Foxconn replaces '60,000 factory workers with robots'
Source: BBC
Apple and Samsung supplier Foxconn has reportedly replaced 60,000 factory workers with robots.
One factory has "reduced employee strength from 110,000 to 50,000 thanks to the introduction of robots", a government official told the South China Morning Post.
Xu Yulian, head of publicity for the Kunshan region, added: "More companies are likely to follow suit."
China is investing heavily in a robot workforce.
~more~
Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-36376966
Agnosticsherbet
(11,619 posts)Technology is relentless.
msongs
(67,764 posts)Skittles
(153,934 posts)FailureToCommunicate
(14,086 posts)The following are companies who have products made by Foxcomm:
Acer Inc. (Taiwan)
Amazon.com (United States)[23]
In 2011, Amazon and Foxconn formed a joint-design manufacturing company. The move was meant to produce an Amazon branded smartphone sometime in 2012.[24]
Apple Inc. (United States)[25]
ASRock (Taiwan)
Asus (Taiwan)
Barnes & Noble (United States)
Cisco (United States)
Dell (United States)
EVGA Corporation (United States)
Hewlett-Packard (United States)[26]
Intel (United States)
IBM (United States)
Lenovo (China)
Logitech (Switzerland)
Microsoft (United States)
MSI (Taiwan)
Motorola (United States)
Netgear (United States)
Nintendo (Japan)
Nokia (Finland)[25]
Panasonic (Japan)
Philips (Netherlands)
Samsung (South Korea)
Sharp (Japan)
Sony Ericsson (Japan/Sweden)[27]
Toshiba (Japan)
Vizio (United States)
retrowire
(10,345 posts)Jesus Malverde
(10,274 posts)Offshoring millennialist employment and now blaming them for an industrial revolution worlds away.
reformist2
(9,841 posts)Labor has always been the primary way the vast majority of the population obtain a livable income. And that has worked (more or less) because up until now the economy has always needed millions of workers.
But we are fast moving to a world that doesn't need workers to produce what the world needs. We are reaching the absurd situation of millions of jobless people living in a world of plenty, but they can't by anything because they have no money.
Something has got to give. Either prices will collapse, or workers need to be given a basic minimum income, regardless of work status.
Jesus Malverde
(10,274 posts)If I were reincarnated I would wish to be returned to earth as a killer virus to lower human population levels.
― Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
It's a recurring theme from the elite class that the world is way over populated. How you go from a - b I'm sure they are working on it.
Hoppy
(3,595 posts)If the majority of the population is without money, there will be fewer customers for the shit that rolls out of the factories. Fewer customers for Coca Cola, Exxon, G.M., G.E. and so forth.
How many Rollls Royces can Donald, Jamie, Mark, Bill and rMoney use?
Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)and then you will see the wealthy fighting to see who ends up on top
eShirl
(18,532 posts)n/t
Rafale
(291 posts)Enough for war, albeit I believe Google is working to automate that as well.
Punx
(446 posts)How will their productivity be used?
As Stephen Hawking mentioned recently: If machines produce everything we need, the outcome will depend on how things are distributed. Everyone can enjoy a life of luxurious leisure if the machine-produced wealth is shared, or most people can end up miserably poor if the machine-owners successfully lobby against wealth redistribution. So far, the trend seems to be toward the second option, with technology driving ever-increasing inequality.
Seems like the second option to me. There Is No Alternative (TINA).
winter is coming
(11,785 posts)For example, will they also need suicide nets?
Jesus Malverde
(10,274 posts)No OSHA it's a wet dream for some.
dbackjon
(6,578 posts)Who knew?
FailureToCommunicate
(14,086 posts)Robots replacing human workers is bad right? I got news for you. It's happening in almost every segment of manufacturing, not just 'millennial's toys'
The tough assembly line type work is grueling to be sure, but I know a number of friends - in this country- who would be happy for any paycheck these days.
840high
(17,196 posts)appalachiablue
(41,407 posts)by authors Robert W. McChesney and John Nichols.
Humanity is on the verge of its darkest houror its greatest moment.
The consequence of the Technological Revolution is about to hit hard: employment opportunities will collapse across the board as new technologies replace labor. Moribund capitalism and talk of market solutions won't answer this crisis. In this brave new world, the power of the people to demand a smarter and more humane economic and environmental policy will be diminished as fear trumps reason and surrender replaces hope.
Unless the tremendous benefits of technological progress are employed to serve the whole of humanity, rather than to enrich a handful of monopolists, the social contract will not be underminedit will be broken. Americans cannot let corporate CEOs and billionaire campaign donors define their future. "PEOPLE GET READY: The Fight Against a Jobless Economy and a Citizenless Democracy" reveals that the choices made in the next few years will decide not just how technology is utilized and how economies are organized, but whether democracy will cease to function in any meaningful sense. More, http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016152630
JCMach1
(27,606 posts)appalachiablue
(41,407 posts)JCMach1
(27,606 posts)Jesus Malverde
(10,274 posts)Can stash their loot into foundations, which are extremely effective at affecting public policy. In gates case world wide policies.
valerief
(53,235 posts)Flying Squirrel
(3,041 posts)Response to Flying Squirrel (Reply #21)
IDemo This message was self-deleted by its author.
youceyec
(394 posts)Its called progress. Don't be like the horse and buggy folks trying to ban automobiles at turn of century.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)They produce about 10 times as much as they did when I was a kid, with about 20% of the workforce they had when I was a kid.
moondust
(20,097 posts)Would be interesting to hear a communist party boss rationalize this kind of wholesale robotification to the laid off workers.
DetlefK
(16,423 posts)Why did they switch to robots? Were the anti-suicide-nets getting too expensive?
Alkene
(752 posts)For when the metal ones decide to come for you - and they will.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)lease to other countries. plenty of countries they want to invade, they could group-up with their 'ally' Russia who also has interest in invading 'neighbor' countries.
Russia doesn't seem to want to have their regular citizens be 'boots on the ground' , maybe they'll lease a couple million unemployed Chinese 'workers'?