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.
Bati-Rénov is a French company producing polyurethane-based blinds, shutters and doors. In 2003, the company offshored and outsourced the production to a Romanian contract manufacturer. Lately, in 2013, it established an equity joint venture in Romania (Polytech Industry) and re-insourced production, but still maintained it offshored. Lastly, in 2018 the French company reshored the production activity in its new plant ( 9,000 m²) in Varaize (France) where the company invested around 3 million euro, and introduced an automated production line. Bati-Rénov also hired 8 new employees, and it is expected they will increase until 60 in the next three years. The most relevant motivations for the manufacturing relocation were: a) reduced costs gap between the two countries; b) reduction in delivery times; c) better quality due to the automated production line; d) vicinity to final customers.
Eurofound (2018), Bati-Rénov, Reshoring in France, factsheet number 32, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/32.