Foundries to expose the tragic history of Apple: iPhone profits of 200% take only 2% of foundry

From April 3 starting at the moment the world since the United States, ipad Steve Jobs another super money-making machines. Apple's glossy surface in the back, Apple A1189 Battery is a intertwined with the labor interests of sweat and money chain profits.

The chain in the world, there are three parts are closely linked with China: First, about 400,000 mostly born after 1990, young Chinese workers, took to the local minimum wage standard for the base payment of basic salary, in strict secrecy on the production line consumption most of their life beautiful youth; Second, assembly plant represented by Foxconn, and their gross margin is only 2% to 4%; 3 is represented by Science and Technology of Suzhou, build the components suppliers, their margin slightly higher, only about 8%.

Accident

April, Shenzhen, 6:00, groups of bleary-eyed young men from 10 to 12 people in a dormitory emission, rushed into the corridor in public toilets. Here is the Apple OEM assembly plant in China - Shenzhen Foxconn staff quarters area. Although the factory provides work at 8, but the 7:40 clocking shift, morning to be done before such preparations, and from the hostel to the factory for half an hour to go, so employees have to get up at 6:00.

12:00 start eating dinner time requirement is 1 hour. But the production line can not stop, the general can only rest for half an hour.

Foxconn requirement is one day off work for six days, but Apple's pressure, often 13 days off the day, this staff a lot of pressure, while not in line with Chinese law. But informed sources disclosed that Apple demands foundries business undertaking entered into, that leave this way and its own does not matter.

6 to September each year is the peak of Apple's orders, and then into the trough. OEM companies are forced to start cutting people. Foxconn has a redundancy on the people. These severance costs are from OEM business to pay the costs not included in Apple.

Apple's products because of the external surface of the treatment process requires very high, the need for rigorous polishing the surface, as most OEM enterprises are the venues and conditions and other reasons, many women are full of hands Xuepao.

July 2009 so far, Apple factory in China on behalf of hundreds of Dell Inspiron 6400 Battery have an accident close to public records.

In all these cases, the most serious to the number of joint construction of "hexane" collective poisoning and Foxconn "Sun Danyong jump from a building."

2 months late this year, hundreds of employees, build technology, "hexane" intoxication, as of February 26 the data show that in the "hexane" poisoning incident, directly or indirectly involved 2,742 employees, a total of 134 people were impact.

In addition, "hexane" event, Foxconn's "Sun Danyong jump from a building" is also widely reported by the media.

July 16, 2009 at 3 pm, Foxconn employees Sundan Yong Zhao from the base located in Longhua Building 12th Floor, Lee Gardens A3 jumped. Before the accident, Sundan Yong responsible Foxconn Apple iPhone (mobile internet) into the fourth generation of N90's. July 10, sent in to Apple products, a total of 16 prototypes, but Apple ultimately received only 15 units.

July 13, Fuji Kang Guanlan Apple Prototype & T Park was found missing and reported to the Sun Danyong where the business group Environmental Safety Division. The morning of July 15, Fuji Kang Guanlan Technology Park Environmental Safety Division began a formal investigation, Sundan Yong as the prototype of handling people, was a key survey. That night, Sun Danyong committed suicide.

One condition of anonymity, said the reporter on the industry, before a business once the story took place with Apple, it means wearing a wreath of glamorous, but this may be a "dead ring." Its said foundry companies themselves are to review the past few years, he found a law major events foundry business, and Apple basically related.

Hegemony

Who is the "hexane" incident the culprit? Staff to spearhead a joint construction, and a separation of the joint construction of the middle finger points to confused Apple's hegemony.

The Union built the middle, said in August 2009, build began at Apple's suggestion to replace alcohol with a solvent to clean the phone screens employees, such chemical agents in China and Taiwan are non-strictly control chemicals. Build a joint staff, said, n-hexane is more economic than ethanol. Apple was reportedly proposed on the grounds that other factories are also available, you can see.

In the joint construction of internal staff's view, "hexane" incident, the security risks associated building and not been eliminated. The employee said the incident, Apple once again given a new proposal for the use of acetone and other solvents.

An Apple parts suppliers, said Wei Zai short Tigao yield, OEM Chang Shang Ping Guo Hui Jian Yi try the other in China Yijingshiyong De different chemical agents, such as acetone Deng flammable and explosive of high risk products, Suiran yes Zunxun legal regulations in China use, but under the pressure of the order of urgency, often can not make assessments in advance of industrial safety and protective measures.

The said joint construction of "hexane" event is shipping in order to HP pavilion ZV6000 Battery the extreme standards of Apple, but with the cost of employee health and director of dismissal ending, while Apple reported them with more orders, joint construction of Taiwan's Mother company Wintek stock price has soared in recent.

Much of world public opinion blamed the "Sun Danyong incident" is also accused of Apple related. Informed sources said Sun Danyong tragedy could have been avoided. Apple on behalf of the crash of the Foxconn plant, originally installed the monitoring equipment, but Apple removed to prevent leaks and monitoring equipment, and up around the workshop, which is considered to the staff "manipulate" the opportunity to steal prototype. Later, resulting in the death of Sun Danyong prototype is lost there is no way to verify.

Apple is clearly the place to be criticized more. In addition to interference in the normal production and operation of OEM companies, Apple, through its strong voice, has penetrated into the OEM enterprise and even high-level appointments.

August 2009, Gou successor to one of the pro-point line Hon Hai Jiang Haoliang suddenly out of the core business, to Special Assistant positions. Hon Hai early before he joined, he worked at Apple for 16 years. Terry Gou, Hon Hai was dug after the relationship through the year, he became head of Apple's orders.

