2006 UL Greater China IT Industry Forum

Shares latest trends in standards and regulatory developments

Coping with the fast developing international safety regulations and environmental directives has been an increased challenge for manufacturers, particularly in the very diverse and volatile Information Technology Equipment (ITE) industry.

UL held the “2006 UL Greater China IT Industry Forum” to discuss with the industry the latest regulatory and market trends. The forum, which took place May 25 and 26, Sabah of Malaysia, gathered around 30 representatives and decision makers from major OEMs and component suppliers in the ITE industry.

At the forum, UL Primary Designated Engineer (PDE) Thomas Burke discussed the interpretation of the safety standards applicable to ITE and options available to ITE manufacturers for meeting the challenges faced during certification to IEC/ UL 60950-1, First Edition. Besides, he anticipated the impact of the significant revisions in the IEC/ UL 60950-1, Second Edition. The new requirements for Voltage Dependent Resistors (VDR), batteries, Printed Circuit Boards, insulation, circuits and data ports were addressed.

In addition, Thomas gave an overview of TC 108, the future integrated standards for the ITE and Audio/ Video (A/V) industries. He briefed on the new safety standard of IEC 62368 and the new technical specification of IEC TS 62441. To be published in early 2008, IEC 62368 will eventually replace IEC 60950 and IEC 60065. It is expected to bring an easily understandable and single standard for a broad range of products, while minimizing the national and regional differences in safety requirements. As for IEC TS 62441, it is a specification for the evaluation of accidental ignition of exterior housings of A/V and information communication technology products caused by a candle flame. Its target publication date is in 2007.

Another key issue explored in the forum centers around the challenge of EU’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive, which will go effective starting July 2006. The forum introduces UL’s Restricted Substances Compliance Solutions (RSCS), which offers services ranging from training workshops, restricted substances testing, to surveillance/ audits of global supply chain partners. It also features UL’s Restricted Substances Management System Registration, which assesses an organization compliance with the standards established by the International Electrotechnical Commission Quality Assessment System for Electronic Components (IECQ QC 080000 HSPM).

Attendees of the forum also gained insights into UL’s new Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) program, which offers IT services providers a framework of the best process in software development. Through CMMI, organizations can enjoy the benefits of improved schedule, budget predictability, and productivity.