufactured locally.

TSMC introduces N4X process technology for High-Performance Computing

Jeet — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 03:07:59 +0000

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has announced that its new N4X process technology aimed at high-performance computing (HPC) workloads and devices. It is all set for trial production in the first half of 2023.

The introduction of this new N4X process technology by TSMC marks the company’s debut into the growing HPC market. Further, it has been revealed that the N4X process aims to make transistors as small as 5nm.

The N4X design is an enhancement of its N5A, improving upon its performance and maximum clock frequencies. It is claimed to deliver around a 15 percent of performance boost when compared to the N5 processes.

The company is also claiming that the N4X offers a 4 percent performance improvement over its N4P process at 1.2 volts. The “X” denotes TSMC’s growing push into the HPC chip design sector, which the company said is among its fastest-growing business segments.

Dr. Kevin Zhang, senior vice president of Business Development at TSMC, said: “The demands of the HPC segment are unrelenting, and TSMC has not only tailored our ‘X’ semiconductor technologies to unleash ultimate performance but has also combined it with our 3DFabric advanced packaging technologies to offer the best HPC platform.”

Risk production for this new N4X is expected by the first half of 2023, which means that we can expect the first N4X designs to be available in the market by early 2024.

Tesla Gigafactory Berlin expected to produce 30,000 cars in H1 2022

Jeet — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 00:51:47 +0000

With the Tesla Gigafacotry Berlin, the brand is setting up its first manufacturing facility in Europe and is also touted to be the company’s most advanced, sustainable and efficient facility so far. Now, it seems to be all set to start production of cars.

As per the new report from German media outlet Automobilwoche, the Berlin Gigafactory only requires the final operating permit from the environmental department and after that arrives, the company will be able to start manufacturing in the country.

The company is expected to start production in the Berlin Gigafactory next month, i.e. in December 2021, and by the end of the first half of 2022, it is expected to produce around 30,000 cars in this new factory.

It is being said that the company was set to start production of its cars in June this year but was postponed because Tesla didn’t receive the necessary EIA certificate in time. Now, the company is expected to get the required clearences within a few days.

If the reports are to be believed, then the Tesla Berlin Gigafactory has completed the production of around five Model Y cars but not on the production line. It is expected to start the production from January at a rate of around 1,000 cars per week and then will gradually increase the production rate.

Apart from this car production factory, the US-based electric car maker is also gearing up to build a large battery production plant at the same location in Glenheide near Berlin. But before that, the Tesla Gigafacotry for car production will operate at full capacity.

Apple reportedly cuts iPhone 13 production due to chip shortage

Jeet — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 02:45:33 +0000

Its been a few weeks since Apple started selling the newly launched iPhone 13 series models in the markets across the world. The company has been facing issues with the production of its products due to chip shortage and it seems that the trouble for the company has now increased.

According to the latest report, Apple is cutting down the production of its iPhone 13 models by as many as 10 million units because of the chip shortages.

The technology giant was expected to produce about 90 million units of its newly launched smartphones in the fourth quarter of this year but it appears that the manufacturing partners of Apple have informed the company that the total will be lower because of shortage of components from Broadcom and Texas Instruments.

The development comes at a time when the supply for the Apple iPhone 13 series smartphones is also constrained. While delivery times for some of the models were already pushed, the situation could worsen with the holiday period about to begin soon.

The Apple iPhone 13 models use Broadcom AFEM-8215 front-end module and a Broadcom BCM59365 wireless power receiver, along with display power management IC, array driver, flash LED driver and dual repeater from Texas Instruments.

It also remains to be seen how the chip shortage will impact the upcoming MacBook Pro models powered by the Apple M1X chipset, set to be officially launched next week. Recently, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had said that Apple would cut its MacBook shipments in half due to component shortages. This is believed to be related to the lack of power management integrated circuits.

Some Apple suppliers halt production for a few days in China due to energy crisis

Jeet — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 02:44:46 +0000

Some of the contract manufacturers and suppliers of Apple in China have temporarily shut down production for a few days. This is because of the government initiating a crackdown as the country faces an energy crisis.

The move is a part of the Chinese government’s new regulations related to the use of energy in the country. However, the timing is crucial as tech giant Apple has just launched its latest iPhone 13 series smartphones and the backorders are rising as the shipment dates for the new Apple iPhone models keep getting pushed.

While not all the suppliers of Apple are affected, those factories which manufacture parts like motherboards and speakers have to shut down their manufacturing operations for a few days. Analysts claim that the reduction in production due to the power shortage is resulting in a drag on the country’s economic growth.

There’s a shortage of coal and the tougher standards related to emissions, combined with the strong demand from manufacturers have resulted in coal prices surging and it has now hit a record high which is forcing users to ration energy.

Eson Precision Engineering, an affiliate of Foxconn and a key supplier for Apple and Tesla, has suspended its production for a week. On the other hand, Unimicron Technology has stopped production in two cities until the end of the month.

As of now, there’s no information about whether any of these shutdowns will directly impact Apple’s manufacturing plans. Along with the iPhone 13 series, the US-based technology giant has also launched a new iPad, iPad Mini, and Apple Watch Series 7.

