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☆ Foxconn's May sales drop 9.5% y/y on smartphone weakness
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The first half of the year is traditionally slower for Taiwan tech manufacturers as major electronics vendors including Apple launch new products near the year-end holiday season. Apple (AAPL.O) results for the quarter ended April 1 beat expectations, helped by better-than-expected iPhone sales and inroads in India and other newer markets. However, Foxconn posted a 56% plunge in first-quarter net profit, lagging forecasts in its biggest quarterly fall in three years. It took a $565 million write-off linked to its 34% stake in Japanese electronics maker Sharp Corp (6753.T) and said visibility for the full year was limited. Foxconn shares have risen 7.6% so far this year, lagging the broader Taiwan market (.TWII), which is up 18.2%.

Persons: Foxconn, Ben Blanchard, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Apple Inc, Hai Precision Industry Co, Taiwan, Apple, Sharp Corp, Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, India, Taiwan

☆ Foxconn sees AI driving strong server demand, but full year to be flat
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"You can see the market for AI servers will rise much faster than expected. The Taiwanese company has a 40% global market share for servers and aims to further increase that, Liu added. In the first quarter, Foxconn's cloud and network products segment, which includes servers, accounted for 22% of revenue, second only to smart consumer electronics - which includes smartphones - at 56%. Foxconn, which assembles around 70% of iPhones, has been diversifying production away from China, whose strict COVID-19 restrictions disrupted its biggest iPhone plant last year. Liu said China, including its massive iPhone plant in China's Zhengzhou, remained very important for Foxconn.

Persons: Liu Young, Liu, Foxconn, Jun Seki, Ben Blanchard, Faith Hung, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Apple Inc, Hai Precision Industry Co, General Motor Co, Nissan, EV, Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, Lordstown , Ohio, EVs, Taiwan, United States, Indonesia, India, China, Beijing, Washington, China's Zhengzhou

☆ EV startups conserve cash as make-or-break moment approaches. Here's where everyone stands
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( John Rosevear | In Jrosevear | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

As legacy automakers increasingly ramp production of all-electric vehicles, cushioned by the profits of gas-powered models, a handful of EV startups are scrambling to conserve cash and stay in the mix. It also means the amount of cash Fisker had left as of the end of March, $652.5 million, isn't yet cause for alarm. Still, Fisker cut its production guidance for 2023 to between 32,000 vehicles and 36,000 vehicles, from 42,400 in its original plan. Or as Evercore ISI analyst Doug Dutton wrote before Fisker's earnings report, "Fisker is beginning to turn into a story of binary and 'show me' outcomes." It had $108.1 million remaining as of the end of March, but it lost $171.1 million in the first quarter .

Persons: Tesla, Rivian, Claire McDonough, Rivian's, It's, McDonough, Deutsche Bank's Emmanuel Rosner, Rosner, Sherry House, Peter Rawlinson, Bank of America's John Murphy, Murphy, Aston Martin, Henrik Fisker, Fisker, Doug Dutton, Dutton, Nikola Nikola, Trevor Milton, Nikola, Voltera, TD Cowen, Jeffrey Osborne, Osborne, Polestar Polestar, it's, Johan Malmqvist isn't, aren't, Deutsche Bank's Rosner, Lordstown, Foxconn, Foxconn doesn't Organizations: EV, Amazon, Deutsche, Lucid's, Bank of America's, BMW, Global, Magna International, Nikola, Iveco, Volvo Cars, Geely, Lordstown, Nasdaq, General Motors Locations: Georgia, Magna, Austria, U.S, Europe, North America, Nikola's, Swedish, China, Ohio, Lordstown

Foxconn's turnaround efforts initially paid off: by 2018, Sharp was back in the black. Moreover, analysts estimate assembling iPhones and other Apple (AAPL.O) gadgets still brings in more than half of Foxconn’s annual sales. The troubled unit was once a joint venture between Sharp, Foxconn and an entity tied to Gou. The company attributed the slump to a non-operating loss of T$19.7 billion related to its 34% stake in Japanese electronics maker Sharp. Sharp reported a 220-billion-yen ($1.6 billion) impairment loss in the quarter, mostly from buildings, machinery and goodwill relating to display businesses.

