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Foxconn to Replace a Portion of its Workers with 1 Million Robots

Sunday July 31, 2011 11:43 am PDT by Arnold Kim

Xinhuanet reports that Foxconn will be replacing some of its workers with 1 million robots in the next three years to cut rising labor costs and improve efficiency.
The robots will be used to do simple and routine work such as spraying, welding and assembling which are now mainly conducted by workers, said Gou
The company currently has 10,000 robots and employs 1.2 million people. It's not clear how many jobs will be replaced by the robots.

Foxconn is Apple's primary partner in assembling the popular iPod, iPad, and iPhone lines and has been criticized for poor working conditions that may have contributed to a series of suicides at the plant.


In April, Engadget had previously pointed to this concept model FRIDA by ABB as the likely models for Foxconn, though the new report doesn't specify.
[ 261 comments ]

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BornAgainMac
36 months ago
Androids will assemble the iPhone.
Rating: 47 Positives
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FrankieTDouglas
36 months ago
Poor working conditions, replaced by unemployment.
Rating: 30 Positives
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lilcosco08
36 months ago
In other news, Foxconn will be changing its name to Aperture Science
Rating: 25 Positives
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bloijs
36 months ago
But the real question is: how well can they apply thermal paste?
Rating: 22 Positives
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Tilpots
36 months ago
Maybe the layed off employees can get a job building the robots that replaced them.
Rating: 21 Positives
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Dagless
36 months ago
Robots. Whoa.

I wonder if they have a bending unit?
Rating: 21 Positives
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bokdol
36 months ago
so skynet begins in china.
Rating: 20 Positives
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flopticalcube
36 months ago

And this sets in motion the process of Foxconn opening a U.S. manufacturing plant in a few years.


Total number of employees: 6.
Rating: 18 Positives
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pyn
36 months ago
To those complaining: maybe we should also stop using word processing software and instead hire scribes to produce any written documents. Oh and while we're at it, let's stop using any mode of automated transportation and hire people to pull us on rickshaws.
Rating: 16 Positives
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michaellinehan
36 months ago

Lesson taught... Go to college


That myth - go to college and get a good job - died long, long ago.

If you've had many friends with college degrees, including postgrad, they would be a very exceptional group if they all have good jobs. Chances are a good few of them are working boring and menial jobs far below the level they thought they were going to get, and a good few more are unemployed or barely getting by.
Rating: 14 Positives

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