Apple COO visits YUTO Packaging Technology

Apple Chief Operating Officer (COO) Sabih Khan recently visited the production base of YUTO Packaging Technology in Bao’an District. YUTO has long been a packaging supplier for Apple products. The two companies have worked together to eliminate plastic from the packaging of all Apple products, according to YUTO.

It was Khan’s second visit to a Bao’an factory this year. In March, he toured Sunwoda’s battery plant in the district, including a production line for iPhone batteries.

Apple COO Sabih Khan (C) visits YUTO Packaging Technology in Bao’an District. Photos from YUTO

At YUTO, Khan saw highly automated printing and assembly lines, as well as a packaging-reliability laboratory. A single iPhone box consists of 17 components and requires 36 assembly steps. The automated line completes a box in 1.9 seconds.

During the same interval, automated optical inspection equipment captures 64 high-resolution images of the box’s 10 surfaces and uses algorithms to detect minute defects. Before shipment, the packaging is placed in a delivery carton alongside a metal model weighing as much as an iPhone, then subjected to drop tests to assess its ability to protect products in transit.

Reducing plastic in packaging has also required changes to materials and processes. YUTO and Apple jointly developed a water-based varnish coating to replace conventional plastic lamination. The change cuts plastic use by an average of more than 3,000 tons a year, according to company-provided information.

YUTO reported first-half 2026 revenue of 8.214 billion yuan, up 0.23% year on year, and net profit attributable to shareholders of 575 million yuan, up 1.10%. Overseas revenue rose 8.97% to 3.252 billion yuan, accounting for 39.59% of the total.

Other Bao’an-based companies also play manufacturing roles in Apple’s supply chain, including Sunwoda and Luxshare Precision Industry.

Sunwoda has worked with Apple for 20 years and supplies batteries for product lines including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and AirPods. During his March 17 visit to the company factory in Bao’an, Khan toured battery production lines that have undergone multiple rounds of automation upgrades.

Consumer batteries remain a key business for Sunwoda. The company reported first-half 2026 revenue of 14.452 billion yuan from consumer batteries, up 4.04% year on year. Revenue from electric-vehicle batteries rose 85.87% to 14.134 billion yuan over the same period.

Founded in Bao’an in 2004, Luxshare began working with Apple in 2011, initially supplying connecting cables, and later expanding into manufacturing for additional products, including iPhone assembly.

In March 2025, construction began in Shajing Subdistrict on Luxshare’s high-speed interconnect precision-module manufacturing base. The project covers about 67,000 square meters and is planned to include high-performance optical communication modules, consumer-electronics terminal modules, an R&D center and production facilities.

Luxshare recorded first-half 2026 revenue of 174.504 billion yuan, up 40.16% year on year, and net profit attributable to shareholders of 7.843 billion yuan, up 18.04%. Consumer electronics contributed 122.476 billion yuan, or 70.18% of revenue, remaining the company’s largest business segment.

Other Bao’an firms involved in making Apple products include Avary Holding, which supplies printed circuit boards; Everwin Precision, which provides precision structural components and connectors; and Sunway Communication, which participates in antenna and wireless-charging module businesses.