Hon Hai's Foxconn is one of the world's largest electronics manufacturer, whose clients include Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Sony and Nintendo. A string of suicides last year, involving workers jumping off company buildings, Foxconn's reputation, and prompted Apple to investigate.

In relying more on automation, Foxconn wants to move the company's workers "higher up the value chain, beyond basic manufacturing work," according to an earlier company statement.

Experts have said the automation will not only help Foxconn deal with labor shortages, but also improve working conditions at its factories.

"It's a real answer to solving the problems Foxconn has had hiring, training and maintaining the morale of their workforce," said Frank Tobe, the owner of , a website that tracks the robotics industry.

"Some are skeptical that what they are planning isn't really to build robots, but rather automation machinery," he added. "But two different contacts of mine say the opposite: Foxconn is planning on entering the robot manufacturing business with a variety of flexible, easily trainable and low-cost assembly line robots."