I've been following Foxconn a lot recently since that spate of "worker suicides" and my earlier blogs trying to pull together some coverage from around the Web re: what's been going on and what it all means vis a vis how it'll change the global outsourcing game for electronics manufacturers of all shapes and sizes.
Beginning of the week, the standout news was some pretty dopey speculation, by all apparent accounts, that Foxconn had installed "anti-suicide nets" to catch any would be jumpers. Holy moly (I thought), they may've been grinding the souls of their workforce into blood and gristle, but somebody in Hon Hai's HR department must have a wicked sense of humor. I mean...come on.
Well, maybe not. First of all, it turns out there is a much more serious side to what the manufacturer is actually doing to prevent suicides. Apparently Foxconn is standing up and taking some responsibility. (Ed. Note: Yeah...RIGHT.) At any rate, the week's news on a serious note points to a much larger story about how the EMS game is changing in Asia, and what it'll mean for the industry.
So, in light of that, and not that anyone has asked, but here's my take on that "suicide net" flap: it should probably be written off as the work of wags in cubicles. That safety net picture IS stupid. Great responsible journalism there, guys. Grab a picture, any picture, of a big net strung between some nondescript buildings. And say it's Foxconn. "According to a tipster?" Really, Gizmodo? In the words of the late Senator Robert Byrd: Shame. Shame. SHAME. But I digress.
Well, now it's the end of the week, and the news out of Foxconn is a little less dopey. There's actually been a spate of real news activity for serious people to ponder. I'll leave it for you to peruse, and perhaps to comment on, should you be able to muster any additional insight. I assure you, it would be welcomed!
With recent problems with workers conditions and suicide rates in the electronics manufacturing company Foxconn in China, I have an idea for an experiment!
ReplyDeleteHere in the UK www.nicab.co.uk we work very hard to ensure the welfare of our employees is properly taken care of. This is not because the law says to but because it is the right thing to do.
As an experiment I wonder how a product that was manufactured domestically would sell compared to an imported product with marketing that said something like “Our products are manufactured in this country by people who are well looked after” of something similar.
A good example is the humble Chicken. In my local shop at you have the cheap intensively caged reared, then on the other side the free range & organic.
The free range & Organic Chickens sell in massive quantities because there is an emotional link to the welfare of the Chicken. So if we link the welfare of the workers in our factories and benefits to the local economy to the end products surely the same situation will apply. People will be buying electronics based on an emotional basis.
What a result that would be for us!
Discuss…..