Component Obsolescence: Is Your Process Up to the Challenge?

Electronic component obsolescence presents unique product design challenges such as continuity, quality, cost management, and support for the total life of the product. There are constraints on components and substitutions based on the original board design, customer requirements (e.g., cost, time, functional, environmental requirements), ability to match components for identical drop-in capability versus re-design or interposer modules to resize and allow for drop-in, impact of semiconductor die shrinks on functionality(e.g., noise susceptibility, drive capability, signal integrity, different edge rates, etc.), and supply issues for the immediate and life of the product time frames.

The stress of buying obsolete, allocated and hard-to-find electronic components from independent distributors is enormous. This is not only due to having to find products on time and on-budget, but also the uncertainty of buying authentic parts from unreliable independent distributors. In today’s uncertain market, as a buyer, you must ask yourself: “What should I look for when choosing an independent electronic component distributor for my most difficult and urgent procurement needs?”

The stress of buying obsolete, allocated and hard-to-find electronic components from independent distributors is enormous. This is not only due to having to find products on time and on-budget, but also the uncertainty of buying authentic parts from unreliable independent distributors.

What to Look for When Sourcing from an Independent Electro

IEMI Readies Its Anti-Counterfeit Plan

The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative, an association of semiconductor OEMs, claims to have new ways to keep counterfeit components out of your supply chain. If it doesn't, it won't be for lack of effort. First envisioned way back in 2011, the project called for companies to donate a small amount of staff time -- about three hours a week -- to analyzing data from supply chain operations. The goal was to identify where the fake goods were most likely to wiggle into the production process.At first they identified four types of products that appeared most appealing to counterfeiters.

 Industry has done much to raise awareness about the dangers of counterfeit electronic components, but by and large engineers and procurement professionals remain concerned about how to combat the problem. A counterfeit components study from Penton Media’s Design Engineering and Sourcing Group identified these and other trends last summer, highlighting the growing counterfeit problem across the entire electronics supply chain. 

Cyber threats are currently the top issue on the minds of the Senate Armed Services Committee.  This only intensifies an already growing concern surrounding attacks on our commercial information and technologies, something the electronic component distributors and buyers have long been aware of. 

Lintech Components has successfully completed the necessary requirements to become an AS6081 compliant distributor.  This requirement will be the new standard for electronic component distributors to detect counterfeit components and develop as well as implement a counterfeit electronic parts control plan that documents its processes used for risk mitigation, disposition and reporting of counterfeit parts.