A quote attributed to the powerful 19th-century Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck goes something like this: “Laws are like sausages. It’s better not to see them being made.” In my observation of the processes by which standards are made for interconnection technology, I’d say the quote applies to those documents as well. In this issue of Connector Specifier, we have information on both-laws and standards-each of which could very well apply directly to your job responsibilities, and each of which, no doubt, has political undercurrents as influencers.
Our news story that begins on page 1 discusses why it quite literally will take an act of Congress to stop the product-shipment returns that have arisen at all levels of the electronics supply chain. As the article details, a law that until recently went unenforced at many levels forbids foreign-smelted metals in any electronics that are sold to the Department of Defense. Enforcement of the law, which has been on the books for more than 30 years, recently picked up. The upshot has been that suppliers several steps removed from the DoD have had shipments returned to them because the products contain foreign metals and, unbeknownst to them in many circumstances, those products ultimately would be used in equipment sold to the DoD.
As a result, and as this issue’s story explains, electronics-industry groups are trying to insert exceptions into the law that will allow such metals within electronics under a few conditions, one of which being that the foreign metals are present in such small quantities that they are negligible. That sounds logical to me, but of course as in every case like this, there is an opposing point of view. That point of view comes from those with an interest in selling domestic specialty metals. As you might imagine, this legislation-called the Berry Amendment-benefits these specialty-metals producers in the United States. So, they’ll certainly scrutinize and most likely object to any exceptions to the law.
When I interviewed Robin Gray, executive vice president of the National Electronics Distributors Association, and a supporter of the previously mentioned exceptions to the Berry Amendment, he told me that those in the specialty metals camp have sized up the situation and understand that such exceptions would allow the United States military to have the best-available electronics equipment. So, they have not put up a lot of resistance. From a cynic’s standpoint, I believe that a factor at least equally important to the specialty metals lobby is that the proposed changes to the law, if enacted, would not even put a scuff on (much less a dent in) their volume shipments. Regardless, I imagine that some of the meetings that ultimately will lead to the resolution of this situation fall into the “sausage” category; I’ll be better able to digest the result if I don’t see what the creators of it did to get there.
Similarly, yet perhaps more refreshingly, this month’s Industry Insight column (page 34), contributed by Ed Cady, rounds up some of the standards activities within the IEEE and other groups that, in many ways, will pave the future path of interconnect technology. This article sticks to the facts and is a useful, practical compilation of pertinent standards activities that you should know about.
In Cady’s ever-professional manner, he deftly avoids the political undertones that can manifest in standards-creation activities. Politically, there probably is more to each story than what is brought to you in this column. But it’s no accident that the article doesn’t go there. Design-engineering professionals are concerned about performance or, put another way, results. The ultimate results of the activities mentioned in this column, lawmaking at the federal level, and standards creation much closer to home professionally, will have a significant practical impact on your everyday responsibilities.
And this publication’s responsibility is to help you carry out those responsibilities. Sometimes, that means investigating the way the sausages are made, and sometimes, it means a review of how they taste. Please know that we at Connector Specifier are keeping your needs at the forefront of our thoughts, and we invite you to let us know how we’re doing in meeting those needs.
Patrick McLaughlin
Chief Editor
patrick@pennwell.com
