Back Business-Standard

Fires, protests and pollution: Apple's supply chain challenges in India

Business-Standard • November 10, 2026

The Hosur incident is the latest setback for Apple's manufacturing network in India, following a ransomware attack, pollution-control concerns and scrutiny of hiring practices at supplier plants

FILE PHOTO: A security guard stands at the boundary of a Tata Electronics' components factory for Apple's iPhone in Hosur | Image Credit: Reuters

Listen to This Article

Three contract workers died of asphyxiation at a Tata Electronics factory in southern India that makes parts for Apple iPhones, triggering investigations by the companies and the state government of Tamil Nadu.

The incident in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, is the latest to hit Apple's supply chain in India, which is central to the U.S. tech giant's push to ‌diversify manufacturing beyond China. Since 2017, Apple has steadily ramped up iPhone production in the country, with Foxconn and Tata as its main contract manufacturers.

Here's a look at problems in recent years at Apple supplier facilities in India:

June-July 2026: A ransomware group posted on the dark web more than 200,000 files stolen from a Tata Electronics iPhone assembly plant also in Hosur. This included sensitive supplier information and photos of Apple's then-unreleased iPhone 18 Pro. Tata has since restricted internal access to sensitive systems and hired a global consultant to conduct a forensic audit, sources told Reuters.

June 2026: Tamil Nadu's pollution control board warned Tata's Hosur iPhone parts plant of a forced shutdown over alleged wastewater contamination of wells ‌in adjacent farmland. Tata said independent analysis showed compliance with regulatory norms, and later said the board had confirmed it had addressed all queries and dropped further action.

3 workers die of asphyxiation at Tata's iPhone parts factory in Tamil Nadu

Noel Tata to step down as Voltas chairman, appointed Chairman Emeritus

All 4 EV segments see highest ever October registrations: Fada data

Apple's predictive text curbs vulgar, sensitive, drug-related phrases

Treat shareholders as shareholders or India may lose compassionate capital premium

January 2025: India's National Human Rights Commission faulted labour officials for failing to adequately investigate employment discrimination at Foxconn's iPhone plant, documents obtained by Reuters showed. The probe later cleared Foxconn of any wrongdoing.

September 2024: A fire at Tata's Hosur ‌plant, in an area used to store chemicals, halted iPhone component production for several days.

September 2023: Pegatron temporarily stopped iPhone assembly at its Chennai facility in the same southern Indian state after a fire at ‌the factory.

February 2023: Foxlink, which manufactures iPhone chargers, suspended production at its assembly facility in Chittoor in the state ‌of Andhra Pradesh after a fire caused part of the building to collapse.

December 2021: Operations at a plant belonging to Foxconn near Chennai city were halted for more than three weeks after 250 workers fell ‌sick, sparking protests. Apple later found the facilities did not meet required standards.

December 2020: Workers at a Wistron plant in Karnataka state's Narsapura destroyed property during protests over non-payment of wages, forcing the Taiwanese contract manufacturer ‌to shut the plant for three months. Wistron sold its India business to the Tata Group in 2023.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

The full story

This article is one source in a clustered incident — the cluster page carries the summary, timeline and every other outlet covering it.

Investigation Launched After Deaths of Three Workers at Apple Supplier in India Three contract workers died from asphyxiation at a Tata Electronics factory in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, while inspecting an effluent treatment plant. The incident, which occurred during maintenance work, is under investigation by Apple, Tata, and state authorities. This event is the latest in a series of challenges faced by Apple's supply chain in India, which has been affected by a ransomware attack and pollution concerns. The Tata factory is crucial for iPhone production, accounting for about 40% of assembly in India. The deaths occurred when workers inhaled gas while inspecting a nano-filtration tank. Following the incident, the facility's operations were temporarily halted for the Hindu festival of Deepavali. The factory has previously faced issues, including a ransomware attack that leaked sensitive data and warnings regarding groundwater contamination. 2 sources 36

Extracted Entities

Fires, protests and pollution: Apple's supply chain challenges in India

The full story

Extracted Entities

Attack Types (1)

Companies (7)

Countries (1)

Industries (1)

MITRE ATT&CK (2)