Main Apple supplier and the largest electronics manufacturer in the world, Foxconn, has automated 60,000 jobs, the goal of their long pursued automation integration. Now, that being said, we must take into account the abilities and resources of the organization. The company itself has taken a great leap into the robotics market, even predicting HUGE increases in robotic manufacturing on their product line. Foxconn also has a significant stake in SoftBank Robotics Holdings. If you don’t already know SoftBank makes the emotionally intelligent robot, Pepper.
Foxconn CEO relays that the company will be applying robotics engineering to replace repetitive tasks previously done by employees. The company wishes to move their employees into more research and development roles and other higher end value positions that have to do with the manufacturing process. The company still has jobs for their over 1.2 million employees even with the automation of 60,000 positions. I find it hard to believe that Foxconn will do anything other than continue to innovate and invest in the robotics market for both their own company and the innovation of other markets. Foxconn CEO states that they expect to keep a significant workforce in China, even with automation.
To be honest, nothing about this is surprising to me. Foxconn is a huge company as both a manufacturing powerhouse and a significant contributor to the robotic market. It is only in their best interest that they employ some of the technology they help put together. Not only will this increased innovation make for a more efficient production line, but will most certainly set the standard for other companies to come.
If you would like to educate yourself in more detail about the information presented in this blog post please visit: Apple supplier Foxconn automates 60,000 jobs, but says quality, productivity will improve
