Foxconn Celebrates 50 Years Highlighting Innovation In Gala Program

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Hon Hai Technology Group celebrated its half centennial on Tuesday by showcasing forward-thinking innovation and transformation of the world’s largest electronics manufacturer and leading technological solutions provider.

A formal gala dinner program, attended by 500 guests, paid special tribute to Foxconn Founder Terry Gou, after a lightning round conversation on the theme of innovation excellence that included Foxconn Chairman and CEO Young Liu during the cocktail hour.

“Tonight we are among friends, who are long-time customers and suppliers,” said Chairman Liu said during opening remarks. “This evening is for you. It is Terry’s evening.”

The “Foxconn Way” has become an institutional platform to transform local economic structure and to train local talents to support a new manufacturing ecosystem brought about by Foxconn, said Founder Gou.

“In the past fifty years, Foxconn has succeeded in changing the lives of millions of workers, thus their families and also their communities. As the Founder, I am most proud of it,” he said.

Electric vehicles took prominent place as some guests were transported to the event in the Foxconn-developed MODEL C, now in mass production. Foxconn’s contract design and manufacturing service (CDMS) capabilities were on display as guests walked a red carpet past the luxury sedan MODEL E and sporty crossover MODEL B parked inside the ballroom. At the end of the evening, guests were given a commemorative, limited edition 50th anniversary, custom-made, unibody MODEL E miniature EV.

A lightning round barside conversation led by Ed White, head of Clarivate’s Center of Innovation and IP Research, highlighted Taiwan’s excellence in innovation and intellectual property. Out of the 58 companies and research institutions in the Asia Pacific in Clarivate’s annual Top 100 Global Innovators, 11 are from Taiwan, while Foxconn – named for the last six years in a row – leads Taiwanese corporates. Nine of the 11 were among guests at the gala dinner.

The exclusive, closed-door event was well attended by Foxconn’s top-tier customers, partners and suppliers from around the world, as well as Taiwan government officials and foreign government representatives, highlighting the broad range of the Group’s stakeholders.

Pre-recorded video tributes were made by Apple CEO Tim Cook, NVIDIA Founder and CEO Jensen Huang and Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger. Offering tributes during the dinner included Apple COO Jeff Williams, SoftBank Founder and CEO Masayoshi Son, ARM CEO Rene Haas and Murata Manufacturing CEO Norio Nakajima. A cabinet-level delegation led by Taiwan Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan also attended the gala dinner.