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MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,281
30,342



foxconn_workers.jpg



that Apple's manufacturing partner Foxconn (also known as Hon Hai Precision) has reopened its polishing workshops that had been closed since an <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/2011/05/20/explosion-reported-at-foxconns-ipad-production-plant-in-chengdu-china/">explosion that killed three people and injured 15 others nearly two weeks ago.
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. said Thursday its polishing workshops in China resumed operation this week after an investigation into a deadly combustible dust explosion that killed three and injured 15 workers last month.

The company didn't disclose findings of its investigation.

The comments came after Hon Hai, an assembler of Apple Inc. products and the world's biggest contract electronics manufacturer by revenue, had closed the workshops that handle polishing for electronic parts and products due to an investigation into the explosion.
Foxconn opened the Chengdu facility where the explosion occurred late last year, seeking to diversify production away from its main facilities in Shenzhen, China. But analyst Brian White of Ticonderoga Securities reports that iPad production at the facility has been held back due to supply issues related to components used in the devices. Those issues had reportedly slowed the ramping up of production there even before the explosion, thus mitigating the acute affect of the workshops being taken offline following the explosion even as Apple and Foxconn continue to work to meet demand.

Article Link: Foxconn Reopens Polishing Workshops as Explosion Investigation Concludes
 

surf2snow1

macrumors regular
Feb 26, 2008
173
75
Poor workers, they are treated like slaves.

Apple should do something about this!

Not to sound cold hearted, but Apple's job is to make money for the shareholders (and Steve's pocket), not to solve human rights issues.
 

lazyrighteye

Contributor
Jan 16, 2002
4,091
6,304
Denver, CO
Not to sound cold hearted, but Apple's job is to make money for the shareholders (and Steve's pocket), not to solve human rights issues.

The funny (sad?) part is, it's not one or the other. You can actually achieve both. And I'm fairly confident that Apple's bottom line, and Steve's pockets, are doing just fine.
 

Full of Win

macrumors 68030
Nov 22, 2007
2,615
1
Ask Apple
Poor workers, they are treated like slaves.

Apple should do something about this!

Here is a novel idea....how about letting the workers decide their own fate. They are free to leave AT ANY TIME. If they don't like their treatment, all they need to do is to leave.
 

SeniorGato1

macrumors regular
Jun 28, 2010
219
11
Too bad they didn't even notify their employees of their findings.

Such is the life of a sweatshop....
 

logandzwon

macrumors 6502a
Jan 9, 2007
574
2
Here is a novel idea....how about letting the workers decide their own fate. They are free to leave AT ANY TIME. If they don't like their treatment, all they need to do is to leave.

and go across the street to work longer hours for less pay, in a company that doesn't have journalist doing stories about it every month.
 

Mak47

macrumors 6502a
Mar 27, 2011
751
32
Harrisburg, PA
Poor workers, they are treated like slaves.

Apple should do something about this!

In Apple's defense, they do take many steps to affect positive change in the factories that make their products. It is also impossible to compete on a global level if you don't take advantage of the cheap labor offered by developing nations.

It's my opinion that they could do more by not supporting countries like China. When business is done there, the government makes money. It also gains influence and is too quickly forgiven for it's many human rights abuses.

The only alternative unfortunately is stateside manufacturing, which is ridiculously difficult as a result of our obscene tax code and overbearing regulatory system. The same could be said for manufacturing in the E.U.
 

Consultant

macrumors G5
Jun 27, 2007
13,314
34
And so should everyone else. Every major electronic manufacturer uses Foxconn products.

Not to mention Apple, and others have already done plenty on improving conditions at Foxconn:

http://www.apple.com/supplierresponsibility/

Yup. It's actually Apple's report that first brought attention to Foxconn.

The funny (sad?) part is, it's not one or the other. You can actually achieve both. And I'm fairly confident that Apple's bottom line, and Steve's pockets, are doing just fine.

Agree. Like anything in the world, there's always room for improvement.
 

