Foxconn Will Produce Ventilators at its Controversial Wisconsin Plant (theverge.com) 35
Foxconn's Wisconsin plant, the controversial recipient of billions of dollars in tax subsidies and the focus of several investigations, will produce ventilators with medical device firm Medtronic. From a report: The partnership was announced by Medtronic CEO Omar Ishrak in an interview with CNBC, who said that Foxconn will be manufacturing ventilators based on its PB-560 design in the next four to six weeks. Foxconn's Wisconsin plant was first announced way back in 2017 as a $10 billion LCD factory. It was labeled the "eighth wonder of the world" by President Trump, but Foxconn's plans for the site appear to have changed repeatedly over the years. At various points, Foxconn has said that it would build a smaller LCD factory, no factory at all, or that it would produce other items like a robot coffee kiosk. Now, it appears the factory will, in part at least, produce ventilators, after its planned opening next month.
Ummmm (Score:5, Informative)
Fairly interesting read here:
https://www.webmd.com/lung/new... [webmd.com]
Just throwing people on ventilators may be killing people.
Re: (Score:2)
BREAKING NEWS:
Foxconn plant pivots to build oxygen during crisis.
Re: (Score:1)
summary is a lie, as was previous slashdot article (Score:3, Informative)
Zero subsidies have actually been given, the deal was incremental subsidies Foxconn met certain targets. Thus there is no problem, if Foxconn gets their ass in gear and meets targets then they get subsidies.
Re: (Score:1)
Moreover, the deal was killed by a new Democrat governor, not by Foxconn and the subsidies were intended to be tax deduction, money the state isn't going to get if the factories were so overloaded with regulations that they were never built.
Re:summary is a lie, as was previous slashdot arti (Score:5, Informative)
You forget the reason that plant was planned. It was to ingratiate Foxconn with the alleged administration and its sycophantic Republican governor at the time. Regulations have nothing to do with it. Foxconn didn't want the alleged president screwing with their mainland China supply chain.
Re:summary is a lie, as was previous slashdot arti (Score:5, Informative)
This is a Republican talking point and there is zero evidence that Democrats actively worked to change the deal that was already made. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/u... [nbcnews.com]
"there have been no attempts by either the company or the Evers’ or Walker administrations to renegotiate WEDC’s contract.”
Re: (Score:1)
Except when they're hiding it: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/2... [cnbc.com]
Re: (Score:1)
Except when they're hiding it: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/2... [cnbc.com]
Article doesn't say the deal got killed, but that Foxconn approached Gov. Evers to make changes to the deal
"Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers says the state is renegotiating its contract with Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn to build a massive LCD plant in the state, after Foxconn approached state officials to propose changes in the deal."
Re: (Score:2)
At least this plant is getting some use.
Re: (Score:2)
Zero subsidies have actually been given, the deal was incremental subsidies Foxconn met certain targets.
Yeah but we're in a crisis. Expect that first ventilator to cost America $billions.
it appears the factory will produce ventilators (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
>Or have we all completely forgotten the story of the "Boy who Cried Wolf"?
Or maybe, as Garak [youtube.com] would say, never tell the same lie twice.
So how long will the conversion take? (Score:2)
Re:So how long will the conversion take? (Score:5, Insightful)
The plant was set up to be built out, when Democrats got elected into Wisconsin, they killed the whole thing and no tax deductions were ever given but Foxconn still owns the building.
It was killed because it was a boondoggle. Foxconn never met the milestones they agreed to, employed very few locals, and generally milked the deal for all it was worth. Wisconsin pols got played for suckers, with Trump's help.
This just sounds like more of the same. Wake me when a single ventilator comes off the production line.
Re: So how long will the conversion take? (Score:2)
You go too far! You grasp exceed grasp! You am play Gods! [dresdencodak.com]
Who's idea was it anyway? (Score:2)
Re: Who's idea was it anyway? (Score:2)
Uum, you retards wanted them to not manufacture outside of "Murica".
You chose your leader.
Apparently, you only like what you want, when you don't get it. Or rather, "we" like to bitch and complain, and "we" can't have things actually going "our" way.
Medtronic - killers of ventilators (Score:3)
The partnership was announced by Medtronic CEO Omar Ishrak
Medtronic is the same company that killed off the possibility of getting cheaper ventilators [pluralistic.net] several years ago.
Re: (Score:2)
Does MedTronic have a monopoly on ventilators?
Re: Medtronic - killers of ventilators (Score:2)
We prefer to call it "intellectual property".
All the best,
The Organized Crime
Ventilators will be dime a dozen soon (Score:2)
By the time the ventilators start leaving the factory in a few weeks, the peak will be well passed. The demand will plummet/
The good news is that some of the excess ones could be sold cheaply to third world countries that need them (if they have the skill to use them properly). Places like Pakistan will peak very badly.
Foxconnn... (Score:1)
...seems to be the true name of a certain media outlet, right?
4 weeks? (Score:3)
In a month, when they........
1 month
sigh.
That might as well be "when the sun burns out" in todays conditions. Not that I'm angry at Foxconn. That plant was never anything more than window dressing. They put up the building right after Trump was elected and people were still taking him seriously. "Reshoring jobs" hahahahaha yeah right. I'd be honestly surprised if the building contains anything other than empty shipping crates, and extremely surprised if they EVER manufacture something real there.
Re: (Score:2)
Don't know if anyone else has noticed, but there's one gigantic chunk of the economy that is not doing anything about COVID-19 or assisting people in any way, and it's one of the highest tech sectors of the economy which receives gigantic subsidies of tax dollars: the Military/Industrial Complex. I suppose when your business is death and destruction you tend not to be inclined to lend assistance no matter the cause.
Anyone reminded of that Silicon Valley scene? (Score:2)
You can't tell me that the exact same thing didn't happen with this plant.
so it DID get built? (Score:2)
Funny, all the news for a long time was that this was never going to be built?
Latest updates show some quite large facilities - it seems that news isn't being spread quite as fast? huh.
https://www.foxconnracinecount... [foxconnracinecounty.com]
260,000 sq ft facility, cost so far about $400 million to build...this is money going to local contractors that they'd have never seen.
And that $3bn in "subsidy" is in tax credits; ie the state spends NOTHING, it merely foregoes money it would be getting in the future in taxes...it costs taxp
Retooling is a dumb idea (Score:1)