Foxconn would not have been affected by the floods
As we have previously discussed, Zhengzhou has been engulfed in significant flooding due to unusually high rains. Currently, a total of 12 deaths have been recorded as a result of these floods and many industries have been affected. Foxconn owns a large part of its industry in this area and the press has focused on it to see if it will negatively affect the production of the new iPhones.
CNBC itself has contacted Foxconn spokesmen to inquire about the status of its factories. The answer has been limited to saying «We can confirm that to date there has been no direct impact on our facilities at that location. We are closely monitoring the situation and will provide any updates as appropriate.”. In addition, the spokesman said that they had put in place an emergency system to activate the necessary control measures against the floods.
From Apple they have also wanted to give an answer to this situation. Specifically, it has been its own CEO, Tim Cook, who has pledged to make a donation to support all those affected. This communication was made through the Chinese social network Weibo where he said: Our thoughts are with all those affected by the floods in Henan province and the first responders who help people to get to safety.
IPhone release dates would stick
As a result, Foxconn has not reported in any case that the production chain has been affected. This means that at first it can be said that the launch date of the new iPhone remains in the month of September unless there is some kind of problem in the future. Although, Foxconn in his note affirms that a priori there are no problems and that control systems have been activated. This does not mean that if the floods continue, it could end up generating a bigger problem in their factories.
Here we are seeing the great inconvenience that having the factories concentrated in a single geographical point can generate. Such a catastrophe can cause serious difficulties for Apple by having to delay the launch of its devices or even have a significant delay in delivery to users. Facts like this make it possible to reflect on the possibility of expanding manufacturing to other regions in China itself or in other countries.