The CEO of Hon Hai is Terry Gou. Mr. Gou recently told reporters that Hon Hai is replacing 70 percent of its manufacturing process with an automaticsystem. He says machines will do most of the work that people do now. Mr. Gou expects the changes to be finished in three years.

 

Jamie Wang is a researcher with a business in Taipei that studies markets. She says using robots is an increasingly common change in manufacturing. Even the popular company Apple is planning to depend more on robots, she says. So, she says, manufacturers like Hon Hai must keep up with the market and reduce their costs.

 

 

Using robots may also reduce Hon Hai's risk of labor disputes. In the past five years, some workers in Hon Hai's Chinese factories have protested workplace conditions and even killed themselves. The events have damaged the company. Now, fewer workers are depending on Hon Hai for jobs.

 

 

Geoff Crothall is a spokesman for the China Labor Bulletin advocacy group in Hong Kong. He says people are no longer forming long lines to try to work in factories. He says some Chinese workers are staying in school longer and seeking higher levels of education. Others are simply finding better jobs in other places.