Foxconn Says It’s Ready To Deliver iPhone 12 On Time

Just last week, a report by Bloomberg suggested that there may not be any delay in the iPhone 12 launch as Foxconn, Taiwan’s contract manufacturing behemoth and the biggest production partner for Apple globally, is planning to begin operating normally by the end of March.

Now a new report by Nikkei reveals that Foxconn has hired workers to meet the “seasonal demand” at all major Chinese plants implying that there is no longer shortage of labour due to the outbreak of Covid-19 (coronavirus).

As per the report, Foxconn has issued a statement revealing that the recruitment goals have been reached “ahead of schedule at the plants.”The statement also reveals that the company is taking preemptive measures such as conducting PCR coronavirus tests of 55,000 workers and chest X-rays of more than 40,000 people.

For the iPhone 12 lineup, Foxconn is likely to reach a peak production level after July so that the iPhones can be launched in September. However, the report also points out that Foxconn production volume in February and March is believed to be at around half that level, so there’s still a “long way to go” before returning to full production.

To recall, the report by Bloomberg added that as per one person who works in Apple’s supply chain some operations are moving at a slower than normal speed “because the flow of components to assemble is still slow.” The person also added that it will take another month or more to get parts moving steadily through the system.

The Bloomberg report also shed some light on the timeline of the Apple iPhone. According to the report, Apple finalizes the majority of design features for new iPhones between November and December of the year prior to launch. After that, the mass-production of new casings begins around April and then the late manufacturing stage — called Final Assembly, Test and Pack — is about May.

—Times of India