Policy Documents

At First Choice Assembly obviously quality is at the forefront of all of our printed circuit board manufacturing and assembly processes.

As you would expect we hold BS EN ISO 9001:2015 accreditation, which is certified by BSI.

This means we have a strong quality management system which covers everything from the time the order is placed for your PCBs to the despatch of the Final assembly.

More than this at First Choice Assembly we need to ensure that all electronic assemblies we supply are of the quality you would expect. This is done in the first place by understanding our client's requirements but then ensuring that we work with the client to ensure the correct level of test and inspection is carried out on their PCB assembly.

Download

The environment is important at First Choice Assembly. We strive to reduce our carbon footprint with the use of renewable energy from the Solar Panels upon our facility, and ensuring all waste is recycled via authorised Waste Streams.

First Choice is currently working to obtain BS EN ISO 14001:2015 accreditation.

This shows our commitment to the environment by having a strong Environmental management system within the whole of the organisation.

The RoHS Directive 2002/95/EC came into force in Europe on 1st July 2006. This Directive restricts the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment put on the European market after this date.  

We took the decision in May 2010 to totally switch to RoHS compliant processes and have effectively been fully RoHS complaint across all our assemblies since this date in line with customer requirements.

Our ERP Database also contains a list of all our components used on assemblies along with RoHS compliance information allowing quick and easy RoHS compliance information for your assemblies.

This has obviously meant investment in new equipment at First Choice Assembly Ltd. We have seen the need to purchase New Production Equipment as necessary to give us better control of the reflow and wave soldering process when using lead free alloys and all equipment is profiled for lead free processes.

Download

In reference to European Regulation EC No. 1907/2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) and the potential presence of Substances of Very High Concern (SVCH), we are providing the following information to our customers.

First Choice Assembly Ltd is fully aware of the REACH regulation and the SVCH list and updates that have been published by the EU. First Choice Assembly Ltd is a supplier of “articles” and does not produce or sell any of the listed substances in their homogeneous form.

We have evaluated our inventory and to the best of our knowledge, they do not contain any substances included on the SVCH list in a concentration above the threshold of 0.1% by weight. Our suppliers of materials have also been contacted and are communicating information regarding the presence of SVCH in their products.

First Choice Assembly Ltd assures its customers that our processes are in full compliance with the EU REACH requirements.

We will take the necessary action to provide notification to our customers if any relevant changes are made to the regulations that require further action.

We will immediately inform our customers in correspondence to REACH Article 33 if any substance of content (as from a content of >0.1%) in our goods will be classified alarming by the European Agency for Chemicals.

Download

The United States of America and Exchange Commission (SEC) Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act requiring public companies to disclose their use of “Conflict Minerals” that originated in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) or its Neighbouring countries.  Conflict Minerals being defined as tantalum, tin, gold or tungsten (wolframite).  As this effects any products supplied to the United States of America we make the following declaration:

First Choice Assembly Ltd is fully aware of the above and perform due diligence by contacting our PCB suppliers and suppliers of products used in the production process for confirmation of their awareness and non-use of conflict minerals in any supplied products.

First Choice Assembly Ltd do not purchase any conflict minerals directly and only use electronic components specified by our customers Bill of Materials (BOM) which will usually specify Manufacturer and Part Numbers to be used.  Where we have a mandate to pick components for use on customer’s products (For Example Resistors and Capacitors) that do not have a specified Manufacture we again perform due diligence by checking such manufactures do not use Conflict Minerals as specified above.

Download

Modern slavery is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights. It takes various forms, such as slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking, all of which have in common the deprivation of a person’s liberty by another in order to exploit them for personal or commercial gain.

First Choice Assembly Ltd has a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery, and we are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure modern slavery is not taking place anywhere in our own business or in any of our supply chains. We are also committed to ensuring there is transparency in our own business and in our approach to tackling modern slavery throughout our supply chains, consistent with our disclosure obligations under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Download

Counterfeit goods are products which are a copy of something else but sold as the genuine product, without permission from the brand owner. The goods mimic a brand’s logo, trademark or features to appear authentic. Sometimes, counterfeiters will even promote their products as ‘faux’.

First Choice Assembly Ltd understands that counterfeiting is a serious issue and poses a significant safety hazard within any product. Therefore, we will endeavour to use verified suppliers and implement Quality Processes to minimise the risk of suspected or confirmed counterfeit materials.

Download

First Choice have set their commitment and targets to meeting Quality and Environmental objectives within a Policy Statement. This is shared and supported by all of our team at First Choice.

Download