☆ Apple supplier Foxconn breaks ground on $500 million India factory
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

(Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP) (Photo by ARUN SANKAR/AFP via Getty Images)Taiwan-based Foxconn has broken ground on a new $500 million factory in the Indian state of Telangana just under a month after Apple CEO Tim Cook met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Foxconn is one of Apple 's largest suppliers and directly produces a reported 70% of the world's iPhone supply. The new Telangana factory will employ 25,000 workers "in the first phase," according to a tweet from the government of Telangana. Foxconn did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the discrepancy on when a deal was reached. Bloomberg previously reported on Foxconn's effort to build another factory in the Indian state of Karnataka, just outside of Bengaluru.

☆ Foxconn's April sales fall 12% on slowing smartphone business
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Foxconn said revenue last month reached T$429.2 billion ($14 billion), in line with the company's own expectations. For smart consumer electronics products, which include smartphones and are the company's main business driver, revenue in April declined as it entered the "traditional slow season", the company said in a statement, without elaborating. The first half of the year is traditionally slower for Taiwan tech manufacturers as major electronics vendors including Apple (AAPL.O) launch new products near the year-end holiday season. Apple results for the quarter ended April 1 beat expectations on Thursday, thanks to better-than-expected iPhone sales and inroads in India and other newer markets. The company in March predicted revenue for the full year to be flat, with weak demand for consumer electronics offset by growth in computing, cloud, networking and component products.

Foxconn struck a deal in November to take a near-20% stake in the money-losing U.S. firm for up to $170 million. It has since invested $52.7 million and is balking at purchasing additional shares, citing a breach of their agreement, Lordstown said. "There is substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going concern," Lordstown said in a filing, referring to its dispute with Foxconn over the investment deal. Their course of conduct has resulted in material — and what is becoming irreparable — harm to the company," Lordstown said in a statement. Lordstown shares, which at one point tumbled more than 50% on Monday, closed down 23%, or 12 cents, at 40 cents, in heavy trading.

☆ Lordstown Motors warns of bankruptcy after Foxconn threatens to walk away from crucial funding deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( John Rosevear | In Jrosevear | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Shares of electric vehicle startup Lordstown Motors disclosed on Monday that a funding deal with Foxconn is in jeopardy – and that it may go bankrupt if the deal doesn't happen. Foxconn paid the first $52.7 million due under that deal last year, but the remainder – and the deal itself – is now in jeopardy. That approval was secured on April 25, Lordstown said, meaning that Foxconn is obliged to make that investment by May 8. According to Lordstown, that plan hasn't been finalized because Foxconn isn't making "commercially reasonable efforts" to finish it. Lordstown warned in the filing that it may be forced to file for bankruptcy protection if the Foxconn deal falls through.

May 1 (Reuters) - Lordstown Motors (RIDE.O) shares plunged 48% Monday after major shareholder Foxconn alleged it breached their $170 million investment deal and the electric truck maker warned it might be forced to file for bankruptcy. Lordstown warned in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Monday that "there is substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going concern." Without a resolution with Foxconn, other funding or new partners, it could be forced to file for bankruptcy or cease operations, it added. Lordstown shares were trading mid-afternoon at 27 cents, down 25 cents. Lordstown Motors bought a former General Motors Co (GM.N) small car assembly plant and equipment for $20 million in Ohio after the Detroit automaker closed it in March 2019.

☆ Why India is so important to Apple
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Cook said in February that Apple had its best sales quarter ever for iPhones in India in the quarter ending in December. Most phones sold in India are priced below even the least-expensive new Apple iPhone. India could end up being a big winner as Apple looks for non-Chinese manufacturing options. Tim Cook, Apple's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) reacts as a man shows him Apple's Macintosh outside the Apple store at Jio World Drive mall, Mumbai, India on April 18, 2023. Apple was bullish on India back then, too: "India will be the most populous country in the world in 2022," Cook told CNBC's Jim Cramer at the time, saying it had "huge market potential."

☆ Foxconn Q1 sales edge up, but Q2 outlook poor
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The rise in sales for the first three months of the year, to T$1.46 trillion, was a fresh record high for the same period, and in line with previous guidance, Foxconn (2317.TW), formally called Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, said. For smart consumer electronics products, which includes smartphones, revenue in March declined due to new product launches in the same period last year. More than half of Foxconn's revenue comes from consumer electronics. Foxconn shares have risen 4.1% so far this year, lagging the broader Taiwan market (.TWII) which is up 12.2%. (This story has been corrected to change figure to T$1.46 trillion from T$1.42 billion in paragraph 3)Reporting by Ben Blanchard, Editing by Louise Heavens and Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Apple CEO Tim Cook meets with China's commerce minister on supply chain
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Rohan Goswami | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., speaks during a "First Tool-In" ceremony at the TSMC facility under construction in Phoenix, Arizona, US, on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022. Apple CEO Tim Cook met with China's minister of commerce, Wang Wentao, on Monday to discuss industrial and supply chain stabilization, according to a statement from the Ministry of Commerce. "The two sides exchanged views on issues such as Apple's development in China and the stabilization of the industrial and supply chains," the statement from China's Ministry of Commerce read. Cook and Wang's meeting comes after months of lockdowns and Covid restrictions in China. "China will unswervingly promote high-level opening-up, steadily promote rules, regulations, management, standards and other institutional opening-up," the statement from Wang's ministry read.

