Indian Authorities Will Begin Investigation Into Fire Accident at Tata Electronics iPhone Plant
Production will be halted indefinitely at a Tata Electronics plant in southern India that manufactures Apple iPhone components following a fire over the weekend, officials said Monday.
The Indian authorities have vowed to investigate the cause of the accident as they worked to minimise more damage from the incident.
The Indian conglomerate, together with Foxconn and Pegatron, is a significant contract maker of iPhones in the country.
Apple has increased its manufacturing efforts in India in recent years in an attempt to diversify its supply chain outside China.
A fire broke out at the plant in Tamil Nadu state early Saturday, injuring 10 people and suspending operations.
It is the latest incident to disrupt Apple’s iPhone supply chain in India, precisely as the tech behemoth seeks to diversify outside China and sees India as a critical growth market.
As a result, the recent disruption at the Tata plant is certainly a blow for the Cupertino-based technology behemoth.
District administrative officer K.M. Sarayu stated that a forensic team from Chennai has been dispatched to investigate the cause of the fire.
According to two persons familiar with the situation, the factory is unlikely to begin manufacturing activities soon.
It remains to be known whether the incident harmed nearby facilities, one of which is planned to begin assembling iPhones by the end of the year.
“We have stationed fire engines at the plant as there are chances of a follow-up fire incident or smoke coming off when the sheds that had fallen during the accident are removed,” M. Velu, a district fire officer, told Reuters by telephone.
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