A new plant in India has begun operations to make Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone, while another will start shipments in May, Reuters reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. The developments come amid Apple bolstering its manufacturing in India as it seeks to diversify its supply chain base beyond China,

As part of this move, Apple has started assembling iPhones at a new Tata Electronics plant in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, which is currently focused on older models.

Tata, a relatively new Apple supplier, has quickly emerged as a key Indian contractor. With the new facilities, Foxconn and Tata will together operate a total of five iPhone factories from India. (Reporting by Aditya Kalra and Munsif Vengattil; Editing by Jan Harvey)