„HTV-LIFE®-MARK OF EXCELLENCE“FOR PRODUCTS WITHOUT PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE!

HTV-Life®-mark of excellence

stands for a product that

does not contain measures

for the intentional reduction

of its product lifetime and

thus is durable. It can be af-

fixed directly to the product.

HTV-Life® monitors

the adherence to all

examination specifications

Manufacturers, who deliberately do not install „plan-

ned life limiting predetermined breaking points” into

their goods, can clearly distinguish from competition

with HTV-Life®-mark of excellence!

Based on the excellence mark the � nal customer can

immediately see that the acquired product is one with-

out planned obsolescence.

Abandonment to deliberate breaking points con-

stitutes an added value to the � nal customer for which

he is willing to possibly also invest more respectively to

decide on the high-value product.

The new mark of excellence HTV-Life® creates an

objective decision criterion through which the con-

sumer has now, for the � rst time, the possibility to make

his purchase decision based on facts:

Products with HTV-Life®-mark of excellence

do not have „planned life limiting predetermined

breaking points“!

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HTV-GmbHRobert-Bosch-Str. 28 · D-64625 BensheimPhone: +49 (0)6251-84800-0 · Fax: +49 (0)6251-84800-49E-Mail: info@HTV-Life.com · Internet: www.HTV-Life.com

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Background: Our opinion:

Unfortunately, it is increasingly the case that manufacturers pro-duce their goods for a short intended lifetime. These are preferably supposed to fail shortly after guarantee period in order to sell a new product to the customer as quickly as possible. Thereby, a huge sales increase is possibly assumed.

This is made possible by the installation of „planned life limit-ing predetermined breaking points“ such as under-dimensioned capacitors or capacitors deliberately placed beside heat sources, weak resistors or non-exchangeable, in other words, permanently installed accumulators which are already defective after only 500 charging cycles (i. e. approximately after 2 years). Electronic counters

are also applied, which in case of a certain number of working steps, for example, in case of printed pages of printers, then set the device to error status or lead to a malfunction. In case of textiles short fibres are, for example, applied which abrade more quickly.

Based on this planned „suicide” of products citizens should be persuaded to constantly purchase something new even after a short period of time!

Nowadays it is very easy to manufacture durable products! Customer himself must be able to decide when he wants to replace his device and may not be ma-nipulated by the manufacturer. Due to irresponsible and greedy behaviour of some producers more and more elec-tronic waste and hazardous waste ac-crues, while our valuable raw materials are plundered!

This is economically and ecologically fatal and a disaster for our environment.

Responsible manufacturers convince their customers to purchase new products due to constant improvements and innovations and not by intentional reduction of lifetime!

HTV-Life®-mark of excellence:

Products to be analyzed are meticulously examined by HTV and tested with regard to „planned life limiting predetermined breaking points“. For this purpose a detailed analysis is performed related to manufacturing documents, lifetime predictions and used material qualities (in case of textiles e. g. fabrics susceptible to wear). In addition, mechanical, electronic and, if required, also software technical aspects are considered within the scope of the strict award criteria.

Why is HTV able to do this?

Since 1986 and with over 220 employees HTV tests electronic components and complete products with painstaking care as independent company as well as one of the largest test houses in Europe. Recently, HTV was voted number 3 worldwide in the field of „programming”.

Decisive core competence for the HTV-Life®-mark of excellence is a comprehensive knowledge in the implementation of life tests, aging examinations, error cause analyses as well as electrical and mechanical tests.

For their professional implementation within the framework of HTV-Life®-examination extensive and ultramodern equipment is available at HTV analysis laboratories, combined with detailed knowledge of highly skilled engineers, technicians, chemists and physicists.

Preconditions:

Based on the HTV-Life®-mark of excellence the manufacturer commits to immediately provide information on any substantial change of the examined product to company HTV. The mark of excellence shall be valid only for the examined product respec-tively product family and may be renewed on a yearly basis. As a reference initial samples are stored as „golden device“ according to TAB®-method at HTV. On the basis of a long-term conservation their aging is significantly reduced, and thus, new reference parts are available in the long term.

Among other things the following documents are to be made available by the producer for acquisition of the mark of excellence:• Manufacturing documents • Materials• Statement about planned lifetime • Statement on oath that „planned life limiting predetermined breaking points“ were not installed

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