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PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS WHEN QUALITY ESCAPES GET EXPENSIVE
Why Yield Loss & Rework Are Major Loss Drivers in Electronics Manufacturing
In electrical and electronic component manufacturing, a small drift in process control can become a major financial loss. A solder paste issue, a stencil change, a component placement tolerance shift, humidity/moisture sensitivity, contamination, incorrect firmware, or a supplier material variation can turn a production run into scrap. Even when product can be reworked, the cost of labour, re-testing and delayed shipments can erode margin quickly.
Yield loss problems also create downstream consequences: missed delivery windows, OEM chargebacks, customer line stoppages and requalification demands. Standard property insurance is not designed to pay for “bad product” or defective workmanship. That’s why it’s important to understand what insurance can and cannot do—and how to structure cover to protect you from the wider financial impact.
Can You Insure Yield Loss, Scrap & Rework?
“Yield loss insurance” is often used as a shorthand phrase. In reality, most manufacturing insurance does not pay for routine scrap, defective workmanship, or the cost of remaking product that failed QA. However, there are several insurance structures and extensions that can help protect against the consequences of a yield event—particularly where there is sudden insured damage, contamination, third-party liability, or a defined product recall/rectification trigger.
The key is to map the loss scenario properly. For example: (1) Is the loss contained to your own stock and WIP? (2) Does it create a customer claim? (3) Does it force a controlled recall/withdrawal? (4) Does it cause business interruption or increased costs to recover? Insure24 helps you structure cover around the parts of the loss that are insurable—and helps you reduce exposure where insurance can’t respond.
What’s Often Not Covered (Standard Policies)
- Routine scrap, rejects or yield variation as part of normal production
- Cost to remake or repair products due to faulty workmanship alone
- Pure warranty replacement costs (unless specifically insured)
- Known defects or quality issues present before policy inception
- Contractual penalties purely for late delivery (often excluded)
- Diminution in value / loss of profit on a defective batch
- Process inefficiency losses without an insured trigger
Where Insurance Can Help (When Structured Correctly)
- Product liability claims where defects cause damage/injury
- Product recall/rectification costs for controlled withdrawals (wording dependent)
- Contamination or insured damage to stock/WIP (policy dependent)
- Business interruption following insured events (fire/flood/breakdown)
- Increased cost of working to reduce BI loss (outsourcing/expedite)
- Transit losses affecting inbound critical parts (where insured)
- Defence costs when allegations arise (liability/PI where relevant)
Common Yield Loss, Scrap & Rework Scenarios (Electrical Components)
Yield loss incidents can happen fast and spread through a batch before they are detected. Because electronic components are often small, high-value and sensitive, even minor contamination or process drift can create a large scrap bill. Below are examples of the scenarios we see manufacturers worry about when arranging insurance and risk controls.
Production & Process-Driven Issues
- Solder paste issues (viscosity, expiry, storage failure) causing widespread joint defects
- Stencil wear/misalignment leading to bridging or insufficient solder
- Pick-and-place calibration drift causing misplacement or tombstoning
- Reflow profile changes affecting component integrity or solder reliability
- Conformal coating/potting curing failures creating insulation or adhesion problems
- ESD incidents damaging sensitive ICs, not detectable until later functional testing
- Humidity/moisture sensitivity causing popcorning or latent failures
Supplier & Materials-Driven Issues
- Out-of-spec components (dimension, tolerance, plating variation) impacting assembly
- Counterfeit component discovery and quarantine of finished goods
- PCB substrate variation causing warpage or delamination
- Connector plating or crimp spec variation causing resistance/overheating
- Batch contamination in resins/adhesives affecting potting/coating integrity
- Firmware or programming errors in supplied modules (or incorrect revision control)
- Packaging/handling failures causing damage in transit or storage
The Downstream Cost Is Often the Real Exposure
Scrap is painful—but the bigger exposure is usually contractual and operational: delayed shipments, missed OEM windows, customer requalification demands, chargebacks, and the cost of running overtime to recover. This is why many manufacturers focus on a combined strategy: strong process controls + targeted insurance (liability/recall/BI) + contract review to manage penalties and warranties.
Insurance Options That Help With Yield Loss Consequences
Because “scrap and rework” is not usually covered by standard property insurance, the practical approach is to build a policy structure that responds when the yield issue becomes a third-party problem, a recall/withdrawal, or a production interruption caused by an insured event.
Below are the most common insurance components we use for electrical manufacturers looking to reduce yield-loss severity.
