Ethics in the digital workplace
Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can affect working conditions in a variety of ways and their use in the workplace raises a host of new ethical concerns.
Red Electric, an SME specializing in high-performance connected electric scooters, that was founded in 2015 in Nancy, France. In 2021, the company announced the relocation its scooter assembly operations from China to Le Mans, with the aim of being recognized as a "Made In France" manufacturer. For assembly production and component management, Red Electric established a 3,000-square-meter facility in Le Mans, with an additional 4,000-square-meter space planned for the second half of 2022. Also, the company established a collaboration with the Sarthe-based industrial equipment supplier Chastagner, specializing in aerospace, automotive, and luxury sectors, that will be responsible for shaping the Model E range. The production of the scooters should begin in the first half of 2022 and Red Electric would aim to produce 10,000 scooters annually, with 80% of components sourced locally. The company anticipatesd the recruitment of around twenty additional employees to accommodate the growth of Red Electric and other projects.
Eurofound (2021), Red electric, Reshoring in France, factsheet number 268, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/268.