IPC to address future regulations at Las Vegas summit.

Press Release Summary:



IPC - Association Connecting Electronics Industries® announces activities that will be held during IPC Printed Circuits Expo, APEX and the Designers Summit to inform industry executives of impending restrictions in printed board manufacturing and electronics assembly. They include standards development meetings, technical sessions, and professional development courses that will cover environmental regulations such as MCDs, China's environmental directive, REACH, and CSAT-Top Screen.



Original Press Release:



Next Generation of Environmental Regulations Assessed at IPC Printed Circuits Expo®, APEX® and the Designers Summit



BANNOCKBURN, Ill., USA, February 14, 2008 - With environmental regulations impacting the electronic interconnect industry from all corners of the world, IPC - Association Connecting Electronics Industries® announces a number of environment, health and safety (EHS) activities that will be held March 31-April 3, 2008, to inform industry executives of impending restrictions in printed board manufacturing and electronics assembly. Held during IPC Printed Circuits Expo, APEX and the Designers Summit in Las Vegas, the activities - standards development meetings, technical sessions and professional development courses - will focus on the implications of the next generation of environmental regulations including MCDs (Material Content Declarations); China's environmental directive, Administrative Measure for the Control of Pollution Caused by Electronic Information Products, often referred as "China RoHS"; REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals); and CSAT-Top Screen (Chemical Security Assessment Tool).

On Tuesday, April 1, as a prelude to the technical sessions, IPC is honored to have Huang Jianzhong, senior engineer/director, Department of Economic System Reform & Economic Operation of the People's Republic of China, Ministry of Information Industry (MII), and Patrice Rolett, general manager, Avantec (France), address attendees. In their presentation, "Global Environmental Regulations - The Next Generation from Europe to China and Back," these guest speakers will discuss "China RoHS" and REACH. Attendees will gain timely insight on these regulations and their impact on the future of electronics assembly.

The technical conference includes a two-part session on environmental regulations. On April 1, experts will provide updates on new developments in RoHS regulations and provide details on the new acronyms waiting in the wings - REACH, EuP, EPR - to help attendees prepare for further regulatory changes. Part II follows the next morning with a look at the technical challenges of complying with tough, new regulations.

Professional development courses will provide the latest information, tools and resources to help attendees develop and execute successful plans for compliance and assessment of risk. Courses include: Rapid RoHS Assembly Development for Large and Small Boards in a RoHS Environment; Corporate Environmental Compliance: Creating a Strategy for Environmental Compliance in Today's Evolving Market; and Roadmap to Regulatory Compliance: Risks, Challenges and Opportunities for the High-Tech Industry.

Standards Development task groups will address marking, symbols and labels for identification of assemblies; and halogen-free electronics. The Halogen-Free Materials Subcommittee will discuss its White Paper/Technical Report on the legislative, marketing and environmental pressures to remove halogenated flame retardants from PCBs and electronic assemblies, and the Environment, Health & Safety Committee will discuss its new survey on benchmarking energy usage and expense to help members prepare for forthcoming global climate change regulations. On April 2, the Supplier Declaration Subcommittee and the Materials Declaration Task Group will work jointly on an amendment for robust data definitions, XML schema and criteria for third-party software tools.

For more information on EHS activities taking place at IPC Printed Circuits Expo, APEX and the Designers Summit, visit www.GoIPCShows.org.

About IPC
IPC (www.ipc.org) is a global trade association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 2,500 member companies which represent all facets of the electronics interconnect 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 an estimated $1.5 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Arlington, Va.; Garden Grove, Calif.; Stockholm, Sweden; and Shanghai, China.

All Topics