Foxconn eyes Greater Noida for its first plant in North India: report

iPhone assembler Hon Hai Technology Group, aka Foxconn, is considering acquiring 300 acres along the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, to set up its first facility in North India, The Economic Times reported, citing multiple people aware of the development.

The plant will likely be bigger than the company’s upcoming one in Bengaluru, which is poised to become the company’s second-largest facility globally, the ET report said, citing one of the people mentioned above.

The company is currently discussing with the government the products that will be manufactured at the plant, the report added.

Last year, India had proposed a 300-acre land for Foxconn Industrial Park, but discussions are at an early stage.

The land is situated along the expressway connecting Greater Noida to Agra and falls under the purview of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA).

The land identified for the Taiwanese manufacturer producing Apple products is in the same area where HCL-Foxconn bought 50 acres for an outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) facility, the report said, citing another person aware of the development, while adding that the HCL-Foxconn project is awaiting approval.

“Diversifying geographically and also being closer to prospective customers will also help expand from smart devices to auto sectors,” Neil Shah, vice-president for research at Counterpoint Research, said.

The uncertainty over US tariffs and the current geopolitical climate also give Foxconn a “capacity” safety net for future electronics manufacturing services (EMS) opportunities, Shah said.

Like Chennai, the Noida cluster has emerged as a burgeoning manufacturing ecosystem with an aligned infrastructure, a growing pool of local talent, and a diaspora of suppliers catering to major and minor EMS providers, he added.