Best Practices Can Help IT Manufacturers Design Green

OAKLAND, Calif. — Incorporating environmental stewardship into IT product development presents tremendous opportunity for manufacturers, according to an industry expert.

Thomas Maurer, a senior director of industry marketing at Siemens PLM Software, a unit of Siemens AG, offered best practice suggestions to EE Times.

Maurer implored companies to first look beyond regulations for the opportunity to differentiate their products, which could open new markets or give them an edge in existing ones. Successful organizations are weaving environmental stewardship into their compliance and regulatory efforts, as well as their mission.

He also suggests helping engineers design green since environmental requirements can best be addressed at the design stage. Engineers must be able to access the most current information on the materials and make-up of components and parts. Software is available to help designers evaluate the composition and life-cycle of their products.

Maurer encourages "life cycle thinking" for companies to streamline compliance. For instance, the design and manufacture departments can work together to create a compliance "safety net" to ensure that compliance is achieved across all points of development, distribution and retirement.

Finally, Maurer advises companies to secure their supply chain to avoid the consequences of noncompliance, such as product recalls, fines or closed markets.

He recommends establishing procedures to ensure the supply of compliant components, as well as applications that can help identify companies with compliant processes and evaluate final bills of material for meeting various mandates.