Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., the world's largest contract electronics maker, said Monday that conditions in dormitories at one of its factories in Chennai, southern India, have been improved and welcomed workers back to the plant.
iPhone assembler Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn on the global market, released the statement after the company suspended the Sriperumbudur facility in Chennai, Tamil Nadu province on Dec. 18, 2021, due to an incident in which more than 250 workers suffered food poisoning and later staged a protest.
As a result of the food poisoning incident, Apple Inc. placed the Sriperumbudur factory facility on probation as the dorms and dining areas failed to meet its standards.
In the statement, Hon Hai said it has implemented a series of corrective actions to improve the dorms, while the company has also sought to optimize services provided to dorm residents.
Hon Hai said it has introduced measures to monitor the situation and ensure there is no re-occurrence of the food poisoning incident.
The Taiwanese company said it welcomes workers to return to the factory, while expressing gratitude for their patience during the time the plant was closed.
A rigorous monitoring system has been installed so workers can anonymously raise any concerns, Hon Hai said.
According to a report from Reuters, the Sriperumbudur factory, which rolls out iPhones, will reopen Wednesday with about 500 workers expected to return to production lines.
In addition to Hon Hai's Sriperumbudur factory, the report said, Apple has eight additional suppliers in India.
Tamil Nadu, with a population of more than 70 million, is one of India's industrial provinces and has earned the nickname "Detroit of Asia," the report said. The province houses several automakers such as BMW, Diamler, Hyundai, Nissan and Renault, according to the report.
In late December, Hon Hai announced it had raised its stake in Foxconn Hon Hai Technology India Mega Development Private Ltd. by US$350 million, describing the new investment as part of its long-term development in India.
Although Hon Hai did not detail the investment, industrial sources believe the company will focus on expanding production capacity at its Chennai plant and dedicate a new production line exclusively to the assembly of iPhone 13s.
Indian news media reported recently that Apple has started to roll out iPhone 13s on a trial basis at the Taiwanese manufacturer's production line in Chennai, with commercial production set to begin in February 2022.
The Indian news media said Hon Hai has rolled out the iPhone XR, iPhone 11, and iPhone 12 models in Tamil Nadu.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel