Foxconn's OEM clients are numerous

According to foreign media reports, Foxconn has become synonymous with Apple's iphone generation factory, which has linked Apple to workers ' suicides, factory explosions and workers ' riots, making Apple a target for all of a sudden. But in addition to Apple, many other companies have signed contracts with the Taiwanese company to help them produce their products. Even if you don't have an iphone, something you own or use is probably produced by Foxconn.

Foxconn's OEM clients are numerous

Foxconn is the world's largest manufacturer of electronic products. Foxconn employs about 1.2 million workers in China. It has been tight-lipped about which companies they are doing business with and refuses to disclose their clients ' names to this reporter. But analysts who have been tracking the company for a long time have given a list of companies that have been working on the company's behalf, a long list.

Arthur Liao, analyst at Fubon Fubon Nomura Investment Services Co, said Sony's PlayStation 3, Nintendo's Wii and Amazon's Kindle Fire belongs to the products of Foxconn Foundry. In addition, it produces televisions for Sony, Sharp and Toshiba, producing handsets for Nokia, Motorola and Huawei, and producing network equipment for Cisco.

Other analysts say Foxconn is also the main PC assembler for HP, Dell and Acer, and is responsible for making consoles for Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony, the big company.

Cisco, Huawei, Nintendo, Sony and Nokia all confirmed that they commissioned Foxconn to produce products, although Nokia said its "majority" of its handsets were produced by itself. Other companies, including Acer, Microsoft, Motorola, Sharp and Toshiba, declined to say where their products were produced.

Apple becomes the target of criticism

However, as Foxconn's abusive practices have been exposed, Apple has become a target for all of a sudden. It may be unfair to blame Apple for the poor working environment at Foxconn. Among Foxconn's customers, Apple is the largest customer and has contributed about 40% of its revenue to the company, Liao said. Another analyst estimates that the figure is higher, about 50% or more.

According to Helen Chiang, an analyst with IDC, a market-research firm, Apple's partnership with Foxconn is so Helen that the Taiwanese company has opened an independent manufacturing facility for Apple, which specializes in assembling its products. This is mainly to meet Apple's demand to keep its product secret. In contrast, other Taiwanese manufacturers, such as quanta computers, use only one floor to produce HP's products, and the other to produce Dell's products.

According to the labour protection organization, because Apple has a strong market position, it should be singled out for criticism. "Foxconn is the world's largest manufacturer, and Apple is the world's largest electronics company, so they should assume greater responsibility than other companies." "Li Qiang, founder of China Labor Watch, a new york-based Chinese labor Watch group, said. The group recently blamed the harsh demands on Apple's iphone 5 for workers ' strikes and violence in a factory in Zhengzhou.

Jobs favours Foxconn speech Rehuoshaoshen

This is not to say that the ILO ignores other electronic product suppliers. Last year, the Chinese Labor Watch released a report detailing the working conditions of 10 of China's factories, including Foxconn, Quanta computers, technology and electronics, and examples of forced overtime, harsh treatment of workers and poor dormitory conditions. Samsung's foundry in China has also been subject to scrutiny.

"We never said Apple was the worst in the industry. "Samsung, HTC, Motorola, and scholars," said misbehavior Chan, the project leader at the University of Hong Kong, who oversees unscrupulous enterprise action (Students & against Corporate sacom, Chen Yiting). Amazon and Nokia also have the same problem. ”

Sacom has become one of the most active advocates for Foxconn's efforts to improve the working environment. The issue was first proposed in 2010 after a spate of worker suicides. The suicides prompted Steve Jobs, Apple's former CEO, to defend his suppliers. In a publicly reported e-mail, Mr. Jobs said, "While every suicide is a tragedy, Foxconn's suicide rate is far below the Chinese average." ”

"That's the main reason we're targeting apple," he said. Chen Yiting said he hinted that Jobs ' remarks were in favour of Foxconn. She says the media and labor organizations are looking at the underlying causes of the problem, but Apple has ignored the investigation.

Foxconn is actively improving working environment

Since then, Apple has become more proactive about solving problems at Foxconn's factories. For example, Apple, together with the Fair Labor Association (Fair Labor Association), has reviewed the factory over labor law violations in Foxconn. Apple declined to comment. But Apple has said: "Over the years, our team has been actively training staff, improving the working environment, and strive to make Apple's product supply chain as a model for our industry." ”

Foxconn said it wanted to provide Chinese employees with "a safe and positive working environment and pay and benefits well above the government's prescribed level, and that it was competitive compared with our counterparts in our factory." ”

In a statement, Foxconn said it would provide housing, food aid and health insurance for its employees, and would raise wages five times in three years. "Although Foxconn is not perfect yet, we have made great strides," he said. "it says.

Although the labor organization still thinks Foxconn's progress is not big enough, Chen Yiting that Apple's influence over its suppliers could help improve working conditions at Foxconn's factories in China. In addition to Foxconn, Apple has 155 other suppliers, some of which are also complaining about poor working conditions. Chen Yiting's sacom organization hopes to take the lead in helping to reform the entire electronics manufacturing industry. ”