India has selected four companies to boost local IT product manufacturing

Sean — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 08:24:00 +0000

At the start of this month, India announced the names of four global firms that will be a part of its 1 billion US Dollar incentive plan that aims at producing and boosting exports of laptops, tablets, and personal computers.

According to a Reuters report, India named Dell Inc, Wistron Corp’s ICT, Flex Ltd, and Foxconn’s Rising Stars as its choice of global firms that would be a part of its IT product manufacturing boost plans. Furthermore, the local government also selected an additional ten brands as well, including smartphone makers Lava and Dixon, which manufactures TVs for Xiaomi Corp in India. The government revealed the list of firms in a statement recently.

In the plan, these manufacturers will get cash back of 1 to 4 percent of additional sales of locally made products over the course of years. These fours years would have 2019 to 2020 as the base year. So, in the next four years these brands are expected to generate around 1.61 trillion rupees (roughly 21.59 billion US Dollars) from IT hardware. Meanwhile, the efforts are also expected bring about the creation of 36,000 jobs in the region.

Notably, the plan would likely also help the Cupertino based giant, Apple, in assembling some of its iPad tablet models in India. For those unaware, new policy push in the electronics field from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has led to Apple suppliers Foxconn and Wistron expanding their presence in their region. At the moment, the country is the second largest smartphone market in the world, so the efforts from the government to increase local production would also benefit the Indian economy as well.

Ever improving Smartphone cameras force Nikon to shift its production out of Japan

Sean — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 08:47:47 +0000

Nikon Corp is set to end the production of camera bodies in Japan by the end of this year, as per officials. The news arrives as the company is seeing a decline in sales caused by the improving capabilities of smartphones in photography.

The camera making giant will be transferring production from its plant in Miyagi Prefecture, which is a part of its new structural reform. Its camera body production will then shift from its sole domestic camera production site to a major factory in Thailand. As per a company official, “The quality level of our products can be sustained even if they are made overseas.”

For those unaware, Nikon has been leading the camera industry since the launch of its first camera back in 1948. But since then, the company has been struggling due to intensifying competition in recent years. Especially with the entry of smartphones that have played a major role in the decline of the digital camera market, with improvements in smartphone camera technology shortening the gap in performance with digital cameras.

The company added that it will maintain employment at the factory by continuing the production of certain camera components and distributing the works to growth sectors such as health care and sensors. Similarly, the camera maker is also planning on shutting down two factories in Yamagata and Fukushima prefectures as well, which are responsible for the processing of removable lens parts for digital cameras.

Apple lowers AirPods production plans as sales decline: Report

Sean — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 08:26:15 +0000

Apple is slashing its planning production of its AirPods series of wireless earphones by about 25 to 30 percent this year. The move arrives as growing competition has led to the decline of sales of its popular earbuds.

According to a NikkeiAsia report, the news arrives from sources close to the matter, which believe that the company is expected to make anywhere between 75 million and 85 million units in 2021. This is noticeably lower than the 110 million units that was previously projected for the year. The lowering of productions units is an indicator that the company is wary of the falling demand for its AirPods lineup, which has been the brand’s fastest growing product line since its launch with double digit percentages of growth since 2016.

As per one of the sources, “The most significant order reduction is for the second quarter toward the start of the third quarter. The levels of inventory [in warehouses] and in-store stocks of AirPods are currently high … and demand is not as strong as expected.” Although, the Cupertino based giant is hoping that the new iteration of AirPods that is set to launch later this year will help boost the sales of its products.

Back in 2020, Apple shipped around 72.8 million units of AirPods in total, dominating the wireless Bluetooth true wireless earphones market with a 31 percent market share. Furthermore, its wearables and other accessories also accounted for 11 percent of Apple’s total revenue last year, or about 12.97 billion US Dollars. But despite its lead in the market, its sales expectations still fell short as the company had reportedly asked suppliers to make over 80 to 90 million units of AirPods.

Renesas chip factory fire damage worse than first thought; auto chip supply could be impacted

Jeet — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 08:01:19 +0000

Earlier this year, Renesas Electronics Corp’s chip-making plant in Naka, Japan suffered from fire damages. The company had said that 11 machines were damaged but now the company’s spokesperson says that it believes the damage was more extensive than first thought.

While the Renesas spokeswoman would not confirm a specific number, she added that the chipmaker would share the extent of the damage by Tuesday. As per the latest reports, it is believed that the number of inoperable machines was now believed to be around 17.

The company says that it will take at least a month for the production to resume at its 300mm wafer line at the fire-hit plant, but replacing damaged machines could take several months. An extended outage could add to a global shortage of chips which is disrupting some production of cars and electronic devices.

Renesas account for about 30 percent of the global market for microcontroller units used in cars, and two-thirds of the chips produced at the facility are for the auto industry.

The fire was reportedly caused by a power surge in one of the machines. This comes after an earthquake stopped production for three days last month. In 2011, the plant shut down for three months after the deadly earthquake that devastated Japan’s northeast coast.

