14 DAY TRIAL // Marketplace.org's Rob Schmitz is the second reporter ever to be allowed inside a Foxconn production plant that handles the assembly of Apple’s tablet computers. The video embedded above offers highlights from his tour of the assembly line and the Foxconn facilities.
Schmitz says the work done by the 250,000 employees in the Chengdu facilities is tedious, and that the working conditions are not appalling, as earlier reports have suggested. Workers can be seen arriving for work early in the morning already tired. Most of them are commuters, says Schmitz.
The footage offers an exclusive glimpse at how the Apple iPad is actually crafted. The manufacturing process combines human labor with machines which automate some tasks, such as gyroscope calibration, or fastening the battery pack inside the chassis.
It’s a must-watch amid the controversy on working conditions at Foxconn, as well as for anyone curious about the process of assembling an iPad.