Apple Inc added Flextronics International Ltd as an assembler of Mac computers last year as Apple CEO Tim Cook pushes forward with plans to have more of the company’s devices made in the US.
Flextronics assembled Macs in Austin, Texas, last year, Apple said in its annual supplier report published yesterday.
Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團) remains the largest manufacturer of Apple products, with seven assembly locations in China and Brazil, according to the list published on Apple’s Web site.
Cook said in a December 2012 interview that Apple would invest more than US$100 million last year to boost manufacturing in the US.
Flextronics, with headquarters in California and Singapore, joins Quanta Computer Inc (廣達電腦) as Asia-based companies supplying to Apple from about 60 facilities in the US.
Taiwan-based Quanta already makes some Macs in California.
In November last year, Apple announced it would pay US$578 million to GT Advanced Technologies Inc to supply equipment for an advanced glass factory to be opened in Mesa, Arizona.
The US is the third-biggest hub in Apple’s supply chain, while China remains the largest with 349 locations providing parts or manufacturing to the Cupertino, California-based company.
Japan’s 139 facilities, Taiwan’s 42 and South Korea’s 32 make Asia the center of a global supply chain that includes Mexico, Brazil, France and Germany, according to the report.
Flextronics manufactures components and electronics used in avionics, flight controls, medical equipment and wearable devices.
Valerie Kurniawan, a Singapore-based spokeswoman for Flextronics, did not answer calls to her telephones yesterday.
Apple’s Supplier Responsibility Report, first released in 2007, outlines the company’s labor and environmental standards and tracks how well its suppliers meet those rules, without naming which companies violated its code of conduct.
The iPhone maker started naming its suppliers in 2012 and listing assembly locations last year as it seeks to boost transparency among the companies that provide raw materials, electronic components, packaging and final products.
Panasonic Corp, the Osaka, Japan-based electronics maker, has more facilities supplying Apple than any other company, providing components from 31 locations.
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), the largest unit of Taipei-based Foxconn, has 29 locations in China, Brazil and Vietnam.
Intel Corp, the world’s largest chipmaker, provided products from 14 places, including the US, Costa Rica, China, Vietnam, Israel and Ireland.
While the supply of Apple parts spans the globe, assembly of its two biggest products remains limited to two manufacturers. Foxconn and Taipei-based Pegatron Corp (和碩) are the only companies making iPhones and iPads, using seven locations in China and Brazil.
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