(WGTD)----Foxconn plans to establish a second home in Racine County.
In addition to its under-construction, huge manufacturing complex in Mt. Pleasant, Foxconn will have another presence just 10 miles away in the City of Racine. It’s buying a three-story office building on Main Street just south of the Root River. The building, which currently houses a BMO branch and several other tenants, will be home to as many as 125 Foxconn employees, all focusing on the development of smart city technologies.
Why a separate location? It’s simple, says Alan Yeung, Foxconn Director of U.S. Strategic Initiatives. "It is kind of difficult to build a smart city without a city," Yeung said to a chucking crowd.
He spoke from a podium set up on the riverfront promenade Tuesday, just a few feet from Foxconn's latest acquisition.
Municipalities considered to be ‘smart cities’ use technology to its full advantage to create various operating efficiencies and quality-of-life enhancements.
Racine Mayor Cory Mason says he’s delighted that his city will soon become a learning lab, a position he said Racine was well-familiar with. "At one time the City of Racine had more patents per capita than any other place in the country," said Mason, referring to a manufacturing boom in the late 1800's and early 1900's that yielded dozens of significant inventions. "This is a place that knows how to do innovation," he said.
Foxconn recently launched a million dollar smart cities student competition designed to generate new ideas.
The Racine site is the latest of a number of satellite locations that Foxconn is establishing around the state.
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