The Importance Being a Conflict Mineral-Free Manufacturer

While the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, passed in 2010, may be best known for its overhaul of financial regulations, it also contains an important piece of human rights legislation: Section 1502 addresses the problems that arise from the international trade and use of conflict minerals.

Similar to “blood diamonds,” given international notoriety from many sources (including a major 2006 film), conflict minerals come from areas with conflict and civil unrest. The minerals covered by Dodd-Frank are specifically tied to the bloody civil strife in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

 

Which Minerals are Covered?

The minerals covered by this legislation include tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold, which are commonly referred to as 3Ts & G. These materials and their derivatives are used in a wide variety of applications and manufactured parts, including sports equipment, automobiles, consumer electronics, and jewelry.

Why is this Legislation Important?

The labor used to mine these minerals is often coerced. Rebel groups and the Congolese National Army tax, extort, and physically force their workers to work long hours in deplorable conditions. This workforce primarily composed of civilians and their children are often threatened at gun-point to toil in difficult locations with inadequate tools. The mines are notoriously unsafe, with frequent mudslides and tunnel collapses killing many mine workers. Militants on all sides of the conflict have been known to use violence and rape to keep the population and workforce under control. The backdrop of this human rights travesty, the bloody civil war in the Congo, continues to take a terrible toll in lives. Over 5.4 million have perished so far, with the body count continuing to grow.

How Does Section 1502 Help?

The Dodd-Frank Act shines the light of accountability on any company doing business with the DRC during this period of unrest. Section 1502 requires companies to identify the origin of any tantalum, tin, tungsten, or gold used in their products. Virtually no companies wish to be associated with the activities occurring in the eastern Congo, and this has led to a large drop-off in funding for these militant groups. Militias have had their mineral revenue drop by 65% compared to their earnings before the passage of Dodd-Frank.

Responsible Sourcing Leads to Real Results

When all citizens, corporate and individual, take a stand against atrocities of this nature, quantifiable positive results follow. While the region remains insecure, the Dodd-Frank Act has introduced meaningful reforms that not only de-fund Congolese militias, but also make life better for the civilians suffering from this crisis.

Companies that adhere to Section 1502 and source responsibly have helped cut a major source of revenue for the militants creating this humanitarian crisis, which is why we at Quist Electronics have worked with all of our suppliers to ensure compliance.

Supplier Spotlight: Picker Components

Image Courtesy of Picker Components’ Website.

What makes a company stand out? Is it their sales team, products, quality—or a combination of all three? With so many businesses in the marketplace, it’s tough to stand out, but one of our new suppliers, Picker Components, manages to deliver the high quality, extremely cost competitive, customer-oriented business model.

A little background: Picker Components was founded in 1983, and they focus on manufacturing high quality relays that fulfill the demands of the North American market. Their team engineers and manufactures relays in Asia. Picker’s quality assurance process includes 80% automated assembly including 100% testing during key stages of the manufacturing process. Their manufacturing facilities are ISO9001-2000 and ISO14001:2004 certified.

Picker Components’ produces a broad range of relays including Automotive Relays up to 150 Amps, UL Recognized General Purpose Relays up to 50 Amps, UL Recognized PCB Relays to up 50 Amps, 0.5 to 5 Amp Signal Relays and Solid State Relays from 10 thru 100 Amps. Customers can find the right relay based on factors such as size, design features, connection and many other functions including latching and AC coils.

What’s impressive about Picker Components is that they have developed many unique relays to meet market needs. For instance, they offer:

• Mini ISO Automotive 150 Amp relay PC7150
• Our 40/30 Amp PC792A Mini SO the Automotive industry’s most popular relay is built with a braided copper strap carrying the power, and a physical spring to provide pressure to the NC contacts, design features which are superior to competitors
• A 20 Amp Sugar Cube Style relay, PC520 built to handle the large surge currents produced by the inductive windings of motors and lighting applications
• A 30A PC730 and 40A PC740 double pole Ice Cube type relays specifically designed to be very price competitive in the higher power industrial markets

See all of Picker’s products at www.pickercomponents.com including a by family cross reference list.

Supplier Spotlight: Lite Cycle

Manufactured from Durable Cast Aluminum with a wall thickness of 3.5mm (0.138in) thick.
(Image courtesy of Lite Cycle’s Facebook Page.)

There are many signs of a business expansion—more employees, higher revenue, new facilities. For us, building new relationships is key to the continued growth, which is why we’re thrilled to mention we’ve brought on Lite Cycle as a new supplier.