☆ Exclusive: Apple supplier Foxconn wins AirPod order, plans $200 mln factory in India - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Yimou Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

One source said Foxconn will invest more than $200 million in the new India AirPod plant in the southern Indian state of Telangana. The decision to set up production in India was requested by Apple, according to the source. Apple and its key suppliers have been shifting production away from China, where strict COVID-19 curbs disrupted Foxconn's biggest iPhone factory last year. Foxconn said on Wednesday it would ramp up investment outside China to meet customer demand and lower its reliance on China for production. It was not immediately clear whether Foxconn's production plan would have impact on current AirPod suppliers, including Luxshare Precision Industry (002475.SZ).

☆ Apple supplier Foxconn expects decline in consumer electronics demand, prioritizes global growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Rohan Goswami | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Major Apple supplier Foxconn reported a 10% year-over-year decline in profit for 2022 and anticipated a decline in consumer electronics demand for the full year ahead, the company said in its earnings report Wednesday. The negative sentiment reflected Apple's muted expectations for consumer sales. The company added iPhone sales will decline less in the March quarter compared to the Dcember quarter. Taiwan-based Foxconn is a major manufacturer for consumer technology firms, but is best known for its relationship with Apple, which relies on Foxconn to produce and assemble its iPhone, among other products. The Chinese government has since pulled back on the most aggressive of its Covid protocols, but Apple and other major technology companies have emphasized to suppliers a need to diversify beyond China.

☆ Apple is probably the safest place to be when it comes to navigating the next 6 months: Gene Munster
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailApple is probably the safest place to be when it comes to navigating the next 6 months: Gene MunsterGene Munster, managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss whether the recent news from the banking sector has changed Munster's tech outlook, Foxconn's recent warning on consumer electronic demand, and more.

TAIPEI, March 15 (Reuters) - Apple Inc supplier Foxconn (2317.TW) on Wednesday said it plans to ramp up investment outside of China and efforts to attract automakers to its contract manufacturing business, as the company reported weaker demand for consumer electronics. Foxconn, which assembles around 70% of iPhones, has been diversifying production away from China, whose strict COVID restrictions disrupted its biggest iPhone plant last year. The company also seeks to avoid a potential hit to its business from mounting trade tensions between Beijing and Washington. "Foxconn will actively expand its EV business in North America and work more comprehensively with traditional and start-up car makers," Liu said. Liu said revenue from EV components is expected to rise sharply to between T$50 billion and T$100 billion this year from T$20 billion last year.

For now, by building in Ohio, Foxconn can offer customers access to U.S. federal incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act, Daiwa Capital Markets analyst Kylie Huang said. That's a selling point as traditional automakers juggle building gasoline-powered vehicles with plans to build their own EV capacity. "If they don't get one this year, next year will be more difficult," Huang said of Foxconn's search for an EV contract with a traditional automaker. "Sooner or later, maybe the top, traditional (automakers) say, 'Hey, I want to become a product marketing company. Foxconn wants to build around 300,000 EVs at the plant, Ian Upton, director of production control at Foxconn Ohio, told Reuters.

☆ Lordstown Motors loss widens on steep costs, delivery delays
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Workers tend to an unfinished Lordstown Motors Endurance electric pick-up truck on the assembly line at Foxconn's electric vehicle production facility in Lordstown, Ohio, U.S. November 30, 2022. REUTERS/Quinn Glabicki/File PhotoMarch 6 (Reuters) - Lordstown Motors Corp (RIDE.O) on Monday posted a bigger loss for the fourth quarter, as the electric-vehicle (EV) maker struggled with production costs and missed its delivery target for the Endurance pickup truck. However, Lordstown suspended production last month due to performance and quality issues with some components and reported sales of only six vehicles. Net loss for the quarter ended Dec. 31 stood at $102.3 million, compared with $81.2 million a year earlier. The company had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $221.7 million as of Dec. 31, up from $203.5 million in the preceding quarter.

