Foxconn reconsiders the plans of the Wisconsin plant

Foxconn, hoping for a renaissance in the US manufacturing sector by announcing the construction of a new factory in Wisconsin, is reviewing its plans.

The Taiwanese manufacturing giant no longer expects to manufacture LCD panels at the Wisconsin plant, said a company official at Reuters.

He plans to hire mainly engineers and researchers, not industry workers.

The changes made are a significant change from the company plans announced at a White House ceremony in 2017.

At the time, US President Donald Trump had claimed the merit of having invested, which he said was a sign that his policies were making investment in the United States.

This building to build is the "eighth wonder of the world," he said at an inauguration ceremony last summer.

Foxconn, a major supplier to Apple, pledged $ 10 billion to the plant, which was originally expected to employ 3,000 people, with up to 13,000 potential, mostly entry-level jobs.

New realities

In a statement released Wednesday, Foxconn spoke of the changing global marketplace, saying all of its projects were "adjusted to adapt to these new realities."

"We remain committed to the Wisconsin Valley Science and Technology Park project, creating 13,000 jobs and our long-term investment in Wisconsin." As we have already said, the environment of the global market that existed when the project was announced has changed, "said the company.

The state of Wisconsin had agreed to support the project with controversial incentives worth more than $ 3 billion.

Critics of these incentives said long ago that they did not think Foxconn would keep its promises.

The company has not yet achieved its annual hiring goals, which prevents it from receiving tax credits last year.

Louis Woo, Terry Gou's special badistant, director of Foxconn, told Reuters that the company was still evaluating options for Wisconsin, including the creation of a "technology hub" consisting largely of Wisconsin's facilities. research for high technology products for the health and industry sectors.

But he added that the high cost of labor in the United States meant that creating advanced television screens made no sense.

"In terms of television, we have no place in the United States," he told Reuters. "We can not compete."