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NEMI Sponsors RoHS/Lead-Free Summit October 18-20
AEA, EIA and IPC are co-sponsors of event that will be hosted
by StorageTek in Louisville, Colorado
Click here for registration, agenda, etc.
Herndon, Va. - August 30, 2004 - The National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (NEMI), an industry-led consortium, is sponsoring a summit meeting October 18-20 to discuss the status of RoHS/WEEE implementation. The meeting is co-sponsored by AeA (formerly the American Electronics Association), the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) and IPC - Association Connecting Electronics Industries, and will be held at StorageTek in Louisville, Colo. (near Denver).
This summit brings together industry experts from the U.S. and Europe to provide a broad overview of the current status of, and key issues related to, implementation of the RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) and WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) directives. It will also provide a forum for sharing best practices from successful company programs, and help identify gaps that industry must still address as legislative deadlines approach.
"Given today's product cycles, the deadlines are already on top of us," said Dave McCarron, lead free program director for Dell, Inc. and chair of NEMI's RoHS Transition Task Group. "Some companies already have lead-free products on the market, and several more will begin transitioning at the end of this year and beginning of next year. Still, in two year's time, industry must go from a small percentage of lead-free products to nearly 100 percent lead-free production. That will require aggressive timelines for implementing new processes. We are talking about wholesale conversion from well-established processes to something with which industry has limited high-volume manufacturing experience. It's an incredibly steep learning curve, and the more that we can share our experiences and identify the critical areas for concerted efforts, the better off we will all be."
"While industry has put a lot of effort into lead-free deployment, RoHS and WEEE have many other implications for the electronics industry," explained Bob Pfahl, NEMI vice president of operations. "In addition to the elimination of substances other than lead, producers must keep track of and report on materials content information across their product realization supply chain. This information must be made available to companies in Europe that will be involved with reuse and recycling in the future. We need to begin to address a number of these other requirements from both a technology and business process perspective."
Topics planned for discussion at the summit include:
- Regulatory environment - European directives as well as other pending and emerging legislation.
- Status of manufacturing process technology - Lead-free reflow, wave soldering and rework and repair processes; component technology; lead-free finishes for high reliability; elimination of other materials.
- Status of RoHS implementation and standards - IPC, IEC and JEDEC specifications, among others.
- Business-to-business data exchange - Requirements and emerging solutions.
Registration and Logistics
Registration fee is $150 (which is waived for NEMI members). Lunch will be provided at each day's meeting, and participants will also be invited to attend a dinner on Monday, October 18 (at no additional charge). All participants will receive access to the meeting presentations as well as other reference materials and resources following the meeting. For additional information about the agenda, registration and travel, go to
http://www.nemi.org/calendar/summit_meeting.html
About NEMI
The National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative's mission is to assure leadership of the global electronics manufacturing supply chain. Based in Herndon, Va., the industry-led consortium is made up of more than 60 manufacturers, suppliers, industry associations and consortia, government agencies and universities. NEMI roadmaps the needs of the electronics industry, identifies gaps in the technology infrastructure, establishes implementation projects to eliminate these gaps (both business and technical), and stimulates standards activities to speed the introduction of new technologies. The consortium also works with government, universities and other funding agencies to set priorities for future industry needs and R&D initiatives. For additional information about NEMI, visit www.nemi.org.
About AeA
Advancing the business of technology, AeA (formerly the American Electronics Association) is the nation's largest high-tech trade association. AeA represents nearly 3,000 companies with 1.8 million employees. These companies span the high-technology spectrum, from software, semiconductors, medical devices and computers to Internet technology, advanced electronics and telecommunications systems and services. With 17 regional U.S. councils and offices in Brussels and Beijing, AeA offers a unique global policy grassroots capability and a wide portfolio of valuable business services and products for the high-tech industry. AeA has been representing the voice of the U.S. technology community since 1943. For additional information about AeA, visit www.aeanet.org.
About EIA
EIA is the leading advocate in Washington, DC, for the U.S. high-tech industry; its 2,500 members include the full spectrum of U.S. manufacturers. The Alliance is a partnership of electronic and high-tech associations and companies whose mission is promoting the market development and competitiveness of the U.S. high-tech industry through domestic and international policy efforts. For further information, visit www.eia.org or www.eiae.org.
About IPC
IPC is a Northbrook, Ill.-based trade association dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its more than 2,200 member companies, which represent all facets of the electronic interconnection industry, including design, printed circuit board manufacturing and electronics assembly. As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of a $40 billion U.S. industry employing more than 350,000 people. IPC maintains offices in Taos, N.M.; Washington, D.C.; Garden Grove, Calif.; Stockholm, Sweden; and Shanghai, China. For more information, visit www.ipc.org.
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For further information:
Cynthia Williams
Director of Communications
207-871-1260
cynthiaw@maine.rr.com