Your ISO quality audit is coming up. We talk to an auditor to find out what to expect at your next inspection. By Jean Thilmany To ease any anxiety that quality managers at connector companies might feel when the auditor is due for a visit, Kevin Russelburg, an ISO 9001:2015 lead auditor, pulls back theRead More
Full Material Declarations provide an effective strategy for environmental data reporting. By Roger L. Franz, Engineering System Analyst, TE Connectivity Since the European Directives, Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), were enacted in 2006–7, the number of regulated substances continues to grow. REACH adds new substances roughlyRead More
Beyond preserving resources, green business practices can pay off in cost savings and stronger sales. By Caroline Hayes In manufacturing, there’s lean and then there’s green. Lean manufacturing is a set of principles designed to reduce waste in manufacturing. The aim of lean is to achieve higher throughput rates with minimum inventory. Driving out wasteRead More
The cabling system promises to streamline rack interconnect systems. Companies that design components for Ethernet systems will want to take a look at the RCx Multi-Source Agreement (MSA), a new intra-rack connection technology aimed at Ethernet applications. RCx MSA, an industry working group with members from Amphenol, Broadcom, Dell, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and JAE Electronics,Read More
The two most widely used standards in the electronics industry, IPC-J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610, have been updated. How will this impact your work? IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries® has released the G revisions of IPC-J-STD-001, Requirements of Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies, and IPC-A-610, Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies. These documents refer to the two most widelyRead More
A multitude of requirements compel manufacturers to default to worldwide commonality. EU regulations, such as RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) and REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals), the US Dodd-Frank Law (involving Conflict Minerals), and California’s Proposition 65 (currently listing over 800 chemicals that must be flagged), affect composition, processing, costs, and supplyRead More
Consumers and businesses want to be able to repair the products they have invested in. Industry says no. If you are an engineer and your phone — or toaster, TV, or printer — is on the fritz, you’ve got two options: Tinker with it or toss it. But most people only have one option, andRead More
How did data centers do during the recent spate of disasters? Just fine, thanks to good planning. The cloud is a great repository for critical information, but in the event of a fire, hurricane, earthquake, or other disaster, that information is only as safe as the data center in which it’s stored. This summer, disastersRead More
By Alexander Weber, Global Product Manager, Belden Inc. Fact: Mission-critical applications require industrial networking components that meet the highest levels of industry standards to withstand harsh environmental conditions. Failure to meet this threshold is likely to result in higher levels of interference and longer periods of downtime. With this in mind, selecting products with industryRead More
SKEDD direct connection technology makes device design more flexible Pia Horstmann, Product Marketing for PCB Connection Technology, Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG, Blomberg, Germany James Dunbar, Product Marketing Manger for PCB Connection Technology, Phoenix Contact USA, Middletown, Pa., USA Intelligent automation structures, such as HVAC systems in building technology or compact controllers in industrialRead More
