factories

Foxconn confirms dispute between workers at China factory

Foxconn, a principal maker of Apple's iPhone 5, has confirmed that two disputes between employees occurred at one of its factories in China earlier this month.

Foxconn, which is the world's largest component maker, said the disputes occurred between factory line workers and quality assurance personnel on October 1-2 at its Zhengzhou plant and that it has taken steps to address the disputes, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

"There has been no workplace stoppage in that facility or any other Foxconn facility and production has continued on schedule," The Taiwan-based company said in a … Read more

Foxconn guards loom over Taiyuan workers, report says

The 79,000 workers at Foxconn's Taiyuan production facility are under the supervision of heavily protected guards, according to a new report.

Security guards working at the facility in the Shanxi province in northern China are wearing riot helmets and holding plastic shields as they march around the plant, Bloomberg is reporting. The workers, meanwhile, are cranking out products.

"The guards here use gangster style to manage," Fang Zhongyang, a Foxconn employee, told Bloomberg in an interview. "We are not against following rules but you have to tell us why. They won't explain things and … Read more

Undercover reporter details work at Foxconn's iPhone plant

On the eve of the unveiling of the iPhone 5, the Shanghai Evening Post published an insider report of what it's like to work at Foxconn's Tai Yuan factory assembling the device. And while it could be worse, the conditions aren't pretty.

The story is told by a Shanghai Evening Post reporter who went undercover, got a job at the plant, and then kept a diary of his life while working there for 10 days. His article was translated and summarized in English by MIC Gadget.

After going through an intensive seven-day orientation -- during which he … Read more

Fair labor report shows progress at Apple's Foxconn factories

Apple supplier Foxconn has completed the majority of the changes aimed at fixing labor law violations, but its biggest obstacle may be ahead of it -- communicating with its employees that it will continue cutting weekly work hours down from more than 60 to 40 to comply with China's regulations, according to the Fair Labor Association.

The association published a report today reviewing Foxconn's completed changes and its next steps. The FLA found that Foxconn made all of the 195 change due in April and May. These are mainly physical changes that improve worker health and safety and … Read more

Convert files with FormatFactory

There are file converters for all kinds of different files, whether you're converting between different video, audio, or image formats. This might be the first time, however, that we've encountered a program that does all of the above. FormatFactory is an ambitious program that's capable of converting images, videos, and audio files between a number of different formats. Unfortunately, it's not exactly capable of delivering everything it promises.

FormatFactory has a straightforward, intuitive interface; a menu on the left lets users select video, audio, picture, or ROM Device\DVD\CD\ISO. The Advanced menu option even … Read more

Foxconn slated to open up shop in Indonesia

Indonesia is the next country on Foxconn's list to get a tech-manufacturing factory. According to The Next Web, the company has confirmed it will invest at least $1 billion in opening a factory on the island nation and it could invest up to $9 billion more.

Foxconn is one of Apple's primary manufacturers and has plants in China and Brazil where it makes iPhone smartphones and iPad tablets. According to The Next Web, Indonesia's government is hoping that Foxconn's proposed factory will spur more tech companies to build factories there creating a Southeast Asian tech hub.… Read more

Foxconn worker riot leads to arrests, damage in Chengdu

Workers at Foxconn's Chengdu factory started a riot earlier this week, according to reports.

According to Hong Kong-based newspaper, Ming Pao (Translate), several workers on Monday clashed with security staff at their off-site dormitory. Not long after, the issue escalated, and over 1,000 people rioted around the dormitory, according to reports. The rioters reportedly ignited firecrackers and threw a host of objects, damaging facilities.

Soon after the riot started, security staff alerted local police, which sent out officers to quell the unrest. The police presence resulted in dozens of arrests, according to reports out of the country.

Foxconn … Read more

Foxconn working conditions slammed by workers rights group

Exhausting workloads, humiliating discipline, and cramped dormitories are still "the norm" for workers at Foxconn factories in China, according to a report released today that details alleged working conditions at the manufacturing giant.

Managers at the company, which manufactures hardware for companies such as Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, and Sony, often discipline factory workers by forcing them to write and read aloud "confession letters" and to clean toilets, according to a report released by the workers rights group Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM).

The report, which is based on interviews with 170 workers and supervisors … Read more

How to factory reset the Nokia Lumia 900

Doing a factory reset on the Nokia Lumia 900 takes just a few minutes, and enables you to sell your device without worrying about your personal information being accessed by the new owner.

Here's how to reset your Lumia 900 to its original factory state:

Go to Settings. Scroll down to the About listing and tap on it. At the bottom of the screen (you may have to scroll) you'll see a button titled "Reset Your Phone." Tap on it. Confirm, twice, you are sure you want to reset your device.

Your device will then reboot … Read more

Workers threaten to jump off roof in Foxconn protest

Foxconn workers in a facility in Wuhan City in China reportedly threatened to jump off a building if their demands for higher wages were not met.

According to the Hong Kong-based activist group Information Centre for Human Rights (Translate), as many as 200 workers from the Foxconn facility climbed a building and said that they would collectively jump if the company didn't address wage issues. Soon after, local police arrived on the scene, and the workers returned to work.

Reuters, which first reported on the news, spoke to someone representing Foxconn owner Hon Hai Precision Industry, who said the … Read more