|
by Diane Himes, MA Editorial Staff   | Abstract: | Electronics contract manufacturer evangelizes the European Union's hazardous substances restrictions. |
Brad Heath caught a glimpse of the future in 2003 when the European Union adopted the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS). Instead of shying away from the unknown, CEO Heath realized that RoHS, which restricts the use of certain hazardous substances in the manufacture of electronic and electrical equipment, signaled a new direction in the industry. Heath and his company, VirTex Assembly Services, Inc., embraced the resulting lead-free movement and began producing RoHS-compliant products, including printed circuit boards and end product enclosures for advanced industrial print equipment, semiconductor test equipment, level sensing and remote monitoring, and robotics. Since then, his small electronics contract manufacturing company has led the way in its industry as a role model for environmentally friendly manufacturers. When the RoHS guidelines were released, "nobody had a clue what the impact would be or what they needed to do," Heath says. RoHS, often referred to as the lead-free directive, restricts the use of six substances in the manufacture of various types of electronic and electrical equipment. The directive, adopted in 2003 by the European Union, officially took effect on July 1, 2006. The directive is often coupled with the EU's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE), which sets collection, recycling, and recovery targets for electrical goods and is part of a legislative initiative to deal with toxic waste products. RoHS-type regulations have since taken effect in other parts of the world, including China and California, where the SB 20: Electronic Waste Recycling Act (EWRA) began prohibiting the sale of certain electronic devices as of Jan. 1, 2007. [Click to continue] |