Foxconn mulls Wisconsin for proposed US factory

Foxconn might settle for Wisconsin for its proposed factory in the US, which would be a first for the Taiwan-based iPhone and electronics manufacturer.

The Associated Press reported that Wisconsin officials and Foxconn were in discussions regarding the plant, but no further details were provided. Michigan was also under consideration due to its proximity to the auto industry.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said in an oblique reference to deal talks that Wisconsin governor Scott Walker may get "a very happy surprise very soon."

It was not clear if the focus of Foxconn's US plant would be for iPhone displays or another electronics company. Apple accounts for over half of Foxconn's annual revenue.

In late January, Foxconn had said that if customers like Apple cooperated, it could make investments in the US worth over $7 billion.

Foxconn's billionaire chairman, Terry Gou, previously alluded to a US plant in January following talks with then president-elect Donald Trump. He told reporters the plant could cost $7 billion and create 30,000 to 50,000 jobs.

Foxconn had said at the time that it was "conducting an evaluation of the conditions and potential locations for establishing manufacturing facilities in the US."

"While it is not currently possible to confirm the location for that potential investment or estimate the number of jobs that might be created, it is expected that it would create many direct and indirect job opportunities with the new operation and throughout the supply chain in the US," the company said in a January statement.

During the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump had called on Apple to move production of its most popular product, the Apple iPhone, to the US. Trump called for more jobs for Americans and stopping exporting openings overseas.

However, according to commentators, Trump failed to take some things into consideration.

For instance taking production from low wage countries to higher wage countries meant the cost of producing the iPhone would rise.