Aerospace

EEF launches REACH training for aerospace manufacturers

Posted 21 August 2013

EEF, the manufacturers' organisation, is launching a campaign to highlight business risks under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of CHemicals (REACH) Regulation and provide support to the aerospace supply chain to enable them to manage it.

Under the Regulation substances used in either products or as part of processes may be banned and, unless manufacturers have authorisation from the EU to use it, it will disappear from the EU market.

The extensive campaign will simplify the implications of REACH and provide targeted advice to manufacturers. The focus is on enabling manufacturers to effectively manage compliance internally and recognise the potential risks to their business. A survey by EEF in 2012 showed that 20% of companies still believe REACH is not applicable to them and 30% believe it is not important to their business.

Greg Roberts (above), EEF environmental consultant, said: “Many manufacturers do not fully appreciate the business risk presented by REACH. Many declare compliance to customers but do not have robust processes in place to provide adequate assurance. By working with EEF, manufacturers can understand the real impact of REACH, how to get on top of it and importantly get ahead of their competitors.”

The concept for the campaign is the website ‘Where’s My Plane’, where manufacturers can hover over part of a model plane to reveal which components they will no longer be able to make as a result of REACH. One example, trichloroethylene, is commonly used in cleaning or degreasing metal parts. It will be banned from use from 2016 unless approval to use it has been sought from the European Commission.

Through a series of industry training courses and expert consultancy, EEF will help manufacturers keep on top of developments, understand the risks and put in place the systems to stay ahead of competitors and safeguard product lines. In turn, this will help to foster stronger, more confident customer relationships.

EEF works closely with Defra and the HSE, the UK’s competent authority on REACH, on the Regulation and its impacts. It also feeds into the deliberations of the European Commission and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). This knowledge and insight has informed EEF’s unique offering which is tailored to meet the needs of manufacturers.