The Taiwanese group Foxconn, the main subcontractor of Apple, has faced increased cases of Covid-19 since October on its immense site in Zhengzhou, the largest iPhone factory in the world. China applies a zero covid drastic policy, which strongly impacts its factories.
Le Monde with AFP
Apple said on Sunday, November 6, expect “weaker than anticipated” deliveries for the iPhone 14 Pro, due to COVID-19 cases, coupled with anti-COVVID restrictions in China that affect production From this high -end smartphone, as the holiday season crucial.
The Californian group announces that “customers will have to wait longer to receive their new products”. And recalls its principles: “As we have done since the start of the pandemic, we have the health and safety of workers in our supply chain”. inread_top “Aria-Hidden =” True “>
Foxconn, a major undergoing, also announced almost simultaneously with the announcement of Apple that he “revisited (Ait) down” his forecasts for the fourth trimester because of anti-COVVID measures in China . First confined, hundreds of employees exasperated by their living conditions fled in the factory disaster, according to viral images a week ago and testimonies collected by the France-Presse agency (AFP).
workers have Broken out of #Apple’s Large Assembly Site, Escaping the Zero #covid Lockdown at Foxconn in… https://t.co/2byi4vpxox
“In normal times, almost all iPhone are produced in Zhengzhou,” Ivan Lam, analyst for the specialized firm Counterpoint, told AFP. The apple brand depends a lot on China, where it has more than 90 % of its products manufactured. The country is also one of its most important markets.
for the holidays, the company was tabling on high demand
Unlike its neighbors in Silicon Valley, Apple has so far resisted the economic crisis, even if the Dollar Fort weighs on its income. From July to September, the American group saw the sales of the iPhone, its flagship product, increase by 9.7 % over a year, to 42.6 billion dollars.
For the holidays, the company and the experts were tabling on a high demand for the iPhone 14 and 14 pro max.
Foxconn is the largest employer in the private sector in China, with more than a million people working in its 30 factories and research facilities in the country. About 600 km from Beijing, the Zhengzhou industrial site employs up to 300,000 people who live on the spot, at “iPhone City”, a sort of city in the city.
China Again against COVID-19
The most populated country in the world reported on Sunday, November 6, of 4,420 new cases of contamination at the COVID-19, a score at the highest in six months, while the health authorities had announced the day before they would stick to strict measures to combat the epidemic.
Although the number of cases seems very low compared to the world levels, China has observed a zero covid policy since the start of the pandemic which results in confinements, quarantines, frequent tests and a drop in travel to the ‘foreigner.
Investors had hoped for last week a relaxation of anti-COVVID-19 measures in China after the declarations of a former senior official of Chinese health authorities. Like the iPhone 14 Pro, other productions should be delayed at the end of 2022.