As Apple ponders US move, Foxconn does same
updated 12:23 pm EST, Thu December 6, 2012
Foxconn seeks to expand North American operations
Even as Apple promises some US-assembled Macs, Foxconn, one of Apple's largest manufacturing partners, is reportedly looking to expand its North American operations in the near future. The Taipei-based manufacturer, which already has operations in California and Texas, cites growing customer demand for American-made devices as the reason behind the shift. Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou said at a forum last month that the company would be interested in bringing US engineers to Asia to train them in manufacturing before sending them back to work in US-based Foxconn facilities.
Last month, rumors emerged that Foxconn was looking at bringing more manufacturing processes to the United States. The Taiwanese manufacturer was said to be considering Los Angeles and Detroit as possible targets for expansion.
In addition to Apple's iPhones and iPads, Foxconn also manufactures Sony's PlayStation game consoles, many brands' HDTVs, and electronic components for a number of other companies. Apple's iOS devices, though, are by far the ones for which Foxconn is most known.
Apple CEO Tim Cook recently caused a stir by confirming that one of the company's existing Mac lines will be manufactured entirely in the United States starting next year. To that end, Apple will be investing more than $100 million. iMacs bearing Apple's "Assembled in USA" tag are already on the market, and they are thought to be assembled in Fremont, California.
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Miniaturization has made the iPhone5 difficult to assemble by hand and is a reason for the brawl and the strike at Foxconn when it was released. Foxconn previously announced a shift to robots on their assembly lines. Ever more compact products will force a shift out of manual assembly, so better to assemble close to the customers and engineers.