Closed Apple plant in China to be reopened by November

Taiwan-based case maker Catcher Technology plans to spend up to $3 million to upgrade the equipment and processes at its plant in China, which was ordered closed over environmental issues, so it can reopen by November. Catcher is also mulling reducing its operating risk by diversifying its production bases, including an option to increase its investment in Taiwan, according to a report on DigiTimes. Earlier, authorities in Suzhou, China ordered its operations there suspended amid complaints of odorous gas emissions by nearby residents. However, DigiTimes said this is still not likely to make Catcher's clients switch their orders to other suppliers due to the company's strong production capacity and manufacturing technology, Recently, Catcher ramped up production at its plant located at a technology park in Tainan, southern Taiwan. It also completed the purchase of a 79,200-square meter lot in Tainan for future expansion. A separate article on The Next Web said Catcher is one of the largest suppliers in the world of metal casings for Apple, Dell, Lenovo and Sony notebooks. It noted Apple in particular sources 60 percent of its distinctive unibody cases from Catcher, including those for the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and iMac. The Next Web also quoted Catcher’s president Allen Hong as previously saying the closure could bring down the firm’s output 20 percent in October and as much as 40 percent in November. But with a resumption of operations looming in November, there would likely be no obstruction to the release schedule of Apple’s updated notebooks. — TJD, GMA News