Foxconn To Replace Workers With 1 Million Robots Over Next Three Years

Apple’s big manufacturer in China Foxconn is looking to replace a chunk of its workers with robots over the next couple of years, href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-07/30/c_131018764.htm">reports Xinhua:

Taiwanese technology giant Foxconn will replace some of its workers with 1 million robots in three years to cut rising labor expenses and improve efficiency, said Terry Gou, founder and chairman of the company, late Friday.

The robots will be used to do simple and routine work such as spraying, welding and assembling which are now mainly conducted by workers, said Gou at a workers’ dance party Friday night.

The company already has 10,000 robots, with this number set to skyrocket over the next three years. Foxconn also does assembly work for Sony and Nokia.

While it’s not clear how many workers will be replaced by these robots, but given the scandals about suicide at Foxconn, you can bet the management likes the idea of a workforce with far fewer demands.

[via href="http://www.macrumors.com/2011/07/31/foxconn-to-replace-a-portion-of-its-workers-with-1-million-robots/">MacRumors]