Reach
REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) is EU regulation EC 1907/2006 governing chemicals in manufactured or imported goods. For inventory and material tracking, REACH requires manufacturers to trace chemical substances in every purchased material, component, sub-assembly, or finished article, confirm no restricted substances or SVHCs exceed thresholds, and maintain supplier declarations, SDS data, and BOM traceability for compliance.
On the shop floor, REACH operates as a physical gate at receiving and a data requirement across every inventory level. Receiving teams must block or quarantine incoming lots until supplier declarations, SDS/e-SDS data, and composition records confirm that no restricted substance or SVHC exceeds the 0.1% w/w article threshold. Warehouse systems should carry REACH status at SKU, lot, and component level, so putaway, picking, and export checks can be enforced automatically. When a resin, coating, adhesive, lubricant, or plated finish triggers a restriction, production planning needs approved alternates ready before rework or line starvation occurs. The workflow continuously collects supplier data, monitors Candidate List changes, and stores safe-use records. Without this, missing composition data can stop receiving, delay exports, trigger vendor-list rework, or force emergency sourcing of substitute materials. In practice, REACH turns material management into a compliance workflow where traceability from receipt to shipment is auditable.
What system objects should carry REACH status?
SKU, lot/batch, component/article, supplier declaration, SDS, and approved composition record should all carry REACH attributes so auditability exists from receipt to shipment.
What is the critical disclosure rule for articles?
If an article contains an SVHC above 0.1% w/w, suppliers must provide at minimum the substance name and sufficient information for safe use; notification duties may apply if volume thresholds are also met.
What are the operational control points for REACH in procurement and warehousing?
Approved-vendor onboarding and material master creation should require REACH documentation before PO release, since downstream responsibility sits with the EU market placer. Receiving inspection must validate chemical documentation before put-away, and unverified lots should be segregated until compliance evidence is complete.