According to sources, around 1,500 workers, mainly from the morning shift, were present at the Hosur facility when the fire broke out on Saturday. Photo: PTI
The Tata Electronics premises that caught fire on Saturday remained cordoned off on Sunday. A local police team was seen there. The plant security agents did not allow this journalist to enter the factory.
“No one can enter unless they have permission from management,” said the site’s security officer.
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Residents of a quiet village near Hosur, Tamil Nadu, were awakened by a loud explosion on Saturday morning after a massive fire broke out in the unit.
The facility, located in Krishnagiri district, manufactures components for Apple iPhones. While the flames were eventually brought under control, the incident has caused significant disruption to its operations and production line.
The plant is more than two and a half hours by road from Bengaluru.
According to sources, around 1,500 workers, mainly from the morning shift, were present in the unit when the fire broke out. All employees were evacuated and no casualties or injuries were reported.
“There was a big sound, like a bomb exploding, and there was a lot of smoke, as if the clouds had fallen to the ground,” said a local resident. “Suddenly the fire alarms started ringing and the security guards asked the employees to leave. “It was a terrifying situation.” Some employees had respiratory problems. They were taken to a private hospital and are reportedly stable.
“Medical staff members came with emergency equipment to check on the people there,” said another resident.
Several firefighting teams of Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS) rushed to the spot. It took them a few hours to control the fire. Until Saturday afternoon, between 10 and 12 fire trucks constantly visited the facilities.
Residents said there was likely smoke inside the facility. Eyewitnesses said senior government officials, including the district magistrate, police officers and members of the Legislative Assembly, have been coming to the plant since Saturday to assess the situation.
“There has been an unfortunate fire incident at our plant. Our plant emergency protocols ensured that all of our employees were safe. The cause of the fire is under investigation and we will take necessary measures to safeguard the interests of our employees and other stakeholders,” a Tata Electronics spokesperson said.
forensic investigation
The factory may not receive permission from the state government to resume production before Monday. According to some staff members, all employees working at the facility have been ordered to take vacation for seven days. They said the phones of employees working the morning shift perished in the fire. Workers cannot bring them inside the factory and must keep them in the locker.
Authorities are reportedly ready to begin a forensic investigation into the incident. The fire at the plant started in an area used to store chemicals. Some employees working at the facility said one of the reasons the fire broke out could be a short circuit in one of the computer numerical control (CNC) machines. It didn’t work well for the last seven days.
“The facility runs on Apple’s iPhone and everything is damaged: CNC machines, computers and CCTV worth millions of dollars,” said one employee.
Tata Electronics is reportedly working to develop “sophisticated” and complex high-precision machines used to produce the iPhone case. The machinery is suitable for integration into the production lines of contract manufacturers serving global corporations such as Apple.
The Tata group is reportedly testing these machines in stages at the Hosur facility. Part of the goal is to further grow its local capacity.
Expansion and employment
The Hosur facility is a key part of the group’s expansion into electronics, especially collaboration with technology giants like Apple.
The fire incident occurred when Tata Electronics was about to start production at its iPhone assembly plant in Koothanapalli, Krishnagiri. Hosur will be the second iPhone assembly plant for Tata Electronics, following its acquisition of Taiwanese EMS maker Wistron’s unit, which was in the works for two years.
Tata Electronics is expected to invest around Rs 6,000 crore in the Hosur plant. It has invested a similar amount in the component factory that supplies Apple at the same location.
First published: September 30, 2024 | 00:20 IS
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