Foxconn's "fourth industrial revolution," also referred to as "Industry 4.0," aims to shift into smart manufacturing for its production facility. (Photo : www.nepconsouthchina.com)
Foxconn Technology Group, the world's biggest electronic component maker, known as Hon Hai in Taiwan, and German industrial group Siemens are currently in talks to develop digitalized manufacturing for the Taiwanese company’s production facilities, the Want China Times reported.
Ken Cheng, vice president of Siemens Taiwan, said on Thursday, Sept. 3, that Foxconn chair Terry Gou has spent about 90 minutes at the Siemens booth during the Hannover Messe trade show in April early this year.
Cheng said that Gou also met with the chief executive of Siemens's industry sector, as well as other high-level Siemens executives, to discuss the level of assistance that Siemens can provide for Foxconn's thrust into the new campaign that it described as the "fourth industrial revolution," also referred to as "Industry 4.0."
"We are still discussing the project and will not disclose details at present," Cheng told the media during the 15th Taiwan-Germany Joint Business Council in Taipei.
According to the report, Foxconn, a major supplier to Apple, is currently implementing plans to diversify its business from low-margin to digitalized manufacturing.
Siemens Taiwan said that the aim of Industry 4.0 is to apply a more efficient manufacturing by creating a process for highly customizable products that is networked, flexible and dynamically self-organizing.
The report added that Inventec Corporation, a Taiwanese contract notebook maker, signed a pact with a subsidiary of Siemens on Aug. 25 to upgrade manufacturing operations at Inventec's factories.
When asked if Siemens will sign up more Taiwanese partners to its smart manufacturing solutions, Siemens Taiwan president and CEO Erdal Elver said that the company is currently negotiating with several customers and details of the talks will be disclosed at the proper time.
