TAIPEI -- Taiwan's Catcher Technology, a key supplier of metal iPhone casings, has agreed to sell two factories to a Chinese rival in a $1.42 billion deal that will deepen China-based suppliers' involvement in the Apple supply chain.
The deal will enable Hunan-based Lens Technology, a long time provider of iPhone cover glass and glass backs, to produce high-quality metal casing as well as gain access to some iPhone assembly know-how. This in turn is expected to boost Lens's competitiveness against domestic rival Luxshare-ICT, which also aims to break into the metal casing business. Both companies are attempting to carve out a bigger slice of the world's most complex consumer electronics supply chain.
