Terry Gou is used to having everything under control. When an earthquake struck during Hon Hai's annual meeting a few years ago, and investors interrupted his presentation with frightened screams, the company's founder and chairman silenced them with a stern look and a few words: “It's just an earthquake!”

That approach runs through Hon Hai – also known by its trade name, Foxconn – the world's largest electronics contract manufacturer, which for two decades has operated according to three principles: authority, control and discipline.

But now everything is not under control. The centre piece of Mr Gou's manufacturing empire, a vast factory town in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, housing 300,000, has been shaken by a spate of suicides. Since the start of the year 12 workers have jumped from buildings; 10 have died – three in the past week.