"We faced Covid controls for two months. We couldn’t have assessed that in advance, so that makes me emphasize our expansion in Vietnam, India, Indonesia, and North America," Reuters quoted its president, Liao Syh-jang, as saying at the company’s annual general meeting in Taipei Wednesday.

Inside Apple's iPhone 13 Pro.

The company is seeking to address labor shortages and the gap between peak and low seasons and increase capacity utilization, he said.

Pegatron is one of Apple’s three iPhone suppliers along with Foxconn and Wistron.

In April, the Taiwanese company suspended operations at its Shanghai and Kunshan plants in China due to strict Covid-19 protocols, impacting production and deliveries.

China has since lifted the restrictions, but still faces a labor shortage that was sparked by the restrictions.

Chairman T.H. Tung said the company’s customers had "different reasons" for setting up factories in Vietnam, India and Mexico.

"But one shared factor is the ability to reduce concentration in Shanghai, Suzhou and Chongqing."

He added that hiring staff in China has become increasingly difficult over the past seven to eight years.

Pegatron has mulled expanding to Vietnam since 2020, and is building a factory in the northern city of Hai Phong.

Several Apple suppliers already have factories in Vietnam, including Foxconn, Luxshare and Goertek, and mainly make AirPods earbuds and HomePod speakers.

Earlier in June, Nikkei Asia reported that China's BYD, one of the leading iPad assemblers, had helped Apple build production lines in Vietnam and could soon start to produce the tablet there.

It attributed the move to China’s lockdown in and around Shanghai, which disrupted the supply chain for months.

About 3.5 tonnes of custard apples and longan consumed in Luc Nam

(BGO) – Luc Nam district (Bac Giang province) is now harvesting various farm produce of custard apple, longan, melon, vegetables, roots and herbal medicines so the consumption has received due attention from the local authority.

Bac Giang’s special custard apple sought by customers

(BGO) – It is main harvest season for custard apple in the concentrated cultivation area in Bac Giang province, mostly in the communes of Huyen Son, Nghia Phuong and Dong Phu (Luc Nam district). Adding to the traditional fruit, two special custard apples have lured customers with high quality and selling price.

Apple recruits more Vietnamese staff

Apple is recruiting 25 people in Vietnam, mostly for posts pertaining to operations and supply chain.

Early custard apples in Bac Giang enjoys high price and smooth consumption

(BGO) – It is coming to the harvest time for early ripening custard apples in some communes in Luc Nam district (Bac Giang province) such as Nghia Phuong and Dong Phu.  

Happiness in ripe pineapple season

(BGO) – Recently, farmers in Bao Son commune, Luc Nam district (Bac Giang province) are happily harvesting the pineapples with a bumper crop and good selling price. The commune grew more than 180 ha of Cayen pineapples. The traders directly come to the fields to buy the fruits with the price of 8.5 – 9,000 VND per kg, up 2 – 3,000 VND per kg comparing to last season. 

Source: VnExpress