Apple Supplier Foxconn Confirms Plans to Build TV Display Factory in Wisconsin

[MacRumors]

Apple supplier Foxconn today announced plans to invest $10 billion in the United States, which will go towards building a new factory in Wisconsin that will employ 3,000 or more workers.

Foxconn is sharing the news at an event at the White House on Wednesday afternoon, says Recode.

The upcoming factory will produce large LCD displays that are meant to be used in televisions and other similarly sized electronics, but Foxconn chairman Terry Gou has said Apple is willing to invest in the factory, so it could be expanded to smaller displays in the future.

According to the Trump administration, the factory could grow to employ as many as 13,000 workers, while also encouraging Foxconn to build additional facilities in other parts of the country.

Foxconn has been mulling a U.S. factory for several months and has been in talks with both the U.S government and several state governments. Foxconn considered several locations for the factory before settling on Wisconsin.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Apple Supplier Foxconn Confirms Plans to Build TV Display Factory in Wisconsin

 

[thadoggfather]

Nice!

I welcome this,

It’s not like China’s mammoth manufacturing industry is going to be shut down tomorrow from this.

it’s is a start, I like starts.

boggles the mind why we haven’t moved manufacturing here before this. Reduce consumption or at least increase production and reduce export of goods, even if slightly.

I’m ok with that.

—shows that even if we are unwilling to do it to scale of China, for pollution reasons, etc. , “specialized skills” alone weren’t what was holding it back from happening all together. Which is kinda all Tim Cook’s been talking about as the reason.

 

[jmgregory1]

Love how Foxconn says the plant will employ 3000 people, but Trump says as many as 13000, if it grows. That's a pretty steep growth curve and I'm betting will be a challenge to find enough people to fulfill positions at this level.

 

[thadoggfather]

Love how Foxconn says the plant will employ 3000 people, but Trump says as many as 13000, if it grows. That's a pretty steep growth curve and I'm betting will be a challenge to find enough people to fulfill positions at this level.

Getting hung up on the details and pol bias:

A Foxconn factory. Will be located in the US.

This is a milestone. Period.

Just like, like Obama or not, he was first black president in US history. No one can take that away from him.

 

[brendu]

This is great news for blue collar workers in Wisconsin.

 

[budselectjr]

Love how Foxconn says the plant will employ 3000 people, but Trump says as many as 13000, if it grows. That's a pretty steep growth curve and I'm betting will be a challenge to find enough people to fulfill positions at this level.

It disgusts me that people have zero faith in our country anymore and think nobody can do these jobs.

 

[jdillings]

—shows that even if we are unwilling to do it to scale of China, for pollution reasons, etc. , “specialized skills” alone weren’t what was holding it back from happening all together. Which is kinda all Tim Cook’s been talking about as the reason.

The "specialized skills" was a big nothing burger. It was all about paying workers the least amount of money possible to maximize profits. In China, they can pay them peanuts so Apple manufactures there. If China becomes too expensive, Apple will leave. And the idea that these Chinese workers have any kind of specialized skills is ridiculous because most are coming from poor villages with little or no education. If they can figure out how to manufacture an iPhone, any American can.

 

[Rogifan]

Getting hung up on the details and pol bias:

A Foxconn factory. Will be located in the US.

This is a milestone. Period.

Just like, like Obama or not, he was first black president in US history. No one can take that away from him.

Why is it so important that a Chinese company build a factory in the United States?

 

[NomadicTy]

Manufacturing jobs have a multiplier effect of around 3x. This is a good start.

 

[alex00100]

I'd like to see Trump create more high level, higher wage jobs rather than return America to Industrial Age.

 

[wizard]

Nice!


—shows that even if we are unwilling to do it to scale of China, for pollution reasons, etc. , “specialized skills” alone weren’t what was holding it back from happening all together. Which is kinda all Tim Cook’s been talking about as the reason.

The problem with Tim Cook is that his reasons are complete bull ****. For example the city I live next to has been known for its large tool and die industry for decades, literally employing thousands making machinery for all over the world. The talent has always been here. The pool might not be was large as it once was but that is more due to shipping so many jobs over seas to China.

What is sad is that many don't recognizes that there are many good jobs to be had in a factory in engineering and management. People associate manufacturing with low end jobs but the tis not a reflection of reality. Yes the production worker is a low end position but there are people out there perfectly suited for such jobs. Manufacturing brings balance to the work force.

 

[thadoggfather]

The "specialized skills" was a big nothing burger. It was all about paying workers the least amount of money possible to maximize profits. In China, they can pay them peanuts so Apple manufactures there. If China becomes too expensive, Apple will leave. And the idea that these Chinese workers have any kind of specialized skills is ridiculous because most are coming from poor villages with little or no education. If they can figure out how to manufacture an iPhone, any American can.

But of course.

It really does feel like pulling teeth to get an AMERICAN tech company, the top one, to invest in AMERICAN workers.

I understand they already do with several corporate locations and a ton of retailers, but the point is they can do even better.

If Apple could never make a better iPhone, there would never be future generations released. It would be one model and thats it. But that’s not the case. The same can be said about the company’s tactics. They are successful, from a business perspective, but they can still be refined at the same time while being mutually beneficial to US economy and the company’s bottom line

Imo

[doublepost=1501104584][/doublepost]

Why is it so important that a Chinese company build a factory in the United States?

Because it is the primary supplier of an American company.

No Foxconn, no products to scale of Apple demand.

R&D is only half if not less of the battle. Producing to scale is a hurdle of its own, as we’re seeing with iPhone 8 manufacturing rumors having problems producing to scale. Though they are rumors.

Just as an example, however flawed it may be when nit picked ad nauseum since i just came up with it on the fly.

