Foxconn, one of Apple largest and more notorious manufacturing partners, plans to double the size of its iPhone-producing plant in Zhengzhou, China making it the largest in the world.
The $1.1 billion construction project would expand the number of production lines at the Zhengzhou plant to 95. If the doubling claim is correct, the current rate of 200,000 iPhones produced a day would jump to 400,000 and the number of workers would jump from 130,000 to 260,000.
The expansion to the facility located in the Henan province of Central China is expected bring $20 billion in sales revenue to Apple in 2012. Foxconn currently employees over 1.2 million people worldwide with the majority of its operations located in China and Brazil.
Foxconn, while a manufacturing powerhouse, has seen its fair share of controversy including rampant suicides within the ranks of its workers. It will be interesting to see if the expansion will address worker safety issues as well as morale issues. Living three to a room in ten story dormitories is hardly a way cultivate a healthy working environment.
The demand for Apple products continues to grow, and so will the manufacturing power of their business partners. It’s interesting though how detached those designing and marketing the products are from those actually putting them together. I wonder what Apple’s Cupertino staff would think after spending a few days as Foxconn production employees.
Source: Apple Insider
Reply
