The May 31, 2014, U.S. Securities and Exchange (SEC) deadline for filing conflict minerals reports required by Section 1502 of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act is rapidly approaching. IPC Association Connecting Electronics Industries has been actively engaged in the conflict minerals issue for several years and has partnered with consulting firm Tetra Tech to offer an intensive, one-day conflict minerals workshop to help companies prepare for conflict minerals reporting and customer inquiries.

Workshops will be held January 30, 2014, in Needham, Mass.; February 4, in Irvine, Calif.; February 6, in Milpitas, Calif.; February 19, in Bannockburn, Ill.; and March 4, in Austin, Texas.

Instructors with experience in conflict minerals regulations and compliance will review the SEC conflict minerals rule and Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act in detail, providing a compliance roadmap for workshop attendees to follow. Additional topics include: OEM programs and requirements; conducting a reasonable country of origin inquiry (RCOI); supplier outreach; IPC-1755, EICC/GeSI reporting template and other software tools; and industry best practices.

Whether youre filing a disclosure form for your customer, a conflict minerals report with the SEC or gathering data needed by your customers, you will need to be familiar with the nuances of conflict minerals reporting. IPCs one-day workshop will provide attendees with a wide array of information on conflict minerals due diligence, said Fern Abrams, IPCs director of government relations and environmental policy.

To register or for more information on IPCs conflict minerals workshop, visit www.ipc.org/cm-workshop.