LG to invest $4.5 billion over four years for its battery business in the U.S.

Jeet — Fri, 12 Mar 2021 05:45:18 +0000

LG Energy Solution has announced that the company will be investing more than $4.5 billion by the end of 2025 into its own U.S. business to further expand the production capacity of batteries.

Further, the company says that this new investment will create more than 10,000 jobs for LG employees and subcontractors and will also secure an additional 70GWh in just the United States alone, in addition to the current and past investments.

Additionally, LG Energy Solution and GM are currently discussing plans to build a second joint venture plant in the United States, which will even further increase its cell production capacity. This second JV plant is expected to have a production capacity scale similar to the two companies’ first plant and is set to manufacture the next-generation EV cells based on advanced technology.

The company had established its first U.S. research facility in 2000 and invested 600 million dollars to secure a production capacity of 5GWh at its first Michigan plant built in the year 2012. In 2019, the company entered into a joint venture with General Motors (GM) to construct a 2.3 billion dollar battery plant in Ohio, which is slated for completion in 2022 to create an annual capacity of 35GWh. The latest Green Field Project will give the company a total production capacity of over 110GWh in the U.S.

Within the first half of 2021, LG Energy Solution will select at least two location candidates for its factory intended to manufacture various types of batteries in the U.S. The new LG Energy Solution facility will produce pouch cell batteries to be used in EVs and energy storage systems (ESS), as well as cylindrical cell EV batteries that are currently rapidly increasing in demand.

Apple to soon start manufacturing iPhone 12 in India

Jeet — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 04:48:15 +0000

Apple, which started manufacturing iPhone SE in India through its partners, has now expanded it to produce iPhone XR and iPhone 11. Now, the company is reportedly planning to start making iPhone 12 in India.

In an effort to reduce its dependence on China, Apple has been expanding its production facilities across several regions and one of such market is India. A new report from Business Standard claims that Apple will soon start producing iPhone 12 in India.

As per the report, the Cupertino-based giant is planning to initially shift about 7 percent to 10 percent of the iPhone 12 production to India from China. The company is also considering to move the manufacturing on iPhone 12 Mini to India but Apple has not yet made a final decision.

The iPhone 12 models manufactured in India will be available for purchase in the domestic market and will also be exported. With local manufacturing, the company will be able to avoid paying heft import tariffs. However, it remains to be seen if Apple decides to pass on the benefits to the customers, which it hasn’t done in the past.

But passing on the benefits to the customers could mean a bit lower starting price for the iPhone 12 in India, giving it a boost in the market. Apple has been trying to expand its footprints in India and this could be a gateway to have a significant market share.

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Indian government approves $1.02 billion incentives to boost local manufacturing

Jeet — Thu, 25 Feb 2021 01:58:37 +0000

A few days ago, we reported that Apple was in talks with the Indian government to start production of iPads in the country. It was reported that the tech giant is looking to reach a better deal for incentives from the government.

Now, the Indian government has approved a proposal to offer a billion dollars’ worth of incentives. The production-linked incentive (PLI) plan is aimed at manufacturing tablets and computing equipment.

Apple iPad Mini 5th Generation

Apple was interested in using this incentives plan to begin iPad assembly in the Indian market. This $1.02 billion incentives plan aims to boost local manufacturing and exports of IT products such as laptops, tablets, personal computers and servers. It offers manufacturers cash-backs of between 1% and 4% of additional sales of locally made goods over four years, with 2019-2020 as the base year.

The incentives should help Apple set up its assemble operations for iPads in India through one of its manufacturing partners but it is not yet year if that will be enough. It is likely that Apple continues negotiating with the Indian government for a better deal.

Apple has been trying to diversify its manufacturing which is currently heavily dependent on China. The Cupertino-based giant first started making iPhones in India back in 2016 and has since increased production capacity in India, and is now also manufacturing iPhone 11.

Samsung reportedly increases CMOS image sensor prices by 40%

Jeet — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 07:03:14 +0000

Samsung is one of the leading image sensor makers for smartphones, giving tough competition to Sony. The South Korean giant is the world’s second-largest company when it comes to supplying CMOS Image Sensors.

However, because of a serious shortage of image sensors in the market, Samsung has reportedly increased pricing by around 40 percent. And Samsung isn’t the only one to do so as other image sensor providers have also increased the pricing by around 20 percent.

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The report also adds that Samsung has significantly increased UMC’s 28nm ISP foundry orders to meet the demand. However, the company’s production capacity is in short supply at the foundry.

It is being said that the company is planning to invest in machine equipment and hand it over to United Microelectronics Corporation (aka UMC) for production to ensure higher capacity. The report further adds that the deal between these two companies is currently in the discussion phase.

Recently, it was also reported that Samsung is planning to cut down some of the DRAM production capacity as it wants to ensure that CMOS Image Sensor chips are available in the required quantity for the customers.

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India is offering financial incentives to Samsung for setting up display factory

Jeet — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 05:31:23 +0000

India’s one of the largest states, Uttar Pradesh, has confirmed that it will be providing financial incentives to the South Korean giant Samsung Electronics to set up a display factory in the region, which is expected to cost about $655 million.