☆ Foxconn reports fall in Feb sales, sticks to Q1 outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Compared to the previous month, revenue dropped 39.12%, although cumulative sales for the first two months of the year jumped on-year 17.94% thanks to January's particularly strong performance when Zhengzhou operations began getting back on track. "Based on the revenue performance in the first two months, the outlook for first quarter 2023 is roughly in line with market expectation," Foxconn said without elaborating. Foxconn shares have risen 2.6% so far this year, underperforming the broader Taiwan market (.TWII) which is up 10.4%. The company reports fourth-quarter earnings on March 15, when it will also elaborate on its outlook. ($1 = 30.4980 Taiwan dollars)Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by William Mallard and Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Taiwan's Foxconn seeks chip, EV cooperation with India
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Taiwan's Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics maker and formally called Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, said Liu had visited India from Feb. 27 to Saturday. "My trip this week supported Foxconn's efforts to deepen partnerships, meet old friends and make new ones, and seek cooperation in new areas such as semiconductor development and electric vehicles," Liu said in a statement. Foxconn has ambitious plans to make EVs, and is also looking to make chips. He did not mention any new concrete investment plans in the country, and Foxconn has not announced any since his trip. Currently, iPhones are assembled in India by at least three of Apple's global suppliers - Foxconn and Pegatron (4938.TW) in Tamil Nadu, and Wistron in Karnataka.

Such efforts to attract foreign investment come as the pandemic and geopolitical tensions push companies to diversify their supply chains away from China. The Commerce Ministry said Thursday that for the first time, it would launch events for an "Invest in China Year." Apple later said the Zhengzhou factory disruptions would delay deliveries of some iPhone 14 models. He also noted "serious challenges" to attracting foreign investment. Those include unfair competition with local players in China due to industrial policies, lack of legal protection for foreign business in China and geopolitical risks, Wang said.

☆ Foxconn's January sales surge COVID disruption shaken off
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TAIPEI, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Taiwan's Foxconn (2317.TW), the world's largest contract electronics maker and major iPhone assembler for Apple Inc (AAPL.O), said on Sunday that revenue in January jumped 48.2% year-on-year, as it shook off COVID disruptions in China. Revenue in January reached a record high, with operations returning to normal and shipments increasing at the Zhengzhou campus in China, a centre for iPhone production, the company said in a statement. Production of iPhones faced disruption ahead of Christmas and January's Lunar New Year holidays, after curbs to control COVID-19 prompted thousands of workers to leave Foxconn's factory lines in Zhengzhou. Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Meg Shen; Editing by Lincoln Feast. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Foxconn's January sales surge as China COVID disruption shaken off
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Production of iPhones faced disruption ahead of Christmas and January's Lunar New Year holidays, after curbs to control COVID-19 prompted thousands of workers to leave Foxconn's factory lines in Zhengzhou. "Based on market consensus for first quarter 2023, January revenue came in slightly ahead. The outlook for the first quarter will likely reach market expectation," Foxconn said without elaborating. Foxconn shares have slid 0.3% so far this year, underperforming the broader Taiwan market (.TWII) which is up 10.4%. ($1 = 29.9660 Taiwan dollars)Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Meg Shen; Additional reporting by Yimou Lee; Editing by Lincoln Feast.

☆ A Chinese iPhone factory worker says he saw a colleague have his pay reduced for spending too much time drinking water, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A worker told Rest of World what working at a Foxconn factory where iPhones are assembled in China is like. The worker said he saw a colleague have his pay lowered for spending too long drinking. Nicknamed Hunter, the worker told Rest of World he felt he was stripped of his "rights and dignity." Hunter told Rest of World he had a strict hour-long lunch break and if he had to go to the toilets, he would need to make up for the lost time. He told Rest of World he hoped not to be back at Foxconn for the next mass production of iPhones, but he couldn't be "absolutely sure."

☆ China's 2022 smartphone shipments the lowest in 10 years, research firm says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SHANGHAI, Jan 29 (Reuters) - China's smartphone sales fell 13% year-on-year in 2022, the largest plunge for the sector in a decade as consumers spent cautiously, market research firm IDC said on Sunday. That meant total 2022 sales volume was the lowest since 2013 and the first time since then that annual sales have dropped below 300 million, IDC said in a report. Its total shipments fell 25.1% year-on-year, however. The plunge in smartphone sales in China reflected the sector's performance globally. In 2022, global smartphone shipments hit 1.2 billion, the lowest since 2013 and a year-on-year fall of more than 11%, according to IDC.

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