Wistron will reportedly assemble key iPhone component at an Indian facility

iPhone battery (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

Wistron currently builds some iPhones in India.
The company will reportedly start manufacturing PCBs, too.
This as Indian import tax on PCBs is about to be doubled.

Apple supplier Wistron will begin manufacturing its own printed circuit boards (PCBs) for use in iPhones according to a report by Reuters.

Wistron currently builds iPhone SE, iPhone 6S, and iPhone 7 models in the country and will reportedly start producing its own PCBs locally as well. That's likely because there is a new doubling of PCB import tax on the way.

The deepening of PCB assembly in India will help Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple save on import taxes on smartphone components, levied by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to boost local manufacturing and create new jobs.On Saturday, India said in its federal budget that it will from April begin taxing imports of populated PCBs at a higher 20%, from the previous rate of 10%.

Fellow supplier Foxconn already makes its own PCBs in India, so it won't be faced with the same tax burden come April.

The report notes that neither Apple nor Wistron commented on the speculation, but it makes tons of sense on both sides. Not only does Wistron not have to deal with the new 20% tax in PCB imports, but it also continues Apple's attempts to diversify its manufacturing options around the globe.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.