Chennai: Apple Supplier Inc.
Foxconn will reopen the iPhone manufacturing facility in South India on Wednesday with 500 workers, government officials and legislators in the area where the factory is told to Reuters.
The Foxconn factory, in the city of Sriperumbudur near the capital of the Tamil Nadu state, Chennai, employed around 17,000 people but was closed on December 18 after protests over 250 workers who fell ill with food poisoning.
Apple has placed a factory during the trial period after finding that some dormitories and dining rooms did not meet the necessary standards.
Foxconn and Apple did not immediately respond to a comment request.
K Selvaperhagai, a member of the State Assembly for the area, said Minister Tamil Nadu M Stalin said to the Assembly on Friday, the factory will be reopened on Wednesday with 500 workers.
Government officials said Foxconn intends to continue production in stages but has not said when the full workforce will return to work.
Foxconn has made the iPhone 12 and tested the production of iPhone 13 at the Sriperumbudur facility, the only plants in India, said government officials.
Apple has eight other suppliers in India.
Selvaper Sagar told Reuters, the state government will build dormitory facilities with the capacity to accommodate tens of thousands of workers from various industries to overcome concerns about the standard of hostel and eating facilities.
“The government is clear that they do not want the incident to happen again,” he said.
Tamil Nadu, a state of more than 70 million people and one of the most produced countries in the country, is sometimes called “Detroit of Asia”.
This is home to company factories including BMW, Daimler, Hyundai, Nissan and Renault.