Foxconn, a major global electronics contract manufacturer, has received offers from multiple states in India to establish large-scale industrial facilities. Telangana has proposed providing 2,000 acres for a ‘Foxconn City’, similar to the company’s existing sites in Taiwan and China, according to Duddilla Sridhar Babu, the state’s IT and industries minister.
Additionally, sources told ET that Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are also vying for Foxconn’s attention. Andhra Pradesh has reportedly offered 2,500 acres for an industrial park, while Karnataka has put forward three hundred acres for a supplier park. The precise locations of these land offerings remain undisclosed.
Minister Babu further elaborated on Telangana’s proposal, stating that Foxconn would develop the land based on their specific requirements. The allocated area could potentially accommodate Foxconn’s subsidiaries and suppliers from various countries, including Taiwan, China, and the United States.
Chinese ‘City’
Previously, during the opening of an industrial housing facility in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, on August 17, Foxconn chairman Young Liu expressed interest in establishing an ‘industrial township’ near Chennai. Now, other southern states are also actively seeking similar investments from the Taiwanese electronics giant.
Foxconn, the Taiwanese electronics manufacturing giant, is exploring various opportunities for expansion in the southern states of India. Each state is proposing different models to attract Foxconn’s investment.
Foxconn’s current presence in India includes a facility in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, where it assembles iPhones. The company plans to diversify its operations beyond smartphone assembly, venturing into other sectors such as information and communication technology (ICT), electric vehicles (EV), and batteries.
Foxconn also has a unit in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh, and an upcoming facility in Karnataka, which will primarily focus on iPhone production.
The Telangana government has presented a proposal that goes beyond a typical industrial park, drawing inspiration from Foxconn’s facilities in Zhengzhou, China.
The Zhengzhou facility is one of Foxconn’s largest, featuring a vast factory complex, dormitories for housing, hospitals, a fire station, and various entertainment facilities like movie theatres, supermarkets, and cafes. With its own security personnel and a dedicated police station, “Foxconn City” is essentially a self-contained city.
According to an individual familiar with the operations at the China plant, workers received an allowance in addition to their regular salary, which they could utilize within the welfare system established in “Foxconn City.” The corporation took care of basic amenities such as healthcare. Industry analysts estimate that some of Foxconn’s campuses, like the one in Zhengzhou, can accommodate between 300,000 and 400,000 workers.
Foxconn’s aggressive expansion in India is viewed as a significant long-term strategy for the company, reflecting its desire to reduce its reliance on its Chinese factories.
