Heard in the Channel: ECIA launches conflict minerals information site

The Electronic Components Industry Association recently launched a one-stop resource for companies looking for “conflict minerals” information from manufacturers of electronic components. More and more customers are seeking manufacturers’ statements on the use of so-called conflict minerals since the Securities and Exchange Commission released its final rule on the subject earlier this year. The ECIA site provides links to manufacturers’ statements and policies regarding the use of conflict minerals, which include tantalum, tin, gold and tungsten mined from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The conflict minerals rule is part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The SEC rule requires publicly traded companies to disclose annually whether or not they have used tantalum, tin, gold or tungsten mined from the DRC, where trade in such minerals fuels criminal networks and is perpetuating violence in the region. The law aims to stem violence in the area by curtailing trade and stopping the flow of money to violent regimes. Since the SEC issued its final rule in August, electronics supply chain customers.

The ECIA site is an industry resource aimed at making it easier for supply chain customers to determine whether or not the components they’re using to build their products are conflict-mineral free.

In a statement announcing the new resource, ECIA explained: “As in other situations like RoHS and the Japan Earthquake/Tsunami, the electronics industry typically relies on the component manufacturers to maintain the necessary data. The ECIA site offers a consolidated resource page for this important information. Rather than searching for each individual manufacturer/distributor’s web site, customers can easily check on a manufacturer through ECIA’s web page at http://www.eciaonline.org/standards/conflict.aspx.”

In other news, electronics distributor Digi-Key reached out to engineering students during “student day” at the recent Electronica 2012 show in Munich, offering presentations about the company and new technology demonstrations at its booth. Digi-Key wanted to demonstrate its vast array of industry resources to today’s engineering students.

“We realize the importance of providing products and information to the next generation of electronic engineers,” said Mark Larson, Digi-Key’s president and COO. “They will be responsible for the innovations of the future, and we want to pave the way for them by having the product they need, when they need it and giving them the information they require to successfully complete their designs.”

In other recent news:

Allied Electronics signed a new distribution agreement with Panasonic Industrial Devices Sales Company of America.
Avnet, Inc. announced that its Avnet Logistics Programming Operations team processed more than 330 million electronic components during its 2012 fiscal year. Avnet provides complete device programming, testing and device security services through its 10 programming facilities in Arizona, Brazil, California, Germany, Hong Kong, Mexico, New Hampshire, Shanghai and Singapore.
The Supply Chain Council appointed Pascal Fernandez, vice president of Avnet Velocity, EMEA, to its European leadership team. Based in Paris, Fernandez will support the Supply Chain Council’s high-tech supply chain initiatives in Europe. Avnet Velocity is Avnet Inc.’s supply chain solutions unit.
Avnet Embedded signed an agreement with open-source solutions provider Red Hat, Inc. Avnet Embedded is a division of Avnet Electronics Marketing; the agreement covers the Americas.
BTC Electronic Components has been approved by ASD-CERT to assemble J-Tech EN2997 series engine connectors.
Element 14 announced the launch of Code Exchange to complement its Raspberry Pi Group. Integrated with web-based hosting service GitHub, Code Exchange offers Raspberry PI fans a secure environment in which they can upload and modify code to collaborate with peers on the element14 community.
Newark element14 expanded its Dev Kit HQ with a “quick find” online product selector that helps engineers find the latest products available by manufacturer and application. Dev Kit HQ offers access to element 14’s online technical library, design resource and search engine the knode.
Mouser recently received the European 2012 Distributor of the Year POS Growth Award from Bourns and was named the 2012 Employer of Excellence for Tarrant County, Texas. The latter award was given by Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County, the local workforce board of the Texas Workforce Commission, which also recognized Mouser as a top five finalist for Texas Employer of the Year for 2012.
TTI Inc. received a 4-Star Supplier Excellence Award from Raytheon, recognizing the distributor’s outstanding service and partnership.