CUPERTINO, CA -- Apple this week is again addressing concerns over its role in the spate of suicides at its largest manufacturing supplier.

The ubiquitous computer company's chief operating officer visited Foxconn's massive campus in Shenzhen, last June to personally audit the EMS giant, Apple said.

Foxconn, which builds the bulk of Apple's computers, MP3 players and smartphones, was plagued by more than 14 documented suicides at its factories last year.

Under pressure from media and activists, Apple upped its supplier audits to 127 last year from 102 in 2009. The company said it interviewed more than 1,000 workers at Foxconn alone. However, the company did not indicate how many suppliers it has, or whether that number changed from 2009 to 2010.

Moreover, the company said it is among the OEMs pressuring the supply chain to eliminate so-called Conflict Metals, including tantalum, tin, tungsten and gold, that are purchased from war-torn areas like the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Apple's progress report is here.