HERNDON, VA./BANNOCKBURN, ILL., November 1, 2005 -- IPC—Association Connecting Electronics Industries® and the International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) will host a session at Productronica (Munich) to discuss implementation and industry adoption of material composition data (MCD) exchange standards.  The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, 16 November, 9:00-12:00 in Conference Room A 61 (Munich Messe).

The focus of this meeting will be on 1) understanding current business requirements and the role of materials composition data (MCD) exchange standards, with emphasis on IPC-1752; 2) developing a "roadmap" for driving industry implementation of standards for MCD exchange; and 3) identifying opportunities for cooperation between various collaborative efforts to develop programs that will accelerate industry adoption of solutions based on emerging MCD standards.  Additional meeting details are available at:
http://www.inemi.org/cms/calendar/Implementation_of_Materials_Nov_2005.html  

As the RoHS deadline nears, suppliers are increasingly being asked by their customers (OEMs and EMS providers) to provide detailed materials content information, with many requestors employing customized reporting structures.  As demands increase, this task will become overwhelming without standardized and automated approaches for exchanging data.  IPC-1752, Materials Declaration Management, is a new standard that provides electronic data formats and standardized forms to simplify the exchange of materials declaration data required by the RoHS Directive.  It is intended to help reduce the cost and complexity of RoHS compliance, while increasing data quality and decreasing response times.  This IPC standard complements the EIA/JGPSSI/EICTA Joint Industry Guide for Material Composition Declaration of Electronic Products, which defines the specifics of what needs to be reported (substances, threshold values and methodology).

Many of the industry’s leading OEMs, EMS providers, component manufacturers and solution providers, working through two iNEMI projects over the last two years, helped define the data collection process flow and data format that form the basis of IPC-1752.  The standard will also support compatibility with RosettaNet’s e-business process standards for material composition.  The IPC-1750 standards are expected to go out for final ballot in December, with publication targeted for early 2006.For additional information about IPC-1752, go to http://www.ipc.org/committeedetail.asp?Committee=2-18.

"Complying with RoHS is one of the most difficult transitions the electronics industry has ever faced.  It is affecting every aspect of the supply chain and the relationships companies have built with their suppliers and customers," says Fern Abrams, director of environmental policyfor IPC.   "Being able to demonstrate compliance with materials restrictions involves gathering, organizing and storing a tremendous amount of data.  Standardized materials declaration tools, such as IPC-1752, can help."

"Industry-standard approaches to MCD exchange are required to support the growing challenge," says Richard Kubin, vice president of E2open and chair of the iNEMI MCD Exchange Project and of the IPC 2-18 Declaration Process Management Subcommittee (which is responsible for IPC-1752).  "As the number of requests for materials composition data grow exponentially, suppliers are indicating that they will be unable to support the demand without standards that allow consistent declaration formats and electronic exchange.   Through global industry interaction, such as this meeting at Productronica, we intend to establish committed programs between leading supply chain partners in order to accelerate the industry adoption of MCD exchange standards as defined by IPC-1752."

Another educational session —iNEMI/IPC Standard for Exchanging RoHS Composition Data — will focus on details of the pending IPC-1752.This presentation by Richard Kubin is scheduled for Tuesday, 15 November, 14:20-14:50, as part of the Productronica Forum at the ZVEI Podium, Hall B3.

About iNEMI

The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative’s mission is to assure leadership of the global electronics manufacturing supply chain.  Based in Herndon, Va. (near Washington, DC), the industry-led consortium is made up of approximately 70 manufacturers, suppliers, industry associations and consortia, government agencies and universities.  iNEMI 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 iNEMI, visit www.inemi.org.

About IPC

IPC is a Bannockburn, 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 additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Arlington, Va.; Garden Grove, Calif.; Stockholm, Sweden; and Shanghai, China.For more information, visit www.ipc.org.


For further information, contact:

Sandy Gentry, IPC
+1 847-597-2871
SandyGentry@ipc.org

Cynthia Williams, iNEMI
+1 207-871-1260
cwilliams@inemi.org