Apple wants to reduce the number of workers assembling iPhones by as much as 50%

Apple reportedly wants to reduce its reliance on human workers in its iPhone assembly lines. According to reports, the iPhone maker is looking to reduce the number of human workers by as much as 50% over the next few years.

To achieve this goal, Apple has allegedly begun using expensive automation machines to replace human workers at some parts of the assembly process. These machines can cost upwards of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Apple’s desire to automate the iPhone assembly process stems from the problems it faced during the pandemic. Lockdowns and protests at Apple’s main assembly plants in China during the pandemic meant Apple couldn’t meet demand and lost sales.

Pushing to automate much of the assembly process could also yield long-term benefits such as lower costs of production and greater efficiency. 

Apple could also use these machines in other countries to diversify its supply chain. Reports say that Apple is considering building more iPhone assembly plants in countries outside China, and are looking at countries such as India, Vietnam, and Thailand.

Reducing its reliance on China is said to be an important goal for Apple as the trade war between the US and China is showing no signs of letting up.

Source: The Information via MacRumors

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