By Ann Steffora Mutschler
Electronic News
January, 2006

The quest for RoHS compliance has resulted in an expanded amount of component data to be managed in enterprise systems, however, engineering data management approaches aim to assure an organized path to compliance and can even be done from the design engineer’s desktop.

The compliance issue is being attacked on many levels including suppliers of product lifecycle management (PLM) tools, also referred to as product data management (PDM), but these are specific markets that address a more enterprise level problem, according to Manny Marcano, president and CEO of Rochester, N.Y.-based EMA Design Automation, an EDA value-added reseller and consultant.

“Engineering data management [EDM] is a sub-category in the PLM/PDM marketplace that solves numerous problems that the enterprise vendors do not cover. Ease of use, rapid deployment and engineering focus especially relevant in light of the RoHS deadline of July 1,” he explained.

Marcano noted that particularly in the last year, EMA customers’ biggest problem is managing data. “This is the biggest pain point with our customer base,” he said.

Over the years, while technology will always be critical, because of RoHS, data management has become equally important.

“Our customers all understand they have a RoHS compliance issue, but they also have a part obsolesce crisis, whether or not they know it. If we are able to identify in their bill of materials [BOM] to make it “compliant by design,” then they can get on the right track while also reworking backwards,” Marcano continued.

Another lucrative area is the revamping of reference designs. EMA is working with one of the top IC providers in the world to bring its reference designs and the accompanying components in line with RoHS. “They can’t sell chips to Europe if they aren’t,” he reminded.

On a first pass, it may appear that all environmental compliance issues can be solved at the enterprise level, however, there may not be a specific interface meant for the design engineer, not to mention the cost of enterprise tools.

With a “compliance by design” perspective, EMA’s tools give access to the engineer at the desktop, but data can be ported into enterprise systems as needed.

While EDA vendors such as Cadence Design Systems Inc. address this same issue, they do so from the high-end enterprise level, while EMA is coming at it with the mainstream electronics OEM in mind. Electronic component distributors also have done a huge amount of work in this area, but only for their linecards.

Specifically, EMA’s EDM is a database management system meant to help engineering teams create RoHS/WEEE-compliant products by allowing detailed control over all product design data with specific emphasis on environmental compliance material content.

The EDM environment supports various versions of RoHS data including both RoHS five (network infrastructure equipment exemption) and the general RoHS six requirements.

Underlying the tool is technology from Omnify Software that allows for the management of product development under the regulations by providing a means of identifying the complete material composition of a part.

Omnify’s technology allows for classification of parts as either compliant or non-compliant, which can then be searched on and exported into a BOM report for quick analysis, along with storing all the materials declarations and certificates of compliance from suppliers.

In order to meet and maintain compliance, manufacturers must now rely on collaborative software solutions to ensure that information sharing and data classification is completely accurate and accessible to all product development parties.

Omnify believes the key is automating the data management process by tracking and storing pertinent information, as well as accounting for the requirements of new and evolving environmental directives.

With all the tools clearly available, Marcano confirmed that there are still some customers that have not begun their compliance efforts. While EMA has been assisting early adopters for the past 12 months, he believes between now and July it will be a rocket ride to achieve compliance.

Choosing between the various approaches largely depends on the customers’ perspective. “The difference between what we are doing and what the distributors are doing, is that we are taking a vendor neutral position,” he concluded.

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