In a statement given to the media, the state of Uttar Pradesh has claimed that the company is moving its factory from China to India. This is being viewed as a move that will help boost the Make in India initiative that aims to project India as a manufacturing hub.

Samsung will be getting 7 billion rupees in financial benefits for setting up the display plant. On top of that, the state government has also confirmed that the company will get an exemption from a tax payable on the transfer of land for the factory.

The unit is expected to be operational from next year, but the exact timeline is not yet known. Once the factory starts operations, it is expected to create 510 direct jobs. It’s noteworthy that Samsung already has the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturing plant in Uttar Pradesh, India.

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The development comes just months after the Indian government approved financial incentives of around $6.5 billion for 16 countries to boost domestic production of smartphones. The list of companies set to benefit from this includes Samsung, along with Apple suppliers such as Foxconn and Wistron, among others.

Many companies are now looking to India as a potential replacement for China when it comes to manufacturing. Apart from Samsung, several other companies are moving their production to India, including Apple, which is now making several of its products in India is expected to expand the same in the coming months.

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D-Link looking at plans to start production in India

Sean — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 10:50:11 +0000

D-Link is apparently considering outsourcing production of its network products to India. The company is looking into plans to start production in the region for products that are sold within the country.

The move arrives to also take advantage of the nation’s PLO (Production-Linked Incentives) scheme that will benefit the company and the local OEMs as well. Notably, this arrives amid the rising tensions between India and China. Although, D-Link president Mark Chen believes that localized production is a primary alternative for companies that are planning on dispersing their global supply chains, as per a DigiTimes report.

At the moment, D-Link already has a subsidiary in India and will shift production to that unit. Most of the company’s production is still takes place within China, out of which, 10 percent of its total sales is accounted by the shipments to North Amerca. The senior official further added that the company is also intending on boosting its sales in that region, especially in the US.

Thus, it is now looking for an alternative region to start production outside of China, to avoid issues amid the ongoing trade tensions amid the US and China. D-Link also recently reported on its net profits reaching 10.62 million US Dollars, with its earnings per share also reaching the highest in its past 27 quarters. Unfortunately, finer details regarding these plans or possible production sites are currently unknown, so stay tuned for more updates.

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Samsung reportedly scales down Galaxy Note20 flagship series production

Jeet — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 06:01:03 +0000

Earlier this year, Samsung launched the Galaxy S20 series flagship smartphones but it didn’t perform as per the company’s expectations in terms of sale and the situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic also didn’t help.

Recently, the South Korean giant launched the Galaxy Note20 lineup and since the Galaxy S20 didn’t perform well, expectations were high with the newly announced Galaxy Note20 lineup to make up for the weak sales of the S20 series.

However, a new report coming from Korea claims that Samsung has scaled down the production of the Galaxy Note20 series smartphones, indicating that the sales are not as per the company’s expectations.

The report claims that the company aimed to product 900,000 units of the Note20 lineup in October but only manufactured 600,000 units — only 70 percent of what the brand originally planned to make.

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It further adds that the production ratio between the Galaxy Note20 and Galaxy Note20 Ultra was around 1:2, and the drop in the production rate for the Note20 was worst compared to the Note20 Ultra.

The report also adds that the company is now gearing up to start the production for the next-generation Samsung Galaxy S21 series smartphones from next month and for the initial batch, the company is aiming to make two million units.

Samsung recently announced its financial report for the third quarter in which the smartphone sales increased 50 percent compared to the previous quarter, but the credit for that goes to the low-end and mid-range offerings more than the premium models.

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Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra could already be in production: Report

Sean — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 07:16:38 +0000

A new report has suggested that the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra might have already started production. In other words, the next gen flagship from the South Korean tech giant might be arriving sooner than expected.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (part) production seems to be starting rn. Will have to wait a little to confirm if this is mass production or just sampling for PVT/DVT devices.

— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) October 30, 2020

According to a tweet from known leakster Roland Quandt (@rquandt), the part production of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has already started. Although, Roland also clarified that it is unconfirmed if this is in the mass production phase or just sampling for PVT/DVT devices. Meaning, this might just be the prototype’s production as a means of testing, as per a PhoneArena report.

Similarly, a previous report had also suggested that the company is planning on launching the Galaxy S21 series a month and a half earlier to make up for the lower than expected sales of the Galaxy S20 series. Furthermore, it is also being rumored that Samsung might be merging its Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series of flagships to streamline its handset lineup and focus more on the Galaxy Z series of foldable devices.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra render

The early launch of the Galaxy S21 is said to be an attempt to also take advantage of Huawei’s current predicament and fill in the gap in the market. While it is unclear when exactly the Galaxy S21 series will be launched, reports claim a January 2021 launch or even a late December 2020 launch as well. Unfortunately, we have no way of confirming this at the moment. The latest flagship devices from the company would likely sport Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 875 SoC and the Exynos 2100 processor, depending on the region. That is all we have to go on for now, so stay tuned for more updates.

