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How Businesses Should Handle Recalls and Resulting Negative Publicity

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If you run a business that makes physical products, then it’s highly likely you will have to do a recall at some point. It’s a natural part of doing business. The more physical products you make, the more probable that you’ll run into this issue at some juncture.

If you’re running a smaller company, then a product recall might involve a few thousand products. The larger you get, the more disruptive a recall can seem.

For instance, Takata recently recalled 67 million airbags. They had little choice, though. Often, when a company has to do a recall, they realize that if they don’t move forward on this issue, they might have a class action lawsuit from injured consumers somewhere down the line. [Read more…] about How Businesses Should Handle Recalls and Resulting Negative Publicity

Europe’s welfare systems ‘cushion’ negative impact of automation on employment

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Welfare systems in Europe play a crucial role in mitigating the negative effects that robot adoption has on wages and employment, a new UNTANGLED study finds.

The rapid expansion of automation has raised concerns for workers’ welfare, as robots are often implemented to improve efficiency and hence may replace humans.

In the United States, the displacement of jobs due to automation has substantially reduced wages and employment, especially for those at the lower end of the wage scale. [Read more…] about Europe’s welfare systems ‘cushion’ negative impact of automation on employment

Coronavirus expected to cut industrial robot revenue by more than 8 per cent this year

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By Maya Xiao of Interact Analysis

The coronavirus pandemic which has devastated economies worldwide is expected to reduce revenues in the industrial robot market by more than 8 per cent, according to a study by Interact Analysis.

“After a weak 2019, we originally expected the 2020 robot market to recover strongly, but Covid-19 changed the market revenue growth forecast from 4.8 percent to -3.6 percent,” writes Maya Xiao, automation market expert at Interact Analysis.

Global industrial robot shipments experienced negative growth for four consecutive quarters from mid-2018, she says. At the end of 2019, recovery signs appeared, and the mid-term growth rate turned positive. This turnaround happened in the context of a continued slowdown in general global manufacturing activity, which led to weak spending on machinery and automation equipment. [Read more…] about Coronavirus expected to cut industrial robot revenue by more than 8 per cent this year

New solder paste enables further miniaturisation in automotive electronics

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For the production of miniaturised electrical systems, such as those used in the automotive industry, solder material must meet extremely high requirements.

In response, Heraeus Electronics has developed its new solder paste Microbond SMT650, which it says guarantees consistently high surface resistance.

The combination of the new F650 flux system with the Innolot metal alloy increases reliability and prevents electrochemical migration even under the most extreme environmental conditions.

[Read more…] about New solder paste enables further miniaturisation in automotive electronics