It’s Boat Show Season

Break out the sunscreen and dust off your lifejacket, it’s boat show season!  Nothing makes this more apparent than the jam-packed event calendar on the boatshows.com website. The month of February is filled with shows all across the US, Canada and Europe. Heck, there’s even a boat show in the middle of Iowa, so it’s clear that people really love their recreational watercrafts. These shows offer everything from $300 kayaks to yachts that can cost more than $1 million. However, their real purpose is to display and promote the latest in boating technology.  Today’s demanding and educated consumers are surrounded by technology 24-7, from smartphones, to internet enabled TV’s, to cars that have more computing power than the space shuttle. Therefore, it is only natural that they expect their boats to come with advanced options and expanded functionality.

There’s no doubt that boating is one of the more challenging leisure activates out there. Water, be it in a lake, river, or ocean, is rarely forgiving. To guarantee a high level of safety and comfort, you have to make sure that you have the latest and most reliable electronic gear. The days of hopping in a rowboat with little more than a transistor radio and a fishing rod are no longer the norm.  The marine experts at Etratech understand these modern needs and demands. We design and manufacture many of the innovative electronic controls that make your boating experience safer and more enjoyable.  Etratech provides the marine sector with everything from pump controls, to transmitters and receivers to navigation and fish-finder controls components. All of our cost-effective control components are resistant to vibration and environmental conditions, which comes in handy because Mother Nature can be quite unpredictable.

So, as you stroll through the aisles of your local boat show, just remember that the experts at Etratech played a role in designing, engineering, and producing many of the high-quality switches, timers, and instrument panel controls that make this year’s models safe, more interactive, and just plain cool.
Have questions about the latest marine control components? Contact us today and we can help.

No More Wood Paneling: The New Breed of RVs

There’s never a bad time for an RV trip. As friends, family, and RV owners themselves have heard – or stated – countless times, a trip up to the woods in February is just as satisfying as an August night next to the camper, out under the stars. Whether spending time inside the RV relaxing, or outside, barbecuing and enjoying nature, the features and functions on today’s vehicles are powered by some highly advanced electronic controls and hardware. At Etratech, we like to keep up-to-date with what today’s RV owners are looking for – and often, that means keeping up with the latest advances across all technology. 

Surprisingly, though, there are also a few low-tech ways that RV owners are modifying their interiors for improved mobility and space. Read about some of the latest RV trends, simple and complex, below:

Hidden TVs: It might be a flat-panel popping out of a table or dresser top, or a projection screen unwinding from the ceiling, but this has been one of the most popular space-saving trends in recent years. The growing availability and dropping prices of LCD and plasma TVs has made those the overwhelming choice in newer models. Some operate on a spring-and-latch system, and some emerge through electronic power – and that’s when electronic controls are needed.

Mobile Office: With the reach of the wireless office extending ever-further, even the most dedicated weekend warriors might need to check in on an extended vacation. From laptops, to printers, to routers and satellite connections, more and more RV buyers are making room for electronic s. It doesn’t have to be all for work, though – these installations are perfect for a quick streaming Netflix or Hulu fix, too.

No More Prefab: You’ve probably seen those old RVs where everything is fixed in place, from the tables to the chairs. Customers these days are opting for a simple solution to the problem of space – forego the prefabricated construction and invest in a free-standing table and some chairs. Move them out of the way as you go, put them outside for lunch, and enjoy unprecedented room and versatility!

What are some of your favorite RV features? Contact us and let us know!

Don’t Trash It! What to Do With Your E-Waste

A nice, shiny new HDTV! Time to throw out that slightly smaller, slightly dustier HDTV you bought two years ago. You stop to think for a minute, though. You’ve heard about some new rules, some things you can and can’t do with your out-of-date electronics. So maybe we don’t just haul yesterday’s news down to the curb – maybe the garbagemen won’t, or can’t, take it. Time for a little research. . . 

RoHS, WEEE, and other acronyms are familiar to electronics manufacturers, especially those who deal with the European markets. Those directives are so prevalent there, that beyond the manufacturers, most consumers are aware and active with their e-waste disposal and recycling. Here in North America, though, most consumers seem to be a little hazier on e-waste regulations – in part because so many of them are new, and in part because in many cases, they don’t yet exist.

Our handy list below details some of the best methods and resources for learning about e-waste disposal and recycling compliance. And if compliance isn’t necessary? It’s always good to learn about some responsible best practices.

Choose: Disposal or Recycling? At this point, either is an option for the consumer, as the end responsibility to ensure proper reclamation lies with the manufacturer. If you know of an e-waste recycler in your area, you may bring your old components directly there, but municipal pickup is also an option.

Research Local Pickup Methods and Times. Most e-waste regulation is at the local, town, or, in some cases, state level. A simple Google search of your municipality’s service website will let you know when and where to leave that old laptop for proper pickup and disposal.

Another Option: Donation. That two-year-old TV we talked about in the beginning? You may not be able to stand the sight of it anymore, but that doesn’t mean it won’t brighten up someone else’s day. Institutions like hospitals, nursing homes, and others would be glad to take it off your hands. For more information, see this link.

