UAW Deal Raises Ford’s Breakeven Point

To end strikes in its biggest factories, Ford entered into a tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers Union to increase the wages of its 57,000 workers by 25% in the next four and a half years.

The increase in wages will add $850 to $900 labor cost per vehicle.  Ford faces a challenging task in balancing vehicle price, margin, and demand while remaining competitive relative to non-unionized automakers such as Tesla.


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Impact of Wage Increase for California Fast Food Workers

Governor Newsom signed into law a rapid pay hike for fast food workers, increasing their minimum wage from an average of around $16/hour, to $20/hour, effective on April 1, 2024.

While some workers may be happy, the $20/hour rate is predicted to wreak havoc on the restaurants that must pay it.


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By |2023-11-20T07:10:09+00:00November 26, 2023|Tags: , , , , |

Shorter Wait Times at Starbucks

How long will you wait for your favorite latte concoction at Starbucks?

According to recent surveys, about 5 minutes. That is quite a bit…for you and the company! Long waits annoy customers and are bad for business. Starbucks is trying to remedy the problem with the Siren System. It should reduce wasted motion time, but is it enough to accommodate staff shortages and high levels of customization? Only time will tell.


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By |2023-10-12T14:19:58+00:00October 8, 2023|Tags: , , , , , , |

Boosting Fruit-Picking Productivity: Tevel’s Flying Robots

Israel is abuzz with news about Tevel’s fruit-picking, AI robot.

The Flying Autonomous Robot™ (FAR) can autonomously harvest crops normally picked by hand or other equipment.  It can also mimic the activities of bees, pollinating the crops.

Israel has become a hub for over 500 agri-tech companies that call it home.

Interested in learning more about use of drones in agriculture? See the post, New Buzz on Drones.


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