Taiwanese technology giant Foxconn, which was hit hard by workers’ suicides in China last year, plans to deploy one million robots in three years to cut rising labour costs and improve efficiency.
The robots will be used to do simple and routine work such as spraying, welding and assembling, which are now mainly conducted by workers, Mr Terry Gou, founder and chairman of the company, said.
Foxconn, the world’s largest maker of computer components which assembles products for Apple, Sony and Nokia, is in the spotlight after a string of suicides of workers at its massive Chinese plants, which some blamed on tough working conditions.
The company currently employs 1.2 million people, with about one million of them based on the Chinese mainland.
The company currently has 10,000 robots and the number will be increased to 300,000 next year and 1 million in three years, Mr Gou said at a dance party organised for workers at Shenzhen, state-run news agency Xinhua reported today.