Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd., better known as Foxconn, said today it has reached its recruitment targets ahead of schedule and now can meet “seasonal demand” at its Chinese manufacturing plants.

The announcement has big implications for Apple Inc. because Foxconn is one of its most important suppliers. According to the Nikkei Asian Review, which first reported the news, it means Foxconn is more than prepared to help Apple meet its fall launch date for the next iteration of the iPhone.

Many of Apple’s Chinese suppliers were forced to shut down during February as that country battled to control the coronavirus outbreak, which has since become a pandemic. Now that China appears to have its outbreak largely under control, many factories have begun to reopen, but Nikkei said some were facing serious staffing shortages due to quarantines and travel restrictions, which meant they could not operate at full capacity.

Foxconn previously said it expects to resume normal production by the end of the month, and it seems likely to meet that deadline after hitting its recruitment targets.

There has been speculation that Apple might be forced to postpone the launch of its iPhone 12 products because of the closures, but a recent report from Bloomberg said the company was still confident it would be ready by its traditional fall launch date.

Foxconn said in a statement it has put some “rigorous measures” in place to ensure the health and safety of its workers. It has offered coronavirus tests to more than 55,000 workers and chest X-rays to an additional 40,000.

Although Foxconn appears to be all set, Apple’s plans for the iPhone 12 could still come a cropper because of other circumstances beyond its control. The company relies on suppliers across the world, and many of those are located in other countries that have been hit hard by the coronavirus, including Italy, Germany, South Korea and the U.S.

Apple is said to be planning to launch as many as four new iPhone 12 models in the fall, with new features including 5G capabilities and a triple-lens camera with 3D functions.

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