Design Chain Associates, LLC to Present at the National Electronic Distributors Association (NEDA) RoHS/Lead-Free Summit

Design Chain Associates, LLC, the leading electronics industry Design Chain consulting firm, will participate in the National Electronic Distributors Association (NEDA) RoHS/Lead-Free Summit, to be held on January 11, 2005 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Dallas, TX. The Summit will provide a forum for the discussion of issues arising from the implementation of the European Union's Restriction on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulations.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) January 6, 2005 -- Design Chain Associates, LLC, the leading electronics industry Design Chain consulting firm, will participate in the National Electronic Distributors Association (NEDA) RoHS/Lead-Free Summit, to be held on January 11, 2005 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Dallas, TX. The Summit will provide a forum for the discussion of issues arising from the implementation of the European Union's Restriction on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulations.

Tom Valliere, DCAs Senior Vice President, will present at 2:45pm and address world-wide implementation issues and participate in a panel session that follows. Toms presentation will discuss specific environmental initiatives in China, Japan, and other Far East nations. As the rapid deployment of standards mirroring the EUs RoHS/WEEE legislation marches across the globe, compliance concerns are adding to the general anxiety that already exists in our industry regarding these requirements and timelines. As electronic manufacturing and design continues to migrate to China and South Asia, it is important that our industry keeps abreast and understands these issues. We will try to help the industry understand the broader impact to their customers world-wide so they can better serve the needs of their customers."

Craig Conrad, Vice President of Sales and Marketing of TTI, Inc. and Chairman of the Board of NEDA said having an expert presenting like Tom, who, with DCA, is in the trenches and has an independent and broad perspective on compliance with these environmental requirements, will provide attendees with insights theyll be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. Were looking forward to Toms presentation."

The EU RoHS directive, also know as the lead-free" directive, identifies six materials that must be virtually eliminated from a great deal of electronic equipment before its shipped into the EU after 1 July 2006. These materials include Lead (Pb), Hexavalent Chromium (Chromium IV), Cadmium, Mercury, Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBBs), and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs). These materials can be used in semiconductors, package lead finishes, cables, switches, relays, plastic housings, CRTs, hardware (screws, nuts), lamps, PCBs, and other places. Other requirements like the Japanese electronics industrys Japan Green Procurement Survey Standardization Initiative (JGPSSI) restrict even more materials.

People interested in attending the NEDA summit can learn more about it at the NEDA home page: http://www.nedassoc.org/.

About Design Chain Associates, LLC

Design Chain Associates' consulting services help Electronics OEMs speed product time-to-market, reduce supply chain risks, and lower costs while increasing engineering and procurement efficiency. Through our knowledge and expertise in defining and applying best-practice business processes and tools, we help businesses remove and avoid these roadblocks, replacing them with measurable, accurate, and efficient means to achieve extraordinary top- and bottom-line returns. San Francisco-based DCA has a local presence in other high-tech regions of the country such as the Austin/Houston corridor and the Boston region as well as around the globe through local associates. For more information, visit DCA on the web at http://www.designchainassociates.com.

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