Kickstart: Celebrating cobots

Welcome to National Cobot Awareness Month! OK, it doesn't appear to be an official celebration (at least not that I've found) but Universal Robots has declared it to be a month to learn more about what collaborative robots can do for manufacturers.

January was picked because it's a month to make resolutions, and business leaders can "broaden [their] horizons and learn something new," Universal Robots wrote in a news release. "Cobots can help manufacturers and their valued employees accomplish those goals."

Universal has been making cobots for more than 10 years, but the cobot market is "still largely untapped," said Stu Shepherd, regional sales director of Universal Robots Americas.

With ongoing workforce shortages, collaborative robots are increasing in importance for small and midsized companies, the company noted.

Universal Robots' declaration of Cobot Awareness Month happened to land in my inbox the same day Boston Dynamics released a video showing off the capabilities of its Atlas robot, which can jump, spin and even toss tool bags to waiting coworkers. I'm not sure that's the type of cobot that most molders will buy, but it is impressive.

If you haven't seen it yet, I encourage you to take a look at Editor Don Loepp's column on Plastics News' editorial agenda for 2023.

It's similar to the agenda you've seen PN publish since 2001, so nothing should surprise you. "It's the foundation for our weekly opinion columns, and it also offers a blueprint for a prosperous and sustainable plastics industry," Don writes.

As always, safety is a top priority — both at the workplace and for products made by the industry. There is a new emphasis on information, though.

"The industry must work to credibly combat misinformation," Don writes. "That doesn't mean dismissing legitimate issues or automatically assuming that any criticism of plastics is wrong. But it does mean highlighting the benefits of plastics and working to make plastics safe and sustainable."

You can see the full column here.

College students looking for a post-graduation summer job — and who don't mind maneuvering 27-foot cars made of fiberglass that look like hot dogs around small towns, county fairs and big cities — may want to consider being a "hotdogger" in 2023.

Oscar Mayer, part of Kraft Heinz Co., is now accepting applications for its 2023 class of Wienermobile drivers and staff.

Competition will be fierce. Our sister paper Crain's Chicago Business notes that Oscar Mayer typically has 2,000 job candidates apply for 12 positions.

"It is statistically easier to get into an Ivy League university than to be granted acceptance into the Oscar Mayer brand's class of hotdoggers," Ed Roland, the company's senior manager of brand communications, told Crain's Chicago.

Being a hotdogger is a one-year, full-time paid position. Full information on how to apply is here.