Consultant

macrumors G5
Jun 27, 2007
13,314
34
In Apple's defense, they do take many steps to affect positive change in the factories that make their products. It is also impossible to compete on a global level if you don't take advantage of the cheap labor offered by developing nations.

It's my opinion that they could do more by not supporting countries like China. When business is done there, the government makes money. It also gains influence and is too quickly forgiven for it's many human rights abuses.

The only alternative unfortunately is stateside manufacturing, which is ridiculously difficult as a result of our obscene tax code and overbearing regulatory system. The same could be said for manufacturing in the E.U.

There are other options. Foxconn is planning to build factories at Brazil and other countries for example.
 

lkrupp

macrumors 68000
Jul 24, 2004
1,867
3,789
Um...we could stop buying Apple products. Just sayin'! =P

If you would include every other manufacturer who does business with Foxconn I might possibly agree with you. But attempting to lay this solely at Apple's feet and single them out for a boycott simply reveals extreme ignorance and Apple hating at ti's worst.
 

ericinboston

macrumors 68010
Jan 13, 2008
2,004
476
I wonder who the lucky folks are that get to stand in the same place/vacinity as where the explosion took place. :)

Dave: "Hey Jim! Wanna trade places?!"
Jim: "No way, Jose!"
 

Thunderhawks

Suspended
Feb 17, 2009
4,057
2,118
and go across the street to work longer hours for less pay, in a company that doesn't have journalist doing stories about it every month.

Here is another novel idea:

Stop making more children and use your brain AND condoms.

The planet is full, especially in Asia. There is not enough physical labor to give out in the world.

If every worker at FoxConn accepts the conditions (Don't even exactly know what they are, except from hearsay and media reports) because they have an entire family connected to the fact that they have a job and bring in money, maybe it's time to shrink their families over time?

Sadly, this will go on in all the countries where poverty is created via over population.
As posted, this is not alone Apple's problem, but it looks good to tie negative news to corporations with lots of media exposure.
 

Tiger8

macrumors 68020
May 23, 2011
2,479
649
Yes, shame on Apple for manufacturing their products there. and kudos to Dell, HTC, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, Qualcomm, Microsoft, Vizio, Acer, Asus, and Nokia for manufacturing their products in factories with better conditions.
 

Gasu E.

macrumors 603
Mar 20, 2004
5,029
3,145
Not far from Boston, MA.
Here is another novel idea:

Stop making more children and use your brain AND condoms.

The planet is full, especially in Asia. There is not enough physical labor to give out in the world.

If every worker at FoxConn accepts the conditions (Don't even exactly know what they are, except from hearsay and media reports) because they have an entire family connected to the fact that they have a job and bring in money, maybe it's time to shrink their families over time?

Sadly, this will go on in all the countries where poverty is created via over population.
As posted, this is not alone Apple's problem, but it looks good to tie negative news to corporations with lots of media exposure.

China has a one-child policy.
The USA has a policy of witholding aid to foreign health programs unless the only family planning method they promote is abstinence.
 

SockRolid

macrumors 68000
Jan 5, 2010
1,560
118
Almost Rock Solid
Combustible dust explosions

[...]" the accident was likely due to an explosion of aluminum dust in a ventilation duct, "[...]

That's really scary. Even materials that normally aren't explosive can create huge blasts if their dust is fine enough, it's at a high enough concentration in the air, etc.

The canonical dust explosions happen in coal mines and grain silos. At least now there are technologies for instantly detecting and suppressing the explosions as they occur:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_explosion

And, as an aside, aluminum dust is very nasty stuff even when it isn't exploding. During the filming of the "The Wizard of Oz" (1939), Buddy Ebsen was the original Tin Woodsman. His makeup contained aluminum dust, which got into his lungs and caused an allergic reaction. He got so sick that he was unable to breathe and was taken to a hospital to recuperate.

Jack Haley replaced Ebsen, and the makeup was reformulated with aluminum paste instead of aluminum dust. (And you can still hear Ebsen's voice in all of the "We're Off to See the Wizard" numbers.)
 
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