Product Architect, a new approach for transparency and controlling of the End-of-Life performance

Modern society tends to use more and more sophisticated electric and electronic devices. Products are discarded not only because they are damaged but also because they are outdated, hence the quantity of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) increases steadily. In Germany in 2005 the WEEE is estimated to 1.1 millions tons [1]. That's why the recycling of WEEE has become an important concern. New EU legislation, such as the WEEE Directive and RoHS force producers to take action for increasing the recyclability of their products and to take responsibility regarding related recycling and end-of-life costs [2] and avoiding using hazardous substances [3]. Requirements as introduced by the new legislation mean a high challenge for product developers. Creating product documentation and recycling concepts as well as transferring and gathering data to supplying partners and customers means a volume of additional efforts which is difficult to handle. ProdTect, the tool for Product Architects, enables producers to keep comprehensive control on a high bandwidth of parameters in predictive design. ProdTect protects producers from unexpected liabilities and helps turning existing challenges into new opportunities.