True or False: Robots do not help drive down costs for electronics such as cell phones, TVs, DVD players, and computers.

• A. True
• B. Sometimes
• C. False
• D. Cannot be determined

Answer: (C)

Robotics in electronics manufacturing primarily aim to reduce cost per unit through automation. Robots handle repetitive, precise tasks with high consistency, which lowers labor costs and minimizes human error. This leads to higher throughput and better yield, reducing scrap and rework. Automated systems can run continuously, speed up production cycles, and enable scalable manufacturing for products like cell phones, TVs, DVD players, and computers. While there is an upfront investment in equipment and programming, the long-term operating costs typically drop enough to justify automation in high-volume production. Therefore, the statement that robots do not help drive down costs is not correct; robots do help reduce costs in electronics manufacturing. In some very small or highly customized runs, automation might not be cost-effective, but that doesn’t change the general impact on cost reduction in standard mass production.