Etratech is committed to spreading knowledge about responsible e-waste disposal and recycling. Contactus with any further questions!

Companies Aim to Make WEEE Compliance Easier

Add another item to that long list of things that sounds much easier in theory than it actually is in practice: WEEE compliance. While companies have performed beyond admirably in meeting, and often surpassing, the recycling standards set out by the WEEE directive, it’s doubtful that many compliance managers would say it’s been an easy task. Chalk one up for a full embrace of CSR (corporate social responsibility). Recycling outsourcing firms are nothing new in WEEE nations, but this company is looking to step up the offering with a full closed-loop recycling service.

So what exactly is a closed-loop recycling system? After all, we know that the WEEE directive already calls for manufacturers to take responsibility for the end of an electronic product’s life cycle, not just its beginning. In the closed-loop structure proposed by WEEE Systems, the difference lies in the methods and oversight of those end-of-cycle concerns. The major change? At this time, most e-waste recycling is outsourced overseas, where manufacturers don’t really know what happens once the discarded equipment leaves port. Sometimes it is legitimately recycled, and sometimes it ends up in an illegal scrap heap. Sometimes, even worse, broken and out-of-date equipment can end up in towns or villages, creating  potentially hazardous health situations: leaking chemicals, fire hazards, and the like.

WEEE Systems will have a domestic facility that not only recycles obsolete parts, but also gives manufacturers the opportunity to reuse or repurpose this equipment, greatly increasing cost efficiency. The capper is that as initial partners, manufacturers will have a financial stake in WEEE Systems’ recycling facility, further bolstering its chances of success.

Any attempt at even greater accountability than that already assumed by manufacturers is a good thing, and WEEE Systems seems to be aiming to make it as simple as possible. We look forward to learning more about their progress, and remain committed to e-waste compliance with our own products.

Total Acquisition Management Takes the Headaches Out of Production

Dealing with overseas suppliers can present a host of difficulties, from price negotiations, to long delivery times, to good, old-fashioned language barriers. At Etratech, we developed our Total Acquisition Management™ (T.A.M.) system to do our best to alleviate some of these issues for our customers, giving them the time to focus on what they do best: innovation and creation. Prior to T.A.M., we had heard innumerable tales of woe from our partners, detailing countless hours on the phone or at the keyboard, agonizing over pricing decisions and complications, and sometimes even giving up on more favorable rates to simply get the process over with. With T.A.M., situations like this are no longer a concern.

As you might imagine, products like control systems are used by all different types of companies, large and small. Another factor behind our creation of the T.A.M. program was getting tired of seeing our loyal smaller customers subject to aggressive pricing by suppliers, while our larger customers were able to use volume to negotiate better terms. T.A.M. allows us to leverage our buying power to provide better deals for all of our clients, regardless of size: the small shop up the street can get the same raw material rates as the international multi-million unit electronics manufacturer. For more details on T.A.M., and to begin the process of joining, contact us or visit our Total Acquisition Management page.

A Comprehensive Look at RoHS

Our business here at Etratech is in electronics manufacturing, but one of our great concerns is sustainability and the environment. In an industry like ours, it can sometimes be difficult to keep those priorities at the forefront of one’s mind. Luckily, there are sets of rules and regulations to ensure that safe and responsible manufacturing practices are developed and followed. You’ve read a lot in our blog so far about the latest news in RoHS and WEEE, but what’s the background behind all of it?

This infographic  showcases an easily digestible history of RoHS, the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive. The world’s biggest manufacturing nations are all signed on with some version of the directive: The U.S., China, South Korea, the European Union, and, in 2012, India. Looking back, you might remember that it’s only fairly recently that we were aware of the dangers of substances like mercury and lead – before that, they were found in places like domestic paint, drinking water, and even children’s books. The RoHS, enacted in 2003, was part of a long process that began in 1988, when recognition of those dangers reached a critical mass.

Keep reading our posts for more information about the evolving role of RoHS in worldwide manufacturing!

Crime Stoppers: UK WEEE Prosecution Underway

When you think of crime stings, familiar images from movies and television probably come to mind: the violent bad guy brought down by brave policemen, or rings of illicit substances broken up by dedicated agents. Of course, there are other bad guys out there with stories perhaps not as ready-made for dramatic TV shows, but just as callous and dangerous. The UK is currently making its case against a group of such defendants, accused of illegally exporting waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) for disposal in Nigeria, against regulations.

The benefits of WEEE compliance far outweigh its costs, but there will always be the few, trying to save money or time by working outside the lines. By inspecting outgoing shipping containers – in scenes that actually bring to mind at least one popular television program, The Wire – UK inspectors discovered the illegal export of 158 tons of contraband refuse. Rather than safe and contained disposal, these hazardous components would have been disassembled and discarded by children and poor workers overseas, in addition to setting back the goals of the UK’s compliance program.

Etratech will keep a close eye on the developments in this case. For more WEEE and RoHS news, stay tuned to our blog!