It can be easy to take the phone that is in your hand for granted, but it should be mentioned that it is the end result of lots of hard work. It’s not just the engineers that deserve credit for these devices either, since their innovation would be pointless without the hundreds of workers that man the assembly lines and actually manufacture the finished products.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Apple requires way more assembly line workers than any of its counterparts. After a recent shake up at its manufacturing partner Foxconn, Apple’s strict quality requirements came to light. A major revelation was that iPhones require about 1,200 workers on each assembly line, whereas most Android phones only require a 100!
Foxconn manufactures phones for a number of companies, including an assortment of Chinese Android phones. These Chinese phones only need about a hundred workers at each assembly line, so it really is quite shocking that Apple requires twelve times as many.
However, it is Apple’s quality requirements that are solely to blame. China’s been having a rough time of it as of late, and Apple’s supply chain has been left disrupted with all things having been considered and taken into account. They are attempting to fix the issue by installing a new CEO named Michael Chiang.
Apple’s requirement to have so many workers manning the assembly lines will be a particular problem for Chiang. The stringent guidelines make it so that just 60% of phones pass muster, with the rest failing to get through quality control.
Chiang’s first order of business will likely be to improve the yield rate by bringing it up to at least 80%, and he will have to do this while balancing the delicate situation pertaining to worker rights and salary delays. It is an interesting time both for Apple and Foxconn, and all eyes are on the new CEO to see how he deals with the quagmire that the company currently seems to be struggling to get out of.
Read next: Apple Has Been Accused of Violating Labor Rights in the USA and Now the Company Has to Audit its Labor Practices
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Apple requires way more assembly line workers than any of its counterparts. After a recent shake up at its manufacturing partner Foxconn, Apple’s strict quality requirements came to light. A major revelation was that iPhones require about 1,200 workers on each assembly line, whereas most Android phones only require a 100!
Foxconn manufactures phones for a number of companies, including an assortment of Chinese Android phones. These Chinese phones only need about a hundred workers at each assembly line, so it really is quite shocking that Apple requires twelve times as many.
However, it is Apple’s quality requirements that are solely to blame. China’s been having a rough time of it as of late, and Apple’s supply chain has been left disrupted with all things having been considered and taken into account. They are attempting to fix the issue by installing a new CEO named Michael Chiang.
Apple’s requirement to have so many workers manning the assembly lines will be a particular problem for Chiang. The stringent guidelines make it so that just 60% of phones pass muster, with the rest failing to get through quality control.
Chiang’s first order of business will likely be to improve the yield rate by bringing it up to at least 80%, and he will have to do this while balancing the delicate situation pertaining to worker rights and salary delays. It is an interesting time both for Apple and Foxconn, and all eyes are on the new CEO to see how he deals with the quagmire that the company currently seems to be struggling to get out of.
Read next: Apple Has Been Accused of Violating Labor Rights in the USA and Now the Company Has to Audit its Labor Practices