This company’s prime focus is efficiency through simplicity, and what sets them apart from their competitors is that they’re in a world entirely of their own. No one else is doing what they’re doing in terms of water-tight enclosures, and because of this, they’re able to show true innovation in their products.

Lite Cycle’s products include terminal enclosures, push button enclosures, project boxes and various other accessories.

Terminal Enclosures

The terminal enclosures feature an all-in-one solution junction box that comes with a pre-installed terminal ship, and the collection is offered in ABS Plastic or Cast Aluminum. The ABS plastic is offered in gray, ivory or gray base with polycarbonate clear cover.

Project Boxes

The project boxes are multi-purpose junction boxes. The boxes are constructed from Cast Aluminum and have a grey powder coating to offer more protection—and they’re extremely versatile and can serve a number of industries, such as warehouses, power plant facilities, factories and more.

Push Button Enclosures

The push button enclosures are available in varying sizes according to height, length and width, and they’re offered in either red or yellow.

Accessories

They also offer many accessories that help to complete any enclosure project. These products include cable glands, for tightening the enclosures, as well as shorting bars, also known as bus bars, which come in handy when combining or splitting circuits. Lite Cycle also sells position grounding bars, which provide a safe common grounding point specifically for electrical installations.

You can learn more about Lite Cycle and all of their products and services by checking out their company website.

Carling Technologies Releases New V-Series Contura Rotary Switch

Carling Technologies has more than 90 years of experience in designing and manufacturing transportation application switches and control modules, so it’s no surprise they’ve released a new product to revolutionize the market.

While many customers and industry professionals are familiar with the V-Series Roker Switch, which is used in used in commercial vehicles, busses and others, the new V-Series Contura Rotary Switch takes the technology a step further.  This product accommodates up to three separate LEDs, has a sturdy knob construction, and fits an industry-standard panel opening.

As the video shows, this new product—available in maintained and momentary circuit options—translates rotary to linear motion without having to change any of the existing harnessing, re-cut paneling, or rewiring. This is ideal for a number of applications, including on/off highway, instrumentation, agriculture, mining, and marine. In addition, this product supports LED and surface mount resistors through a PC board, which is manufactured in their Connecticut office.

Carling Technologies has been recognized as one of the largest privately owned manufacturers of circuit breakers, switches, and electronic components. Since 1920, the company’s sales, service, and engineering teams have worked closely with customers to ensure the highest quality at a respectable cost. Head over to their website for more information on their products or check out this press release for more specifics on the new V-Series Contura Rotary Switch.

What’s New in the On and Off Highway Industry

Vehicles are a major part of life in the U.S. From the cars, buses, and trains that take us to and from the office every day to the vehicles that help construct the buildings we live and work in—the on and off highway industry has a big pull. Because our products and suppliers are such a big part of these industries, we wanted to break down the latest insights.

On Highway Industry

Coming off of one of the worst winters in recent history, freight is recovering.  The beginning of the year still fared well, despite plenty of weather-related delays and setbacks—according to the American Trucking Assocations’ Truck Tonnage Index, the industry saw a 2.8 percent increase in February after a 4.5 percent drop in January, according to The City Wire.

Now, there’s nothing but optimism ahead. As orders pick up and demand for more workers continues, the on highway industry will continue to expand and focus on different agendas such as heightened safety and alternative fuels.

Off Highway Industry

“The global off-road commercial vehicle (CV) industry is witnessing a transition in the operating and customer environment because of fast-changing regulations, rising industrial activity and the shifting demands of fleet owners and operators,” according to a report by Ernst and Young.

With the uptick in construction and transportation industries, off highway vehicles are moving forward (and up)—in fact, the report states the U.S. is expected to spend $6 trillion on development from 2011 to 2014. We expect to see major growth in capabilities and progress in this industry.

How We’re Involved

One of our suppliers, Carling Technologies, manufacturers a number of products for on and off highway equipment—in addition to a variety of other industries. They recently announced the release of the V-Series Contura Rotary Switch, which is huge news for this industry. Stay tuned to our next blog for more information!

Circuit Breakers for Agricultural Industry

There are just under 1 billion acres of farmland across the U.S., according to Corn and Soybean Digest. While there are plenty of statistics on the website showing gradual changes in the agricultural industry, one of the most prominent sources of growth is based on manufacturing the products that help the industry see success.

