Profile of Foxconn's Founder Addresses Relationship With Apple

[kharvel]

900,000 employees. My god.

Why is this surprising? China has 1.1 billion people. U.S. has 300 million. Let's compare apples-to-apples:

China -> 3.6x U.S. population.

Therefore:

900,000 Chinese workers -> 250,000 U.S. workers after adjusting for population differential.

So is 250,000 workers still an unbelievable number?

 

[kharvel]

Jobs that could have been in the USA.

Are you trying to tell us that you're more than happy to pay at least $2,000 for an iPhone with a 2-year contract or $5,000 without a contract?

 

[Brutus Rex]

900,000

900,000 is impressive because it's a huge work force. Who cares how many people are also in the country? Are u saying it takes 3.6 Chinese employees to equal one US employee? I bet you it's the reverse ratio which makes the 900,000 number even more staggering.

 

[4nNtt]

Jobs that could have been in the USA. So much for technology ushering in a new phase of employment for Americans.

I am glad I am not part of this Millennial generation where you graduate 100K in the hole to earn 20-30K a year at some McJob.

Maybe you should read the article. Fox-conn is planning to start component manufacturing in the United States. Besides, you generally graduate to become an engineer, not a factory worker. People go to trade schools (and don't accrue debt) for that.

 

[4nNtt]

900,000 is impressive because it's a huge work force. Who cares how many people are also in the country? Are u saying it takes 3.6 Chinese employees to equal one US employee? I bet you it's the reverse ratio which makes the 900,000 number even more staggering.

Considering they want to work overtime, one worker is probably equivalent to 1.5 U.S. laborers. Sounds like they have a more entrepreneurial mindset then the average american too. Isn't that ironic?

 

[AudiA4]

900,000 extremely low paid employees, who live in in a walled "compound" with entertainment provided by the Chinese government....yeah, sorry we lost those jobs.

 

[Earendil]

Jobs that could have been in the USA. So much for technology ushering in a new phase of employment for Americans.

I am glad I am not part of this Millennial generation where you graduate 100K in the hole to earn 20-30K a year at some McJob.

Are you kidding? The majority of my generation (I'm 25) didn't spend middle school wishing (or even thinking about) working in a manufacturing plant doing the same task 5000 times a day. America as a population gave up on those types of jobs a long time ago. America as a whole doesn't like manual labor. We'd rather be unemployed than clean bathroom floors. People that don't adhere to the American culture usually have a much easier time accepting this type of labor. Notice my wording does not use absolutes nor is it meant to cover 100% of the population.

If you opened a manufacturing plant with 900,000 open jobs, I'd best a large sum of money that people would not come flocking as fast as you may think. The majority of those 900,000 don't require an education. That is not to say they aren't skilled, or intelligent. But it doesn't take a bachelors of science to pull off that job, which is the direction that American jobs have been going for some time.

Besides, the promise of "Tech jobs" never covered manufacturing as far as I was ever taught. I went into Computer Science, and am quite happy with my job.

And to finalize what has become a bit of a rant (sorry everyone ) I have pride in my country and ideals, but in no way do I think it's wrong for another human being to have a job. As far as I'm concerned we are a human race in a global economy. @#$% borders. Okay, I'm done

 

[ctyhntr]

You both are correct. According to wikipedia, the hanzi for Terry's name is 郭台铭. The mandarin pinyin pronunciation for his last name is Guo, 郭. Wade-Giles variations are kwok, kwouk (as in Bert Kwouk, manservant Kato to Inspector Clouseau). It could be an intentional attempt at mispelling a common name to stay unique.

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

Not according to the article or Foxconn's facebook page

 

[Piggie]

I'd like to know what the machines are.

$20,000 for a modern CNC machine is almost dirt cheap.

$200,000+ would be nearer to a typical CNC turning machine and can go way higher.

They must be quite small and I'm guessing quite limited machines for that price.

 

[SandynJosh]

Nevertheless, 16 people died to suicide... because they worked like slaves... before they drew the pressure on Foxconn. Foxconn got away from it because local government can't charge Guo & Foxconn while they supplied such a big amount of job opportunity.

Sixteen people out of a pool of 900,000 is a very small percentage. The suicide rate in the USA is higher than that.

 

[Yvan256]

I'd like to know what the machines are.

$20,000 for a modern CNC machine is almost dirt cheap.

$200,000+ would be nearer to a typical CNC turning machine and can go way higher.

They must be quite small and I'm guessing quite limited machines for that price.

I'm pretty sure they're not using Roland MDX-40....

 

[RightJustified]

when they go home to housing and entertainment options provided by local governments rather than the company itself.

so they get to upgrade from shoddy, low-rent corporate housing to... shoddy, low-rent government housing?

somehow i'm not sure this is much of a choice.

 

[Popeye206]

What's most amazing is how many electronics we're chewing through as a whole. Now, these guys just don't do Apple products, but when you think about all the other electronics being produced on top of this, it's staggering.

 

[hugodrax]

Maybe you should read the article. Fox-conn is planning to start component manufacturing in the United States. Besides, you generally graduate to become an engineer, not a factory worker. People go to trade schools (and don't accrue debt) for that.

Not everyone goes to college or take a trade, those folks need jobs as well. And those factories have lots of jobs other than what you think, lots of support and auxiliary jobs (Q/A etc.. management)

BTW engineering and programming jobs and other white collar jobs have been outsourced as well.

Our industry go us through WWII sending our entire manufacturing capacity to a communist country in my opinion does not sound like a smart long term idea.

