COEUR D’ALENE, IDAHO, August 1, 2005—The European Union (EU) has adopted directives called Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS).  The WEEE directive requires producers to finance the collection, treatment, recovery and disposal of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment on products new to the EU market as of August 13, 2005. The RoHS directive restricts the use of certain substances in electrical and electronic products.  The presence of Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Hexavalent Chromium, and the flame retardants PBB and PBDE will be severely restricted in defined types of products that are new to the EU market as of July 1, 2006.

Advanced Input Systems is committed to providing services that meet our customer’s requirements.  Included in this commitment is the ability to design and manufacture RoHS compliant products when specified.  To ensure the ability to meet customer requirements, Advanced Input Systems formed a compliance task force in April of 2003.  The task force manages a project that tracks requirements and puts in place systems and processes necessary to provide product that is compliant with customer specifications that result from RoHS, WEEE, and related legislation.

Advanced Input Systems has the ability to design and manufacture RoHS compliant products.  We are working closely with our suppliers to ensure that information and material supply chains are developed to support RoHS. Systems are in place internally to track the status of all material used in product.  The due diligence of determining material compliance to RoHS requirements is documented on a part number by part number basis for the entire Bill Of Material of an affected product. In order to ensure traceability of compliant products, Advanced Input Systems will change the part number for each top-level assembly that is validated to be compliant with RoHS.

There remains considerable uncertainty in the industry on how the RoHS directive is to be interpreted and what product is affected. It is the responsibility of the producer (brand name seller /OEM) to determine compliance requirements.  Although Advanced Input Systems will provide input to our customers on how to interpret the directive, that input does not represent legal advice and is presented without warranty as to accuracy.  Due to the nature of Advanced Input Systems core business, supplying custom products to OEMs, products will be made compliant with RoHS requirements only at the specific request of the customer. Likewise, labeling for the purpose of meeting WEEE requirements must be specified by the customer prior to implementation. The costs and lead times associated with developing a design and producing a product to be RoHS and/or WEEE compliant will be negotiated with the customer prior to initiation of work on the project.

Advanced Input Systems encourages customers to evaluate the impact of RoHS, WEEE, and similar legislation on their product as early as possible.  All designs that are affected by the directive should be specified as such at the earliest opportunity.  It is critical that sufficient time be available to research materials, complete designs, and procure materials in support of the compliance dates.

Customer Contact

Customers should contact their Advanced Input Systems account representative or the task team focal point, Henry Hildreth, at 1-208-765-8000 x1223 for further information.