A big sticking point during the presidential debates this year was the loss of jobs to overseas companies. Both candidates pointed fingers at China, a country that has taken on much of the world’s manufacturing. Now one of China’s most infamous companies, Foxconn, may be bringing some jobs back to the US.
A report from Digitimes says that Foxconn is in the planning stages to bring manufacturing plants to the US. The report mentions that Los Angeles and Detroit are prime candidates for these new plants. Unfortunately, the plants wouldn’t bring much in the way of new jobs to American workers though. It’s said that Foxconn would focus on LCD TV production which is highly automated.
Interestingly enough, Foxconn is also starting up a training program for US-based engineers. Foxconn chairman Terry Gou said at a recent public event that his company would invite engineers to Taiwan and China for hands-on training in product design. The engineers would also get a chance to learn the Chinese language while they’re at it.
Gou also said that his company is currently in talks with the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology in regards to the program. It sounds like one heck of an internship, and I’m sure many students at MIT would jump at the chance to learn more about design and a new language.
Of course, all of this depends on approval from the US government. Distrust of China is at an all-time high in Congress with lawmakers investigating Chinese companies’ ties to the Chinese government. Foxconn isn’t included in the investigation just yet, but it will have to overcome some initial scrutiny if it intends to move to the US.