China Economy Forum

[cirr]

This is huge。The aim is to deploy 1 million robots at the end of the day。

The 3 massive new plants are extremely eco-friendly。For example，the plants will be operated with natural ventilation for cooling and does not need a cooling system。They are also designed to work in total darkness when the robots are in place。

Foxconn to boost the use of robots

By Lan Lan and Li Jun in Guiyang ( China Daily )

Updated: 2014-07-12

Foxconn Technology Group plans to use more robots for its various manufacturing operations as part of its efforts to replace "dangerous, boring and repeated" work, which has often been blamed for the series of suicides at its various facilities in recent years.

The company will shift from mass production to lean production in the future and consider manufacturing on an order-on-order basis by upgrading its production lines and using more robots, its Chairman Terry Gou said on Friday.

Foxconn, a major supplier of Apple Inc, is building a research-and-manufacturing hub in Guiyang, the provincial capital of Guizhou.

Gou said plants in the new industrial park have been designed with high ceilings to leave sufficient room for robots' operation.

The park is expected to generate a revenue of 50 billion yuan ($8.05 billion) in 2018, he said, adding that products from the park will be mainly sold to the mainland market.

Gou said the Guiyang park will focus on energy saving and environmental protection. With clients including Apple seeking suppliers with more environmentally friendly manufacturing, Foxconn's new plant will be able to make use of abundant local water resources for cooling technology that automates humidity controls, Gou said.

The plant will also use an automated process for painting mobile phones that is more environmentally safe than traditional spray guns, he said.

On Thursday in Guiyang, the company also signed cooperation contracts with Tsinghua University and Peking University to develop nanotechnology for use at Foxconn plants and develop the commercial application of vast quantities of data held by powerful computers.

"Guiyang is a more natural place to focus more on the application side of that basic research," Gou said. "Besides, the major Chinese mobile operators have set up a big data and cloud computing research center in Guizhou. Foxconn will be able to share resources with them."

The Guiyang plant is also a move by the company to increase its production in southwest China for exports and for supplies to the domestic market. The new hub is more than 1,100 km inland from coastal Shenzhen where Foxconn opened its first mainland plant more than two decades ago.

Contact the writers at lanlan@chinadaily.com.cn and lijun@chinadaily.com.cn

Zhu Wenqian and Bloomberg contributed to this story.

Foxconn to boost the use of robots

 

[cirr]

Apple Manufacturer Foxconn Goes Green in China's Guizhou

Guizhou might be one of China’s poorest and least created provinces. But the flip side is an atmosphere so pristine that President Xi Jinping not too long ago joked its air should be bottled.

Now, Taiwan’s Foxconn Technology Group (2317:TT), the world’s biggest consumer electronics producer, with far more than a million staff working in 30-some industrial parks across China, has set its sights on backward but gorgeous Guizhou.

The maker of Apple’s (AAPL) iPad and iPhone and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) servers is creating an industrial park in China’s southwest, seemingly worlds away from its enormous and gritty Shenzhen manufacturing base, that aims to be state of the art in power efficiency and environmental friendliness. Set amongst karst hills on the outskirts of Guiyang, the provincial capital, the 500-acre park will keep about 70 percent of the all-natural vegetation undisturbed.

The eco-friendly park will produce smartphones, significant-screen TVs, as properly as have a 130,000-square-meter R&D center and two,160-square-meter massive information center. By March 2015 it will employ 12,000 workers and have an annual output of 35 billion yuan ($five.six billion), the company says three years later it plans to far more than triple in acreage, employing 50,000 workers, and reach 50 billion yuan in sales.

The highlight of its green cost-savings model is the use of a north-south wind tunnel, already bored via 1 of the area’s several hills, for cooling the 12 containers of servers in its significant information project. While typically 35 percent of power consumed to run servers goes toward air conditioners for cooling, Foxconn aims to cut down that portion to just ten %, by working with wind to naturally blow over its servers and dissipate the heat generated.

“We have succeeded in leveraging technologies to boost all aspects of manufacturing, and we are focusing our investments in places that link technologies with sustainable economic development in a way that also protects the atmosphere,” mentioned Foxconn founder and Chief Executive Terry Gou, speaking at a forum on environmental protection in Guiyang these days.

