Cape Town - One of the world's largest electronics manufacturers,
Foxconn, revealed plans to build a $10 billion factory in south-eastern Wisconsin.
The new facility, is set to make flat-screen displays, will
be located in the congressional district of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan
in Wisconsin.
In 30 years, Foxconn to open its major factory in the United States
is a break with global manufacturing trends.
The company is renowned for building electronic gadgets for
nearly every major technology company, including: Apple, Google and Amazon,
currently having massive factories in Asia, South America and Eastern
Europe.
Read also: Foxconn eyes factories in US, Indonesia
In a statement by The Washington post, Foxconn has had a
very limited presence in developed countries where labour costs are higher.
“The workers it hires
at its Wisconsin facility would represent a
tiny fraction of the company's 1.2 million workforce. And officials gave
contradictory numbers on exactly how many jobs Foxconn was creating in the
state,” the statement read.
Walker, a Republican who is facing a difficult re-election
next year, said the investment would create 13 000 jobs, with an average pay of
$53 000 plus benefits. But the company said that it would be hiring 3,000
workers over four years. It added that it could eventually hire more, but did
not provide further details.
The governor, Donald Trump said his state would offer $3
billion in economic incentives to seal the deal. This was announced in the East
Room of the White House.
Jennifer Shilling, D Senate Minority Leader. said:
"While I welcome new businesses to the state, I want to ensure any
state-subsidized private sector jobs offer a living wage and safe working
conditions.”
Shilling also raised a scepticism that the company has a
track record of big announcements with little follow through.
BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE