Foxconn, a Taiwanese company that assembles Apple’s iPones and other electronics is considering building a plant in Wisconsin that could employ thousands of people, according to a report today from the Associated Press.
The AP report cites a source “with direct knowledge of the negotiations who was not authorized to speak publicly.”
At least one other upper Midwest state, Michigan, is also pursuing the Foxconn plant, according to Crain’s Detroit Business.
During a visit to Wisconsin on Tuesday, President Donald Trump said he and Gov. Scott Walker were negotiating to bring a “major, incredible manufacturer” to the state, the AP reported. Trump did not name the company.
“We have a lot of companies moving into the United States and we are negotiating with a lot of companies,” Trump said. “I think they’re going to give the governor a very happy surprise very soon.”
Foxconn, founded in 1974, announced in January that it was considering investing $7 billion in a U.S. factory to produce display panels that would create as many as 50,000 jobs. Last year the company acquired Japan’s Sharp Corp.
Walker made a brief, previously unannounced trip to Japan the weekend of June 2 to pursue an undisclosed economic development opportunity. That same weekend, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder also traveled to Japan in an attempt to lure Foxconn to his state, the AP reported. The company is considering spending $4 billion on a U.S. factory and hiring 5,000 workers to make display panels, according to the AP report.