It is utilizing close to 100 % recycled steel in the construction of the zone’s buildings. And to cut down energy use whilst operating, Foxconn is installing its own patented heat-reflective laminated glass for all windows. Meanwhile, for outdoor lighting, it is installing 170 “intelligent” street lamps of its personal style not only do they rely on solar panels for power, they come equipped with sensors that are able to establish targeted traffic load as effectively as sun or fog situations, and adjust the strength of the light accordingly to decrease wastage.

Foxconn also says it’s changing how its smartphones are produced in Guiyang to reduce energy and water use, as properly as cut down the paint and chemical compounds necessary. Rather than spray paint onto its smartphones, the usual approach exactly where 70 percent of paint is wasted and chemical fumes are released into the air, it’s now using a unique mold course of action exactly where less than 1 percent of the paint is lost, according to Dai Fengyuan, chief technologies officer at Foxconn. Similarly, the traditional film applied in smartphone touchscreens has been replaced by a new carbon nanotube film, which demands 80 percent much less power to create and cuts water use to near zero. “We have all these innovative technologies, now we have to get them into our mass production approach,” says Dai.

Foxconn not surprisingly is facing pressure from its major prospects to ensure its production course of action has fewer environmental fees. “Carbon emissions from our manufacturing partners remain the largest portion of our carbon footprint, an region we’re committed to addressing,” Apple mentioned in its most recent environmental responsibility report, posted on the web earlier this month. Last September, Hewlett-Packard announced a goal of minimizing greenhouse gas emissions at its top rated companies by a single-fifth in the decade by means of 2020.

“In the previous, persons thought getting green would improve expenses or lower efficiency. That is not the case,” said Foxconn’s Gou at a July ten press conference in Guiyang. “This industrial park represents a new model for growth: green and accountable.”

Apple Manufacturer Foxconn Goes Green in China's Guizhou

 

[Biplab Bijay]

Apple Manufacturer Foxconn Goes Green in China's Guizhou

Guizhou might be one of China’s poorest and least created provinces. But the flip side is an atmosphere so pristine that President Xi Jinping not too long ago joked its air should be bottled.

Now, Taiwan’s Foxconn Technology Group (2317:TT), the world’s biggest consumer electronics producer, with far more than a million staff working in 30-some industrial parks across China, has set its sights on backward but gorgeous Guizhou.

The maker of Apple’s (AAPL) iPad and iPhone and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) servers is creating an industrial park in China’s southwest, seemingly worlds away from its enormous and gritty Shenzhen manufacturing base, that aims to be state of the art in power efficiency and environmental friendliness. Set amongst karst hills on the outskirts of Guiyang, the provincial capital, the 500-acre park will keep about 70 percent of the all-natural vegetation undisturbed.

The eco-friendly park will produce smartphones, significant-screen TVs, as properly as have a 130,000-square-meter R&D center and two,160-square-meter massive information center. By March 2015 it will employ 12,000 workers and have an annual output of 35 billion yuan ($five.six billion), the company says three years later it plans to far more than triple in acreage, employing 50,000 workers, and reach 50 billion yuan in sales.

The highlight of its green cost-savings model is the use of a north-south wind tunnel, already bored via 1 of the area’s several hills, for cooling the 12 containers of servers in its significant information project. While typically 35 percent of power consumed to run servers goes toward air conditioners for cooling, Foxconn aims to cut down that portion to just ten %, by working with wind to naturally blow over its servers and dissipate the heat generated.

“We have succeeded in leveraging technologies to boost all aspects of manufacturing, and we are focusing our investments in places that link technologies with sustainable economic development in a way that also protects the atmosphere,” mentioned Foxconn founder and Chief Executive Terry Gou, speaking at a forum on environmental protection in Guiyang these days.

It is utilizing close to 100 % recycled steel in the construction of the zone’s buildings. And to cut down energy use whilst operating, Foxconn is installing its own patented heat-reflective laminated glass for all windows. Meanwhile, for outdoor lighting, it is installing 170 “intelligent” street lamps of its personal style not only do they rely on solar panels for power, they come equipped with sensors that are able to establish targeted traffic load as effectively as sun or fog situations, and adjust the strength of the light accordingly to decrease wastage.

