(Yicai) Nov. 30 -- Apple has revealed for the first time that its 200 main suppliers account for 98 percent of the US tech giant’s procurement, and three-quarters of them assemble its products in China, according to a report by The Paper.

Some 151 of the 200 manufacture in China, the report said yesterday, citing data Apple disclosed at the ongoing first China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing.

Chinese firms have become global leaders in smart manufacturing, said Isabel Ge Mahe, vice president and managing director of Apple China. They have the chance to produce the latest products for Apple, such as the Vision Pro mixed-reality headset, which will be made by Luxshare Precision Industry, she noted.

To enhance smart manufacturing processes and levels, Apple engineers will bring new technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, to production lines to help the supply chain move toward smart manufacturing, Mahe pointed out. 

Apple and three of its suppliers, Lens Technology, Bozhon Precision Industry Technology, and Shenzhen Everwin Precision Technology, are taking part in the CISCE, the world's first national supply chain exhibition, which runs from Nov. 28 to Dec. 2.

At the expo, Suzhou-based Bozhon, an maker of automation equipment that became an Apple supplier in 2010, exhibited its multi-function visual testing platform, which can be used to check the screws, glass appearance defects, and dimensions of products.

Bozhon delivered more than 1,000 types of equipment annually on average to Apple in recent years, with the total number exceeding 10,000 and covering more than 180 foundries across 13 other countries.

Editor: Martin Kadiev