In 2023, Patently Apple posted a report titled “Apple is Ramping up their Focus on India by working with Foxconn to open 2-new plants with one for making AirPods for the first time.” The report noted that “The deal would see Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics maker and assembler of around 70% of all iPhones, become an AirPods supplier for the first time and underlines efforts by the key Apple supplier to further diversify production away from China. AirPods are currently made by a range of Chinese suppliers.” Today, we learn about AirPods production about to expand again, this time with Jabil.   

Apple supplier Jabil is planning to significantly boost sourcing of AirPods enclosures from India by tapping its planned second facility in the country, according to a new Economic Times report.

The move reflects a broader push by Apple to diversify its supplier base from China amid global tariff-related uncertainties and the ongoing Washington-Beijing trade war.

Jabil, which currently makes plastic bodies or casings for AirPods at its Pune plant, is considering using the Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) factory in Tamil Nadu to expand AirPods production, the people said.

AirPods component production is a fairly new category in India and one that is expected to gain more significance in the near future and companies like Jabil are hoping to be ahead of the curve.

Jabil's plan to boost India production follows reports that Foxconn's Hyderabad facility has started AirPods assembly for exports. This signals that Apple is strategically expanding its manufacturing base in India to reduce its reliance on China and diversify its global supply chain, experts noted.

Jabil announced on September 10 last year that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tamil Nadu government for its manufacturing plan in Trichy. The signing, which took place in Chicago, was attended by the state's chief minister M K Stalin, and industries minister T R B Rajaa.