Still, because there are billions of embedded processors, even a small percentage of date-sensitive units adds up to millions of devices that could cause trouble if incorrectly handled. Chrysler has identified 6,000 robots, controllers and other electronic devices in 50 plants that it will reset on Jan. 3 before it restarts its production lines. No one knows how many have been overlooked or inadequately tested. For all the work that has been done, tough challenges are still ahead. While some embedded flaws will remain invisible until machines are turned off or on for the first time in the Year 2000, which could be months from now, the worst of that threat will be over quickly in January.
Most managers are more worried about office systems and software.
The information technology that runs the world's offices, banks and government agencies could continue to have problems for months as different programs, like payrolls or tax accounting packages, deal with Year 2000 dates for the first time. Major computer users may have hundreds of millions of lines of code in their software, and research shows that even the programs that have ostensibly been fixed and tested still have flaws, some serious. Managers in this country are confident that they have found enough of the major problems to be able to fix new ones that come to light before they do much damage. One hopeful sign is that flaws have, so far, been showing up at slightly lower rates than analysts had projected. For example, the Gartner Group, a technology consulting firm in Stamford, Conn., expected Year 2000 problems to create 75 percent more breakdowns than normal this month but its latest projections suggest that the increase will be 65 percent.