But what about AirPods, iPhone 7 Plus for a while, 6s plus for a while I believe, 6 plus for a while I believe, and iPad Pro 12.9 gen 2 assuming there is demand just no supply which is what I think but another debate, etc etc.

Plenty of releases where demand heavily outweighs supply, and apple is at least temporarily, for the quarter, leaving money on the table.


Also Though not an American company, Nintendo Switch is experiencing the same problem. Not producing them to scale of demand. Probably working to create demand, but I dont buy that its for hype-demand. I think people want Switches and they aren’t making enough. The games are beginning to speak for the hype on its own.

But again, I’m sure could be nit picked. Just as another example of supply shortage. And crazy demand.

 

[Rogifan]

The "specialized skills" was a big nothing burger. It was all about paying workers the least amount of money possible to maximize profits. In China, they can pay them peanuts so Apple manufactures there. If China becomes too expensive, Apple will leave. And the idea that these Chinese workers have any kind of specialized skills is ridiculous because most are coming from poor villages with little or no education. If they can figure out how to manufacture an iPhone, any American can.

There’s all different kinds of levels and skills. Not every iPhone contract worker in China is some poor unskilled person from a rural village. But it seems like Trump (and you) are saying that’s all people who live in the rust belt are good for - low skilled factory work. Or if someone had a factory job 10 years ago that job should still exist 10 years from now.

 

[GeneralChang]

Mac Pro all over again.

To be fair, a lot more people buy TVs than Mac Pros. Once they get the factory up and into a production-ready state (which can be a feat, I'm slowly discovering), they'll probably be able to do a lot of business assembling TVs that will be able to bypass import taxes. No idea if that makes monetary sense in the long term, but I'm assuming Foxconn ran the numbers and it does, otherwise they wouldn't even be talking about it.

 

[macduke]

But is it "big, big, big", "beautiful" and orange?

 

[wizard]

Manufacturing jobs have a multiplier effect of around 3x. This is a good start.

So true, somebody has to supply the paint for one. Then you have allied industries offering support. What really sucks is the association of "manufacturing jobs' with the entry level positions on the production floor. That is a small part of the overall reality in a modern manufacturing plant. You must have manufacturing engineers, programmers, managers and others to run a modern plant.

 

[Lepton]

Not just iPhones, but iPads and iMacs, eventually. Not just OLED, but micro-LED, eventually...

But what will they do, make a display panel in the USA, then ship it to Asia for assembly? Hmm, maybe that is economically good, the displays become exports rather than imports.

 

[genovelle]

Didn't this conversation of Apple involved plant begin in June of last year when Apple requested a study.

 

[budselectjr]

Democrats hate jobs because it means less people on government welfare they can control the money to.

 

[Jsameds]

Wow, didn't see that one coming, but I guess it makes sense.

They have been Apple's and a plethora of others suppliers for a long time now. During that period they've learned and invented manufacturing techniques that they didn't have when they started out that allow them to make stuff for the best in the industry. Thats their strength now, their knowledge, and boy do they have a lot of it. They're really good at what they do, and now they're taking that expertise to directly create jobs in the west. Wow.

Foxconn was known for so many bad things in the past, but with Apple's influence (and Apple have been the only one to take the media fallout from that, despite the fact they were the only ones to try and improve conditions there.. don't get me started....) they have shifted the direction of the business to a stronger and more positive model.

Congratulations Foxconn, I hope it works out.

 

[Tech198]

Nice!

I welcome this,

It’s not like China’s mammoth manufacturing industry is going to be shut down tomorrow from this.

it’s is a start, I like starts.

I like starts too, but i also like finishes.

 

[thadoggfather]

I like starts too, but i also like finishes.

We’re six months in. Give it another 3.5 years at least. If not 7.5 years which is my prediction (oh no!)

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Nor was US rebuilt

But I agree, lets see it continue. That’s not a negative from my perspective, thats a lets give it more than 6 months perspective. Mainstream media has made it feel like this year has been a decade. That’s intentional manufactured exhaustion.

—

Impatience is understandable though, I am impatient about other matters more so. But would rather not derail this thread too much even though it inherently is a pol-related thread, because I’ve been known to go on tangents here

 

[Kaibelf]

It disgusts me that people have zero faith in our country anymore and think nobody can do these jobs.

There’s a big difference between can and will. At the end of the day younger Americans just aren’t particularly interested in being farmers, miners, or factory workers, and the ones that are likely don’t understand that this isn’t like a job in an older type of factory. They will need certain skill sets that aren’t a priority in certain parts of the country.

 

[Rogifan]

The problem with Tim Cook is that his reasons are complete bull ****. For example the city I live next to has been known for its large tool and die industry for decades, literally employing thousands making machinery for all over the world. The talent has always been here. The pool might not be was large as it once was but that is more due to shipping so many jobs over seas to China.

What is sad is that many don't recognizes that there are many good jobs to be had in a factory in engineering and management. People associate manufacturing with low end jobs but the tis not a reflection of reality. Yes the production worker is a low end position but there are people out there perfectly suited for such jobs. Manufacturing brings balance to the work force.

Whatever the reason this stuff went to China in the first place bringing it to the United States is about a lot more than just labor costs. Most of Apple’s hardware products were never manufactured in the United States so these jobs wouldn’t be coming back as they were never here in the first place. But the way Trump lies he makes it sound like these jobs used to exist and now he’s bringing them back. It’s a lie. If you live in the UK and own an iPhone how does it benefit you if that phone is assembled in the United States vs China? Or is Apple supposed to have manufacturing plants in every country it sells products in?

 

[SeattleMoose]

A step in the right direction...i'll take it!!!