A representative from the Best Manufacturing Practices Program (BMP) and Center of Excellence (COE) was invited to brief attendees at the 2006 Diminishing Manufacturing Sources & Material Shortages (DMSMS) Conference and Exhibition hosted by the National Defense Industrial Agency (NDIA) and the Department of the Navy (DON). Approximately 400 participants attended the four-day event at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, where four separate panel discussions focused on "DoD Diminishing Sources & Material Shortages (DMSMS) in a Total Life Cycle System Management Environment." BMP's subject matter expert served on the Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) panel to advocate the use of robotic solder dip as a mitigating technique to prevent electrical shorting failures resulting from the growth of tin whiskers on electronic products built without lead. BMPCOE's goal at this conference was to make COTS manufacturers aware of the potential reliability risk they will build into their products and the military systems that rely on them if they convert to lead-free processes.

BMPCOE's participation in this conference represents one of the Center's many goals to support military programs in risk management and systems engineering and its work in resolving the risks associated with tin coatings while striving for excellence to increase the quality, reliability and maintainability of products made by U.S. defense and commercial manufacturers.