H ighlights

Suppliers’ Environmental Initiatives
The Tokyo Electron Group collaborates with suppliers to reduce the environmental impact of its products.

■ Suppliers Cooperate in Reducing Environmental Impact
The Tokyo Electron Group needs to use environment-conscious parts and materials as the basis to reducing the environmental impact of its products. Accordingly, we established our own green procurement guidelines for the materials and parts that we procure from suppliers to manufacture
our semiconductor/FPD production equipment. The guidelines set out environmental impact reduction criteria and voluntary targets that arereferred to by our suppliers. We will continue to cooperate with our suppliers using these guidelines and by conducting surveys on suppliers’ environmental activities, exchanging information with them, and giving them instructions, in our efforts to reduce our environmental impact as part ofour supply chain management. In this section, we introduce two of our suppliers who are committed to reducing their environmental impact.

■ Supplier’s Environmental Efforts—Aval Nagasaki Corporation

also clearly separates the lead-free line from other lines by using theProcurement from Aval Nagasakicolor green: all the items related to the lead-free line are colored

Aval Nagasaki Corporation develops, designs, manufactures, and sells

green, including slips for lead-free parts, containers for lead-free

its own electronic devices and OEM products. In 1988, the Tokyo

paste solder, trowels for lead-free solder, and even the floor of

Electron Group started to procure printed board assemblies forthe lead-free line. This prevents lead from commingling with lead-freecontrol units for use in semiconductor/FPD production equipment

products. Lead-free solder melts at a higher temperature thanfrom Aval Nagasaki.

lead solder, and lead-free solder tends to peel off the printed circuit

Aval Nagasaki established guidelines on lead-free processes. It

board and the solder surface tends to crack more easily. Aval

Acquisition of ISO 14001 Certification

Nagasaki has overcome these problems by improving the line

Aval Nagasaki acquired ISO 14001 certification for its environmental

management technology based on the results of reliability tests

management system in April 2006. The company measures itsand succeeded in the mass produc-environmental impact, sets its objectives and goals, and pursues con-tion of lead-free products. In FY

tinuous improvement based on its ISO 14001-certified manage-

2006, the company’s use of lead-ment system. Specifically, it endeavors to discontinue the use of lead

free solder accounted for approxi-

in its manufacturing process and to reduce its consumption ofmately 20% of its total solder use,electricity and chemicals.

but the company plans to increase
the percentage with further use of

Lead-free Initiative

lead-free solder in its own products

In response to requests from the Tokyo Electron Group and toand OEM products now that it has

regulations implemented in Europe, Aval Nagasaki established aobtained ISO 14001 certification.

Manual soldering using lead-freesolder

new manufacturing line for lead-free printed circuit boards in July
2004. The company then conducted repeated reliability tests on
Lead-free printed circuit boards

the line, started to produce prototypes in February 2005, and finallybegan mass production of lead-free products in May 2005. In
establishing the line, it introduced a nitrogen generator to prevent surface oxidization of the lead-free solder and expanded their dry
warehouse for electronic parts.

Difference in Surface Luster between Traditional Solder
and Lead-free Solder

Our Comments
Aval Nagasaki established a system to mass-produce lead-free printed
circuit boards for use in the Tokyo Electron Group’s CLEAN TRACK LITHIUS,
a coater/developer ahead of other suppliers. The company is able todevelop products that meet each customer’s needs in relation to the RoHS
directive, except for certain parts. Aval Nagasaki is thus supplying productsthat meet the needs of the Tokyo Electron Group. We expect the companyto maintain their efforts for further environmental conservation.

Traditional solder

24 TOKYO ELECTRON Environmental and Social Report 2006

Lead-free solder

■ Suppliers’ Environmental Efforts—SMC Corporationand hexavalent chromium contained in the circuit boards and leadwires of the valves and will eventually discontinue their use.

Procurement from SMC Corporation
Since its foundation, SMC Corporation has been growing as aMeasures to Comply with the RoHS directive (2): Thermo Chiller

general manufacturer of pneumatic equipment, which is powered

For its thermo chiller that is used in coaters/developers (system thatby compressed air and used for a variety of purposes. The Tokyo

supplies chemicals to the equipment under strict temperature control),Electron Group procures pneumatic equipment such as air

SMC is implementing measures to comply with the RoHS directive bycylinders and solenoid valves as well as heat exchangers andremoving lead from the circuit boards and hexavalent chromium fromthermo chiller from the company, and at least 90% of thethe plates. By making major changes to the circuit design, theproducts are customized for the Group.

company discontinued the use of these substances without any extracost. It completed theSMC’s Environmental Policies and Environmental Measuresfor Products

evaluation of a prototype

Based on the policy that conservation of the global environment is one

provide a lead- andof the most important challenges facing humankind and that thehexavalent chromium-company has to contribute to creating a comfortable global

free thermo chiller FY

environment through all of its business operations, SMC acquired ISO

2007.

in June 2006 and plans toPrevious thermo chiller (left)
and the new one (right)

14001 certification in 1999. When the Tokyo Electron Group asked theresponded to the request based on its Green Procurement Guide,

New Methods and Ideas
Learned from the Tokyo Electron Group

which includes policies for the RoHS directive. At present, however,

SMC has been implementing environmental measures intheir products contain parts in which other substances of concern arecooperation with the Tokyo Electron Group. In the course of thisused. Regarding their use of these substances, the use of hexavalentcooperation, it learned the concept and methods of change

chromium in chrome coatings has the highest environmental impact,management (management of risks associated with changes

followed by the use of lead in solder and various metals, and the use

made to the design of a product, its parts, processes, etc.) fromof PBBs, PBDEs, and cadmium in resin parts. Although industrial

the Group, which marked a turning point for SMC. Without theproducts, including pneumatic equipment, are not subject to the RoHS

introduction of this method, SMC might not have been able todirective, SMC is implementing measures to reduce or discontinue

manage changes made to comply with the RoHS directive.

company to discontinue the use of lead in its products, SMC

the use of these substances in response to its customers’ requests.

SMC’s Future Environmental Measures
Measures to Comply with the RoHS Directive (1): Solenoid Valves

As a precondition for companies to continue in businesses, they have

The Tokyo Electron Group uses ato conserve the global environment. SMC believes it possible to meet

lot of solenoid valves in its

this requirement by using its comprehensive technological ability. For

products. Solenoid valves areexample, when depletion of the ozone layer by CFCs became a social

used to control the flow ofconcern, SMC was the first to develop a product using a newcompressed air supplied to air

refrigerant that contains no chlorine, which resulted in the expansion ofcylinders and other components.

its share of the market. SMC therefore thinks that it can expand its

SMC is reducing the use of leadbusiness through environmental activities, including those necessary tocomply with the RoHS directive and to promote green procurement.

Our Comments

Explaining SMC’s measures at the interview
Mr. Yoichiro Okada, Green Procurement
Secretariat, Technology Division, SMC Corporation

Solenoid valve

SMC is ahead of other suppliers in setting out specific change management
criteria for multiple parts and in filing related applications. In response to anincreasing demand for environmental measures, including RoHS directive-related
measures, the Tokyo Electron Group was able to identify and take relevantmeasures in cooperation with SMC and plans to make further progress inenvironment-friendly management and operation based on this experience.

TOKYO ELECTRON Environmental and Social Report 200625