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Apple cable supplier Cheng Uei to start production in India this year

Jeet — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 06:41:41 +0000

Apple has been trying to diversify its supply chain and production facility and as a part of that, the company has made major inroads in the Indian market. Now, yet another Apple supplier is set to start mass-production in India.

As per the latest report from Bloomberg, Taiwan-based Cheng Uei Precision Industry Co., which makes cables and connectors for Apple, will be starting mass production at its plant in India later this year.

Cheng Uei is also known as Foxlink and the company’s chairman is T. C. Gou which is the brother of Foxconn founder Terry Gou.

Several of Apple’s suppliers and contract manufacturers have recently expanded their presence in India. Foxconn Technology Group, Pegatron Corp., and Wistron Corp. have either set up their subsidiary or assemble plant in India.

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Apple started assembling the iPhone in India in 2017, starting with a low-cost iPhone SE through Wistron’s local unit and later ramped up production. Now, Wistron has widened its operations in India while Foxconn has started assembling in the country.

India has introduced a new production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme that offers companies cash incentives on locally-made smartphones over the next five years. Under this scheme, as per the reports, Foxconn has applied to invest about ₹4,000 crores, while Wistron and Pegatron have committed to invest close to ₹1300 crore and ₹1200 crore, respectively.

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Foxconn denies reports about factory cancelling holidays and running 24×7 for iPhone productions

Jeet — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 05:39:54 +0000

Apple has postponed the iPhone 12 launch event this year, which is said to be the result of production issues because of the COVID-19 pandemic. To meet the deadline, it was recently reported that Foxconn is running the operation 24 hours a day and has canceled workers’ holidays.

Not just that, it is also being reported that the company has introduced mandatory overtime with bonuses for longer-serving staff. However, the company has now responded and said that the news is fake and no such action has been taken.

Even though companies are trying to shift the majority of the production outside of China, they are still dependent on China when it comes to supply chain and production, which remains central to the country dispute anti-China sentiments because of its failure in containing the COVID-19 pandemic.

China was the first country to hit by COVID-19 but it managed to quickly recover, especially on the production side. With operations resumed, it will now play a major role in production and manufacturing globally.

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The report from SCMP cited the company’s employee Wang Guofeng who claimed that overtime work had increased since summer and most workers were allowed to take only four days off per month. Another employee added that the company production lines are running 24 hours a day with the introduction of new night shifts.

The same report also claims that employees have been asked to cancel their upcoming holidays around the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day to ensure timely delivery of the new iPhone 12 models.

While Apple has not yet confirmed the launch date for the upcoming smartphones, reports indicate that the company will announce four models — iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max on 13th October.

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Samsung to manufacture 800,000 Galaxy Z Fold 2 units this year: Report

Sean — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 10:01:17 +0000

Samsung has just recently launched the Galaxy Z Fold 2, its successor to the original Galaxy Fold. The successor features a larger display with a higher refresh rate, improved screen protection, better cameras, and a lot more. With these improvements, it seems like the company is planning on selling more than its predecessor, with a report from South Korea claiming that 800,000 units will be made by the company.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G Mystic Bronze

According to a SamMobile report, sources from South Korea have claimed that the tech giant will be making 700,000 to 800,000 units of the Galaxy Z Fold 2. Samsung is currently making the device in multiple production sites, including Brazil, South Korea, and Vietnam. An industry insider stated that the company manufacturing the foldable handset outside of its home country is indicative of the yield of its manufacturing process.

Reportedly, Samsung is now trying to cut down on manufacturing costs. Analysts have also claimed that the company might sell as many as three million units of foldable smartphones this year, which also includes the Galaxy Z Flip. Furthermore, this figure can grow as high as 8 million units by 2021, while Samsung is also rumored to be working on an affordable foldable device as well.

As of right now, only a few OEMs have launched their own foldable offerings, including Huawei, Microsoft, and Motorola. Samsung, at the moment, seems to be in the best possible position in terms of technology and development into this new breed of smartphones. Due to various advancements, it has been speculated that the company will take a leading position in the market for quite a while as well.

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Samsung to start manufacturing Galaxy Z Fold 2 smartphone in Brazil

Jeet — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 07:05:55 +0000

Samsung, which teased its next-generation foldable smartphone named Galaxy Z Fold 2 last month along with the flagship Note20 series, has now added a new production base in Brazil for the Galaxy Z Fold 2.

However, it is being reported that the majority of the units will still be produced in the company’s factory in Gumi, South Korea. Additionally, about 20 percent of the units could be produced at the Samsung factory in Vietnam.

In an effort to diversify its production, Samsung is now adding Brazil to the mix, where it will start production of the device from next year. But the report adds that only a few thousand units will be manufactured in Brazil.

Overall, the South Korean giant is planning to manufacture around 700,000 to 800,000 units of the new foldable device by the end of this year. However, the numbers could get changed based on demand.

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Samsung is now all set to launch the Galaxy Z Fold 2 smartphone featuring a 7.6-inch Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED display with 1768 x 2208 pixels screen resolution and a 6.23-inch Super AMOLED HD+ display with 816 x 2260 pixels when folded.