Informed sources said Hon Hai has been able to win the iPod, iPhone orders, in addition to the company strong foundry services capabilities, Jiang Haoliang is also considered crucial. During his term, from Apple's orders, created a year contribution to the overall revenue of Hon Hai Group has occupied 10% to 15%.

Jiang Haoliang change jobs once linked with the Sun Danyong event. The source has confirmed that this was the "apple" and is driven by his former club under the stage, the specific reasons for an iPhone just because a small part of cost control, did not listen to Apple's assignment. It is said to require substitution of the phone directly to find Terry Gou - a general manager to be down, or else do not do business with you.

Similar incidents have also occurred, build upon. The joint construction of the middle said, because the views on some issues with the apple, joint construction of a middle-level cadres were forced out of. Similarly, the required substitutions of phones directly to a joint high-level construction.

Appears in the foundry business, Apple's dominance is also reflected in its strong culture of secrecy, Apple in order to prevent technology leakage and suffocating security measures taken on behalf of the factory managers and workers to make severe psychological pressure.

In Mission Hills in Shenzhen Foxconn OEM Apple more than 130 base security, and the heavily guarded base, as an industrial stronghold, no workers are required to swipe the door, the security will be on the passengers from the vehicle fingerprint scanning. A staff of anonymity, said: "The security measures around the factory are very close, are required to go through metal detectors. And as soon as any metal objects, will call the police."

But not limited to Apple's demands, informed sources, Foxconn, Apple and so the need for strict confidentiality of client security product line to establish a full-time scale up to four to five people, the whole plant more than three times the number of security, and this requires strict client confidentiality mainly refers to Apple.

Foxconn revealed a left, do iMac and iPhone are two units, in accordance with the provisions of these two veterans of Apple is not between each other, and Apple does not want them to have direct communication channels through the same place before they are to HP pavilion DV6 battery. As for the iMac and iPod production, they do not know each other completely.

The sources said that Apple should be reviewed to near his stubborn and ruthless secrecy based on the so-called Apple this confidential marketing strategy, marketing, such secrecy may help to improve product awareness, but also directly against other similar products and foundry workers and causing injury. Apple released an annual report anonymous workers by their interpretation as a means of marketing.

Minimum wage

Early April of Suzhou, Jiangsu. As always, every day around 5 pm, in conjunction build the plant entrance, shuttle bus to the factory workers lined up outside the strip, the factory doors will open on time at 5:30, when the door slamming open the crunch, shuttle is filed infiltration, those who work at 5:30 work people will take the bus back to the dormitory.

Of course, not all employees will take the initiative back to the dormitory after work, and obedient female employees different, some male employees will choose to work near yo.

Staff told the newspaper, build a "poisoning" and "strike" incident, the male staff because of poor management was included in the management of limited blacklist strokes. Direct reflection of this change in policy to introduce charges, the year after, by the shortage of migrant workers, lack of work, build powerful, so called spontaneous staff briefing, but the men and women are different, "men's agency fee 200 yuan, but the basic do not; 400 yuan for each woman commission, generosity. "one worker said with a smile, Apple do not increase the audit of such acts, after the male will be the factory of the" rare animals. "

However, the high commission staff can not dispel the doubts and grievances. For joint construction of the greatest views of the staff is low wages. Still, the building felt the victims. A Taiwan foundry executives said such a strong company like Apple limited the increase in wages. The said restriction is done through two ways, one route through the minimum wage; second, the Forced by foundries.

In China, on behalf of the wages of factory workers were divided Sony VGP-BPS5 battery two parts: First, the basic wage, and second overtime. For overtime, the state expressly provides that the base is strictly linked with the basic wage. Therefore, the overall wages of workers play decisive roles in the basic wage.

From the outside, is deducted on behalf of the plant resulted in lower basic wage of workers, thus limiting the overall treatment of workers, but the top is said to really determine the basic wage of workers is neither local government nor the OEM business, but Apple is a big boss.

"Apple has a lot of foundries in China, has a strong audit team, their OEM business process is very understanding of the domestic laws and regulations, social security system and even on the minimum wage standards around the well known. Apple OEM cost components accounting When most of the local government only in accordance with the provisions of the minimum wage to account for labor costs. "

Its also said that a direct consequence of this approach is that foundries for profit, not higher than Apple's standard wages to the workers to open, causing long-term wages are low. So far, Foxconn, general, wages are based on the minimum wage standards, Shenzhen - the basic salary of 960 yuan per month, more than 7 yuan per hour plus overtime. Joint construction in Suzhou, the same is similar to the poisoning incident, joint construction of the basic salary is 850 yuan to local wage standards. After the incident, together building a large area of labor shortage, has been operating staff, build the basic wage of 850 yuan / month adjusted to 1,200 yuan / month, to solve the labor shortage.

In addition, Apple's strict cost control, post-modern industrial enterprises do not make money, fleece, foundries began Forced staff.

Foxconn, a senior retirement sources, because Apple will in all parts of the industrial chain links, etc. all beaten the division of labor, parts suppliers directly from the Apple longitudinal procurement, which sealed the company's profit increased foundry space.

The other customers and Apple is clearly not the same. The source said the outgoing Foxconn, HP and Dell are the foundries as their partners, they felt a certain degree with the foundry is share a common lot, so HP will not be too many designated parts only in the main components such as CPU and graphics card manufacturers specify other foundries can provide on the behalf of the factories, "so we brought the profits come."

The Quanta have also confirmed that Apple is the most stringent cost control customers. OEM HP and Dell industry gross margin is generally in the 5-8 point. With bulk purchases of parts of profits, the general gross margins in the 8 to 10 o'clock. Maori also amortization Dell Inspiron 8600 Battery fixed assets investment, if managed properly will directly lead to a loss. The senior people in Taiwan, said most of the foundries are in fact OEM Apple the edge of small profits, thus limiting the generation of factory space to improve treatment of employees.