GoerTek says it is investing $280 million in a new plant in Vietnam, citing pressure from U.S. buyers to leave China. This is attributed to concerns about rising costs and geopolitical risks as tensions between China and the United States continue to rise.
A top executive at GoerTek, which lost the contract to manufacture AirPods Pro but is still producing regular AirPods, said he has recently been hounded by U.S. companies with only one question. “When are you going to be able to leave?” Kazuyoshi Yoshinaga, Deputy Chairman of GoerTek, stated.
For the time being, Vietnam is the company’s only manufacturing location outside of China. According to Yoshinaga, the new 62-hectare complex in Bac Ninh will produce products for major U.S. brands and is expected to be operational within a year. This investment will be in addition to GoerTek’s $1.06 billion commitments in Bac Ninh and the north-central province of Nghe An, he said.
GoerTek has invested $280 million in a new factory in Vietnam and is considering expanding into India, according to Yoshinaga, who oversees operations at the company’s Hanoi headquarters. Clients in the United States are looking to diversify their supply away from China as the gap between the world’s two largest economies widens.
The sources for this piece include an article in AppleInsider.