Foxconn set to scout Pa. sites for $30 million plant
Foxconn Technology Group Chairman Terry Gou speaks during the groundbreaking ceremony for the company's headquarters in Shanghai, China, Thursday, May 10, 2012. Foxconn Technology Group, the world's biggest assembler of consumer electronics, began work Thursday on the headquarters that it says will help spearhead its efforts to sell more in the China market. (AP Photo)
The Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn may soon be making good on plans to invest tens of millions of dollars in Pennsylvania.
The Corbett administration expects to spend January helping Foxconn pick a site for a new manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania.
While Foxconn already has a small facility in Harrisburg, the new plant’s location hasn’t been pinned down.
“We anticipate that, come January, they’ll begin an aggressive site search within Pennsylvania. We expect to receive some site specifications from them that we can aid with them as far as location and logistics nearby the facility,” said Steve Kratz, a spokesman for the Department of Community and Economic Development.
“I would imagine they’ll look for something that’s close to being pad-ready, move-in-ready, which we have an abundance of sites like that in Pennsylvania,” he said.
The electronics supplier is expected to spend $30 million on the plant and another $10 million on a two-year research program with Carnegie Mellon University.
The November announcement of the company’s plans to expand in Pennsylvania came as a surprise, but it makes some sense given the reputation of Foxconn CEO Terry Gou, according to Kratz.
“He tends to be an impulsive CEO, as in he makes decisions quickly,” said Kratz. “And, really, it’s paid off for him. I mean it’s the largest electronics manufacturer in the world.”
The billion-dollar company is a major supplier for Apple, as well as Dell, Nokia, and Sony.
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