Apple supplier Foxconn is struggling to keep its factories in India running efficiently, with employees citing language barriers, culture clashes and difficulty adjusting to tight schedules. Foxconn started producing iPhones in India in 2019, when it produced the iPhone XR. It expanded to iPhone 11 in 2020. Since then, some models of every flagship iPhone have been produced in India.
However, producing iPhones in India is a challenging process. According to an extensive report in Rest of World, Chinese Foxconn employees have been working hard to bring India's operations up to China's level.
Foxconn began sending Chinese employees to India to oversee operations and train employees. However, the employees who were sent knew almost no English and had not been away from China for a long time. They were completely unprepared for the cultural shock from India. The factories in India were almost identical to those in China. Even the machines purchased from China still used Mandarin text and instructions.
"All the machines are in Mandarin. Standard operating procedures, work instructions, instructions - everything is only in [Chinese]. Even the software," said a senior Indian manager. "Even the 'panic button' is written in Mandarin.
Employees had to start using translation apps and communicate with basic body language. Human translators, while helpful, end up mired in disputes and tensions on the factory floor.
Even after suffering years of setbacks due to the impact of COVID-19 and underqualified employees in India, Apple continues to push forward. The company wants to do something new with the iPhone 15 - producing it simultaneously in China and India.
India has an 8-hour working day and the government has tried to pass legislation to change it to a 12-hour working day. However, the plan was shelved after an outcry.
Taiwanese and Chinese workers working in India are shocked by Indian working hours. In addition to the 8-hour working day, there are breaks during the shift. One manager lamented: "You haven't even sat down yet before the next break comes."
Foxconn China relies on China's lax labor laws to lure employees with extra wages and bonuses to extend their shifts. Foxconn has tried similar strategies in India, but to no avail -Indian workers refuse to work overtime.
Indian employees juggle demanding schedules and manage meal breaks and toilet breaks during a busy day. Some fainted, some got sick, some complained of stress and other health problems - all of which Chinese workers hope will fade away over time.
Reports show it's not all hard work and frustration. Chinese employees also seem to like the shorter working hours and rest periods, and Indian and Chinese employees even socialize after work.
According to people familiar with the situation, the iPhone 15 models assembled at the Sunguvarchatram factory are still less than 10% of all models. Foxconn only makes the larger Plus and more advanced Pro models in China.
The lengthy and tortuous report ended with top-level Foxconn employees in China celebrating the launch of the iPhone 15, while Indian employees were hard at work on more models. In order to achieve its goals, Foxconn canceled a holiday in October, which would have given employees a rare weekend off.
Chinese employees believe that India needs to adopt more Chinese working methods in order to take over more iPhone production. Apple and many other companies benefit from the cheap labor provided by these countries, but it seems that leaving China will not eliminate humanitarian issues in the supply chain.