Explosion kills 2 at iPad manufacturing plant of Apple partner Foxconn

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
Two workers were killed in a large explosion Friday at a Foxconn manufacturing plant in Chengdu, China, that assembles Apple's iPad 2. Apple has issued a statement acknowledging that it will look into the matter.



Updated:Following the incident, Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said the company is investigating what happened, Reuters reports. "We are deeply saddened by the tragedy at the Foxconn plant in Chengdu and our hearts go out to the victims and their families," he said. "We are working closely with Foxconn to understand what caused this terrible event."



Two people are confirmed dead and another 16 are injured, including three seriously, a statement from the Chengdu Municipal government said, according to The Wall Street Journal. The government also claimed that foul play was not involved in the incident.



The explosion occurred in a Foxconn "polishing plant" around 7 p.m. Foxconn is the overseas manufacturing partner of Apple.



TV reports from China show black smoke billowing from the facility as chaos unfolds in the streets. And MIC Gadget relayed a first-hand account, where more than 10 fire engines, ambulances and 10 police cars were spotted.



Reports out of China have said that the explosion occurred at Foxconn's building "A5," which is where the iPad 2 is allegedly produced.



Foxconn's assembly factories in China have been the subject of much criticism, and Apple was even forced to make a public statement last year after a number of suicides occurred at the main Foxconn plant in Shenzhen, China.







Apple conducts an annual audit of its overseas partners and their factories. This year, that audit found one facility in the Far East that employed 42 underage workers, prompting Apple to terminate business with the facility.



Foxconn has also struggled meet demand for the hot-selling iPad 2. Earlier this month, a report from the Far East claimed that Foxconn has experienced a shortage of both labor and materials at its plants in Chengdu, China -- the same city where Friday's explosion occurred.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 90
    imoanimoan Posts: 56member
    (edit: please don't feed the troll)
  • Reply 2 of 90
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iMoan View Post


    iPads are explosive? Glad I don't have one.



    I love my Mac.



    Seriously dude? People die and are critically injured, that is some funny stuff...
  • Reply 3 of 90
    freerangefreerange Posts: 1,597member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iMoan View Post


    iPads are explosive? Glad I don't have one.



    I love my Mac.



    Totally inappropriate comment considering the loss of life. You should be ashamed of yourself.
  • Reply 4 of 90
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    China news is reporting the injuries were a result of a secondary dust explosion. If so, the atmosphere inside the plant already have been pretty hazardous.
  • Reply 5 of 90
    galaxytabgalaxytab Posts: 122member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iMoan View Post


    iPads are explosive? Glad I don't have one.



    I love my Mac.



    Arsehole.
  • Reply 6 of 90
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post


    China news is reporting the injuries were a result of a secondary dust explosion. If so, the atmosphere inside the plant already have been pretty hazardous.



    Same thing has been known to happen in grain silos in the Midwest US. There are many such hazardous environments in an industrial facility. The key is to try to prevent any ignition source. Dust in and of itself is not necessarily an indication of any improper manufacturing methods.
  • Reply 7 of 90
    isaidsoisaidso Posts: 750member
    Since I am unable to ever find an article that EVER mentions any other technology company other than Apple that contracts their work to Foxconn, EVER. I'll just have to assume that this sad tragedy is Apple's fault.

    Clearly.
  • Reply 8 of 90
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iMoan View Post


    iPads are explosive? Glad I don't have one.



    I love my Mac.



    Typical and expected troll behavior. With idiots like this hiding behind the shields of their monitors in cyberspace, is it any wonder that civil discourse has evaporated these days?



    Truly sad and unfortunate.
  • Reply 9 of 90
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iMoan View Post


    iPads are explosive? Glad I don't have one.



    I love my Mac.



    Aflac, Aflac.
  • Reply 10 of 90
    I just like how the workers that have masks on for the smoke, break out their cigarettes...
  • Reply 11 of 90
    mj1970mj1970 Posts: 9,002member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    Same thing has been known to happen in grain silos in the Midwest US. There are many such hazardous environments in an industrial facility. The key is to try to prevent any ignition source. Dust in and of itself is not necessarily an indication of any improper manufacturing methods.



    Exactly. Things like sawdust and even powdered sugar have been known to cause fires and explosions under the right circumstances.



    I feel badly for those injured and killed in this.
  • Reply 12 of 90
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by isaidso View Post


    Since I am unable to ever find an article that EVER mentions any other technology company other than Apple that contracts their work to Foxconn, EVER. I'll just have to assume that this sad tragedy is Apple's fault.

    Clearly.



