The EU directive RoHS ['Restriction of use of certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment'], due to come into effect on 1 July 2006, has significant consequences for South African suppliers of electronic and electrical equipment or components to the EU as well as certain world markets.
RoHS restricts the maximum concentrations of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the manufacture of various types of electronic and electrical equipment. These concentrations are typically 0,1% by weight of the homogenous material with the exception of cadmium, where the limit is 0,01%. Large and small household appliances; IT and telecommunications equipment; consumer equipment; lighting equipment (including light bulbs and household luminaries); electronic and electrical tools; automatic dispensers; toys, leisure and sports equipment are examples of broad categories of finished products that contain traces of these substances in their composition via solder, termination coatings, paint, PVC, contacts, sensors, relays, anti corrosion coatings and the flame retardants used in plastics.
In Europe, Asia and the USA, the RoHS and WEEE Directives are resulting in the majority of the electronics production industry changing their processes to lead-free soldering. Within South Africa the effects of this legislation are both outbound and inbound as [1] electrical products are locally manufactured for export and [2] our ability to source non-compliant components from abroad will slowly decrease over time. With regards to the directive, issues that still require addressing by many companies include the availability of compliant components and the management of change within their existing business processes including stock management, bills of material, quality assurance, design and documentation.
Globally, RS Components has taken a proactive stance to stay abreast of this important industry development and is working closely with a number of leading industry experts to identify as well as interpret the implications of RoHS. As the leading high service level distributor of electronic, electrical and industrial products to the South African market, RS is actively helping its customers understand and comply to these directives. The RS website displays full compliance information on all affected products, thereby allowing customers to make the correct combination of an educated decision and product choice. In this regard RS has importantly identified all products that are affected by RoHS and has clearly indicated the level of compliance on its website.
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