Costly consequences of improper handling of ESD protective clothing

Sometimes it really does come down to the right clothing, or more precisely, the right footwear.

A brief infatuation on the part of the assembly manager responsible for an employee had serious consequences for a major automobile manufacturer. What had happened? In the mid-1990s, the consequences of improper handling of electronics became apparent. After a year and a half of production, the same electronic control units in the company's flagship product at the time began to fail in droves. This ultimately led to massive warranty costs, as correcting the fault on the market or in the field was far more expensive than repairing it within the company's own factory walls. The total damage at the time amounted to the equivalent of €1.79 million.

Ultimately, the error was attributable to the weakening of electronic components (in a control unit) because ESD protective clothing was not used in the safety area—and this was due to the attractiveness of a single employee to the boss: “The boss always found the colleague in high heels so attractive... she never had to follow the dress code!” was the recurring refrain during the detailed investigation.

Today, many years later, this may sound amusing, but we continue to encounter this issue in various forms. At least back then, it was only financial damage and no one was harmed.

The human factor as the most sensitive point in ESD protection

There are two moral lessons to be learned from this story: First, the human factor is the most sensitive aspect of ESD-safe manufacturing and the entire process of dealing with ESD protection. It is important to always remain focused on raising awareness of how to handle sensitive components. Regular basic and refresher training courses should therefore be conducted.

Consequences of component weakening more serious than destruction

Secondly, the weakening of a component can have more serious consequences than its spontaneous destruction. While the destruction of a component usually becomes apparent during the end-of-line test at the latest, the weakening or prior damage to an electronic component or assembly can no longer be controlled “in-house.” If this leads to recalls or failures in sensitive areas in the field, the costs and other consequences represent a real business risk.

If you have any further questions or concerns regarding ESD, our expert ESD consultant Matthias Kaufmann will be happy to assist you. With his specialist knowledge and many years of experience, he is your ideal point of contact.

DIN-EN certified ESD training courses

Don't let human weaknesses pose a risk to your company. Take advantage of our DIN-EN certified training courses for your next ESD audit, basic ESD training at your premises, or register for one of our ESD coordinator seminars.

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Best regards,
Your Compumet Team