Apple factory to add 1 million robots to the workforce

Foxconn, the Chinese Apple manufacturer with internationally notorious working conditions, will be tackling its problem head on — with robots, of course. The manufacturer has plans to add a fleet of 1 million automatons to its workforce of roughly 1 million employees over the next 3 years.

After a spate of employee suicides pushed the company into the international spotlight, Foxconn has remained the most well known — or well watched — manufacturer of Apple components. It's not initially clear how many human workers will see their positions rendered redundant by the robots, but the move reportedly aims to cut rising labor costs. Foxconn currently has about 10,000 robots to handle work like welding and assembly.

The Taiwanese manufacturer produces electronics for many prominent names in tech, from Microsoft to Nokia, and has factories scattered around the world. Of course, the company is best known for the iPads and iPhones it produces in its Chinese mega-factory, and the extreme secrecy under which it conducts its day-to-day operations at the behest of the world's most valuable brand.

[via MacRumors]

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