Precisely how Foxconn does this is unknown but here is a pretty good guess: Physical facilities (dormitories, factory space, and equipment) are built ahead of need and normally have some unused capacity Because Foxconn builds many products for many other companies, some of these products will be in the declining phase of their life-cycle and have excess space, equipment & people. Throughout the company, Foxconn uses temporary expedients such as overtime to increase overall capacity. Foxconn tends to use general-purpose equipment and labor rather than specialized automation. This allows both people and equipment to be re-allocated quickly.