[tinwhiskers] Re: IPC Survey Reveals Electronics Industry Not Prepared for REACH
- From: "Bob Landman" <rlandman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <tinwhiskers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 12:42:54 -0400
Mark,
Thanks for the clarification but which "ton" are they speaking about in Reach?
Short ton, Long ton, metric tonne? How many pounds/kilos is it? Our units
weigh 100 lbs. Keep us posted on this.
Bob
From: tinwhiskers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:tinwhiskers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Mark Vaughan
Sent: Sunday, August 03, 2008 6:19 AM
To: tinwhiskers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [tinwhiskers] Re: IPC Survey Reveals Electronics Industry Not Prepared
for REACH
Reach is one area where the really little firms won?t suffer, under one ton
imported per annum and registration isn?t required. At least that?s what the UK
Gov?t?s telling us.
However even if managers are a little aware the information as to what
companies have to do; is very vague and advice is very mixed.
As part of a group of manufacturers in the southwest of England, we?ve asked
for further advice from Gov?t, they don?t know either.
The EU?s aim is to try to get a better idea of what chemicals are being used,
in what products, perhaps a reasonable aim, initially just a database but later
to be used so any risks can be identified and investigated.
This database is going to take a long time to procure and build if data isn?t
available, and in our trade very few suppliers have a clue whats in the
components they supply. There are various risks:-
1 The EU will at a later stage see a chemical name and decide to ban it?s use
no matter how critical it is, we are already suffering from these sort of knee
jerk reactions with Pb. In essence you cannot trust the logic of what appear to
be a bunch of illogical greeny politicians.
2 If it takes a long time to collect accurate data we may have some protection
gap before knee jerk reactions, a hundred years seem good right now.
3 If they legislate to force data to be provided by a data, it will be
inaccurate.
With COSHH and HSE we see many products have been labelled as risky just in
case they are so the manufacturer is safe, you now don?t know what is 100%
carcinogen or 1 part per billion. We are liable to see chemicals listed in
products that just aren?t there, or with very suspect quantities.
For electronics companies, and other non chemical manufacturers as industries
we have very few chemists, this again will either lead to wrong data, or
expensive consultants probably still applying wrong data but getting paid more.
The UK Gov?t sent around free consultants to firms for RoHs and WEE, much of
their advice was wrong, and they are absolved of liability if they are wrong,
you still carry the can, not much use at the end of the day.
If the EU?s aim for REACH is to work, the data needs to be accurate. If they
push this hard the data will be useless. I would hope under very basic logic
they cannot deny this fact.
We could use this in various ways to our advantage.
Regs Mark
Dr. Mark Vaughan Ph'D., B.Eng. M0VAU
Managing Director
Vaughan Industries Ltd., reg in UK no 2561068
Water Care Technology Ltd, reg in UK no 4129351
Addr Unit3, Sydney House, Blackwater, Truro, Cornwall, TR4 8HH UK.
Phone/Fax 44 (0) 1872 561288
RSGB DRM111 (Cornwall)
From: tinwhiskers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:tinwhiskers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Bob Landman
Sent: 02 August 2008 19:32
To: tin whiskers forum
Subject: [tinwhiskers] IPC Survey Reveals Electronics Industry Not Prepared for
REACH
http://www.circuitnet.com/articles/article_51276.shtml
July 29, 2008
IPC Survey Reveals Electronics Industry Not Prepared for REACH
A full report on the results of IPC?s REACH preparedness survey is available on
IPC?s website
BANNOCKBURN, Ill., USA ? Like a bolt of lightning, the results of IPC?s recent
survey on REACH Preparedness in the North American and European Interconnect
Industry are striking ? revealing that more than 40 percent of manufacturing
and purchasing personnel have no understanding of the REACH regulation as it
affects their companies. The same holds true for nearly one-third of senior
management and 29 percent of engineering personnel. Even 28 percent of
environment, health and safety personnel have no understanding of REACH?s
impact.
The new European Union (EU) legislation concerning the Registration,
Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) took effect on
June 1, 2007. The REACH regulation gives greater responsibility to industry to
manage the risks from chemicals and to provide safety information on the
substances.
In contrast to RoHS, which covers a narrow scope of substances in electronic
products encompassing about 100 different chemicals, REACH covers substances in
nearly all applications, totaling about 30,000 unique chemicals. While RoHS can
address entire classes of substances at a time, REACH addresses them each
individually. Where RoHS requires supplier-to-customer communications, the
REACH regulation makes bidirectional communication throughout the supply chain
imperative.
?REACH will have a far-reaching effect on any company that buys sells or uses
chemicals,? said Tony Hilvers, vice president of industry programs for IPC.
?Inevitably, all companies that use chemicals or make products that contain
chemicals will be affected ?and that pretty much sums up the entire electronics
supply chain. The survey clearly indicates that our industry is woefully
unprepared for the hit it?s about to take.?
The electronic survey, sent to executives throughout the electronic
interconnect supply chain in North America and Europe, reveals that even with a
deadline for pre-registration of substances quickly approaching, only 18.3
percent of companies have identified and/or inventoried all substances in their
products. In addition only 60.5 percent of chemical supplier respondents are
planning to register or pre-register substances at all.
Stepping up efforts to help electronics companies prepare for REACH, IPC has
scheduled a number of programs in the coming months, including a REACH Critical
Update Webcast on pre-registration issues for PCB and EMS suppliers, September
18, 2008, 1:30 pm?3:30 pm, Central time. A number of sessions and meetings on
REACH and other environmental issues will also take place at IPC Midwest
Conference & Exhibition, September 21?25, 2008, at the Renaissance Schaumburg
Hotel & Convention Center, Schaumburg, Ill.
In addition, IPC has launched a REACH Supply Chain Task Force to help companies
establish a path forward in addressing the impacts of REACH. Representatives
from the OEM, EMS, PCB and supplier industries make up the task force. In a
recent presentation to the task force, Design Chain Associates? President
Michael Kirschner reiterated a warning from a large computer manufacturer that
electronics executives should, ?As completely as possible, know what chemical
substances your product is made of and with ? You eventually will be held
responsible for every molecule of your product.?
A full report on the results of IPC?s REACH preparedness survey is available on
IPC?s website at www.ipc.org/REACHsurveyreport. For more information about the
study, contact Sharon Starr, IPC director of market research at +1 847-597-2817
or sharonstarr@xxxxxxxx More information about the REACH Regulation can be
found on IPC?s Environmental, Health and Safety webpage at www.ipc.org/EHS. For
more information on the upcoming REACH webcast, contact Susan Filz, IPC
director of industry programs at +1 847-597-2884 or susanfilz@xxxxxxxx For more
information on the environmental programs at IPC Midwest, contact Fern Abrams,
IPC director of government relations and environmental policy at +1
703-522-0225 or fernabrams@xxxxxxx or visit http://www.ipcmidwestshow.org/.
Contact:
IPC
Anna Garrido
http://www.ipc.org/
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