Foxconn also says it’s changing how its smartphones are produced in Guiyang to reduce energy and water use, as properly as cut down the paint and chemical compounds necessary. Rather than spray paint onto its smartphones, the usual approach exactly where 70 percent of paint is wasted and chemical fumes are released into the air, it’s now using a unique mold course of action exactly where less than 1 percent of the paint is lost, according to Dai Fengyuan, chief technologies officer at Foxconn. Similarly, the traditional film applied in smartphone touchscreens has been replaced by a new carbon nanotube film, which demands 80 percent much less power to create and cuts water use to near zero. “We have all these innovative technologies, now we have to get them into our mass production approach,” says Dai.

Foxconn not surprisingly is facing pressure from its major prospects to ensure its production course of action has fewer environmental fees. “Carbon emissions from our manufacturing partners remain the largest portion of our carbon footprint, an region we’re committed to addressing,” Apple mentioned in its most recent environmental responsibility report, posted on the web earlier this month. Last September, Hewlett-Packard announced a goal of minimizing greenhouse gas emissions at its top rated companies by a single-fifth in the decade by means of 2020.

“In the previous, persons thought getting green would improve expenses or lower efficiency. That is not the case,” said Foxconn’s Gou at a July ten press conference in Guiyang. “This industrial park represents a new model for growth: green and accountable.”

Apple Manufacturer Foxconn Goes Green in China's Guizhou

Its not poor. Its beautiful. I like this kind of atmosphere.

 

[cirr]

Backward but gorgeous Guizhou

 

[cirr]

 

[TaiShang]

China UnionPay issues 1st credit card in Africa
Xınhua

China UnionPay, China's leading bankcard network operator, announced on Thursday that it has issued its first credit card in Africa, further enlarging its global footprint.

UnionPay International, China UnionPay's international arm, jointly issued three types of credit card in partnership with Cim Finance from Mauritius, the Shanghai-based company said in a statement.

The credit cards will be accepted in 140 countries and regions including China and Mauritius without a foreign transaction fee, said the company.

China UnionPay started to issue debit cards in Africa in August, 2013.

 

[TaiShang]

Chinese incomes continue to rise
Xinhua

Average incomes of China's urban and rural residents continued to rise steadily in the first half of 2014, official data showed on Wednesday.

The average disposable income rose 10.8 percent year on year to 10,025 yuan (1,629 U.S. dollars) in the first six months, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). With inflation deducted, the growth rate stood at 8.3 percent.

The income gap between urban and rural residents narrowed, with actual income growth in rural China 2.7 percentage points higher than that in urban areas in the January-June period.

Urban residents pocketed an average disposable income of 14,959 yuan in the first half, up 7.1 percent year on year with inflation deducted. The average rural resident's cash income was 5,396 yuan, with year-on-year growth of 9.8 percent after inflation adjustment.

About 174.18 million rural migrant workers were working outside their hometown by the end of June, up 1.8 percent from a year earlier. Their average income was 2,733 yuan per month, up 10.3 percent year on year, according to the NBS.

In November 2012, the Chinese government included per capita income in the country's blueprint for a moderately prosperous society, vowing to double its 2010 GDP and per capita income for both urban and rural residents by 2020.

 

[TaiShang]

Xiaomi dialing India for new world of growth

China Daily

Xiaomi Corp, a company known for its aggressive pricing strategies, on Tuesday became the latest Chinese smartphone maker to debut its products in India.

The privately owned company expects its products to be popular with customers in the fastest-growing telecom market in the Asia-Pacific region.

Xiaomi, based in Beijing, is selling its flagship phones through Flipkart, an Indian online electronics marketplace. The company did not disclose its sales target.

Hugo Barra, Xiaomi's vice-president in charge of international business, told reporters in Mumbai that the Chinese phone producer is planning to build an India-focused ecosystem rather than earning profits.

Nicole Peng, research director of market data firm Canalys China, said that Xiaomi has gained a lot of attention in the Western media during past 12 months. "This has helped Xiaomi gain greater consumer traction in overseas markets—an important first step."

