Just days before Apple Inc's yearly launch event, its main provider Foxconn has begun a huge recruitment drive in Zhengzhou, capital of Central China's Henan province, to satisfy the massive production of iPhone 6 units, China Business News reported Tuesday.

The Taiwan technology company is the world's largest contract electronics maker and it is the main provider of Apple products. It was reported that it will be responsible for the production of half of the expected 50 million 4.7-inch iPhone 6 units produced by the end of 2014.

There could be up to 800 applicants on Monday or Tuesday, and the number might decrease to 300-400 later in the week, a staff member surnamed Hao at the Zhengzhou plant told the newspaper on Friday.

The reporter at the Zhengzhou plant site also estimated that there were about 40 applications submitted at the plant every half an hour.

A staff member surnamed Zhang said that the company began the small-scale production of the iPhone 6 in April and the massive production drive only started in the past two months.

Besides the continuous recruitment, it also became easier recently for staff to apply for overtime work, Zhang added.

In addition to the huge recruitment in Zhengzhou, Xinhua also reported on Aug 29 that Foxconn's plant in North China's Shanxi province also needed an extra 20,000 workers for the massive production.

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