Warning of RoHS lottery as catalogue launched

Farnell InOne, international distributor of electronic and industrial components, issued a warning at the launch of its new catalogue of RoHS-compliant products, alerting the electronics industry to possible mayhem if distributors don't take the lead in issuing new part numbers for compliant stock.

The company believes that this is the only way to ensure compliant and non-compliant parts can be identified easily and properly segregated.

The company urges design engineers to avoid the part number lottery by using distributors, such as Farnell InOne, that are changing part numbers and clearly segregating compliant and non-compliant stock.

This gives a much greater degree of certainty than distributors who aren't changing part numbers but just relying on 'flushing through' stock - an approach that could easily leave engineers unsure of whether they are using compliant or non-compliant products in design.

Kevin Yapp, marketing director for Europe Asia-Pacific at Farnell InOne, said:

"We believe it's essential that design engineers know what their suppliers are shipping. The safety checks we are using are vital to achieve this."

Mr Yapp also advises that there is an immediate need for speed, explaining:

"The countdown to RoHS began some time ago. Engineers have to design-in compliant components now to have any chance of meeting the deadline next year. It's no good waiting for old stock to get flushed through - compliant components need to be readily available today.

"Only distributors who can get RoHS products to market quickly can support designers through the changing legislation. Our approach to part numbering and broad product range means this is exactly what we're doing."

The need to ensure suppliers are providing complete documentation and, where appropriate, material testing, is also highlighted in the new catalogue, which sets out how Farnell InOne provides a full audit trail at item level for each RoHS-compliant component.

The company believes traceability is vital to ensuring compliance. Rather than offering a blanket declaration of compliance on product lines, it provides downloadable, personalised Certificates of Compliance for each individual component from its website www.farnellinone.co.uk

The latest catalogue contains a wealth of material developed to support design engineers, buyers and manufacturers through the transition to RoHS, including a Guide to Lead-Free Soldering, one of the biggest challenges posed by the legislation, as well as Farnell InOne's Step-by-Step Guide to RoHS legislation.

Meanwhile the company has become an authorised, franchised European and Asia-Pacific supplier for Linear Technology Corporation (LTC), a supplier of analog integrated circuits.

Farnell is extending its existing product range to include all Linear products. Users can now order RoHS-compliant or non-compliant versions of all Linear products and the company will be working directly with Farnell, extending its reach into Asia, Australia and New Zealand.