material declaration template design best practice

Best Practice Created by: Raj Takhar, PhD Researcher

First Published: October 2016

© 2016 Sukhraj Takhar All Rights Reserved

Topic Areas

1. Understand File Formats

2. Template Design Best Practice

3. Building Blocks

4. Examples of Data Exchange Standards Comparisons


Understand File Formats

• Understand the data formats used within your business.

• Understand the data formats used across your supply chain, not just tier 1 suppliers, but those at the very lowest tiers as well.

• You will encounter multiples types of data formats, at multiple software versions. Assess them all, and baseline the most commonly used formats.

• Provide users with simple tools, either by using standard office applications or a simple web based interface for on-line reporting.

• Provide a user with a similar look and feel to an existing office application that will aid the user experience and acceptance.


Material Declaration Template Design - Best Practice (i)

1. Ensure there is an introduction section within the material declaration template which introduces the scope / need for the declarable data to be reported.

2. Do not assume a covering letter from a material declaration template requestor will filter down a supply chain with the material declaration template.

3. Phrase the words contained in the material declaration template top to be clear and concise.

4. Make the words logical to the correct target audience.


Material Declaration Template Design - Best Practice (ii)

5. If feasible (mostly suited to on-line forms) show progress bars so a user can see how much of the declaration template is left to complete.

6. The longer or more complex the material declaration template appears, then the more likely a user will feel negative towards its completion.

7. Avoid open ended questions where possible as you will need to have some mechanism of collating and generalising responses from open ended questions - if you cannot define a generalised scale - the responses from open ended questions become impracticable to manage.


Material Declaration Template Design - Best Practice (iii)

8. If feasible (mostly suited to on-line forms) have an option to pause the survey and return later.

9. If you are using an on-line service to host the material declaration template data to store/send responses, choose an much older version of your internet browser, OS and screen resolution as the minimal version as you can expect your supply chain respondents will vary greatly on IT platforms - Do not think about making current systems look fantastic, remember the legacy system users.

10.Ensure there is good supporting documentation to accompany the material declaration template.


Material Declaration Template Design - Best Practice (iv)

11. Whether on-line or as a spreadsheet based application - Ensure there are good error messages reported back to the user (either via comments or message box comments).

12.Use standard fonts which are viewable across multiple platforms and that do not require any font sets to be installed in order to view.

13.Avoid use of upper case words as they appear more suggestive / formal to different cultures.

14.If data is to be collected and maintained electronically ensure you comply with applicable data protection regulations.


Material Declaration Template Design – Building Blocks (i)


Requestor Data

Supplier Data

Product Data

Conformance Statement

Substance Data

Declarable Substance List

The following building blocks can be applied to a generic Material Declaration Template:

A list of substances against which you would like a supplier to declare against.

Acceptance / Authorisation of data from supplier.

Details of substances found in a article.

Article information – requestor part number (as ordered) against supplier part number.

Supplier related information.

Requestor organisation related information

Query Statement(s)

Specific statements you would like a supplier to answer

Attachments Additional information provided by supplier

Material Declaration Template Design – Building Blocks (ii)

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Requestor Data Supplier Data

<Requestor Company Name>

<Requestor Contact Name>

<Requestor Contact Email>

<Requestor Contact Address Details>

<Requestor Contact Phone>

<Supplier Company ID Number>

<Supplier Company Name>

<Supplier Contact Name>

<Supplier Contact Email>

<Supplier Contact Address Details>

<Supplier Contact Phone> Conformance Statement

<Date of Request>

<Respond by Date>

<Requestor Terms / Comments>

[REQUESTOR BASED] Conformance Statement

[SUPPLIER BASED]

<Acceptance of Requestor Terms / Comments>

Declarable Substance List

<Requestor Part Number(s)>

<Requestor Part Description>

<Requestor Part Version Number>

Product Data

<Supplier Part

Number(s)>

<Supplier Part Description>

<Supplier Part Version Number>

<Authoriser Name>

<Authoriser Email>

<Authoriser Phone>

<Authoriser Signature>

<Authoriser Uncertainty Statement>

Product Data

<Exploded BOM>

<Level1>

<Chemical Substance Name>

<Unique ID Number>

<CAS Number>

<EC Number>

<Synonym>

<Identified Chemical Substance>

<Level2>

<Level..>

<Supplier Part

Number(s)>




<Supplier Part Number(s)>




<Declarable Substance List Publication Date>

< Declarable Substance List ID >

Query Statements

<Specific Statement(s)]>

Attachments Ability to attach a file to the material

declaration

Material Declarations - Data Exchange Standard Comparisons

IMDS IPC-1752A IEC 62474 IPC-1755 IPC-1754

Industry Sector Automotive Electronics Electronics, Mechanical

Multi as Cross Industry Standard

Aerospace, Defense and Heavy Equipment

Implemented Since 2000 2007 2012 2014 Draft expected 2017

Deployments Centrally hosted by HP

Multiple Does have a central database

Has XML Schema Not exposed – HP have applications with interface

Yes free to download

Yes free to download Yes free to download

Draft, yes to committee members

Data Elements Well Defined

Well defined

Well defined

Very well defined Well defined, but evolving Draft, but defined

Rigid / Flexible Rigid defined data elements

Rigid, standard has strong electronics bias

Has a high degree defined documentation

Flexible as conflict minerals reporting is become more established

Draft, but can be classed as semi-rigid as schema pertains to IPC-1752A

Substance List Automotive basis Has numerous query lists which act as substance lists

Has a limited substance list set – if this was extended

N/A – its based on reporting of conflict minerals

Currently one from aerospace trade association only

Adaptable Well established from the highest to lowest tiers. Supply chain processes such as PPAP to ensure suppliers compliance

This is one of the most well thought out standards, in terms of templates and usability

Has become very well established

Any industry / organisation should be able to plug in their own substance lists

Limitations True acceptance of process chemicals – limited

Lack of acceptance of process chemicals Substance lists not readily adaptable and only change on a annual basis

Size of substance list (although it is geared to electromechanical) – has superseded IPC-1752A as de-facto electronics industry standard

Reliance on super set of IPC-1751A and IPC-1752A – which if changed could cause issues

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material declaration template design best practice

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