Product Liability & Product Recall/Rectification
- Product liability responds when a defect causes injury or property damage, or where you face legal liability.
- Recall/rectification can help fund withdrawal, sorting, rework and replacement programmes (trigger/wording dependent).
- Particularly relevant for OEM supply chains where defects are detected after shipment.
- Defence costs can be significant even when liability is disputed.
- Export territories and USA/Canada exposure should be declared and structured correctly.
Business Interruption & Increased Cost of Working
- BI covers gross profit loss when production stops due to insured events (fire/flood/breakdown).
- Increased cost of working can fund outsourcing, overtime and expedited freight to reduce the loss.
- Where rework causes extended shutdown after insured damage, BI can be a key buffer.
- Indemnity period should reflect requalification and ramp-up time.
- Contingent BI may be relevant if a supplier failure triggers yield issues or delays.
Stock, WIP and Contamination Considerations
For some businesses, the most severe yield-loss events involve contamination or damage to stock and WIP following an insured incident (for example, smoke contamination after a small electrical fire, or water damage from sprinkler discharge). In these cases, property insurance may respond—subject to the cause being an insured peril and the policy wording supporting the loss. We help ensure stock values and record keeping (including WIP reporting) are robust, because these are often critical in claim settlement.
A supplier material variation caused a sudden yield collapse and we faced urgent rework and replacement activity. Insure24 helped us structure our product and recall cover around our real OEM exposure, so we could respond quickly without destabilising cashflow.
General Manager, UK Electronics Assembly BusinessReducing Yield Loss Risk (And Improving Insurance Terms)
The best way to reduce yield-loss severity is early detection and containment. Insurers also price based on control—so robust QC systems, traceability and supplier management can improve both premiums and coverage options. Below are practical controls that commonly improve underwriting confidence in electronics manufacturing risks.
Quality & Process Controls
- Incoming inspection and supplier qualification controls for critical components
- SPC / process monitoring to detect drift early
- AOI/ICT functional testing and retention of test logs
- ESD controls and auditing of handling practices
- Controlled storage conditions for moisture-sensitive components and solder paste
- Change control for stencils, profiles, programming and revisions
- Root cause analysis and CAPA process to prevent recurrence
Commercial & Contract Controls
- Contract review for warranties, chargebacks and limitation of liability
- Defined acceptance criteria and sign-off points with customers
- Traceability and batch isolation capability to contain scope
- Supplier recourse routes and documentation retention
- Incident response plan for defect notifications and containment
- Regular review of single-point-of-failure suppliers and alternates
- Clear communication process to reduce escalation during investigations
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Does insurance cover scrap and rework caused by defective workmanship?
In most cases, standard policies do not cover routine scrap, rework or defective workmanship on your own products. Insurance is
generally designed to respond to insured perils (like fire) or third-party liability/recall scenarios. The exact position depends on the
policy wording and the cause of the loss.
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When does a yield issue become a product recall/rectification claim?
Typically when a defect is discovered after shipment and you need to locate, withdraw, repair, replace or rework products already
supplied. In OEM supply chains this is often a controlled process (quarantine, sorting, swap-outs). Triggers vary by policy wording.
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Can product liability cover yield loss impacts?
Product liability usually responds to third-party injury or property damage, not your own yield loss. However, if a defect causes
downstream damage and you face legal liability, product liability can respond (subject to terms). Defence costs can also be significant.
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How can I reduce yield-loss severity in an insurance submission?
Show strong controls: traceability, end-of-line testing, incoming inspection, change control, ESD controls, calibration programmes,
and a clear CAPA process. Insurers price based on severity and control—good documentation improves appetite and terms.
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How quickly can Insure24 obtain quotes for recall and liability cover?
It depends on complexity, export territories and OEM requirements. As a guide, allow around 1–2 working days once we have clear
product, turnover and quality control information, while we present the risk to specialist underwriters.
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What’s the best insurance strategy for yield-loss risk?
Usually a combination: strong process controls and traceability to prevent/contain issues, plus product liability and recall/rectification
cover for downstream exposure, and BI/engineering cover for insured events that cause shutdown. The right blend depends on your products
and contracts.
UNIQUE INSURANCE
TAILORED FOR YOU
Yield loss events can destroy margin and trigger costly downstream problems. Insure24 helps electrical and electronics manufacturers structure practical insurance around the consequences—liability, recall/rectification and interruption—while also improving risk presentation to underwriters.
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