Foxconn Breaks Ground on Project to Build 1 Million Robots

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Posted October 31, 2011 at 2:03pm by Shalom Levytam

Foxconn has broken ground on the construction of a research and development unit that is tasked with building the company an empire of robots, reports AFP.

The project, which is initially forecast to cost the Taiwan-based Hon Hai Precision Industry Tw$6.7 billion ($223 million), was unveiled Saturday when Terry Gou, chairman of the conglomerate, broke ground for the construction of a research and development unit in Taichung, central Taiwan.

"The investment marks the beginning of Hon Hai's bid to build an empire of robots," the Central Taiwan Science Park authorities said in a statement.

Foxconn plans to replace 500,000 workers with robots, in part because of a rash of suicides that have plagued the company recently.

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Are they serious??? - October 31, 2011 at 2:32pm

Let's just make our workers feel completely worthless, like they can just be replaced by heartless robots... Sounds like these robots are already in place running the company... Of course the suicide problem will go away... after they crush the spirits of the rest of their workers and cause the biggest rash of suicides the world has seen to date...

Yehia Amer - October 31, 2011 at 10:49pm

Completely true

Jan - November 1, 2011 at 12:38am

Yes, they had lousy working conditions (as everywhere else in China), yes they had suicides, but don't forget this is a company of at least 500'000 workers. The rate in China per 100'000 was in 2008 around 14. So, the suicide rate at FoxConn was relativly low. Then again, because they produce for Apple everyone expects them to have a rate of 0!!! As for robots, if you have a company of several thousand workers you look for automation. Labour costs press hard on your budget. So, if you have the amount of workers that FoxConn has it is even more important. That is business and it is practices all over the world.