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PartMiner Expands RoHS Data, Partners with Thomas B2B
By Rob Spiegel -- Electronic News, 5/2/2005
New York-based PartMiner Inc. has enhanced its electronic component database with component material content data to support companies struggling to comply with Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulations. PartMiner has also partnered with ThomasB2B.com to offer paid listings on its component search results.
As the July 1, 2006, deadline nears for the European Union’s RoHS, manufacturers in the electronics industry need to make sure the components that make up their products are free of six hazardous materials, including lead and mercury. PartMiner has created a material content data source that provides yes/no parameters for lead-free and RoHS compliance. The database also includes parametric values designed to help manufacturers identify replacement parts for those components that have not yet become RoHS compliant.
To accommodate the needs of a wide range of manufacturers, PartMiner will make the materials content information available in a number of formats. “We’re taking the data and leveraging it through our existing products,” explained Casey Reed, VP of CAPS sales and service. “That includes HTML, Web-based tools, through our integration partners with XML. We can offer the content through all of our tools.”
As well as collecting material content from parts suppliers common to North American and European manufacturers, PartMiner is gathering component content information worldwide. “We’re collecting information on a global basis and working to include Asian suppliers in our database,” said Michael Manley, president of PartMiner. “We’re in the vanguard in the data collection process in Asia.”
Furthermore, PartMiner has also launched a new program in partnership with ThomasB2B.com to run sponsored listings alongside its component search results. ThomasB2B.com, an offshoot of the Thomas Global Register Directory, provides a sponsored pay-for-performance advertising network that serves ads alongside appropriate content on business-to-business Web sites, much like Google and Yahoo provide content related ads on general and consumer content sites.
“Our approach is to sign up major electronic sites that have a significant number of searches per month,” said Dan Savage, CEO of ThomasB2B.com. “PartMiner has four million searches per month.” Savage told Electronic News that the ads that will appear alongside PartMiner content will be provided by ThomasB2B.com.
According to PartMiner’s Manley, the ads will appear when prompted by searches on PartMiner. “One of the innovations on search advertising we’ll use is industry standard product categories for each product that can be searched.”
Manley noted the ad network in is currently in testing mode. “We’re getting ready to have it up and running live within a few weeks.”
