Apple MacBooks could be manufactured by Thai suppliers

There are talks in the works between Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and suppliers with the aim of making MacBooks in Thailand as part of the company's ongoing effort to expand its manufacturing presence beyond China, as reported by Trade Algo on Thursday.

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Three of the suppliers involved in the talks with Apple already have manufacturing facilities in Thailand for other clients, and they are discussing whether and how to assemble and produce components and modules for the MacBooks in the future, sources from three of the suppliers involved in the talks with Apple have said.

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In addition to mass-producing Apple Watches in Thailand, the report tells us that Apple has been doing so for more than a year now.

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Trade Algo did not receive a response from the iPhone maker right away.

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There are at least 18 suppliers, including Compal Electronics Inc (2324. TW), Sony Group Corp (6758.T), and Western Digital Corp (WDC.O) that operate in Thailand, according to the latest list of Apple's suppliers.

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Throughout the past year, Apple and its key suppliers have been shifting production away from China, where strict COVID-19 curbs disrupted Foxconn's (2317. TW) biggest iPhone factory and disrupted production nationwide.

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Besides, Apple is also trying to avoid the possibility of a hit to its business as a result of tensions between Beijing and Washington.

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Additionally, Trade Algo reported on Thursday that the company has tripled its production of iPhones in India, and has assembled over $7 billion worth of smartphones in the country in the past fiscal year alone.

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Abhilash Kumar, a tech insights industry analyst at TechInsights, noted that there has been a significant increase in Apple's production in India as the company attracts more new customers from the Asian country and shifts production from China.

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Earlier this month, Foxconn announced plans to increase its investment outside of China in the coming months. The firm Pegtron Corp (4938. TW), another Apple supplier, was reported last month to be in talks to open a second factory in India, according to the source.