Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) is in talks with South Korea’s SK Group to explore business opportunities in Taiwan, China and India, Hon Hai chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) said yesterday.
“SK Group is the third-largest telecommunications, electronics and memory company in South Korea,” Gou said. “The company’s strengths in medical services and software are also fields for the two companies to work together in the future.”
Gou made the remarks after a closed-door meeting with SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won at Hon Hai’s headquarters in New Taipei City’s Tucheng District (土城).
Gou said he has met Chey several times.
“His [Chey] visit in Taiwan will help both of us to understand each other more,” Gou said.
Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康), in July last year purchased a 4.9 percent stake in SK Group’s SK C&C Co for US$377 million.
In March, the Taiwanese manufacturer partnered with SK Group to form a joint venture, FSK Holdings Ltd, in Hong Kong in a bid to tap into China’s Internet of Things market.
“We can explore any kind of opportunities with a friend like Foxconn. Not just for China; we talked about opportunities in India and other areas, too,” Chey said.
However, Chey said he needs to spend more time to understand the operations of Foxconn’s plants.
When asked if yesterday’s meeting with Gou had touched on a possible collaboration between the two companies to build smart factories together, Chey said: “We have not discussed it in depth yet, but we are going to exchange information.”
Chey said they must first have a better understanding of each other before discussing any details.
It was Chey’s first overseas trip after being released from prison for embezzlement on Aug. 14. He visited SK Group’s semiconductor and petrochemical plants in China prior to yesterday’s meeting with Gou.
In an interview with Taiwan’s EBC Financial News Channel on Tuesday, Gou said the two companies might work together to offer financial services in India as their businesses complement each other and both have investments in India.
Gou yesterday clarified to reporters that Hon Hai and the SK Group have no intention to invest in a bank in India, but rather in a unit that can provide financing to supply chains and provide customers in India with one-stop financial services.
Hon Hai shares grew 0.89 percent to NT$90.6 in Taipei trading yesterday, outperforming the TAIEX, which gained 0.22 percent.
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