The world’s biggest custom manufacturer of electronics, Foxconn Technology Group, is hiring employees to work at a factory in China in order to make the new iPhone, according to Bloomberg.com, which sites an individual close to the plans.
The re-commencement of hiring marks the end of a hiring freeze by the Taipei-based company that began in February. Employees will begin working at the company’s plant in Zhengzhou, which is located in eastern China, according to the source. The individual wished not to be named because information concerning the new project has not been officially released.
According to The Wall Street Journal, an executive close to the plans said the device would soon be produced,
"We have been very busy recently as we will start mass-producing the new iPhone soon," the executive said.
The company has hired about 10,000 new assembly-line employees since the end of March.
The release of a new iPhone could be just what Apple needs as competitors like Samsung Electronics Co. and HTC Corp. have released, or will release, new smart phones this quarter. While the technology giant had record shipments of iPhones last quarter, things might not look so good for the first quarter of 2012. According to Bloomberg analysts, Apple could produce its passive sales growth in the first quarter since 2009.
According to Liu Kun, a spokesman for Foxconn, the idea to re-commence hiring did not come recently. The company advised a re-start of hiring at Zhengzhou about a month ago. Foxconn currently employs approximately 250,000 to 300,000 individuals. Kun would not provide an exact number in terms of how many employees have been added to the plant since the hiring freeze ended.
Bloomberg attempted to contact Carolyn Wu, spokesperson for Apple based in Beijing, however she chose not to comment.
