Rama Krishna Sangem
You know what? AirPods, made by Apple, used by Americans and Europeans are actually being produced in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. This is a success story of India’s PLI (Productivity Linked Incentives) scheme launched five years ago. If this works out well, Apple will make Hyderabad as one of its bases for all its gadgets soon.
After iPhones, Apple is now set to manufacture AirPods in India. Foxconn Interconnect Technology (FIT), the Indian subsidiary of Taiwanese manufacturing giant Foxconn, is rapidly expanding its production and hiring at its Hyderabad facility to manufacture the AirPods earbuds in India, all in a bid to help Apple meet soaring global demand for AirPods.
The manufacturing expansion in India is Foxconn’s strategic push to diversify its supply chain away from China and navigate around the geopolitical situation affecting the supply chain. It also helps to ensure India’s role in Apple’s global manufacturing network.
Kongara Kalan plant, located near Hyderabad airport, already began commercial production of AirPods in April 2025. With the new mandate, the facility plans to double its output to 200,000 units per month, up from its current estimated production of over 100,000 units, over the next six to eight months.
Kongara Kalan plant to expand
To make the expansion easy, the FIT is upgrading five existing production lines and is introducing one or two brand-new lines. Much of the necessary machinery for this ramp-up is being transferred from Foxconn’s existing facilities in Vietnam. The expansion will also result in a substantial boost to local employment. The factory currently employs around 2,000 staff, a number that is projected to rise to 5,000 employees within the next eight months.
The total investment committed to the Hyderabad plant will reach Rs 4,800 crore, with over Rs 3,000 crore already deployed. This capital expenditure covers the transferred machinery, as well as new equipment required to produce the latest Apple models, including the AirPods 4, launched in September 2024, and the AirPods Pro 3, introduced this year.
The Hyderabad facility is part of a larger $550 million project announced by Foxconn in May 2023 under Chang Yi Interconnect Technology (India) Pvt. Ltd., aimed at creating 24,000 jobs. The project focuses on manufacturing accessories for both the global and domestic markets, including AirPods, cables, and connectors. So the story goes on. Hyderabad is going to be launch pad for Apple for its range of products in the coming years.
