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Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)
RoHS Overview: In response to concerns for maintaining a healthy and safe environment, the European Union (EU) has established legislation eliminating or restricting the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). Each member state of the EU, and all other nations that import or export to EU nations either directly or through OEM production and/or distribution, must comply with the directive by July 1, 2006. The EU has established Maximum Concentration Values by weight for certain harmful substances in homogeneous materials (materials that cannot be mechanically separated into different materials, such as steel) used in the production of EEE. A maximum concentration value of 0.1% by weight of lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), and a maximum concentration value of 0.01% by weight of cadmium will be tolerated. The RoHS legislation also specifies that restrictions on other hazardous materials may be added at a later date. Certain electrical and electronic equipment is currently exempted from the RoHS legislation, but may be required to comply at a later date. The legislation applies to products placed on the market as of July 1, 2006. It does not apply to equipment placed on the market before that date or to replacement parts or retrofitting/ upgrading of such equipment. Deltron’s Plans for RoHS Compliance: Deltron has established a RoHS Committee to research RoHS requirements, to formulate plans for identifying and incorporating compliant materials and processes, and to guide and evaluate the changeover. The RoHS Committee, comprising members of corporate management, production management, the research and development team, and our purchasing, quality control, and sales departments, meets at least once each month. After thoroughly studying the RoHS directive and completing a review of our industry, products, and customers’ needs, the committee has developed an action plan and timetable for attaining full compliance with RoHS standards. Summary of Deltron’s RoHS Action Plan: Effective 2005, new product development incorporates RoHS-compliant materials, components and processes. Design, components, and manufacture of existing products will be evaluated and modified, where needed, for compliance and backwards compatibility. Under the supervision of the Vice President of Manufacturing, production facilities will begin the switch to lead-free and lead-free compatible processes, including soldering, surface mount reflow, hand-soldering, and solder-wave machine. Specialized training of production personnel begins in May 2005, with full switchover anticipated by January 1, 2006. Our Purchasing Department has compiled a Target List of commodities known or suspected to contain hazardous substances in excess of RoHS standards. All departments refer to this list when specifying and/or procuring items. Deltron’s suppliers have been notified that future purchases of components and materials must comply with the standards established in the RoHS directive and that they must provide us with technical documentation that certifies the percent by weight of restricted materials. When RoHS-compliant parts or materials are not yet available, the supplier must provide a timetable for compliance. Our Production Control and Purchasing Departments continuously monitor inventory to move non-compliant components, materials, and finished goods out of the production cycle within the prescribed time-frame. The Quality Control Department ensures that our performance specifications and quality standards are maintained throughout the transition period and when the switchover is complete. Customers may request from the Quality Control Department progress reports on our implementation of RoHS standards, copies of our Company-declarations of product compliance, as well as technical documentation and certificates of conformance. Our Sales Department monitors customers’ RoHS requirements and schedules, keeping all departments informed of any changes. Deltron’s RoHS Committee regularly reviews progress, audits our products and processes, and addresses supply-chain difficulties, should they occur. RoHS and the future: Even after full implementation of RoHS standards, Deltron will continue to maintain its commitment to safeguarding human health and the environment. We will promote the development of preferential partnerships with suppliers who demonstrate a strong commitment to providing parts and materials that meet or exceed the standards established by the RoHS directive, and who provide scientifically-sound documentation and certification that can be verified by empirical testing in a laboratory setting. We will continue to research and adopt processes that reduce the presence of harmful compounds in our workplace as well as in the greater environment. We will design our products with an emphasis on the environmental impact of their production, use, and disposal (recyclability). Our RoHS Committee will continually be apprised of changes and/or additions to the RoHS requirements and deadlines, ensuring that our products meet future environmental standards while maintaining the highest level of quality of manufacture and timeliness of availability. Deltron’s commitment to our customers: The following materials may be requested from our Sales or Quality Control Departments: Progress Reports on our implementation of RoHS standards; Deltron Declarations of Product Compliance; technical documentation and Certificates of Conformance for components and materials. Please contact us for information about your specific products. We will make every effort to accommodate our customers’ needs as we adhere to our schedule of implementing full compliance with the RoHS standards. Deltron,
Inc. 290 Wissahickon Avenue North Wales, PA 19454 |
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