CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive

20 April 2005

Product News

Omnify Software Announces Solution for RoHS and WEEE Directives

Omnify Software announced offerings to help manufacturers address important environmental regulations and compliance issues resulting from the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directives introduced by the European Union (EU). Omnify will educate those interested in learning more about how to comply with these regulations in a Webinar scheduled for April 27, 2005.

Both directives are designed to define environmental standards for electrical and electronic products. The RoHS Directive, which becomes effective July 1, 2006, seeks to restrict the amount of hazardous materials used in products, and their component parts. The WEEE Directive which becomes effective August 13 of this year aims to raise the level of reuse and recycling of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and encourages designers to create products with reuse and recycling in mind.

"Legislation based on the directives will make using the wrong part a potential legal and revenue liability, not just a supply chain liability, and poor Design for Environment practices may render products non-competitive," said Michael Kirschner, a specialist on these directives and related requirements, and president of consulting firm Design Chain Associates, LLC. "As companies seek to comply with the regulations and avoid fines or having their products locked out of the EU and other countries, they must utilize solutions that enable engineers to select and manage the right suppliers and parts in the product design process and throughout the product lifecycle."

To meet the requirements of RoHS and WEEE, many OEMs are turning to software solutions like Omnify Software to help develop products that adhere to the new regulations. Omnify PLM can help companies manage product development for these material restrictions and requirements by providing a means of classifying the complete composition of all materials used in any product and easily identify it as either compliant or non-compliant. Omnify can store and manage all of the materials declarations and certificates of compliance provided by suppliers. At any level of the product composition (part, sub-assembly, top-level assembly, etc.), Omnify will produce a complete report that will identify compliant and non-compliant items. In addition to the reports, Omnify can also export all associated reports and certificates into a bundled report. Leveraging Omnify's open architecture, component data can be imported easily from on-line content providers.

Omnify can help OEMs meet RoHS and WEEE compliance by:

•  Providing a mechanism to identify parts that meet/do not meet requirements;

•  Allowing OEMs to easily export data into a BOM report for analysis of pass/fail parts;

•  Offering the ability to store all compliance declarations/certificates associated with a part;

•  Properly maintaining records of products in a "technical file" as required by EU authorities;

•  Supporting the re-use of compliant parts in the design process.

"While compliance with these regulations is crucial for companies in the manufacturing industry, organizations should seek solutions that simultaneously provide opportunity to increase effectiveness in the overall product development process," said Alaine Portnoy, Omnify's product marketing manager. "Omnify's solutions enable companies to meet the new standards set forth by the EU, while also increasing collaboration in the product development cycle and reducing costs and time spent on delivering products."

Mr. Kirschner and Omnify will host a Webinar on April 27, 2005 at 1:00 p.m. EDT/ 10:00 a.m. PDT discussing the details of the legislation and how companies can create a compliant and collaborative design environment. To register for the Webinar and for more information, please visit http://www.omnifysoft.com/news/events.htm#2 .

 

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