Take for instance, Mechanical Products’ new 17 Series Thermal Circuit Breakers that will be available in the second quarter of 2014. This product is made specifically for industrial transportation and vehicle accessory manufacturers—but it’s important to many industries, especially agriculture. The company’s blog post for this particular product states it is a main (or branch) “circuit breaker used in accessory or auxiliary direct circuit (DC) electrical systems operating in harsh environments to provide protection in the event of overload and, or short circuit interruptions.”

Mechanical Products has been supplying thermal circuit protection for more than 70 years, which means they have the experience and input necessary to create competitively priced and high quality products right here in the U.S. The Series 17 offers users a number of capabilities, including:

• Improved access to writing and operation
• Corrosion resistant studs and hardware
• A variety of mounting options
• Higher amperage ratings
• Potential use of bus bars while enclosed in thermoplastic housing

For a complete look into this product and all other offerings from the company, check out their website.

(Photo courtesy of Mechanical Products Company’s website.)

What the ISO 9001:2008 Certification Means to Us

In our last blog, we discussed what really makes Quist Electronics a success. We hold ourselves and our products to the highest standards, and we believe that involves getting the certifications to prove it; therefore, Quist Electronics is proud to announce we’ve achieved the ISO 9001:2008 certification. (To view the certificate, click here.)

The ISO 9001:2008 “helps ensure that customers get consistent, good quality products and services, which in turn brings many business benefits,” according to ISO.org, more than 1 million organizations across 170 countries have earned this recognition. What some might not realize is this process isn’t as simple as having an inspector in and receiving a grade—to earn the certification, a company must meet strict criteria, fill out the necessary documents, and comply with rigorous internal audits.

The ISO 9001:2008 certification describes that we place particular emphasis on obtaining client satisfaction by:

• Train all members of staff in the needs and responsibilities of quality management
• Responding promptly and accurately to customer inquiries and orders
• A constant pursuit of quality, value and reliability in the products and services the Company supplies to its customers
• Ensuring that its management and staff are fully trained to meet the requirements of the business and its customers
• Constantly striving to meet and where possible exceed its customer’s expectations
• Working closely with its customers and suppliers in seeking to establish the highest quality standards
• Adopt a forward-looking view on future business decisions which may have an impact on quality

In addition, we have an in-house quality manual—that’s in a three-ring binder and roughly four inches thick of best practices and policies for our staff. (Want to see the basis of our quality policy? Click here.) For more information on Quist Electronics, our quality standards, and our products, head over to our website.

Welcome to Quist Electronics

As worldwide component distributors, we’re committed to providing the highest level of service on a global scale. The digital age is clearly changing the way we live and work, and we’re jumping in with both feet—or maybe just two hands on a keyboard. Our company traces its roots back to June 1964, and we figured the best way to segue into an expanded online presence is by launching this blog (and our Twitter and LinkedIn profiles).

For those of you just joining us, we want to introduce ourselves (and loyal customers, feel free to tag along for the trip down memory lane) and talk a little bit about what Quist Electronics has to offer. For starters, we can break down three major principles of ours: expertise, resources, and products.

Our expertise can be traced back to a man named Carl Bergquist II, who founded The Bergquist Company more than 50 years ago. After years of growth, eventually, Quist Electronics broke off on its own in June 2008—keeping suppliers, customers, and some of the employees—and moved a whopping five miles down the road. We brought our knowledge to the next level, and we’ve expanded the company, staff, and resources to better suit our customers.

Quist Electronics Headquarters in Minnesota.

Resources are important to a healthy business, whether it’s centered on what we need in-house or taking advantage of outside opportunities. We also make ourselves available whenever customers have questions or concerns (thanks to a great staff of hardworking people), and we’re always looking to expand our knowledge base.

Equally as important as the first two but perhaps the forefront of our business is our products. We pride ourselves on taking the steps to ensure quality—we’re even ISO 9001:2008 certified and ITAR registered. (Here’s a copy of the Quist Electronics ISO Certificate.) We have a new computer system and specialized distribution software, known as Axiom—and in addition, to ensure the highest level of security, speed and reliability, our server is based in the cloud with double redundancy for back up.

Due to our tremendous growth, our customers are asking us to handle more and more suppliers, so we are working on putting in special ESD flooring into our warehouse, so we can accommodate future semi-conductor suppliers—and we’re happy to comply.

We firmly believe in great and flexible service (along with great response time) and outstanding employees to back up the processes, which we also have. Most importantly, we’d love to hear from you, so head over to our website for more information on our offerings or give us a call at 952-448-6645.