[tinwhiskers] Re: IPC Survey Reveals Electronics Industry Not Prepared for REACH
- From: "Mark Vaughan" <mark@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <tinwhiskers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 21:51:08 +0100
It took me long enough to find out that the unit of time was a year, most
Gov't publications just say if you import less than a ton.
I assume being in the EU they mean metric tonne, but being that it was MAFF
I think who were the first to release the figure, I doubt the writer knows
the difference.
It's an absolute mess, I have complained to the Chambers of Commerce,
Federation of small Business, and Business Link, all groups supposed to
advice local firms. At best I was pointed to more websites each with a
slightly different version.As for MAFF, they make such massive muckups, the
Gov't keep changing the name and swapping people between departments, no one
is in a job long enough to make a muckup anymore, and forget about trying to
find the person now in charge!
Please also don't take what I said below as gospel, it is my understanding
at this time together with lots of holes.
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: 07 August 2008 17:43
To: tinwhiskers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [tinwhiskers] Re: IPC Survey Reveals Electronics Industry Not
Prepared for REACH
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
<http://www.ipc.org/3.0_Industry/3.4_EHS/2008/REACH-readiness-survey-report-
July-2008.pdf> 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 <http://www.ipc.org/REACHsurveyreport>
www.ipc.org/REACHsurveyreport. For more information about the study, contact
Sharon Starr, IPC director of market research at +1 847-597-2817 or
<mailto:sharonstarr@xxxxxxx> sharonstarr@xxxxxxxx More information about the
REACH Regulation can be found on IPC's Environmental, Health and Safety
webpage at <http://www.ipc.org/EHS> 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 <mailto:susanfilz@xxxxxxx>
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 <mailto:fernabrams@xxxxxxx>
fernabrams@xxxxxxx or visit <http://www.ipcmidwestshow.org/>
http://www.ipcmidwestshow.org/.
Contact:
IPC
Anna Garrido
<http://www.ipc.org/> http://www.ipc.org/
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