The device will reportedly be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus SoC, along with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage. It will be running the Android 10 operating system out-of-the-box along with One UI on top.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is priced at 1,799 Pounds (~$2,387), a bit lower than the original price of the first Galaxy Fold, which started at 1,900 Pounds (~$2,522). The device is currently listed for pre-orders, with shipping starting from 17th September 2020.

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Apple vendor is reportedly planning to shift iPhone production to India

Jeet — Mon, 03 Aug 2020 05:18:59 +0000

Apple recently started manufacturing its iPhone 11 in the Indian market through Foxconn’s plan in Tamil Nadu. Now, it seems that the US-based tech giant’s vendor is looking to shift its production line from China to India.

As per the report coming from TOI, a contract manufacturer for Apple is planning to shift around six production lines from China to India. This is being seen as an effort to decentralize and diversify the supply chain.

The company is also reportedly looking to export iPhones from India worth around $5 billion. Apart from this, it will also be catering to the domestic market and could lower the pricing of the iPhones, which are among the highest in the world.

There’s a possibility that the production line could expand capacity and along with iPhones, could also include iPad, iMac, and MacBook in the coming years. The new production line in India is expected to generate around 55,000 employment.

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Recently, Telecom and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad claimed that around 22 domestic and international companies have applied for mobile production in India worth ₹11 lakh crore for over five years.

He named companies like Samsung, Lava, Dixon, etc. It is reported that international companies that have applied also includes Foxconn Hon Hai, Rising Star, Wistron, and Pegatron, all of which are contract manufacturers for Apple iPhones.

It is worth noting that nothing has been confirmed yet and the shifting of production is said to be at the planning stage. Even if the companies go ahead with the plan, it is likely to take time to set up facility as well as supply chain and get the necessary permissions as well as grants from the government.

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Sony has raised PlayStation 5 production by 50 percent: Report

Sean — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 07:06:50 +0000

With the next generation of gaming console being just around the corner, many are anticipating their launch. Now, Sony has apparently raised the order for its upcoming PlayStation 5 by nearly 50 percent expecting to cater to higher sales.

According to a new report, the company was originally touted to produce 6 million PS5 consoles in 2020. However, that number has since been bumped up to 9 million units and could even reach 10 million as well. The reason for Sony to order such a large number of consoles is likely to be directly related to a higher demand for in house entertainment systems that have arisen due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Notably, the PlayStation 4 had sold over 4.2 million units within the first month of its launch. Thus, it can be said that Sony is preparing to see a much higher demand for its latest generation game console. Furthermore, Facebook has also reportedly boosted the production of Oculus VR headsets, with a similar goal that ishes to raise production by 2 million units in total (another 50 percent increase) in the second half of 2020.

The company is also said to start mass production of new headsets later this month, although it is unclear if it’s a standalone system like the Rift S. At the moment, supply constraints have been hampering operations and many gaming related peripherals have also been out of stock for a while now. So, we will have to wait and see how this works out for major launches in the near future.

(Via)

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LG plans on raising smartphone production in India by 15 times and apply for PLI scheme

Sean — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 07:29:18 +0000

LG, the South Korean tech giant, is looking to capitalize on a “window of opportunity” that has opened up in the Indian market. The company is scaling up its local smartphone manufacturing in the region by 15 times after recent anti-Chinese sentiments have gripped the nation.

According to LG’s mobile communications head, Advait Vaidya, the company has seen a 10 times increase in sales of its smartphones in the past two months. The senior executive credited this rise to the growing anti-Chinese sentiments and the boycotting of products from China. Furthermore, LG is also planning on applying for the PLI (production-linked incentive) that the local government offers to scale up production.

The key market segment that LG is planning on focusing on is the sub 15,000 INR (roughly 200 US Dollars) smartphone category. This segment has typically been dominated by Chinese giants like Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and even Realme in India. However, with recent military clashes in the Indo-China borders, friction between the two nations has escalated and the Indian government has already banned 59 Chinese applications as well.

Thus, LG is looking at this rising unease surrounding China and its products as an opportunity. By August, the company plans on launching 6 phones across all segments starting from the sub 10,000 INR category (roughly 133 US Dollars) with plans to expand through online and offline channels. Similarly, by the time Diwali (a major festival in India) rolls up, LG aims to have its production rise by 12-15X.

(Source)

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Huawei struggles to shift production to China as reluctant suppliers face risks

Sean — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 11:35:15 +0000

Huawei is apparently struggling with its process to shift crucial parts of its production to China. According to a new report, a few of its suppliers are reluctant to shift operations, especially with uncertainty clouding the semiconductor industry.

The Chinese tech giant has been actively working to get more of its supply chains into China. This arrives after the company faces increasing scrutiny from the US government, which recently cut off its smartphones’ chip supply from TSMC. The shift would, therefore, ease its process of sourcing and help keep US pressure away, although, the same idea might not be welcomed by a few of its key suppliers.

