Apple has announced to produce iPad in Vietnam for the first time. This is in an effort to diversify its supply chain and lessen reliance on China, the company’s primary manufacturing hub. According to Nikkei Asia, the American firm is shifting part of its iPad production from China to Vietnam as a result of the severe Covid-19 lockdowns in and around Shanghai that caused supply chain difficulties over the past months.
It was noted that China’s BYD, one of the top iPad assemblers, has assisted Apple in setting up manufacturing facilities in Vietnam and may soon begin producing a modest quantity of the renowned tablets there. After the earbud product lines, AirPods, iPad will be the second major line of Apple products assembled in Vietnam.
This latest move has highlighted both the companies’ ongoing attempts to diversify its supply chain and the increasing importance of Vietnam to Apple. The firm reported exporting 58 million iPads in 2021, majority of which were made in China.
The prospect of Apple manufacturing its wireless AirPods Pro 2 in Vietnam starting in the second half of this year was mentioned in reports from last month. The prospect of Apple manufacturing its wireless AirPods Pro 2 in Vietnam was mentioned in several articles last month. Accordingly, the shift in AirPods Pro 2 production can be attributed to the relatively uncomplicated supply chain and welcoming production environment (such as infrastructure and workforce) in Vietnam, compared to those of most countries outside China.
(Source: VNExpress)
