Apple’s efforts to automate iPhone assembly detailed in new report

The information reported today that shortly after COVID-19-related lockdowns and protests in China impacted iPhone assembler Foxconn in late 2022, Apple’s senior vice president of Operations Sabih Khan instructed managers to cut the number of workers on iPhone assembly lines by as much as 50% reduce compared to 2022. in subsequent years.

To achieve this goal, Apple is said to have started approving expensive iPhone assembly automation projects, which it previously shied away from. The report claims that these efforts have resulted in a “significant amount” of automation in the production of the iPhone 15, but automation has still presented challenges for Apple due to the complexity of production.

For example, the report claims that Apple had to cancel some automation processes for the iPhone 16 series due to a “high defect rate”:

This year, Apple tried to build on some of its automation successes by using machines to install the iPhone’s buttons, receiver, speaker and motherboard into the chassis, according to three people who worked in Apple’s supply chain. But the machines failed to properly secure those parts, which had to be carefully screwed into place at odd angles, the people said.

Apple’s push for automation could allow the company to move even more iPhone assemblies to countries outside China, such as India, Vietnam and Thailand, as part of the company’s efforts to diversify its supply chain in Southeast Asia.

More details can be found in The information‘s report.