Apple's iPhones are "Designed in California and assembled in China" according to the product packaging but the real story of where your iPhone comes from is much more complex. Designers, engineers, skilled and unskilled factory workers from all over the world contribute to the final product.
Each iPhone has hundreds of separate components. Most of the suppliers that Apple buys components from have headquarters in the United States or Europe, with manufacturing facilities in Asia. Even some of the Asian manufacturing facilities turn around and outsource the manufacturing of the part to a third country where labor is less expensive, such as Malaysia or the Philippines. Major suppliers of iPhone components include Sony, Sharp, Win Semiconductors, TDK, Toshiba, Corning and Texas Instruments.
Each iPhone has hundreds of separate components. Most of the suppliers that Apple buys components from have headquarters in the United States or Europe, with manufacturing facilities in Asia. Even some of the Asian manufacturing facilities turn around and outsource the manufacturing of the part to a third country where labor is less expensive, such as Malaysia or the Philippines. Major suppliers of iPhone components include Sony, Sharp, Win Semiconductors, TDK, Toshiba, Corning and Texas Instruments.
Apple insists workers at parts plants work no more than 60 hours per week. The company audits suppliers and visits factories in China and other countries when warranted to investigate claims of worker abuse.
Assembly
Like many other high-tech products, iPhone's are assembled by hand. Approximately 325 workers contribute to the assembly of every iPhone, with each step taking an average of seven seconds to complete. It takes 24 hours to make an iPhone from start to finish. Apple's iPhones are primarily assembled in Shenzhen, China by Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., a Taiwanese company. The Hon Hai Group, more commonly known as Foxconn, also manufacturers iPods, Blackberry smartphones phones, Kindles, and PlayStations.
Foxconn's
Foxconn's
Foxconn's iPhone assembly facility is huge, with 95 production lines churning out the latest phones quickly and efficiently. About one-fourth of Foxconn's workers choose to live at the campus-like facility, where clean, safe housing and subsidized meals are offered. Workers are treated well compared their peers at other Chinese manufacturing plants; the work is repetitive but so is assembly line work at U.S. based factories. Working at Foxconn, assembling iPhones is considered a very good job in Shenzhen. This rare footage of Foxconn’s Zhengzhou iPhone assembly plant (http://youtu.be/1fVw7OpgFow) shows a modern facility where workers enjoy good working conditions.
Shenzhen
Shenzhen
Shenzhen, located just north of Hong Kong, is a major manufacturing center, home to a large number of Chinese and foreign high-tech companies. Over ten million people live in Shenzhen, which is why Foxconn utilizes the manufacturing powerhouse. In Shenzhen, hundreds of thousands of workers are available to work day and night to keep up with the demand for Apple products. If iPhones were built in New York City, three percent of all New York City residents would have to work assembling iPhones to match Shenzhen's ability to turn out finished iPhones quickly.
While Foxconn is Apple's main phone assembler, Pegatron is building a new facility in Kunshan, China to take over half of the assembly work for Apple's not-yet-released iPhone 6.
It's easy to see why Apple fans stand in line for hours or stay up late to order online just so they can be one of the first people to own the latest iPhone. Now that you know all that Apple does to bring an iPhone to the market, from designing the phone, selecting and auditing suppliers, overseeing the assembly and bringing the finished product to the U.S. for retail sale; iPhones seem like quite a bargain too.
Adam Wise enjoys blogging about manufacturing, business, and corporate responsibility. Adam recommends reading this article from his friends at iContemplate.com to learn more about implementing an earth friendly manufacturing process in your business.
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