WSJ: Senior Apple managers dismissed concerns over China dependency
What you need to know
- A Wall Street Journal report has revealed Apple's operations team has long been concerned about its dependency on China.
- As early as 2015, it was suggested that at least one product should be made in Vietnam.
- Senior managers "rebuffed" the idea.
A Wall Street Journal piece has revealed that Apple's operations team has long been concerned about the company's dependency on China.
According to the report:
The report states that senior managers "rebuffed" the idea and that moving away from China was "too challenging to undertake". It continues:
The coronavirus outbreak has exposed Apple's dependency on China for its products, and worker shortages and travel restrictions have crippled product supply, as well as impacting the timelines for upcoming products.
Syracuse University supply chain professor said
Whilst Apple has pushed some of its supply chain operation to the shores of India, but this report shows that Apple's operations unit has been concerned about its dependency on China for a long time and that Apple hasn't done enough to diversify its supply chain.
You can read the full report here.
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Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9