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7/1/2006: Gone But Not Forgotten
December 31, 1969 |Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
By Meredith Courtemanche, assistant editor
With the scramble to the RoHS deadline past, many companies must now look further down the road to determine their long-term viability. The July 1st implementation date represented a milestone for conversion to lead-free, but the future for businesses interested in the world marketplace will require meticulous record keeping on the bill of materials (BOM) and process materials for every product sold. Audits can be anticipated for any company exporting to the European Union (EU). Should a product whether it be solder, circuitry, or a PCB trigger detectors for lead or another banned hazardous substance, the manufacturer must present evidence documenting the item's compliance and the manufacturer's due diligence in the production process. The vested costs of information retrieval and government interaction involved in an audit have the potential to be detrimental. Questions concerning the cost of managing a restructured lead-free operation with re-focused record-keeping, have led to the development of RoHS solutions offering standardized programs that bridge the gap between auditors and manufacturers.
Certain compliance management systems, such as EMA Design Automation's compliance assurance system (CAS), support documentation by offering an automated data-collection program from design through shipment. The system operates in conjunction with the company's overall data management program, and uses plug-in modules, such as the one for RoHS compliance, to format and verify documents related to a product's compliance. The RoHS module is programmed to accommodate each specific mandate regarding due diligence reports, generating a template that applies to any part or subassembly used. In the system, supporting documentation starts at the design phase, and is collated into standard verification reports to present to officials when shipping to the EU.
Creating a documentation policy prior to roll out may offset any costs accrued during an unforeseen audit. Planning for compliance on the floor purchasing lead-free products, introducing a separate lead-free assembly line is half the battle. Without proper BOMs, Certificates of Compliance (CoCs) for your company and/or from your parts vendors, and verification of empirical testing, your lead-free processes lacks substantial credibility, notes EMA Design Automation. Each product you ship to the EU must have its own "visa" of sorts, providing clear, acceptable evidence of eligibility. IPC will offer a conference on July 27th to educate manufacturers and assemblers on where costs come from in paperwork conversions, with updates and reviews of other basics. They will dedicate one workshop specifically to materials declaration tools. Using a hands-on approach, IPC seeks to familiarize management with IPC-1752, a recently developed standard to consolidate methods of authenticating compliance and assessing products.
IPC notes that the cost of exchanging data with the EU, as well as the cost of gathering this data, can be prohibitive. Compliance strategies that do not follow an open-standard format also present a risk of being deemed incomplete or disordered by officials. IPC's suggestions for implementing a safe, secure, and effective strategy revolve around the 1752 standard, and the concept of an industry-wide agreement determining exact data required, as well as proper ways to provide it. With the July 1, 2006 deadline past, focusing energy on the RoHS Directive involves keeping sight of RoHS-compliance for the long-term.