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| GD California Unveils Complete Solution to RoHS |
A Quick Introduction to RoHS
Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) is an European Directive (2002/95/EC) that restricts the use of harmful substances in electronics. RoHS takes effect July 1st, 2006 and will be enforced in every EU member state. Since GD California is a manufacturer of computer boards and systems for embedded applications, any of our products bound for EU countries after 07/01/06 will be subject to the RoHS restrictions.
The RoHS legislation restricts the use of the 6 chemical substances listed below:
|
Element |
Symbol |
Maximum Concentration |
|
Lead |
Pb |
0.1% |
|
Cadmium |
Cd |
0.01% |
|
Mercury |
Hg |
0.1% |
|
Hexavalent Chromium |
Cr(VI) |
0.1% |
|
Polybrominated Biphenyl |
PBB |
0.1% |
|
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers |
PBDE |
0.1% |
A Comprehensive Solution to RoHS
GD California, Inc. (GDCA) products are sold to a worldwide customer base in the Medical, Industrial, Mil-Aero and Telecom industries. RoHS will not affect every customer the same way. Beyond geographical limitations of RoHS, some customers are exempt, others have waivers, while others are bound by the RoHS guidelines. GD California is taking the concept of Legacy support to a whole new level with a complete solution to RoHS. We will maintain normal production of Legacy products unaffected by RoHS, while providing an attractive alternative to companies that have to comply with the Directive.
GDCA is exclusively dedicated to Legacy products. We license our products directly from the original manufacturer. The value we provide our customers is the continuous support of Legacy products, manufactured by the same standards defined by the original manufacturer. Many customers are unaffected by the RoHS Directive and they can rest assured that GDCA will continue to support their non-compliant product(s). In fact, if you have a product that is facing End-of-Life and you need continuous support, contact us today. We work with all leading board manufacturers and we have licensed products from 20+ different companies.
GD California is also dedicated to extending product support for customers facing RoHS compliance. We understand how expensive and time consuming it is to upgrade a whole system, and that is why we are providing you with an alternative. GDCA is working closely with customers to bring certain NON-compliant products into 5/6 or full RoHS-compliance (6/6). We are willing to convert either GDCA products or your own product(s) into compliance. If you would like more information about converting products into compliance, please email us for more information.
Easy to Identify Product Labels
It is our goal to keep our customers well informed about their product’s compliance level. As we will support both RoHS-compliant and NON-compliant products, we have developed a labeling scheme to identify the level of compliance of each product. We have assigned every product in our online catalog one of the following symbols:
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RoHS COMPLIANT |
5 of 6 RoHS/ELV Compliant |
NON-COMPLIANT |
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These are products fully compliant with the Restrictions on Certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive 2002/95/EC. |
These products comply with the End of Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive 2000/53/EC but due to lead in the solderable interface do NOT fully comply with RoHS.1 |
These are older Legacy products, which DO NOT COMPLY with the RoHS Directive. |
We have also developed a RoHS Compliance Statement web page with an official company position.
By July 1st, 2006, GD California will:
- Provide a RoHS Compliance Policy with every product we manufacture. The RoHS Compliance Policy will be printed on the reverse side of our warranty policy.
- Implement physical product labeling to every product we manufacture.
If you have any questions to whether a product is RoHS compliant or not, our sales department will be glad to assist you. You are welcome to call them directly at (925) 456-9900 ext. 221.
Unique Part Numbers to Avoid Misunderstanding
To eliminate any confusion, every GD California product has an individual part number. A part number is assigned to each product only once and never changes. Every product modified to comply with RoHS will be assigned a new individual part number. Our unique part numbers will allow you to verify your product's RoHS compliance level, through our website or through a quick call to our sales department.
Always Here, Always Reliable!
For the past 19 years, GD California has provided a bridge for customers to migrate to new technology. We will continue to be here, whether it means building non-compliant products for a client that depends on the reliable lead, or converting a product to RoHS compliance for a client doing business in Europe. You can always depend on us for long term support of your Legacy products.
We value our customers' opinion, send us an email with comments or suggestions for new stories. If you have questions and comments about this newsletter, please contact:
Janet
Hendrickson-Daly
Marketing
Coordinator
GD
California, Inc.
1799
Portola Ave
Livermore,
CA 94551
T.
925-456-9900 ext. 240
F.
925-456-9901
Email: marketing@gdca.com
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