Apple’s Expanding Supplier Base Challenges Rahul Gandhi’s China-Centric Critique

Rahul Gandhi’s long-standing jibe that India only performs screwdriver-level assembly while China manufactures the real components is increasingly out of step with reality.

Apple’s supply chain has expanded rapidly across India, with more than 40 suppliers now producing components, tooling and specialised assemblies across eight states.

For years, Indian electronics factories largely worked as end-of-line units, tightening the last few screws on devices built with imported high-value parts.

That perception, often amplified in political rhetoric, is now giving way as Apple’s India ecosystem expands at remarkable speed.

Apple’s India journey began modestly with assembly units in Tamil Nadu and later Karnataka, run by global contract manufacturers such as Foxconn and Tata Electronics.

These early operations provided ammunition for criticism that Make in India lacked depth. Rahul Gandhi frequently cited this to argue that core profits and value still flowed to Chinese factories.

Yet, quietly, Apple has transformed its Indian footprint. Its supply chain now stretches far beyond the original assembly hubs.

Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Kerala, Haryana, Telangana, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh all host suppliers manufacturing components and sub-assemblies for the global iPhone ecosystem.

These facilities are not mere warehouses. They produce precision mechanical parts, enclosures, electronics, automation systems and tooling—inputs that add substantial value well before the final assembly of a device.

Indian Firms Join the Apple Ecosystem

The widening supplier base includes prominent Indian firms such as Hindalco (Gujarat), Wipro PARI and Bharat Forge (Maharashtra), SFO Technologies (Kerala), VVDN Technologies (Haryana) and Aequs (Karnataka).

These companies provide critical components and advanced mechanical assemblies integral to Apple’s production lines.

Their participation directly contradicts the claim that ‘all components are made in China’.

While India continues to import semiconductors, displays and sophisticated modules, the presence of more than 40 domestic suppliers signals a significant shift in the manufacturing value chain.

Indian suppliers now export some of these components directly to Apple’s global supply network, which means parts designed and manufactured in India are used in devices sold worldwide.

Economic Impact and Local Value Addition

As localisation deepens, the economic implications grow. Each component made domestically shifts a portion of the iPhone’s value from overseas suppliers to Indian firms.

This transition brings skilled jobs, long-term investment, higher-value processes and increased capacity in precision engineering and automation.

Production-linked incentive schemes have accelerated this shift by encouraging global manufacturers to invest in India not just for assembly but for a broader supply-chain presence.

India still relies heavily on imported chips and high-end electronic modules, and achieving China’s scale will require sustained policy stability, infrastructure and skill development.

However, Apple’s broadening supplier base demonstrates that India’s manufacturing landscape is changing fundamentally.

Rahul Gandhi’s critique reflected an older reality.

Apple’s 40 suppliers across eight states represent the emerging one—India, moving from assembly lines to real manufacturing at scale.

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