Overseas markets have often proved to be a vastly different and often challenging playing field for Chinese companies, Peng said, adding that it is important for Xiaomi and other Chinese vendors to put investment "in the right places" such as channel building, patents, supply and inventory.

"We understand that Xiaomi is making progress in all these areas, but it is still too early to judge its overseas strategy," said Peng.

Xiaomi sold more than 26 million smartphones in the first half of this year, a year-on-year growth of 271 percent, the company said earlier this month. Most of the devices were sold in China, although it said it would expand into Singapore, Brazil and Mexico.

Xiaomi is scheduled to unveil its next-generation flagship smartphone on Tuesday. The gadget, likely to be named Xiaomi 4, will feature a metal case for the first time.

Chinese smartphone makers like Lenovo Group Ltd and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd entered the Indian market more than two years ago and are still striving to boost their market shares.

Samsung Electronics Co led the Indian smartphone market with more than a one-third market share in the first quarter, according to global consultancy firm IDC. Three Indian vendors—that are not known much outside the country—took a quarter of the share.

Chinese firms, however, are pinning big hopes on growth in the second-most-populous country because of the rapidly surging demand. About 17.6 million smartphones were sold in India from January to March, representing a whopping 186 percent year-on-year jump, according to IDC. The increase was the fastest across the Asia-Pacific region.

Cedar Zhang, marketing director at vivo Communication Technology Co Ltd's India arm, said that the sales channel in India is less sophisticated than that in China. "Most of the devices sold in India are not bundled with telecom carriers. This is a major reason why the Indian market is appealing to most Chinese firms."

The Guangdong-headquartered vivo is set to launch its products in India soon.

In addition, India, being an English-speaking country with an open mobile phone market, could also help Chinese companies to gain marketing and operating experience for future overseas expansion, said Zhang from vivo.

Chinese manufacturers' going global attempts are also part of their efforts to offset slowing smartphone shipments within China. Profit margins for local companies are shrinking rapidly as most of the devices they sell are in the highly competitive middle and low-end segment.

Analysts said that Chinese brands are better off in emerging markets as competition in developed markets has become intense. Telecom carriers in developed markets invest heavily in subsiding top-tier brands such as Samsung and Apple Inc, leaving limited space for smaller companies.

 

[Lux de Veritas]

Chinese incomes continue to rise
Xinhua

Average incomes of China's urban and rural residents continued to rise steadily in the first half of 2014, official data showed on Wednesday.

The average disposable income rose 10.8 percent year on year to 10,025 yuan (1,629 U.S. dollars) in the first six months, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). With inflation deducted, the growth rate stood at 8.3 percent.

The income gap between urban and rural residents narrowed, with actual income growth in rural China 2.7 percentage points higher than that in urban areas in the January-June period.

Urban residents pocketed an average disposable income of 14,959 yuan in the first half, up 7.1 percent year on year with inflation deducted. The average rural resident's cash income was 5,396 yuan, with year-on-year growth of 9.8 percent after inflation adjustment.

About 174.18 million rural migrant workers were working outside their hometown by the end of June, up 1.8 percent from a year earlier. Their average income was 2,733 yuan per month, up 10.3 percent year on year, according to the NBS.

In November 2012, the Chinese government included per capita income in the country's blueprint for a moderately prosperous society, vowing to double its 2010 GDP and per capita income for both urban and rural residents by 2020.

High income society is good for country and people. But China must embrace for hollowing up of some of the industries to places like Vietnam, Bangladesh and Indonesia.

The wage increment is long due, so that Chinese can buy the stuff they produced instead of shipping them to USA.

 

[angeldude13]

Would love to use a Xiaomi phone.
Especially MI-3s.
Although I am a nexus lover but I would like to give Xiaomi MI-3s a try.

 

[Cherokee]

Xiaomi will catch up with market quick . Lot of us are excited about it . Just need to know how will be after sales service .

 

[OrionHunter]

 

[greatone]

My cousin booked one today...will be delivered on 22nd.

 

[skullMAN]

current price ₹13999 on flipkart

 

[OrionHunter]

current price ₹13999 on flipkart

Wow! Pretty reasonable pricing! I'm putting one in my cart right now!