Will Foxconn’s latest plan be the one?

Will the latest plan be the one that finally comes to fruition? Foxconn is shifting gears once again, trying to figure out what it will build at its facility in Wisconsin. The original plans called for the company to build large television screens. That was quickly scrapped in favor of smaller screens for tablets and phones. That too was abandoned. The next idea, robotic coffee kiosks also went nowhere. Then we heard of a plan to build ventilators, but none were ever built at the Mt. Pleasant facility. But now Foxconn says its latest plan is the one that will finally put people to work. Foxconn has reached a partnership agreement with the California company Fisker to make parts for electric vehicles in Wisconsin. Clearly expectations have changed.  The original deal with the state called for Foxconn to employ up to 13,000 people. The revised agreement with the state calls for a much lower employment total, around 1400 jobs. Wisely the state has renegotiated its deal with Foxconn, and the huge incentives originally offered are no longer on the table. It remains to be seen if electric cars will be rolling off the Foxconn assembly line, but even if they do, it is clear Foxconn is nowhere near becoming the eighth wonder of the world.