Foxconn to liberate 10,000 "zoo animals"

The Apple partner whose chairman Terry Gou famously compared his staff with zoo animals and once asked a zookeeper for management techniques has apparently given up on messy biological life and is replacing 10,000 of them with robots.

According to Nikkei Asian Review: "Foxconn's panel arm Innolux is planning to slash more than 10,000 jobs this year as part of the company's aggressive efforts to increase the use of automation in manufacturing."

Honorary Chairman Tuan Hsing-Chien said in a press conference on Tuesday: "We will reduce our total workforce to less than 50,000 people by the end of this year, from some 60,000 staff at the end of 2017."

Innolux is a liquid crystal display-making affiliate of primary iPhone assembler Hon Hai Precision Industry, better known as Foxconn Technology Group. Tuan is also a technology adviser to Foxconn, Sharp and Innolux.

Tuan said up to 75 percent of production will be fully automated by the end of 2018. Most of Innolux's factories are in Taiwan. Tuan's pledge came a few days after

Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou said the company would pour in some $342 million to overhaul its manufacturing process by using artificial intelligence.

We guess that the good side of robots is that they work without complaining to China Labor Watch and don't become depressed and throw themselves off buildings so that Foxconn will save on all that netting.

Not so good for those communities which come to rely on a pay cheque from Foxconn.