Work begins on component obsolescence guideline
16 May 2012
News
When a component manufacturer discontinues a particular component, it creates a ripple effect throughout the electronics assembly industry, leaving EMS providers with myriad critical questions to answer: Is there an alternative source for the component? Is there a substitute component that will work? If no suitable alternative is found, the product must be redesigned.
To help alleviate the situation, IPC and the Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA) are planning to create an industry guideline for the best practices of communicating component obsolescence.
According to Susan Filz, IPC director of industry programmes, component obsolescence costs the EMS provider valuable time and resources, and impairs the supply chain as a whole. “It is not a new problem. However, recent environmental regulations and the economic situation have brought component obsolescence to critical mass,” says Filz. “The RoHS legislation is a particularly good example of how a whole series of components was, for the most part, wiped out when it was introduced in 2006.”
The document will address issues such as:
* The time between the announcement of a manufacturer’s intention to cease production of a component and the date the component will no longer be manufactured, so assembly companies are ensured an adequate time to prepare.
* How the component manufacturer should announce its intention to discontinue a component, so the industry has a streamlined source of information; and
* Notification of estimated available quantity, so the industry can better determine the best short-term strategy.
“The goal would be to strengthen the communication between the assembly industry, authorised distribution and component manufacturers for the good of the electronics industry supply chain,” said Robert Willis, executive vice president and CTO, ECIA.
Further reading:
Vicor Powering Innovation podcast
News
The episode explores electrification with Lightning Motorcycles, a company that produces the fastest electric motorcycle on the planet.
Read more...
ModusToolbox Workshop 3
News
This workshop will focus on enabling a PSoC development kit, connected over Wi-Fi and leveraging MQTT, to create the framework of an IoT application.
Read more...
Indium celebrates 90 years of innovation
Techmet
News
The company’s innovative products, especially its advanced soldering solutions, are found in many common consumer electronics and high-reliability technologies.
Read more...
Revamped technical training centre in Welkom
News
Resolution Circle has announced the launch of its newly revamped training centre in Welkom, which will enhance technical education and foster industry partnerships.
Read more...
From the editor's desk: Funga: The unseen rulers of a new kingdom
Technews Publishing
News
Up until a few weeks ago, our classification kingdoms were split into two parts; fauna and flora. I was amazed when I recently read that National Geographic has now changed this and has split the classification
...
Read more...
Hiconnex announces new partnership
Hiconnex
News
With over 60 years of experience in the civil, military aeronautics, and space industries, Petercem offers robust solutions for position detection and human machine interfaces.
Read more...
Global semiconductor sales increase YoY
News
The Semiconductor Industry Alliance (SIA) has announced global semiconductor sales totalled $47,6 billion during the month of January, an increase of 15,2% compared to January 2023.
Read more...
Utility-scale solar development for local company
News
Teraco has announced that it has secured its first grid capacity allocation from Eskom, and will commence construction of a 120 MW utility-scale solar PV energy facility in the Free State province.
Read more...
Collab between Arrow and Infineon
Altron Arrow
News
Arrow Electronics, represented by Altron Arrow in South Africa, and its engineering services company, eInfochips, are working with Infineon Technologies to help eInfochip’s customers accelerate the development of EV chargers.
Read more...
Printing as a subscription
News
HP has done the unthinkable and released its All-In Plan, a subscription-based printing solution that has many IT professionals and business users shaking their heads.
Read more...
printer friendly version