Foxconn Has Reportedly Seen 'Fairly Small Impact' From Coronavirus Outbreak, But That Could Change

[Solomani]

Have people never ever seen pictures of Chinese iPhone/iPad factory workers in their assembly lines? Uhhhhhhh.... many of them were already wearing protective masks. Like billions of years ago. The factories simply have to change the mask types to the ones that also provide anti-microbial protection. Below are images of FoxConn employees from years ago, long before the coronavirus outbreak. ?

Yes, not all factory workers wear masks (in certain production areas where they are deemed unnecessary). But the factory could easily mandate that they all do when there are dozens/hundreds of employees present in one gigantic assembly room working alongside each other. Easily done.

So YES, I am inclined to believe FoxConn when they say there could be just "fairly small impact" on production. Yes, the coronavirus will have an impact. But things like diligent masking, PPD, policies to send home workers (or tell them to stay home) who show signs symptoms (cough, fever, etc), and use of other protection could very well minimize the impact.

 

[stylinexpat]

Foxconn is unstoppable!

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They gave everyone a mask. All wearing the same mask. I believe Foxconn provides housing for employees so they must have figured if we don't let them out then they can't come back in bringing any Coronaviruses back.
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Have people never ever seen pictures of Chinese iPhone/iPad factory workers in their assembly lines? Uhhhhhhh.... many of them were already wearing protective masks. Like billions of years ago. The factories simply have to change the mask types to the ones that also provide anti-microbial protection. Below are images of FoxConn employees from years ago, long before the coronavirus outbreak. ?


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Yes, not all factory workers wear masks (in certain production areas where they are deemed unnecessary). But the factory could easily mandate that they all do when there are dozens/hundreds of employees present in one gigantic assembly room working alongside each other. Easily done.

So YES, I am inclined to believe FoxConn when they say there could be just "fairly small impact" on production. Yes, the coronavirus will have an impact. But things like diligent masking, PPD, policies to send home workers (or tell them to stay home) who show signs symptoms (cough, fever, etc), and use of other protection could very well minimize the impact.

They normally wear the basic face masks. I do wonder if they got them better N95 or N99 masks

 

[Solomani]

They gave everyone a mask. All wearing the same mask. I believe Foxconn provides housing for employees so they must have figured if we don't let them out then they can't come back in bringing any Coronaviruses back.
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They normally wear the basic face masks. I do wonder if they got them better N95 or N99 masks

I work in the ICU. I know all about the 3M N95 (aka "respirator") masks that we have to wear as hospital staff. They are significantly more expensive (piece by piece) than those flimsy blue "simple face masks".

Not only do I have to wear the N95 masks on (certain) isolation patients. It is also mandatory that I must pass an (N95) mask fit test every single year. It's also mandated that I take a TB (tuberculosis) skin test every year as well. I typically wear the N95s on "rule out TB" patients, because that is the most common airborne infection where the N95 respirators are mandatory for use. We are NOT required to wear the N95 masks for the common "seasonal" influenza, the blue simple face masks are standard for that.

However, special flu-like variants like H1N1, the Avian Flu, swine flu.... those are cases where most citizens are not vaccinated against, those are the other microbes that I also remember having to gown up and wear the N95s before entering the patient's room.

One of my co-workers (a few years ago) failed to pass his N95 mask fit test. He was suspended for a couple of days, until he finally passed it. I think it had something to do with his bushy beard, preventing a good tight seal. There are several sizes of N95 masks, and as employees we are told to choose the one that is the best fit for our faces.

P.S. --- the same 3M-branded N95 masks are the ones in the news, reportedly sold out in many retail chains. Even worse, on eBay and Amazon several counterfeit companies have been (opportunistically) selling the "N95 masks" pretending to be the real 3M product, until they get caught. They profit from people's fears during a growing pandemic.

