BEIJING, China—A Foxconn executive blamed the shortage of the iPhone 5 on the device’s complicated design, calling the phone “the most difficult device that we have ever assembled.”
DENVER—OtterBox, a manufacturer of cell phone cases, and Colorado Flexible Heaters, a manufacturer of rooftop heating systems, are among several Colorado manufacturers that are reshoring production from China.
Increasingly, China is losing its cost advantages. Workers are striking at Chinese factories. Chinese suppliers copy Western products to become competitors. Time to market is longer. And now we can add electronic espionage.
ZHENGZHOU, China—Foxconn workers returned to the assembly line here after walking off their jobs Saturday. A dispute occurred between the production and quality teams at the factory, which makes the Apple iPhone 5.
GREENSBORO, NC—Electronics manufacturer Lenovo will start assembling tablet, notebook and desktop computers at its warehouse here. The company will hire 115 employees.
NEW YORK—One fourth of the world’s manufacturers of retail goods say they’ll move production from China to the United States or to other low-cost labor centers, such as Viet Nam and Pakistan, according to a new survey.
TAIYUAN, China—Contract manufacturer Foxconn, a major supplier for Apple, has halted production at its assembly plant here after some 2,000 workers rioted.
SAN JOSE, CA—Automation is enabling Altierre, a manufacturer of electronic signs, to compete with low-cost overseas competition. And, says the company’s CEO, manufacturers of other products can follow his example.