A huge factory focused almost exclusively on iPhone production within the borders of China and a group of employees in this factory. “iPhone City” is located.
Also known as Chengzhou or Cingcou Zhengzhou, a Chinese city with more than 10 million people. One of the most important features of this city is the biggest apple the supplier of foxconn of the firm “Foxconn Zhengzhou Science Park” factory. This is the local government from $1.5 billion the factory to which he provided much financial support, 2018 According to data from Foxconn company 1.3 million many employees from time to time from 350 thousand It hosts more. This 350 thousand The employee has almost only one purpose. Room Apple’s Producing iPhone smartphone models. In this factory, which was established in 2010 with a pioneering investment of 600 million dollars, 500 thousand iPhones can be produced. Here specifically iPhone assembly consisting of 400 different steps being carried out.
Zhengzhou, In recent years, especially in “iPhone City” It is known for the region called Because a significant part of the workforce in the city works in this factory where iPhones are produced, and most of these people. lives in numerous 10 to 12-floor apartments set up next to the factory. It is stated that iPhone City is constantly growing due to the growing needs of the factory and Apple.
This is what we’re talking about near the factory iPhone City There are many businesses that will meet the needs of employees. As far as it is reported, employees can go to eat, to the movies or to have a massage in their limited time. Of course, a luxurious life is not lived in the region where men and women are equally distributed in numbers. “iPhone City” According to the journalists shooting in the region, the life inside is adjusted according to the factory and working hours. It is said that while the factory is working, there is almost no one in the city, most of the shops are closed.
It’s just one of the buildings in iPhone City. Image source: Business Insider
In order to facilitate transportation, the local government provides great support to the factory and its vicinity, especially the airport. iPhone City, It has a very high population variability. Because the iPhone factory does not constantly operate with the maximum number of employees. It is reported that the factory reached its peak in terms of employees in the summer months. Apple releases new iPhones every year September Large-scale mass production intensity begins in the summer months.
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Contrary to what many predict, low cost is not behind Apple’s production in China. “Tim Cook – The Genius Who Takes Apple To The Next Level” author of the book Leander Kaheny, “The key to Foxconn’s success was flexibility, not cheap labor” says and adds: “With the hundreds of thousands of employees living in the Foxconn campus area, the company was able to assemble an army of assembly workers overnight, and was extremely flexible. Foxconn was also able to quickly hire tens of thousands of extra workers and just as quickly fire them when they were no longer needed. The young workforce often comes from remote rural areas, so it was not easy for workers to resign and return home, no matter how grueling their job was.”
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In this respect Tim Cook He also made a statement. Cook, who has been Apple’s CEO for a long time and is the key figure in Apple’s Chinese production errors, said in an interview that production systems in China have developed a lot. Manufacturing in China is now Successful CEO who says it’s not cheap like beforestated that the region is incredibly good in terms of production tools and personnel who have command of these tools.
According to the statement of the employees who gave interviews to the press in 2018, the starting wage at the iPhone factory in Zhengzhou It is around $298 per month.. But most workers are said to outperform it with overtime. With their high working hours, many people earn their monthly income by about approx. It is stated that it can go up to $ 670.
Foxconn’s iPhone manufacturing facility generally employs 18 to 25 young people. There are also many trainees under the age of 18. The factory consists of young people because more young people can cope with production processes that require excessive repetition and speed. The worst part of the factory, according to one employee, iPhone assembly line. It is stated that the people here always do the same things for 8, 10 or even 12 hours a day. As you can imagine, these repetitions kill people both mentally and physically.
Foxconn Zhengzhou Science Park and iPhone CityTherefore, it has come to the fore with very bad news many times in the past. Many employees in the region to meet the incoming demand. “required” rebelled after overwork hours, Some employees ended their lives by committing suicide.. This situation made a big impact especially in 2010. Because in 2018, 18 different employees attempted suicide after conditions and intense pressure.
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Many of these suicide attempts iPhone City and employees in other living places jumped from the windows or balconies of their homes. Foxconn did not pay much attention to this process at the first stage, but had to take measures in this regard with the influence of Apple and the global press. “Tim Cook – The Genius Who Takes Apple To The Next Level” in his book Leander Kaheny, He cites one of these measures, which drew a great reaction at the time, as follows: “…14. When a Foxconn employee committed suicide in May 2010, Foxconn began to take measures to prevent suicide. As a first step, in order to catch those who jumped out of the window. A yellow net stretched over more than three million square feet…”
Foxconn also took other measures in the process. Kaheny, In this regard, he states: “For those who jumped out of the window and from the balcony, the net that was stretched didn’t quite solve the problem. Later, the salaries of the employees were increased for the solution. Most recently, a 24-hour counseling center consisting of one hundred differently trained employees was established. Also, employees Special stress rooms have been opened where they can take their anger out on models using baseball bats…“
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There is a life struggle dedicated to mass production, and in general, no one is happy. iPhone City is still on the agenda these days. Because Apple, Foxconn in the past weeks Zhenzhou to his factory iPhone 14s He wanted the personnel that will be needed in the production to get it early. But Foxconn was unable to do so because a severe quarantine began in the area. Therefore, the company had to stop recruiting personnel for a while. Covid-19 cases are appearing again in China, and the country is taking incredibly strict quarantine measures to completely eradicate the epidemic.
based in china foxconn Many companies, including many companies, have received a lot of reaction in order not to face the bans applied against the epidemic. closed system transitions to production. In this system, which is also applied in other factories producing for Apple, employees in certain parts of the factories or iPhone City They live in isolated living areas such as dormitories or private dormitories and are isolated from other people. In this way, it is tried to prevent the employees from contracting the disease. However, this situation puts a lot of strain on the lives of employees. That’s why there are already riots in some facilities.
As a result, while some people are enjoying the endless production and consumption frenzy that we have been actively involved in for many years, others suffer under difficult conditions. It seems unlikely that this order will change any time soon. In other words, it doesn’t seem like a truly just world order can ever be established.