How often do you need to check BOM compliance?

It depends on how many suppliers you have and how fast their production processes change. A regular, ongoing approach is recommended rather than a one-off check, since a PCN can appear at any point in a part's life cycle.

Does a RoHS/REACH compliance gap automatically mean you can't see the product?

Not always, it depends on the target market and the type of product. But it always means regulatory risk and a possible delay in certification or market entry.

Are your parts compliant with RoHS and REACH? Check before the auditor does

Q: What is the difference between RoHS and REACH?

RoHS (Directive 2011/65/EU) covers a narrower list of dangerous substances in electronic and electrical equipment. REACH (Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006) covers a wider range of chemicals and applies across more industries, not just electronics.

Q: What is a PCN number?

A Product Change Notification is a formal notice from a part's manufacturer about a change in material, process, or production location that could affect the part's compliance or specifications.

21.09.2026

RoHS and REACH are 2 rules that limit dangerous substances in electronic parts sold in the EU. The problem is that companies usually only check compliance once someone asks about it, a customer, an auditor, or a certification body, instead of tracking the status of every part as they go. Below we explain how the 2 rules differ, how to track supplier changes through the PCN number, and how to have compliance documents ready ahead of time instead of collecting them in a rush under audit or delivery pressure.

Whether an electronic part meets environmental rules is rarely the first question anyone asks when choosing it. Price, availability, and technical specs come first. The problem shows up later, during an audit, when certifying a product for a new market, or when a customer asks for a document nobody prepared before. That's when it turns out nobody in the company can say for certain whether every part in the BOM actually meets the requirements.

What's the difference between RoHS and REACH?

RoHS (Directive 2011/65/EU) limits certain dangerous substances in electronic and electrical equipment. REACH (Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006) goes further. It covers a wider range of chemical substances and requires proof that none of them go over the allowed limit in any part used in the product.

Checking this for one part takes a moment. Checking it for a whole BOM with hundreds of items from many manufacturers is a task that's easy to keep putting off until someone formally asks for it.

What is a PCN number, and why is it easy to lose track of?

A Product Change Notification (PCN) is a notice from a part's manufacturer about a planned change, maybe to a material, a production process, or a factory location. A change that looks minor to the manufacturer can mean your product loses compliance, if the new process introduces a substance that wasn't there before. Tracking PCNs for one supplier is simple. Tracking them by hand across a whole BOM doesn't really work in the long run.

What happens when compliance only gets checked on request?

When compliance only gets checked once a customer or certification body asks for it, you get asked for documentation and it turns out some parts were never formally checked at all. Work starts from scratch, under time pressure, often right before a delivery deadline or an audit. What could have been a check that takes a few hours turns into weeks of working out which document belongs to which version of which part.

How does Etteplan help with this?

As part of our BOM Healthcheck, we check every part's compliance with RoHS and REACH and prepare a report ready to hand to an auditor or customer, without collecting documents by hand, part by part. We also check where the BOM is missing up-to-date proof of compliance before anyone asks for it, and we flag which parts are worth tracking for PCN changes on an ongoing basis, so a change at a supplier doesn't get noticed only after the fact.