Taipei, July 13 (CNA) Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., the world's largest contract electronics producer, said Friday that it has begun automating its manufacturing process throughout its global operations.
Automated production techniques have been gradually adopted in the production of smartphones and tablet computers, the company said.
It declined, however, to provide specifics on which parts of its business or what regions of operations have seen the introduction of automated manufacturing processes.
During Hon Hai's annual shareholders' meeting in June, company chairman Terry Gou said Hon Hai was planning to enter a so-called "Smart Age" and complete the automation process in the coming years.
He believed that replacing workers with machines on assembly lines, where the work is boring and repetitive, would help build the competitiveness required by manufacturers in the future.
Hon Hai's main automation R&D base is in Taipei, the company said, and the office is responsible for developing and testing the related equipment.
The company has also invested in Taichung-based Foxnum Co., an automation specialist, to strengthen its capabilities in the field.
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