 

[stylinexpat]

Rising numbers can't be good for Apple. If numbers rise and continue to rise I reckon Apple stores will remain closed in China until they stabilize or start to drop. If 1 or 2 employees in Apple's factory get this then both Foxconn and Apple are in trouble. Have over 20,000 cases now and over 426 deaths. What's on record at least so actual number might probably be higher I reckon

China predicts fall in mortality rate as mainland deaths hit 425

Confirmed cases in China rise to 20,438, while in Hubei province – the outbreak’s epicentre – they hit 13,522, and deaths nationwide rose by 64 to 414, another record high.

www.scmp.com

 

[sirozha]

The good news is Apple's iPhone manufacturers are able to turn on a dime at Apple's request, significantly ramping up production when needed; ie after a new product release, Christmas demand, etc.

No doubt in my mind Apple's brilliant supply/manufacturing managers have and have had a plan in motion to cause the above to happen to the extent needed as soon as it's possible, and in the meantime are ramping manufacturing capacity elsewhere.

The above is what separates Apple from other consumer tech companies.

You don’t remember iPhone shortages just a few years ago? You couldn’t get a new iPhone for Christmas because they couldn’t ramp them up quickly enough.

Do you remember the AirPods shortage that lasted over a year?

How quickly people forget.

 

[citysnaps]

You don’t remember iPhone shortages just a few years ago? You couldn’t get a new iPhone for Christmas because they couldn’t ramp them up quickly enough.

Do you remember the AirPods shortage that lasted over a year?

How quickly people forget.

I certainly didn't forget having had no problem at all getting an iPhone at Christmas a few years ago. Ditto my wife.

Regarding AirPods, that was a new product release that had issues; which is to be expected.

The thrust of my comment was with respect to current products. Maybe you forgot thee was no iPhone production issue last Christmas?

 

[Baymowe335]

Who cares about iPad Pros? The iPhone is what going to break AAPL in 2020.

Apple will have to decide where to send their limited stock of the iPhone: keep it in China, where iPhone is in a major battle against Huawei, or to send it to the Western countries, where Apple is in a major battle against Samsung.

It appears to me that the iPhones will be sent to the developed countries because Samsung is not going to be affected by the Chinese epidemic, since they moved all their smartphone manufacturing out of China last year. So, with the shortage of the iPhones in the Western world, Samsung will take a significant percentage of the market share from Apple.

As for Huawei, they will most likely face the same challenges with reduced manufacturing capabilities as Apple-Foxconn partnership, so the war with Huawei for the Chinese marketshare will not be meaningful until the epidemic subsides.

Calm down. People in the market for iPhones will wait for them, not just switch to Android.
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You don’t remember iPhone shortages just a few years ago? You couldn’t get a new iPhone for Christmas because they couldn’t ramp them up quickly enough.

Do you remember the AirPods shortage that lasted over a year?

How quickly people forget.

Apple has the best supply chain in the world. Apple’s biggest strength is their product availability everywhere.

 

[44267547]

I’m just wondering. Could someone who has it possibly have touched a phone yet to be shipped.

And will we get a whole new outbreak around middle of the year when all the devices made in China (not just Apple). Hit the shelves of the rest of the world?

To address your first question, in the Foxconn plant, I believe workers wear ‘white gloves’ when handling the iPhones (Along with masks To prevent hair/facial hair in advertently becoming involved during the assembly process). On top of that, a virus can only live so long under certain types of environments, [temperature being a major factor for a virus lifespan.] Plus, even if an infected worker were to touch an iPhone with their bare-hand, those phones won’t be in the hands necessarily of the consumer potentially for months, as they might be shipped to a local distribution warehouse as a middle-ground, aside from that they’re shipped by plane overseas.

 

[dampfnudel]

Foxconn is unstoppable!

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The Handmaid’s Tale, Apple edition.

 

[nikaru]

1. For everyone's sake, hopefully they get this 2019-nCoV outbreak under control sooner rather than later, like they did with the SARS coronavirus.

2. Doesn't Foxconn also make the iPad Pros? Will the shutdown also impact iPad Pro 2020 manufacturing?

They can keep working with the coronavirus as well. Just need to take some pills for the fever and put the mask, not a big deal.

 

[nylonsteel]

china is a big country with huge population
some segments like this does not surprise me

 

[Tech198]

What's worse.. Half of the staff calling in sick, or infecting more ?

It will be the same outcome..

Just because Foxconn has escaped this doesn't mean their immune... Their still "in China" and you can't do much about moving production, just to escape a virus.