India state launches probe into fire at Apple supplier Foxlink

CHENG UEI PRECISION INDUSTRY

01/03/2023 10:59

By Praveen Paramasivam
       CHITTOOR, India, March 1 (Reuters) - India's Andhra
Pradesh state has launched an investigation into what caused a
fire at the factory of Apple  AAPL.O  supplier Foxlink that led
to the collapse of part of the building and disrupted
production, a government official said on Wednesday.
    Foxlink's  2392.TW  plant, which makes charging cables for
iPhones in the southern state, was engulfed in a massive fire on
Monday, but there were no casualties. The fire department has
said much of the fire safety equipment at the factory was not
functional. 
    The factories department, which is responsible for ensuring
the safety and welfare of workers in the state, has launched an
investigation.
    The department is "investigating the fire accident at
Foxlink factory and, over the next couple of days, is looking to
probe how the fire happened," Ramakrishna Reddy, deputy chief
inspector of factories, told Reuters.
    Reddy added that his initial assessment was there were no
immediate worker safety concerns as only a few employees had to
be taken to hospital for first-aid after they reported dizziness
following the incident. 
    Foxlink on Wednesday said it is investigating the cause of
the fire and "working hard to resume production".
    The incident has raised supply chain concerns for the U.S.
tech giant Apple, given Foxlink was a "key supplier" in India,
Reuters has reported. 

 (Reporting by Praveen Paramsivam; Writing by Arpan Chaturvedi;
Editing by Aditya Kalra and Kim Coghill)
 ((Arpan.Chaturvedi@thomsonreuters.com;))