Foxconn aims to replace human workforce with robots

Technology has come a long way undoubtedly. However, is it worth and wise to replace humans with robots? Though we are yet to know the answer, Foxconn is planning to fully automate its factories, replacing a vast majority of human force.

One of the largest manufacturing partners of iPhone, Foxconn is "automating production at its factories in China in three phases, aiming to fully automate entire factories eventually," according to DigiTimes.

The company will be using robots, known as Foxbots.

Dai Jia-peng, the general manager of Foxconn’s automation committee said, "In the first phase, Foxconn aims to set up individual automated workstations for work that workers are unwilling to do or is dangerous."

In the second phase, the company plans to improve productivity by streamlining production lines to decrease the number of excess robots in use. The third phase will include automating entire factories, “with only a minimal number of workers assigned to production, logistics, testing, and inspection processes,” according to Jia-peng.

Notably, the company has already started automating its factory since years. Foxconn's factories in Chengdu, western China, Shenzhen, southern China, and Zhengzhou, northern China, have been brought to the second or third phase, Dai said. In March, Foxconn had automated away 40,000 jobs at one of its factories.

The Taiwanese company currently produces around 10,000 Foxbots a year.

Foxconn is also planning to develop robots in medical care. Considering the cost-cutting automation will bring, Foxconn will choose robots than humans as they are cheaper. At the same time, the company can keep improving their technology, unlike human beings.