NCAB Group USA & ITAR

The two export regulations that NCAB Group USA deals with on a daily basis are the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). ITAR-controlled PCBs are allowed to be manufactured outside the United States provided certain criteria is met and that legal authorization is granted by the US Department of State. EAR-controlled printed circuit boards are allowed to be manufactured outside the United States provided certain criteria is met and, if required, legal authorization is granted by the US Department of Commerce.

NCAB Group USA is proud to be ITAR compliant for both domestic and offshore production

What is ITAR?

  • ITAR is an acronym for International Traffic in Arms Regulations.
  • ITAR is a set of government regulations that implement provisions of the Arms Export Control Act of 1976.
  • The provisions restrict, monitor and control the import and export of defense related articles.

Miscellaneous coverage

Any item used by the United States military may be ITAR restricted if the United States Department of State decides control is necessary.

How does this affect printed circuit boards? 

  • The technical data required to build a printed circuit board could be ITAR restricted if the design is for a defense article on the USML.
  • Technical data includes:
    • The fabrication drawing
    • Artwork
    • CNC data
    • Net list information
    • Customer manufacturing specification
    • ODB++ data

What do we mean by ITAR restricted? 

The importation and exportation of defense related articles in and out of the United States is controlled, monitored and in many cases prevented, as is the export of related technical data and services.

Export control regulations

Export control regulations exist in the United States to protect national security and to prevent our technology from falling into the wrong hands. Failure to adhere to the export controls can result in criminal prosecution resulting in fines and incarceration. Export controls do not start and end at the point of export from the United States. Everyone in the supply chain is responsible for complying with laws and regulations that govern export controls. Everyone in the supply chain is responsible for knowing that your customer and your supplier are legally authorized to have access to the export controlled item or service. In order to protect your company’s interests and your customer’s interests it is important to partner up with a supplier that understands and adheres to export control regulations.

Do you know who you are dealing with?

In today’s global economy we are an email or a phone call away from anyone anywhere in the world. When dealing with a supplier do you know who and where they are in the world? Are you sending export-controlled items to someone that is not authorized and don’t even know it? Ignorance of the law is no excuse and you are still responsible for who and where you send an export controlled item. It is imperative that you know what you are working with, who you are dealing with and where they are located.

NCAB Group USA has you covered where ITAR and EAR export control regulations are concerned. 

NCAB Group USA is the point of export for technical data used to manufacture printed circuit boards. We are legally permitted to export and build specific export controlled items in Taiwan. We work with appropriate government entities to obtain legal authorization to export controlled items as required. All of our employees are trained to recognize export control restrictions and how to handle them appropriately. If we cannot meet your needs in Taiwan then we can do so domestically here in the United States. We are the gatekeepers and we deal with the headaches directly to give you peace of mind.

NCAB Group USA maintains a current registration with the U.S. Department of State, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls as an exporter of defense articles. We encrypt data and invoke the utmost security standards with regard to E.A.R. and ITAR document handling. When the data involves ITAR and Military applications we comply with the appropriate US laws and regulations. NCAB Group is a secure or “Safe House” to those current or potential customers in the Printed Circuit Board Assembly industry. We respect your need for securing sensitive data as well. Therefore, if you are in the PCBA industry you can trust NCAB Group USA. We have no financial interests in a PCBA shop and no electronic manufacturing service division, not even a relative that owns a contract assembly shop. We are a safe house for your printed circuit board business.

Instructions for sending ITAR data

NCAB Group USA makes free Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) services available to all ITAR customers and ITAR suppliers to avoid data storage on or data transmission through the cloud. SFPT is NCAB USA Group’s preferred method of transferring ITAR controlled technical data. We strongly urge all customer that do business with us to take advantage of this free service. To utilize our SFTP service, please reach out to your NCAB account manager who will have an account created for you. You will then receive a welcome email and instructions.

NCAB Group USA ITAR Compliance Officers:

David Duross
Phone: (727) 373-3808

Kelly Davidson
Phone: (617) 388-6564

Learn more about PCBs for defense