Strikes at Foxconn factory in Brazil halt iPhone production

Up to 3,500 employees for the Brazilian arm of Apple’s iPhone manufacturing partner Foxconn allegedly went on strike late last week, causing a factory-wide shutdown of production. The strike is still reportedly in effect at the factory in Jundiai, Brazil.

Harry Tunnecliffe, Macworld Australia
18 September, 2014

9to5Mac has received a number of tips and translated local news reports concerning the matter, and claim that every single production line had stopped when the strike was first enacted last Thursday. Workers are reportedly demanding changes to work and pay policies, and as part of the strike, have blocked other employees from entering the site. This would explain the complete halt to production.

The strike comes at a critical time for Apple, as despite record production levels, Foxconn are struggling to keep up with the amount of pre-orders that have already taken place – which are achieving record numbers.

9to5Mac does note that while the Jundiai factory does produce iPhone (and iPad) units, the majority of Foxconn’s iPhone supplies come from factories based in China.

Despite this knowledge, it is quite obvious that the struggle to keep production up to speed with record demand will not be aided by an entire factory shutting down production for days at a time.

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Report: iPhone 6 Demand Overwhelms Foxconn
BY STEPHANIE MLOT, pcmag,  SEPTEMBER 17, 2014
The Taiwanese manufacturer is churning out 140,000 phablets and 400,000 smartphones daily, according to reports.

Another iPhone launch, another round of reports about overseas suppliers overwhelmed by orders.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Foxconn is operating 100 production lines “around the clock,” churching out 140,000 phablets and 400,000 smartphones every day, but it’s still not enough to satisfy pre-orders.
The Journal said the Zhengzhou, China-based factory has more than 200,000 employees dedicated to making iPhone 6 and 6 Plus handsets and their key components. But with a record 4 million pre-orders in the first 24 hours, Foxconn is reportedly struggling to craft the devices fast enough.