Study shows that many firms<br>are not ready for RoHS

Arena Solutions, a provider of on-demand product lifecycle management software for manufacturers has announced the results of its ongoing RoHS Readiness Survey. Launched on April 30, 2006, the Arena RoHS Readiness Survey polled hundreds of manufacturers who were not Arena customers to identify and assess risk based on 16 key capabilities around tracking, documenting and reporting of RoHS compliance. According to the survey, 83 percent of respondents were at severe to high risk of not being able to demonstrate compliance or due diligence for RoHS based on their documentation management capabilities. While the study found that a majority of respondents had implemented a RoHS transition plan, 69 percent indicated that they did not have a centralized compliance management solution in place that was accessible to employees and suppliers. The research also indicated that: * 59 percent of respondents do not have a good understanding of the regulations or how to demonstrate compliance and due diligence; * 60 percent of respondents are not confident that they track all parts and materials in their products, have a complete compliance record associated, and can verify compliance independently of any regulatory requirement; * 65 percent of respondents would not be able to confidently report compliance based on a complete and accurate product compliance record; * 73 percent of respondents agree that they do not have sufficient controls and documentation around change management, compliance verification of incoming parts, and a closed-loop process for non-conforming materials; and * 63 percent of respondents recognize that their current solution to track compliance will not scale for multiple regulations, and compliance for history revisions is not well kept. “Converting products to become RoHS compliant before the July 1st deadline is only half the battle,” said Michael Topolovac, CEO of Arena Solutions. “Manufacturers need to be prepared to report and 'live' with compliance, meaning they need to have a robust compliance management solution in place that allows them to track, document, and report compliance as well as demonstrate due diligence when required.”