Foxconn evaluating plan to open a manufacturing plant in the U.S.

At an event commemorating its 40th anniversary this weekend, Foxconn boss Terry Gou mentioned that the company is exploring the possibility of opening a display manufacturing plant in the US that could produce screens larger than 60 inches, The Wall Street Journal reports. Spurring the exploration, apparently, is the difficulty of shipping panels that large to the US from Asia, where most are currently produced.

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. 2317.TW -0.12% , which assembles gadgets forApple Inc. AAPL -1.82% and other global technology firms, is evaluating a plan to build an advanced display manufacturing plant in the U.S., its chairman said. Terry Gou, speaking to reporters at the company’s 40th anniversary gathering on Sunday, said Hon Hai, also known by the trade name Foxconn, plans to relocate capital-intensive and high-tech manufacturing to the U.S., its largest market. “Automation, software and technology innovation will be our key focus in the U.S. in the coming few years,” Mr. Gou said. Taiwan-based Hon Hai, the major assembler of Apple’s iPhones and iPads, has been seeking new avenues of growth as revenue from contract manufacturing slows.