Apple finally has good news from China as Foxconn’s COVID-hit iPhone factory in the city of Zhengzhou, China has almost returned to full production capacity and is expected to hit 90 percent of its original target for the end of this quarter. It was previously estimated that the plant would only achieve 80-85 percent of its target.
Foxconn’s COVID-hit iPhone factory in the city of Zhengzhou, China, has almost returned to full production capacity and is expected to reach 90 percent of its original target for the end of this quarter. Photo credit: AFP
Production at the world’s largest manufacturing facility for Apple iPhones was severely disrupted late last year after a COVID-19 outbreak and restrictions to combat the virus prompted thousands of workers to leave the company. Just months before the workers erupted from the factory, the manufacturing site was also riddled with workers’ unrest and violent protests over payment problems.
Foxconn offers bonuses to attract new employees and persuade those who are still there to stay. A company source told reporters last month that the plant aims to resume full production in late December or early January.
Production has almost completely restarted since Tuesday. Production was almost back to normal, but company officials remained cautious about the outlook amid a spike in COVID-19 cases across China.
“We expect a peak for cases before or after the Lunar New Year holiday,” said a person close to the matter, referring to the week-long hiatus beginning Jan. 21. “We don’t know if this will cause problems.”
On Saturday, the state broadcaster of Henan province, where the plant is located, quoted a senior official at the plant as saying that the plant’s workforce is currently stable at 200,000 employees and that it has also stabilized its supply chain to increase production capacity enable recovery.
The factory can accommodate up to 300,000 workers at full capacity. The troubles at the Zhengzhou plant highlighted the difficulties companies and workers have had in complying with China’s zero-COVID-19 policy.
The central government abruptly dropped politics in early December after Foxconn’s woes and a series of anti-political protests to pursue a strategy of living with the virus. The move has met with widespread relief but has also sparked a wave of infections across the country.
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