Although Foxconn got off to a poor start with their many projects in Wisconsin, the work is now accelerating. One of the major plant construction projects in Wisconsin has recently been completed, the one relating to the Wisconsin Valley Science and Technology Park.

The oddity found in a Taiwanese report published today claims that the 26 newly recruited plant managers from the United States have been at Foxconn Technology Group in Taiwan undergoing training, including Chinese language lessons.

A total of 26 managers from the U.S. destined to work at the site were undergoing 2,000 hours of training about subjects ranging from artificial intelligence and quality management to factory manufacturing and green products, the company said.

Their curriculum also included one hour of Chinese language per day, in the hope that would enable them to communicate with their Taiwanese colleagues in two languages.

The company’s “Foxconn Future Leaders Program” had been visiting campuses to recruit high technology talent, with Purdue, Northwestern, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin having already supplied talent.

The electronics giant recently said the finished plant had been built using 8,000 tons of steel, and occupied an area of 1 million square feet, as large as 13 American football fields.

With Terry Gou dropping out of a run for President in Taiwan he'll likely be able to devote more time accelerating the work associated with the various Wisconsin projects.

Other Highlights and Achievements thus Far

Beyond the completion of the new plant with training managers in progress, Foxconn has Invested over $200 million to date in Wisconsin while awarding 95 percent of all contracts to date to Wisconsin companies, with almost 16 percent going to minority-, women- and veteran-owned businesses. Contracts were awarded to 93 companies in 17 counties throughout Wisconsin;

• The purchase of three buildings and ongoing renovation of future technology-focused Innovation Centers at Foxconn Places in Racine, Green Bay, and Eau Claire, in addition to the purchase of a building in Milwaukee that serves as its North American headquarters;

• Creating 1,032 direct jobs and many more indirect jobs in support of the Wisconsin project. This figure includes the 178 full-time Foxconn employees and 854 employees involved in the construction of the Wisconsin Valley campus;

• Initiation of a veteran hiring program that resulted in the hiring of 22 military veterans;

• Made a $100 million commitment to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to help establish the Foxconn Institute for Research in Science and Technology which will help develop the state’s research and engineering talent;

• Launching the ongoing $1 million Smart Cities – Smart Futures competition;

• Co-establishing a $100 million Wisconsin Valley Venture Fund with Advocate Aurora Health, Johnson Controls and Northwestern Mutual.