New Delhi (Sputnik): Apple's Taiwanese manufacturer is all set to increase its production footprint in India with reports suggesting that it could triple its proposed investment to set up a manufacturing hub in the Indian IT metropolis of Bengaluru in the southern state of Karnataka.
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This would expand the scope of manufacturing beyond mobile phones to the internet of things (IoT) and biotech devices.
"Apple's Taiwanese supplier Wistron has increased its proposed investments in the Narasapura facility in Kolar district three-fold to Rs 1,947 crore ($278.143 million) from its earlier target of Rs 682 crore($ 97.429 million). This is to expand the scope of manufacturing beyond mobile phones to IoT (internet-of-things) and biotech devices," the Times of India reported.
The Narasapura facility will commence operations in August. The revised investment outlay is Rs 1,947 crore and the employment target is 10,000 people. The 43-acre land will be one of the biggest clusters in the state to manufacture smartphones, and IoT and biotech devices, the report added quoting government officials.
"We have just approved Wistron's Rs 5,091-crore application and it is with the Cabinet now… Wistron will make the latest iPhone models," Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told The Economic Times.
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Prasad said India as an electronics manufacturing hub holds an advantage in three areas — a burgeoning workforce, English fluency, and a plentiful supply of skilled workers.