IT Home (Google Translate, via GSMDome) reports that Foxconn CEO Terry Gou has announced that the company will soon deploy upwards of 10,000 robots to help assemble devices in its factories, noting that Apple will be the first company to use the service. Gou’s comments came during a recent shareholder meeting.
MacRumors notes that the robots will be dubbed “Foxbots”, and each robot will be able to assemble an average of 30,000 devices per year, and will cost anywhere from $20,000 to $25,000 to make. The CEO said the devices are currently in their final testing phase.
Foxconn has long been an assembly partner of Apple’s, putting together its iPhone, iPads, and iPods.
Apple’s 2012 10-K annual report revealed that Apple was investing $10.5 billion on advanced supply technology, with some of that investment going towards advanced machinery such as assembly robots.
Foxconn has recently begun ramping up its production efforts, in preparation for Apple’s next-generation iPhone this fall, with 100,000 new workers to help assemble the new device, which is expected by many to come in two sizes, 4.7-inches, and 5.5-inches.
