The Material and Process Laboratory (located in Miyota, Nagano) of the Material and Process Development Division at the Engineering Headquarters of Minebea Co., Ltd. ("Minebea") acquired accreditation for the ISO/IEC 17025:2005 standard in the field of analysis with respect to the six hazardous substances of the EU RoHS directive, namely lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in March 14, 2008.
In accordance with the international Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA), test result sheets issued by laboratories that have this accreditation are considered valid for use in international trade. The accreditation is recognized the world over.
The Material and Process Laboratory is the third Minebea facility to acquire the accreditation. In doing so, it joins the ranks of the Minebea R&D Center in Thailand and the Shanghai Plant in China. However, out of the three Minebea facilities, the Material and Process Laboratory is the first facility to acquire accreditation for all six substances-a unique achievement among analytical laboratories in Japan. The R&D centers in Thailand and China are currently making preparations to follow in its footsteps.
Now that Minebea has acquired accreditation for all six RoHS substances, they will be utilized effectively as the company attempts to comply with RoHS regulations.
Fluorescent x-ray analysis equipment has been installed at Minebea plants and divisions that use materials that may include controlled hazardous substances in order to ensure more faithful compliance with RoHS regulations. A process has also been added to screen all lots during the material receiving inspections. If the material is found to contain more than a certain amount of a controlled hazardous substance during this process, it will be sent to the aforementioned laboratory for a precise analysis to determine whether or not it exceeds the regulation value.
Minebea has established environmental conservation as one of the top priorities of its operations. We will continue to step up our environmental conservation activities under this policy.
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