Foxconn Rapidly Scales Workforce at Women-Led iPhone Assembly Plant Near Bengaluru
Wed Dec 24 2025
Taiwanese electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn has rapidly scaled operations at its new iPhone assembly facility in Devanahalli, near Bengaluru, hiring nearly 30,000 workers in just eight to nine months. The pace is being described as the fastest workforce ramp-up by any factory in India to date.
What makes the project particularly significant is its women-led workforce. Around 80% of employees are women, many of them first-time industrial workers aged 19–24, marking a notable shift in India’s manufacturing employment demographics.
iPhone Production with an Export Focus
Trial production at the Devanahalli plant began in April–May with the iPhone 16, and the facility has since progressed to assembling the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
- More than 80% of output is exported, reinforcing India’s growing role in global electronics manufacturing.
- The factory is currently operating around four iPhone assembly lines, with plans to expand to up to a dozen lines as capacity ramps up.
At full scale, expected by next year, the facility could employ up to 50,000 workers, making it one of the largest electronics manufacturing sites in the country.
Built for Scale: Housing and Infrastructure
To support the rapidly expanding workforce, Foxconn has invested heavily in on-site and nearby infrastructure:
- Six large dormitories have been constructed
- Several dorms are already operational
- Additional housing facilities are under development
With full expansion, the Devanahalli site is expected to host more women workers at a single location than any government or private facility in India, making it a landmark project for large-scale, women-centric industrial employment.
Investment Size and Manufacturing Ambition
Foxconn is investing approximately ₹20,000 crore in the Devanahalli project.
Once fully operational, the facility is expected to become India’s largest factory by both employment and production capacity. It is also set to surpass Foxconn’s first iPhone assembly plant in Tamil Nadu, which currently employs around 41,000 workers.
The scale of the project reflects Foxconn’s confidence in India’s ability to support high-volume, precision electronics manufacturing.
A Key Pillar of Apple’s India Strategy
The rapid expansion near Bengaluru aligns closely with Apple’s broader strategy to shift more iPhone production to India, supported by the government’s Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.
As Apple works to reduce its dependence on China, India is emerging as a critical node in its global supply chain—not just for assembly, but increasingly for scale, exports, and workforce depth.
Foxconn’s execution demonstrates that India can now support:
- Large, export-oriented manufacturing
- Rapid workforce onboarding and training
- Inclusive employment models at scale
Why This Matters
The Devanahalli plant represents more than just another factory:
- It showcases India’s readiness for mega-scale electronics manufacturing
- It highlights women-led industrial employment at unprecedented levels
- It reinforces India’s position in global supply-chain realignment
As geopolitical shifts and diversification strategies reshape global manufacturing, projects like Foxconn’s Bengaluru facility illustrate how manufacturing scale, inclusion, and exports are converging to redefine India’s role in the global electronics economy.
Final Thoughts
Foxconn’s rapid workforce expansion near Bengaluru is a powerful signal of how fast India’s manufacturing ecosystem is evolving. The combination of speed, scale, and inclusion sets a new benchmark—not just for electronics manufacturing, but for what industrial employment can look like in India’s next growth phase.
As Apple deepens its India push and Foxconn continues to invest, facilities like Devanahalli are likely to become templates for the future of large-scale, globally integrated manufacturing in the country.
Wed Dec 24 2025
