Design Chain Solutions for
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| Design Chain Solutions for Competitive Advantage |
Welcome to the February 2008 Design Chain Associates E-mail Newsletter!
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In our December report, we discussed the scope of the problem with counterfeit electronic components, the geographic and financial drivers, and the contributing factors that make our industry vulnerable to unscrupulous operators and purveyors of bogus parts.
In this second part of the series, we will look at the origins of these components.
Please click here to continue.
Korea RoHS/WEEE/ELV (actually, the Act on the Resource Recycling of Electrical and Electronic Equipment and Vehicles) is now upon us. Having nominally gone in to force at the beginning of the year, the real fun does not really begin until later this year. EcoFrontier, DCA's expert partner on Korean environmental regulation, is completing their translations of the final version of the Enforcement Ordinance and Enforcement Regulation documents. EcoFrontier is also offering ongoing Q&A on the regulation via email. Please review and complete this form, then submit it to us to order any of the specified services. As always, if these standard offerings do not meet your needs, please let us know and we will customize an approach for you. Also, see below for more information on the upcoming EcoFrontier/DCA webinar.
DCA has several webinars coming up on a variety of important topics. Please plan to attend if you can and if you have interest in the topic.
As mentioned in our previous newsletter, a "debate" was held in Beijing on December 19, 2007 regarding the contents and other characteristics of the "catalog", being held like the Sword of Damocles over the head of the electronics industry. Bottom line: the target for the initial catalog is the end of the year, and the content is expected to be items that should readily be able to meet the requirements. Whether these items are materials, components, or products remains, along with so much else, to be decided.
This will be a year to watch the activities closely and participate where possible. Our China RoHS Service Package is still available for those of you needing to comply with this regulation now and in the future. We will have more on the evolving China RoHS regulation (as well as the new China WEEE regulation) in the future so stay tuned.
DCA partner DfR Solutions, which specializes in providing knowledge- and science-based solutions to maximize and accelerate the product integrity assurance activities of their clients in every marketplace for electronic technologies, issues this Call to Action to the Hi-Rel industry on how and where to better exercise their power:
One of the greatest concerns during this transition to Pb-free electronics, and therefore Pb-free components, has been the supposed rapid and widespread adoption of pure tin plating as the solderability plating of choice. A number of questionable surveys have driven this belief, with some promoting that ‘pure’ tin has captured 75% or more of the market.
The response to this wave of tin-whisker susceptible components has been impressive. Numerous organizations have sprung up to either analyze (iNEMI, E4), inform (ELFNET, GEIA), or fight (NASA Tin Whisker Group) this potential reliability threat. Millions have been spent on testing, analysis, report writing, and, most importantly, material identification (have you bought stock in XRF companies?).
Why all this time, money, and effort? Because, supposedly, the electronics supply chain is backwards. Suppliers call the shots and the OEMs, especially those in Hi-Rel (telecom, industrial, military, avionics, medical, etc.), have no control over what goes in their product and out to the customer. Could we be more wrong?
See the entire article here.
April 15-16, 2008: Intellectual Property Symposium San Jose, CA
This inaugural symposium is the place where those in the technology and legal arenas will meet in a communal setting to learn, analyze and engage in the issues facing the electronics industry. Co-chaired by Rick Merritt, Editor, EE Times and Mike McLean, Vice-President, Semiconductor Insights, this first annual event will be co-located with Embedded Systems Conference Silicon Valley and the EE Times ACE Awards. Tom Valliere will lead a session on counterfeiting in the electronics supply chain.
March 10-18, 2008: Vietnam Standards Training Program Hanoi, Vietnam
Planning to be in Hanoi in March? Check this out: Mike Kirschner presents a one-day session on product focused environmental regulation. See the flyer for more information.
February 22-23, 2008: California-EU Regulatory Cooperation Project Seminar Berkeley, CA
Mike Kirschner, the sole US industry representative in the project, discusses "US industry challenges and responses to EU and California product-targeted environmental regulations".
We value your feedback and insights on the topics in this newsletter and others. You can contact us toll-free at the number below, or simply reply to this e-mail.
Best Regards,
Michael Kirschner