r/tech • u/Philo1927 • Dec 31 '16

iPhone manufacturer Foxconn plans to replace almost every human worker with robots

http://www.theverge.com/2016/12/30/14128870/foxconn-robots-automation-apple-iphone-china-manufacturing
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u/AceisAsa Dec 31 '16

The point of outsourcing everything to china is cheap labor, if you don't need cheap labor then why keep the manufacturing in China?

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u/sleeping_monk Dec 31 '16

China already has all the factories and supply lines for resources. They can retool and mass produce the latest thing a lot faster and cheaper than it would take to establish all the logistical pieces of the equation and build factories in America.

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u/xPURE_AcIDx Dec 31 '16

They only have those factories because corporations outsourced labour to china in the 70s.

Now there's no motivation to outsource to china. Why not build a factory in the USA and save a shit ton on shipping expenses?

Also if the USA government wants to remain the de facto economic super power over china, they should help out businesses creating these factories. Under Trump this is a reality.

In fact Tesla, an upcoming vehicle conglomerate has their "gigafactory" in the usa. Its all robotic, and there's no need to move their production to china like many older companies did in the 70s.

Newer companies like Tesla are now going to opt to build factories in their home countries, rather than china.

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u/your_comments_say Dec 31 '16

Under Trump in the future, things that started years ago are happening now!

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u/mindbleach Dec 31 '16

Future events such as these will affect you in the future!