iPhone City escapes COVID-19 shutdowns, as other plants close - 9to5Mac

The world’s biggest iPhone assembly plant – nicknamed iPhone City – has escaped COVID-19 shutdowns, as three other key Apple suppliers in China were last week forced to halt production.

Foxconn managers say that production is “proceeding well,” with 200,000 workers at work in the facility …

Background

While most countries around the world have ended lockdowns, adopting an approach of living with COVID-19, China maintains its efforts to completely eradicate the infection. This is believed to be in part caused by concerns about the ability of the Chinese health system to cope; locally produced vaccines have been shown to be less effective than those used in most other countries.

A lockdown in Shenzhen last month forced Foxconn to halt iPhone assembly at two plants, though a combination of exemptions for closed-loop production and the company’s ability to switch to backup facilities meant that iPhone production wasn’t badly hit.

However, lockdowns in Shanghai and Kunshan have seen Apple production halted at three other suppliers, and these are expected to have a much more significant impact.

iPhone City escapes COVID shutdowns

Bloomberg reports that Foxconn’s massive iPhone assembly facility at Zhengzhou has so far been unaffected.

The world’s biggest iPhone assembly campus, on the outskirts of the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, is operating normally despite lockdowns and mass Covid-19 testing in the area that began last week, the official Henan Daily reported.

A surge in Covid infections in Shanghai led to extensive disruptions there, and Zhengzhou’s decision late Friday to implement a quarantine raised concerns that Foxconn Technology Group’s facility may have to limit operations [but …]

“Production at the Foxconn campus is proceeding well with some 200,000 workers,” the newspaper said, citing Foxconn managers within the compound. The Taiwanese company is cooperating with local government and putting measures in place to ensure worker safety. “The supply lines haven’t been affected by Covid.”

9to5Mac’s Take

The Chinese government is trying to walk a tricky path, trying to eliminate COVID-19 without massive disruption to its manufacturing economy. The government recently announced measures to whitelist certain manufacturers – based on closed-loop production and other precautions – as well as providing funds to help address supply chain problems.

Ultimately, however, the zero-infection goal appears unrealistic, with citizens and businesses alike growing increasingly frustrated by the growing number of lockdowns.

Photo: Hannes Egler/Unsplash

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