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2009 proved to be a challenging year for all facets of the electronics industry, including your trade association, IPC. However difficult, progress was made, and will continue to be made, but not without your help. Please join IPC in our efforts to continue to protect your interests in the recast of the EU Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive and in strengthening the North American PCB industry.

EU RoHS Directive Recast

Just as reports of the end of the recession were taking root, the glimmer of a brighter new year was shadowed by a couple of unexpected announcements. In November, Member of European Parliament (MEP) Jill Evans (Green Party) hosted a workshop in Parliament on revising the RoHS Directive. The workshop was produced by and featured the positions of the environmental non-governmental organization (NGO), ChemSec with the assistance of Clean Production Action, and surprisingly, Apple and Sony Ericsson. Although other OEMs have not come out in support of the changes to RoHS, their public commitments to remove brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and PVC from their products are being construed as support of the proposal to ban halogens in electronics.

At the workshop and in subsequent meetings with key MEPs, Fern Abrams, IPC director of environmental policy and government relations, raised the issue of needing to make decisions based on sound science, along with the need to avoid undermining REACH by taking a position that puts RoHS in conflict with REACH. Particular emphasis was given to the fact that while Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) has been tested and found to be safe for human health and the environment, many of the substitutes have not been thoroughly tested and could, in fact, represent a greater risk to the environment and human health.

While it seemed at first as if the Green Party proposals would go unchallenged in the Parliament, there have been a few hopeful signs. During the EU Parliament Environment Committee’s first discussion of the recast, a handful of MEPs expressed their concerns over implementing the proposed amendments. Specifically, MEP Chris Davies (UK) stressed the need to prove that alternatives are safer than the substances they replace.

The European Parliament is expected to take a plenary vote in April. As an industry, we must come together in support of a scientific process that is going to ensure a favorable outcome for the environment, human health and safety, and the economy.

IPC is a strong supporter of scientifically-based environmental regulations, but we can’t fight this battle alone. MEPs and Council Representatives need to hear from their constituents on how they will be affected by the proposed revisions.

If you are an EU-based company, you have a unique advantage and responsibility to contact your MEPs and Council Representative expressing your concerns. If you are a non-EU-based company, encourage your EU customers, suppliers, distributors, and colleagues to become involved in the revisions process. For more information on the recast of the RoHS Directive, visit www.ipc.org/rohs-efforts.

Strengthening the North American PCB Industry

Back in the states, the atmosphere at IPC’s December Technology Interchange Conference—The North American PCB Industry: It Can and Will Support the Military Market, in Washington, D.C., was optimistic. The most significant military electronic interconnect conference in years, the interchange amassed a crowd, from PCB manufacturers to suppliers to military OEMs to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).

The conference answered as many questions as it raised, as the who’s who of industry leaders, key technologists, and government representatives met to discuss roadmaps, the state of the printed board industry, DoD programs, and suppliers’ capabilities.

Presentations by industry members discussed the dramatic decline in the number of U.S. PCB manufacturers capable of meeting DoD needs, attributing it in large part to intense global competition and the DoD’s shift in dependence to commercial-off-the-shelf electronics. Speakers emphasized that the North American PCB industry is capable of meeting current DoD needs, but if trends continue, only a handful of companies will be left to meet future requirements.

Senior DoD officials outlined the history, as well as current and future DoD plans, for obtaining leading edge electronic interconnect products. Many of the domestic manufacturers were buoyed to hear Syd Pope, lead analyst for the DoD’s Office of Industrial Policy, recognize the vital role printed boards play in mission critical systems.

Representing the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane, which was recently designated as the Executive Agent (EA) for PCB Technology, Duane Embree discussed plans for the PCB EA program. The printed board industry and IPC are expected to play a large role in the EA program through the advisory council.

Expanding on the expected collaborative role of industry and the EA program, members of IPC’s PCB Executive Agent Task Force unveiled the IPC Defense Roadmap. Developed to assist the PCB EA, the roadmap identifies leading-edge printed board designs and materials that will be required to meet future DoD and OEM needs.

To help work toward a productive future and maintain the positive momentum from the interchange, many attendees vowed to support a next step with active participation in the IPC’s Capitol Hill Day, June 9–10, 2010. At the event, attendees will have the opportunity to meet with public officials to encourage them to support our industry and help ensure the long-term supply chain supporting national defense.

For information on how your company can get support IPC’s efforts, contact Fern Abrams at FernAbrams@ipc.org.