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Product category: Electronics Manufacturing Services
News Release from: Dionics | Subject: CASEC
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 5 November 2003

Service offers help
with RoHS compliance

Is industry experiencing compliance inertia or merely struggling to find ways to comply with the RoHS Directive?

Is industry experiencing compliance inertia or merely struggling to find ways to comply following the European Parliament's ruling to ban lead and other hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment by July 2006. A survey conducted in August 2003 by specialist distributor Dionics, supported by over 18 months of intensive RoHS research, reveals mixed UK industry approach towards RoHS compliance.

With less than 3 years to go before the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive becomes legally enforceable, electronics manufacturers should be well on the way to implementing a strategy to ensure products meet the stringent requirements of RoHS within the set timeframes.

However, the Dionics survey shows that 61% of organisations have no roadmap in place, and a further 41% have not even read the directive.

These results are even more surprising when you consider that every respondent surveyed confirmed their direct involvement in the transitional process of their organisation.

Paul Chinery, Managing Director at Dionics said: "Timescales are closing in with each passing day, and if organisations fail to implement a RoHS roadmap in the very near future, realistically, there may be difficulties in meeting the 2006 deadline".

In order to fully understand the directive and its wide ranging implications, Dionics research indicates that although 41% of respondents said they had a good general understanding of the directive, being able to apply these requirements to the unique context of their own organisations was proving difficult.

"Crucially, only 68% of organisations were confident they would be in a position to comply with the directive by July 2006.

However, with only 22% actually working on a roadmap towards compliance, this could be interpreted as being a little optimistic", said Chinery.

The research indicates that it isn't necessarily a case of not wanting to comply - but rather it is about how to comply when current levels of understanding about the directive remain low.

Moreover, many crucial elements of the directive have yet to be determined.

It seems that understanding is not the only barrier to compliance.

All organisations questioned had individuals who were aware of RoHS - albeit with varying degrees of understanding.

However, the individuals who were "RoHS aware" tended to be operational rather than board or senior management level.

Commenting on this finding, Chinery said: "It would be fair to expect that responsibility to instigate a strategy for RoHS compliance should lie at board or senior management level.

It was therefore surprising to find that of the organisations questioned - 57% had no board level support while 66% were with little or no senior management backing.

This is an extremely worrying finding.

If the RoHS roadmap isn't being driven from the top, compliance may prove an uphill struggle.

Of course the wider implications are understandable - not to mention capital outlay needed to comply.

However, the directive is going to happen - and nothing will change this".

He went on to say: "It is also imperative that the directive is embraced by all areas of the business, much in the way that ISO accreditation crosses all disciplines.

If it isn't, total compliance will be difficult to achieve".

Another interesting finding showed that many organisations - 52% - expected compliance would only be achievable through external liaison with other component manufacturers, customers or subcontractors, looking both up and down a complex supply chain.

Although it is fair to assume that OEMs will be reliant on their EMS partners, evidence from Dionics tells a different story.

Amazingly 83% of organisations have yet to solicit IC manufacturers or franchised distributors on the subject of RoHS compliance, despite 28% of those polled expecting both manufacturers and distributors to play a pivotal role.

The cumulative research conducted by Dionics over the past months clearly highlights the fact that if UK manufacturing is to comply with the RoHS Directive by July 2006, much, much more still needs to be done - beginning with firm commitment from board members and senior management.

"And if reliance is placed further up the supply chain with IC manufacturers or distribution, a proactive stance is necessary from the outset.

If a reactive approach to component compliance is adopted, a conversion roadmap will be flawed from the start", concluded Chinery.

For manufacturers looking to implement RoHS compliant manufacturing, Dionics has developed a bespoke programme that identifies the compliance status of single components or comprehensive bills of materials.

The service operating with the trade name CASEC (Component Assessment Services for Environmental Compliance) has been developed in collaboration with key CEMs and OEMs and is designed to integrate with a manufacturing organisations internal project team.

Providing practical assistance supported by experienced advisors, this unique service encapsulates all areas of an electronics-manufacturing organisation, guiding procurement, process and logistical departments through the difficult transition process.

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