    Dude, seriously? There is this really cool thing called an "internet search engine" that can produce some pretty interesting results. For instance, I was able to dig up this customer list in less than 15 seconds:



    Clients



    Foxconn makes consumer electronics for a number of well-known companies, including:

    Apple Inc. (United States)[19][5][20]

    Acer Inc. (Taiwan)

    Amazon.com (United States)

    Asus (Taiwan)

    Intel (United States)

    Cisco (United States)

    Hewlett-Packard (United States)[21][20]

    Dell (United States)

    Nintendo (Japan)

    Nokia (Finland)[19]

    Microsoft (United States)

    Sony (Japan)

    Sony Ericsson (Japan/Sweden)[20]

    Samsung (Korea)

    Vizio (United States)





    Unfrigginbelievable...
  • Reply 13 of 90
    isaidsoisaidso Posts: 750member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post


    China news is reporting the injuries were a result of a secondary dust explosion. If so, the atmosphere inside the plant already have been pretty hazardous.



    Well... No. Not necessarily. Keyword "secondary". It sort of sounds like perhaps a building-wide dust collection unit exploded, and then all the dust that then filled the air, ignited.
  • Reply 14 of 90
    prof. peabodyprof. peabody Posts: 2,860member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post


    China news is reporting the injuries were a result of a secondary dust explosion. If so, the atmosphere inside the plant already have been pretty hazardous.



    It apparently happened during a shift change also. That's one often of the most hazardous times because of communication breakdowns between leaving/arriving shifts and turning equipment on and off etc.



    I see no reason to assume that Apple has anything to do with this or even that hazardous conditions at the plant were involved but you know the media will be playing that card for the two or three weeks it takes to find out that they are wrong. By then no one will remember anything but "Apple killed workers at a plant," or some such nonsense.
  • Reply 15 of 90
    isaidsoisaidso Posts: 750member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SixPenceRicher View Post


    Dude, seriously? There is this really cool thing called an "internet search engine" that can produce some pretty interesting results. For instance, I was able to dig up this customer list in less than 15 seconds:



    Clients



    Foxconn makes consumer electronics for a number of well-known companies, including:

    Apple Inc. (United States)[19][5][20]

    Acer Inc. (Taiwan)

    Amazon.com (United States)

    Asus (Taiwan)

    Intel (United States)

    Cisco (United States)

    Hewlett-Packard (United States)[21][20]

    Dell (United States)

    Nintendo (Japan)

    Nokia (Finland)[19]

    Microsoft (United States)

    Sony (Japan)

    Sony Ericsson (Japan/Sweden)[20]

    Samsung (Korea)

    Vizio (United States)





    Unfrigginbelievable...



    I friggn know that dude.

    I know the names of the companies who contract Foxconn.

    What the hell does that have to do with my point about it never being mentioned in any articles that concern Foxconn? hmm?



    Unfrigginbelievable, indeed.
  • Reply 16 of 90
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    I don't think there was anyone implicating Apple. It was an explosion at a plant that by happenstance served as an iPad polishing room. And thus the likely source of the reported dust IMHO.
  • Reply 17 of 90
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by isaidso View Post


    I friggn know that dude.

    I know the names of the companies who contract Foxconn.

    What the hell does that have to do with my point about it never being mentioned in any articles that concern Foxconn? hmm?



    Then please explain why you felt compelled to state the following, and I quote:



    Quote:

    Since I am unable to ever find an article that EVER mentions any other technology company other than Apple that contracts their work to Foxconn, EVER. I'll just have to assume that this sad tragedy is Apple's fault.

    Clearly.



    I found an article in 15 seconds, so there is no lack of information out there.



    I think we're all a tad confused about your motivations for making this statement.
  • Reply 18 of 90
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post


    I don't think there was anyone implicating Apple. It was an explosion at a plant that by happenstance served as an iPad polishing room. And thus the likely source of the reported dust IMHO.



    Understand that you are reading a report from a translation from probably a second or third hand account.



    With that in mind, consider that "polishing" may have little to do with the end product.



    For example, when I hear "polishing" in an manufacturing context, I don't think "soft towel and cleaner", I think "fuel polishing" or more generically "input polishing" where inputs into the manufacturing process are purified.
  • Reply 19 of 90
    z57z57 Posts: 2member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SixPenceRicher View Post


    Then please explain why you felt compelled to state the following, and I quote:







    I found an article in 15 seconds, so there is no lack of information out there.



    I think we're all a tad confused about your motivations for making this statement.









    I believe it's called being sarcastic, or even facetious...
  • Reply 20 of 90
    dick applebaumdick applebaum Posts: 12,527member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    Same thing has been known to happen in grain silos in the Midwest US. There are many such hazardous environments in an industrial facility. The key is to try to prevent any ignition source. Dust in and of itself is not necessarily an indication of any improper manufacturing methods.



    My thoughts exactly -- watch this:



    Grain Silo Explosion Demo
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