Taiwan's Foxconn to open new plant in Brazil

Taiwanese technology giant Foxconn said Wednesday it is set to invest $492 million to build a new facility in Sao Paulo, Brazil to produce smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices.

Foxconn said the factory is expected to start operation in 2014 and reach full capacity in 2016 with a workforce of 10,000 people.

Foxconn is the world's largest maker of computer components and assembles products for Apple, Sony and Nokia.

The company has been working in Brazil since 2003, and already operates four factories in Latin America's biggest economy.

Tax breaks offered by the Brazilian government as well as proximity to fast-growing local markets have made Brazil an attractive alternative for manufacturing operations to China, it said.

Foxconn employs about one million workers in China, roughly half of them based in its main facility in Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong.

The company has come under the spotlight after suicides and labour unrest at its Chinese plants since 2010, which activists have blamed on tough working conditions.