RoHS impacts EMS industry
-- Purchasing, 10/27/2005
At first glance, it would seem that the Restriction on the Use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) law mainly affects OEMs whose brand name is listed on the equipment. However, the law is having a huge impact on electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers who build systems for OEMs. EMS providers must work with suppliers to make sure their parts are RoHS compliant.
"RoHS is a big deal and we have massive program under way to ensure environmental compliance in advance of the deadline," says Courtney Ryan, senior vice president global supply chain at EMS provider Jabil Circuits in St. Petersburg, Fla."We will be ready. We have communicated our requirements to suppliers. Many suppliers are shipping lead-free components today," he says.
Ryan adds most large broad-line suppliers are already compliant, but Jabil continues to work towards compliance with smaller niche suppliers who may lack resources and RoHS expertise. Key for all suppliers are materials declarations. Equipment manufacturers will have to provide documentation that show none of the listed hazardous substances are in any parts or materials used in equipment. Most OEMs and EMS companies are building databases of suppliers, parts and materials content. "We have a pretty significant database involving the majority of suppliers. We have pushed hard for full disclosure of content within every component," says Ryan. Ryan says materials declarations could become more important because countries outside of Europe are considering environmental legislation concerning electronics equipment. "Down the road there may be other requirements coming out of different geographies. We need to be ready."
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