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2005
Conference Paper
Titel
Marking of Electronic Components and Board Assemblies as RoHS Compatible
Titel Supplements
Information in the Supply Chain and Logistics
Alternative
Kennzeichnung elektronischer Komponenten und Baugruppen - Informationen in der Zulieferkette für die Logistik
Abstract
Topic: Supply Chain Issues The paper is related to the logistic challenges of the European Directive on Restriction of Hazardous Substances. The bans of the six materials, among them lead, is followed from a strong requirement of distinguishing products and subproducts, whether they fall under the scope of the directive or not. The scope covers eight from ten categories of electronic products, mostly made for the private customer. But the weak boundaries of the categories, the lists of exemptions and the dates of coming in force and reviewing the exemptions enforces a very large number of variations, a subproduct could contain lead in their structure. The problem will be tapered due to the definition of maximum concentration values based on homogeneous material, which is a clear interpreted term only for macro materials. Logistic is a time, cost and quality deciding business task regarding as well the supply chain as the intra-enterprise management. Understanding and trustfulness between the partners, clear rules and contracts are required for providing a beneficial business and withstanding the competition. The supply chain in electronic industry ranges from ore mining to the customer, but modern business management includes the whole life cycle until the services, reuse and recycling before the disposal. Due to this fact, dealing the information about used materials is a big issue. Above all, more than one employee in the intra-enterprise business workflows is involved in gathering information, keeping information online and addressing information to product and customer. Although the RoHS Directive does not define a marking of products and subparts, a common marking is desired for handling some kind of information regarding to lead. The paper will discuss in a first part the international standards, released after a long process. So the JEITA ETR-7021, the JEDEC JESD97 as well as the IPC-1066 will be introduced and commented with the focus on usability for RoHS compliance and possible compliance to other legislation. The RoHS compliant diamond, proposed by Soldertec, may give a condensed information regarding RoHS if it is complemented by a description of possible exemptions. Beyond that, a checklist for manufacturers/suppliers will be given to broader the view from the marking issue to the whole business process. The complexity of the processes requires a further assistance from national, international and European manufacturer associations and standardisation bodies to support the enterprises fulfilling a secure logistic task through the whole life cycle. In a second part the amount of information regarding only the lead content in a product will be opened to environmental oriented information bundle. So the topics like traceability, part numbering and material data declaration format are among the objectives for the following challenges to be met for staying innovatively and compatibly in the global market.