But then again most young folks are too busy txting and watching reality shows,following the lives of movie stars etc. to really care much about whats happening out there.

 

[Frazzle]

The interview is a typical Emergency Exit for Public Relationship... A way to get away from a crisis before it drew more public attention. Nevertheless, 16 people died to suicide... because they worked like slaves... before they drew the pressure on Foxconn. Foxconn got away from it because local government can't charge Guo & Foxconn while they supplied such a big amount of job opportunity.

Oh stop it. In France, a country where they pay normal wages and certainly don't allow slave labor, there were 23 suicides and 13 suicide attempts at the well-known company France Telecom between feb 2008 and sep 2009. The company has 102.000 employees in France. During the last two weeks, five more workers committed suicide.

They blame work-related stress for the suicides. Mind you, this is a country with an excellent welfare system, a retirement age of 60 and on average 38 paid vacation days per year. At France Telecom, 65% of workers are civil servants - they cannot be fired, ever. And at FT, nobody can be made to work for more than 35 hours per week. (I'm not making this up.)

So what's your brilliant analysis in this case?

 

[neutrino23]

Jobs that could have been in the USA. So much for technology ushering in a new phase of employment for Americans.

Are you trying to tell us that you're more than happy to pay at least $2,000 for an iPhone with a 2-year contract or $5,000 without a contract?

I think you are way overestimating the effect of labor prices. Let's guess that there is one hour of labor in making an iPhone. This is not the Ford Rouge plant where raw materials come in one end and product comes out the other. Parts come into the plant, are assembled, and then shipped out. So if you count all the warehouse people, forklift drivers and people lined up doing assembly I'll guess one hour of labor per phone.

I'm kind of out of touch with this but let's say that labor of this sort costs $30 and hour if you add in all the taxes and benefits. I Googled to find that factory wages in China are about $2 an hour, not sure about added taxes or benefits (food, housing).

So, roughly speaking, Apple saves $28 per phone by manufacturing iPhones in China rather than here. And we haven't considered the cost of shipping.

There are many other issues to be considered in this kind of debate, but the raw cost of labor alone would not make manufacturing impossible in the United States.

 

[carlgo]

What makes you think these jobs could have been in the US? That would mean either a lot of American workers would have to accept much lower wages (below cost of living here) or we would have to pay much more for our iPhones.

Secret email...Thank you Mr. Wong for posting on behalf of Beloved Foxconn.

Every time US jobs comes up, there are posters who say US workers make too much, are too lazy, want vacations and retirement, are incompetent, etc.

I think they are paid employees of either Apple or Foxcon.

The iPhone costs about $6 in labor. If it cost twice or three times as much to make here it would mean what?

Well, at least Mr. Warmth wants to build more stuff in the US, a lot like like many European and Japanese companies do, and they always talk up the quality of the labor here.

Again, sure makes you wonder about who these posters are...

 

[notabadname]

interesting article, though not a rumor.

? ? ?

Neither is the coverage of the newly released iPod line, the story of "Apple's Free iPhone 4 Case Program to End September 30th" or "Apple Releases New 'iPad is Musical' Commercial".

 

[Adidas Addict]

The problem with the West is we make kids feel like they have to go to university, hell we even make up countless degrees that ain't worth diddly in the real world. So nowadays we have millions of people that have university educations that are qualified for nothing that's useful or needed. So the crappy work goes to immigrants as they are the only poor buggers that don't think it's beneath them. The skilled work, that doesn't require a university education is short of people willing to complete apprenticeships in a trade. People getting into crazy debt for something that will never land them a decent career. I blame the governments

<end off topic rant>

 

[notabadname]

Considering they want to work overtime, one worker is probably equivalent to 1.5 U.S. laborers. Sounds like they have a more entrepreneurial mindset then the average american too. Isn't that ironic?

Might want to look up the word "entrepreneurial". Apple is a US business, born of a US mind. The "entrepreneurial" mindset would more accurately describe the business ventures of people like Jobs and Gates who happen to be employing and creating jobs for those laborers. Henry Ford was the entrepreneur, not the guy who accepted the job to bolt the same part onto a passing assembly-line car every minute.

 

[ranReloaded]

Gou, Terry Gou!

 

[iEverything4me]

137K a day and can't keep up with demand
that is how Apple rolls, people

btw: just order my fifth iPhone 4, now it is the waiting game

 

[SoGood]

Impressive. Intellect, dedication and unadulterated hard work!

 

[SoGood]

Might want to look up the word "entrepreneurial". Apple is a US business, born of a US mind. The "entrepreneurial" mindset would more accurately describe the business ventures of people like Jobs and Gates who happen to be employing and creating jobs for those laborers. Henry Ford was the entrepreneur, not the guy who accepted the job to bolt the same part onto a passing assembly-line car every minute.

Sour grape mentality. No, that's not entrepreneurial..

 

[cleanup]

Secret email...Thank you Mr. Wong for posting on behalf of Beloved Foxconn.

Every time US jobs comes up, there are posters who say US workers make too much, are too lazy, want vacations and retirement, are incompetent, etc.

I think they are paid employees of either Apple or Foxcon.

The iPhone costs about $6 in labor. If it cost twice or three times as much to make here it would mean what?

Well, at least Mr. Warmth wants to build more stuff in the US, a lot like like many European and Japanese companies do, and they always talk up the quality of the labor here.

Again, sure makes you wonder about who these posters are...

LOL.