The iPhone may be one of the most well-known modern products in the world. Since its inception, Apple has sold more than a billion units worth hundreds of billions of dollars. The iPhone has helped to revolutionize mobile phone trends and many individuals’ ways of life. However, users may not understand how manufacturers produce iPhones. Take a glimpse into the world of iPhone manufacturing.
Sourcing
Manufacturers at Apple source their materials from all over the world. In an attempt to offer the very best technology at the lowest possible price, they are willing to scour the globe. At the same time, they need to partner and work with companies whose component manufacturers have the capacity to produce on a massive scale.
More than 200 companies around the world manufacture and supply Apple iPhone manufacturers with the components they need to produce the phones. These component manufacturers create the memory chips, glass screen interfaces, casings, cameras, and everything in between. And the countries where these manufacturers are located are also widely varied. Components come from companies in South Korea, China, Taiwan, Germany, Japan, India, and many other countries, including the United States.
Assembly
Most of these suppliers send their manufactured components to massive Apple manufacturing factories around the world for additional manufacturing and assembly. The components go to locations in China, the Czech Republic, Malaysia, Thailand, and South Korea among others. Although they’re located in many countries, however, all these manufacturing facilities are part of only two companies: Foxconn and Pegatron. These Taiwanese firms manage iPhone production and ensure the completed phones are delivered on time and with the quality standards Apple demands.
However, nothing is quite like the massive Foxconn plant in Zhengzhou, China. According to the article in The New York Times, this factory spreads across 2.2 square miles and employs approximately 350,000 people. Apple manufacturers in Zhengzhou alone can produce a whopping 500,000 iPhones per day.
Delivery
With a global footprint, iPhone manufacturers also look to a global supply chain. Apple contracts with major carriers including FedEx and UPS to ship iPhones around the world. One Boeing 747 flight can carry 150,000 iPhones.
For phones bound for the U.S., flights depart from Zhengzhou, China, and head to Anchorage, Alaska, where the jets can refuel. They then mostly travel to Louisville, Kentucky, where logistics professionals sort and reroute the iPhones to their final destinations.
So, where are iPhones manufactured? While assemblers in China finished the products, the iPhone in your pocket likely includes manufactured components from a number of manufacturers in countries throughout the world!