XrF and Testing in response to Globalization
drew on Feb 19th, 2009Testing is going mainstream, as we move into a world of globalization. It has become
increasingly difficult to say “where” a product is from, and therefore almost impossible to
know, truly KNOW for certain what it is made of, without a quick and simple XrF test.If we say a CD player is made in China, what does that really mean? Well, some of the
chips are from Viet Nam, some from Malaysia, and the case from Myan Mar. The cables
are sourced from 23 different suppliers around the world, selected entirely on price at
meeting a spec. Assembly was started in China, packaging was completed in the US, and
the CDs made in Mexico, with the warranty card printed in Vancouver.
So- where is that computer really from? And since we don’t really know the answer, the distributor
can’t really assign responsibility for its content to someone else. WE need to check, we
need to know, since ultimately we are responsible for the products we “produce”, sell,
distribute, or otherwise put into the hands of customers.
It’s our stuff, and we’ve got to test it.
