Foxconn, Apple’s assembler, expects its main iPhone factory in China to return to full production capacity by late December or early January following riots that disrupted the factory last month.
Good news for Apple
“The situation has stabilized,” a Foxconn source told Reuters, referring to the Zhengzhou protests and the broader government easing of COVID restrictions. The authorities have finally let go of the zero-Covid policy which, at the least, blocked and confined an entire neighborhood, or even a city.
The local government is actively helping the recovery. The capacity is now gradually being taken over with the hiring of new personnel in progress. If recruitment goes smoothly, it could take around three to four weeks to get back to full production. At present, the overall epidemic situation has been brought under control, with November being the most affected period.
The Zhengzhou factory, which employs around 200,000 people, was hit by strict COVID-19 restrictions last month after an outbreak at the factory led to the city’s lockdown of around 10 million. of inhabitants. Riots quickly broke out, with workers protesting the standard of living and non-payment of promised bonuses, which Foxconn acknowledged and blamed on a “technical error” when recruiting new hires.
The Zhengzhou plant is Foxconn’s largest iPhone factory, employing around 200,000 people. The Taiwanese subcontractor is responsible for assembling around 70% of iPhones sold by Apple, but it is struggling to keep employees on site due to lockdowns, with some reports suggesting production could drop by 30% . A priori, more than 20,000 employees have returned their aprons.
iPhone 14 Pro models are currently experiencing a shipping delay of at least four weeks on Apple’s online store in France and virtually everywhere else as the company struggles to maintain supply ahead of Christmas and New Year.