Foxconn Struggles to Meet New iPhone Demand(富士康生 ...

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014 ... emand/?mod=yahoo_hs

Apple AAPL +0.71% fans may have to wait for weeks to get the new iPhones as Apple’s major assembler Foxconn appears to be struggling to boost its production to meet strong demand.

Foxconn has continued to hire more workers to assemble the two new iPhone models at its largest production site in Zhengzhou, north central China, according to people familiar with the matter. The company has more than 200,000 workers in the  Zhengzhou site, dedicated to just making new iPhones and key components such as metal casings.

The Taiwan-based manufacturer, which has more than one million workers in China, is operating about 100 production lines around the clock in Zhengzhou.  The challenge is to manufacture two complicated new iPhones  on a large scale at the same time because Foxconn is the sole assembler of the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. It also makes the majority of the iPhone 6 that comes with a 4.7-inch display, the people said.

Last year, Foxconn was the sole assembler of the iPhone 5S, but it only made a small portion of the iPhone 5C as another Taiwanese contract maker Pegatron was assigned to be the major assembler for the cheaper model.  Foxconn also stopped manufacturing the iPhone 5C later and shifted all resources to make the more popular iPhone 5S.

“We have been churning out 140,000 iPhone 6 Plus and 400,000 iPhone 6 every day, the highest daily output ever, but the volume is still not enough to meet the preorders,” said a person familiar with the matter.

Apple is now shipping all variations of new iPhones but the iPhone 6 Plus is scarcer.  The waiting time for the iPhone 6 Plus is longer, at three-to-four weeks while customers can get an iPhone 6 within seven to ten business days, according to the company’s online store in the U.S.

“For iPhone 6 Plus, we are still ramping up the production line. Another reason for the limited supply is the shortage of 5.5-inch displays,” said the person.

The output rate of 5.5-inch is still only around 50%-60%, which means display makers have to scrap almost half of the substandard output, said a person at a display component supplier.

The person said the output rate of the 4.7-inch display is better at 85%.

The production is complicated because the displays use in-cell technology. This allows the screens to be thinner and lighter by integrating touch sensors into the liquid crystal display,  making it unnecessary to have a separate touch-screen layer, according to people familiar with the matter.

Normally, Apple’s suppliers manage to increase the output for new iPhones gradually when they improve their production over time.

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文章大意：富士康每天生产140000部iPhone 6 Plus和40000部iPhone 6 Plus，仍然供不应求。4.7吋屏成品率85%，5.5吋屏成品率只有50-60%。


http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014 ... emand/?mod=yahoo_hs

Apple AAPL +0.71% fans may have to wait for weeks to get the new iPhones as Apple’s major assembler Foxconn appears to be struggling to boost its production to meet strong demand.

Foxconn has continued to hire more workers to assemble the two new iPhone models at its largest production site in Zhengzhou, north central China, according to people familiar with the matter. The company has more than 200,000 workers in the  Zhengzhou site, dedicated to just making new iPhones and key components such as metal casings.

The Taiwan-based manufacturer, which has more than one million workers in China, is operating about 100 production lines around the clock in Zhengzhou.  The challenge is to manufacture two complicated new iPhones  on a large scale at the same time because Foxconn is the sole assembler of the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. It also makes the majority of the iPhone 6 that comes with a 4.7-inch display, the people said.

Last year, Foxconn was the sole assembler of the iPhone 5S, but it only made a small portion of the iPhone 5C as another Taiwanese contract maker Pegatron was assigned to be the major assembler for the cheaper model.  Foxconn also stopped manufacturing the iPhone 5C later and shifted all resources to make the more popular iPhone 5S.

“We have been churning out 140,000 iPhone 6 Plus and 400,000 iPhone 6 every day, the highest daily output ever, but the volume is still not enough to meet the preorders,” said a person familiar with the matter.

Apple is now shipping all variations of new iPhones but the iPhone 6 Plus is scarcer.  The waiting time for the iPhone 6 Plus is longer, at three-to-four weeks while customers can get an iPhone 6 within seven to ten business days, according to the company’s online store in the U.S.

“For iPhone 6 Plus, we are still ramping up the production line. Another reason for the limited supply is the shortage of 5.5-inch displays,” said the person.

The output rate of 5.5-inch is still only around 50%-60%, which means display makers have to scrap almost half of the substandard output, said a person at a display component supplier.

The person said the output rate of the 4.7-inch display is better at 85%.

The production is complicated because the displays use in-cell technology. This allows the screens to be thinner and lighter by integrating touch sensors into the liquid crystal display,  making it unnecessary to have a separate touch-screen layer, according to people familiar with the matter.

Normally, Apple’s suppliers manage to increase the output for new iPhones gradually when they improve their production over time.

__________________________________________
文章大意：富士康每天生产140000部iPhone 6 Plus和40000部iPhone 6 Plus，仍然供不应求。4.7吋屏成品率85%，5.5吋屏成品率只有50-60%。