At the moment, one of the most important supply aspect Huawei is focusing on is its chip supply, with the chip packaging and testing being the last step in manufacturing semiconductor components. In other words, the company wanted its chip suppliers to shift the base of operations to China to avoid future US sanctions against it. Furthermore, Huawei is also bringing on board second tier domestic suppliers to boost localization efforts to develop the semiconductor industry in China.

Notably, the company is only accepting new suppliers if their production sites are in China. Unfortunately, this shift may be easier said than done due to various key factors. The Coronavirus pandemic is one such important reason, since avoiding bold moves at this point, and building a strong base is a safer move for suppliers. Similarly, the shift may also involve certain geopolitical risks as well.

According to a source, “the global pandemic which already hit demand as well as the U.S. strong hostility against Huawei have weakened suppliers’ incentive to swiftly address the Chinese company’s push.” Additionally, “there are suppliers who also need to address their U.S. semiconductor clients’ requests to produce outside of China over security reasons, so they chose not to expand their Chinese capacity.” So, while the move would be beneficial for Huawei, the process is complex and could negatively impact the suppliers.

(Via)

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Foxconn will reward 3,000 Yuan ($428) to returning employees

Sean — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 09:29:17 +0000

According to a new report, Foxconn is planning a special offer that will promote the resumption of its production for iPhones in China. The manufacturing company will essentially reward 3,000 Yuan (or roughly 428 US Dollars) to its returning employees.

For those unaware, the Chinese government had put a halt on almost all manufacturing facilities within the country after the recent Coronavirus outbreak. The virus is highly contagious and can spread via air as well, causing the government to shut down busy places like factories in the nearby regions. The new breed of Coronavirus has been a cause for major alarm in the country but the production lines are finally seeing a resumption in their operations.

Reportedly, Foxconn, who is a major supplier of iPhones for Apple, is planning on bringing back its production capacity in a staggered manner. Meaning, the company is first starting with 50 percent of maximum production capacity before moving forward. According to official plans, the production capacity will rise to 80 percent by the end of just February 2020 in mainland China.

To supplement this sudden resume in operations, Foxconn has devised a return incentive award for its employees that had previously worked with the company. The primary purpose of this is to attract the workers that had to leave due to the unavoidable closure to maintain consistency with previous standards and keep up with the manufacturing deadlines as well.

For Foxconn, reigniting its factory in the Zhengzhou region is crucial since its an important production line for the iPhone series. This region might also be the place where the company is assembling the highly anticipated iPhone SE 2 smartphone for Apple. The Cupertino based giant is expected to launch an affordable iPhone by March end, explaining Foxconn’s hurry in resuming operations. Notably, the company has already outsourced some of its production work to its overseas plants in other regions like Taiwan and India, but these plants suffer from a “limited capacity.”

(Via)

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Wuhan chipmakers claim normal shipments amid coronavirus outbreak

Jeet — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 05:15:44 +0000

City of Wuhan in Central China’s Hubei Province remains under quarantine because of the coronavirus outbreak. Despite this, chipmakers Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) and its 12-inch foundry subsidiary Wuhan Xinxin Semiconductor Manufacturing (XMC) claims to have been unaffected in terms of production and shipments.

The companies say that the deliveries of their chip remains normal despite coronavirus outbreak in their locality. The company’s spokesperson has said that it is maintaining normal production and operations, and its raw material supplies and shipments are also running smoothly.

YMTC says that it has undertaken a number of scientific preventive measures to ensure that its employees remain safe. The measures taken by the company include publicising quarantine procedures, offering medical masks, temperature checks, enhanced disinfecting, and remote meetings.

There are numerous reports claiming that the production and supply chain of several smartphones in the China could get hit amid coronavirus outbreak. Recently, it was reported that supply chain of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S20 lineup could be affected. Prior to that, it was said that production of the upcoming Apple iPhone 9 as well as AirPods might face issues but Foxconn claimed that everything is working smoothly.

Apart from coronavirus outbreak and the extended Chinese New Year holidays, the Chinese government has officially extended the holiday season as a way to battle the spread of infection. Thus, a lot of factories have already suspended operations and will stay out-of-business for a while.

(Via)

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Coronavirus could impact production of Apple’s iPhone 9 and AirPods

Jeet — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 03:45:18 +0000

The spreading of coronavirus in China has impacted several technology companies given the massive role of China in global manufacturing. The situation has affected numerous hardware firms in Silicon Valley and beyond and it could also compromise Apple’s production line, especially iPhone 9 (aka iPhone SE 2) and AirPods.

According to the new reports, the virus has spread to the Hubei Province (with over 100 confirmed cases), which neighbours the Henan Province and is near the Guangdong Province, both of which hosts major Apple production centres.

This could impact the production of upcoming iPhone 9 and the AirPods, specifically, by the measures by Chinese authorities to contain the spreading of virus. The government has urged workers to stay home in cities affected by the coronavirus and has already quarantined the entire city of Wuhan from where the virus is believed to have originated.

It is not yet known if the production delay, if that happens, will impact the launch timeline of this upcoming smartphone. The U.S.-based tech giant is expected to start mass-production of the iPhone 9 in February and the phone is expected to go on sale from March. While we don’t see one production facility severely impacting the launch schedule, it could lead to fewer units available during the initial days.

