Apple is planning for a big-scale automation push at its iPhone production units that could have a direct impact on the manpower employed. The reports coming in this week claim Apple is asking its vendors to adopt 50 percent automation and reduce the number of workers on the final assembly plant for iPhones. The Information suggests Apple wants this change to happen over the next few years.
Automation is now becoming a crucial part of manufacturing but Apple has stayed true to the traditional channels because of the higher upfront cost involved in setting up the technology. However, recent events where the iPhone assembly was widely impacted seems to have brought a change in Apple’s thinking about the need to automate.
Automate Plant, Jobs Losses Inevitable
Apple’s reported push to automate will invariably come at the cost of reduction in manpower that can affect its partners like Foxconn who have relied on them for many years. China is no stranger to automation, so the transition is unlikely to pose challenges.
However, the production quality that Apple craves for iPhones will take a hit in the short term as the automation setup adjusts and aligns to its standards. One of the reasons why the iPhone 15 assembly was mildly automated while the iPhone 16 process for components was cancelled, because of the rumoured high rate of defects in the system.
Apple is also expanding its production base out of China, with countries like Vietnam and India to play a big role in its strategy over the next few years. And that is where the company will have to tone down its expectations if automation is fully expected to take over 50 percent of the production duties.
Comments
0 comment