Foxconn has come under international fire over its blatant mistreatment of employees, a problem the company plans to rectify. Unfortunately, the tech manufacturer is planning to rectify the situation by replacing many of its works with robot employees.
According to reports, Foxconn is paying $25,000 per robot, approximately three times an average workers annual salary. The robots will replace many of Foxconn’s workers on its assembly lines, allowing for faster iPhone, iPad, and other partner builds.
Plans to switch over to a robot workforce have been at the top of Foxconn’s list for a long time now, according to insiders. Foxconn currently employs more than 1 million workers, a population that is simply an annoyance to manage.
Foxconn also must pay for room and board for thousands of employees, a consideration that adds more costs to the company’s bottom line.
At this time, Foxconn has not revealed the full scope of its ambitions. On the one hand, the company could be looking to replace just several thousand workers; on the other hand, watching half a million jobs disappear in China is also a real possibility.
This all begs the question: If Foxconn is going all robotic, why doesn’t Apple just invest in the same robots itself and move its production facilities to the United States. The simple answer? Tax shelters.
Recent strikes at Foxconn led to delays in iPhone 5 production, with robots those type of delays are less likely, unless of course the machines go Skynet on Foxconn executives.