The shipping time for Apple iPhones have reduced, thanks to contract manufacturer Foxconn, which is reportedly working at break-neck speed to ensure enough stock is available during the holiday season.
Hon Hai Precision Company, more commonly known as Foxconn, is the biggest assembler of Apple products. The company is reportedly running round the clock and have employed more workers in the production line of Apple products to ensure smooth delivery during the highly demanding U.S. holiday season.
Apple launched and released the much awaited iPhone 5s and the budget iPhone 5c in September this year. As usual, the company met with high demand for the latest iPhones and the increased customer requirement in the U.S. pushed the shipping date for the iPhone 5s to two to three weeks in October. However, with Foxconn ramping up its efforts, Apple has managed to pull back the shipping time of the iPhone 5s to within three to five business days again.
The Taiwanese company has more than one million people working in its facilities in China. The work at its Zhengzhou plant has increased significantly and the unit now has around 300,000 workers working on the production of iPhone 5s and its key components such as metal casings.
Per a recent Wall Street Journal report, an unnamed Foxconn executive said the company has more than 600 workers who are working on each iPhone 5s production line to handle assembly work. The executive also indicated that currently Foxconn has been making about 500,000 iPhone 5s everyday, which is the highest daily output ever the company has ever given.
The executive also pointed out that it takes longer for the iPhone 5s to assemble when compared to the budget iPhone 5c or the previous iteration, iPhone 5.
"For the iPhone 5C or the iPhone 5, we only have 500 workers per production line as the assembly procedure is less complicated," said the Foxconn executive. "Although the market had concerns over demand for the new iPhone before its launch, our Zhengzhou site's production capacity for iPhones has continued to grow over the past two years."
Foxconn's 40 percent revenue is generated from assembling Apple products. However, the company does not want to expand its iPhone production site as it may affect smaller clients.
Apple usually attracts a large number of customers during the holiday season and this year it will be the same. The last thing the company will want to do is push back its shipping date, which may detract customers from buying Apple products.
