Apple’s partner factory is in turmoil, goods may arrive a few months late

Video shared on the Internet shows hundreds of workers at the factory of Quanta Computer, the unit that manufactures MacBooks for Apple in Shanghai (China) clashing with employees wearing protective gear, jumping over security barriers. security to return to the dormitory after work.

According to BloombergThis facility is operating closed to control the epidemic. Some employees expressed concern because there had been a positive case of Covid-19 in the factory, others said that the strict isolation regulations made them tired.

Trouble at the Shanghai factory will cause MacBook production here to plummet. Users who order the device at this time may have to wait many months to receive the goods. According to 9to5macsome users who ordered MacBooks from February have received notices that the delivery date has been delayed until at least July.

Quanta Computer is an important MacBook assembly partner of Apple. More than 50% of the Taiwanese company’s revenue comes from contract manufacturing MacBooks and computers for brands like HP, Dell and Microsoft.

Many Apple partners in China faced difficulties when the government of this country applied strict blockade regulations due to the outbreak of the disease. At the beginning of April, Pegatron’s iPhone assembly plants in Shanghai and Kunshan had to be suspended to prevent epidemics.

By May 4, Zhengzhou, the city known as the “iPhone capital” with Foxconn’s factory was locked down for a week, employees of government organizations and companies had to work from home.

The Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou produces about 60-80% of iPhones globally. As a result, Apple’s supply chain could be severely affected if the factory network here encounters serious problems. In the worst case, DigiTimes Apple may have to delay the planned launch of ‌iPhone‌ 14 later this year.

To maintain production activities, the Chinese government allows businesses to operate under a closed process, employees work and live at the company, regularly test for Covid-19 and must be negative to enter the house. machine.

Although many facilities in Shanghai have returned to production, Apple said that the blockade and chip crisis will cause the maximum second quarter revenue decline. 8 billion USD.

Operations at Quanta Computer’s facility returned to normal on May 6 after the riot. However, according to Economic Daily, the factory is only operating at about 30% capacity. Even if the situation improves, capacity is not forecast to exceed 50%. That could make laptops like the MacBook Pro reach users slower than expected.