In a rush to save face, China is now saying that the real problem with toys made there is poor design engineering in the United States. Mattel Inc. recently recalled close to 20 million Chinese-made dolls, cars and action figures that had lead paint or small magnets that children could swallow. "About 85 percent were directly designed by the American company and produced according to requirements of the American importer," says Li Changjiang, director of China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. "I personally have seen some of the toys. There are serious problems in their design, so they are highly dangerous for children. These types of toys would be recalled in any country," he said in a news conference today in Beijing.
Know what I think?
China has a terrible safety track record, and has no business trying to bounce back the blame. Also in the news today: 1) 265 workers in the city of Xiamen got sick after eating at a restaurant and 2) New Zealand launched an investigation after children’s clothes imported from China had dangerously high levels of formaldehyde.
Sure Mattel deserves a lot of grief for not supervising their supply chain better and not thinking through toy designs in advance. To Mattel’s credit, though, they have quickly owned up to their problems and promised to turn things around.
What are the lessons from this? Let’s rethink what “the China price” really means. Sure you can get a quick 20 to 50 percent savings. But what’s the long-term cost? Not just economically, but to your company’s reputation?
Does it bother you that American imports of Chinese-made products hit $288 billion last year, triple the total from 2001? It should.
Inspired by the hooks a parasitic worm uses to penetrate its host's intestines, the Karp Lab has invented a flexible adhesive patch covered with microneedles that adheres well to wet, soft tissues, but doesn't cause damage when removed.
Engineers at the University of California, San Diego are designing a robotic arm that takes inspiration from the loose, flexible, yet very strong structure of the armored plates on a seahorse's tail.
Researchers at the Missouri University of Science & Technology have designed a new nanoscale material that can transmit light faster than the 186,000 miles per second it usually takes to travel through air.
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A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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