Factbox-Past disruptions at Apple facilities in India
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A fire at a major Tata Electronics plant manufacturing components for Apple iPhones in southern India halted production on Saturday, the latest in a series of incidents disrupting Apple's facilities in the region.
It is not yet clear what caused the blaze in Tata's Tamil Nadu plant.
Apple has been eyeing a large manufacturing base in India since it began iPhone assembly in the country in 2017.
Currently, its products are manufactured through contracts with firms including Foxconn and Tata Electronics.
The extent of the fire's impact on Tata's supplies is still unknown.
One building where iPhone components are made caught fire, but it is unclear whether a neighbouring building where manufacturing of the complete smartphone was to start by the year-end is affected.
Here's a look at other incidents in recent years that disrupted Apple facilities in India:
February 2024: Hundreds of workers at a manufacturing plant of Apple supplier Flex in India's Tamil Nadu state staged a one-day strike demanding higher wages for the next three years and the recognition of a union.
December 2023: Foxconn's operations at its Indian facility near Tamil Nadu's capital, Chennai, halted for a day due to weather disruptions.
September 2023: Pegatron temporarily stopped iPhone assembly at its Chennai facility in the same southern Indian state after a fire at the factory.
February 2023: Foxlink, which manufactures iPhone chargers, suspended production at its assembly facility in Chittoor in the state of Andhra Pradesh after a fire caused part of the building to collapse.
December 2021: Operations at a plant belonging Foxconn in Chennai city were halted for more than three weeks after 250 workers fell sick, sparking protests. Apple later found facilities did not meet required standards.
December 2020: Workers at a Wistron plant in Karnataka state's Narsapura destroyed property during protests over non-payment of wages, causing millions of dollars in losses and forcing the Taiwanese contract manufacturer to shut the plant for three months.
Wistron sold its India business to the Tata Group last year.
(Compiled by Blassy Boben and Krishn Kaushik; editing by Mark Potter and Clelia Oziel)