A couple of days ago, Foxconn, which manufactures key products for Apple, said that it will not be adjusting any manufacturing timelines or closing its factories due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The company added that it is monitoring the situation, but it’s not expecting it to affect any of its “manufacturing obligations.” On the other hand, Apple is yet to publicly comment on the coronavirus or how it might affect its operations in China.

(Source)

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Apple turns to Chinese companies to Double AirPods Pro Production

Sean — Wed, 27 Nov 2019 07:38:16 +0000

According to a new report, Apple is set to partner with a Chinese manufacturer to meet the booming demand of its AirPods Pro wireless earphones. The move occurred, despite the US-China trade tensions, due to surging demand for the wireless earphone units. Notably, Apple is known to have lobbied against the tariffs that are imposed on Chinese manufactured products.

AirPods Pro

The Cupertino-based company has reportedly turned towards a Luxshare-ICT to double the production of the AirPods Pro earphones at its Chinese facility. The production units will see an increase to 2 million units a month. Furthermore, Apple has also asked another Chinese company by the name of GoerTek to boost production at their Vietnam-based factories for the base AirPods variant, the world’s best-selling wireless earbuds.

The news of Apple’s sudden shift towards an increased production in China is accredited to the fact that such companies can meet the booming demand for extra production while maintaining strict quality control. The AirPods already have a 45% share of the wireless earbud market which will see further growth owing to increased productivity.

Apple’s increased production from 1 million units to 2 million for the Pro variant will be produced at two Luxshare factories in mainland China owing to increasing demand. Notably, this is a step away from its usual suppliers such as Taiwan’s Foxconn, Quanta Computer and Inventec. According to an Apple supplier, Luxshare has a “wolflike” aggressive tendency for meeting the required goals under the deadline. Hence, the sudden requirement for

The Chinese-made AirPods will be levied the trade tariffs due to the ongoing US-China trade disputes; however, both countries are also “very close” to a phase one trade deal, according to a Chinese news outlet. This move from the American tech giant also threatens the position of its previous suppliers that aim to stay competitive.

(Source)

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Foxconn denies reports about factory cancelling holidays and running 24×7 for iPhone productions

UP NEXT: Redmi Note 10 5G with Snapdragon 750G could be launching soon in China

Samsung to manufacture 800,000 Galaxy Z Fold 2 units this year: Report

Editor’s Pick: Realme 7, 7 Pro with Helio G95, SD720G, 90Hz display, 64MP quad cameras, and 65W charging launched in India

UP NEXT: Huawei Enjoy 20, Enjoy 20 Plus 5G launched in China; Specifications, features and price

Samsung to start manufacturing Galaxy Z Fold 2 smartphone in Brazil

UP NEXT: IDC: Global Smartphone Market will recover in 2022; 5G handsets will account for 50 percent in 2023

Apple vendor is reportedly planning to shift iPhone production to India

UP NEXT: Huawei to announce EMUI 11, HarmonyOS 2.0 and HMS Core 5.0 at its developer conference in September

Sony has raised PlayStation 5 production by 50 percent: Report

Editor’s Pick: Lenovo Legion gaming phone pre-order registrations at JD.com reveals key features

UP NEXT: Xiaomi Mi 10 starts receiving Android 11-based MIUI 12 Beta development version in China

LG plans on raising smartphone production in India by 15 times and apply for PLI scheme

Editor’s Pick: A likely Galaxy M41/M51 6,800mAh battery receives 3C and Safety Korea certifications

UP NEXT: Honor 30 gets 200 yuan discount in China; pricing starts at 2,799 yuan ($397)

Huawei struggles to shift production to China as reluctant suppliers face risks

Editor’s Pick: Xiaomi Mi Notebook 14 series Launched in India, starts from 41,999 INR ($550) and features Intel 10th gen processors

UP NEXT: Stretchable screens will soon be a reality as LG Display plans on developing the technology by 2024

Foxconn will reward 3,000 Yuan ($428) to returning employees

Editor’s Pick: Forget in-store demos, Samsung is offering door-to-door Galaxy S20 hands-on to people in South Korea

UP NEXT: US considers dealing a massive blow to Huawei by blocking chip supply from TSMC

Wuhan chipmakers claim normal shipments amid coronavirus outbreak

EDITOR’S PICK: Executive says Huawei won’t use Google Apps even if Ban is Lifted, but backtracks within hours

UP NEXT: OnePlus joins Wireless Power Consortium; proof OnePlus 8 series will have wireless charging

Coronavirus could impact production of Apple’s iPhone 9 and AirPods

EDITOR’S PICK: How Chinese Tech Companies Are Coming Forward to Fight The China Virus!

UP NEXT: OnePlus announces Concept One World Tour; coming to three cities in India

Apple turns to Chinese companies to Double AirPods Pro Production

Editor’s Pick: MediaTek: Dimensity 1000’s name has nothing to do with Kirin 990

UP NEXT: Vivo X30 teaser video confirms punch-hole display and color variants