You’ve sourced electronic components for your organization in the past. You’ve organized supply chains, and you’ve done it on tight timelines. But obsolescence management presents a different set of challenges.
Today, the average component’s lifecycle is 10 years; as they reach end-of-life (EOL) status and phase-out of production, they become harder to source. And with systems and infrastructure continuing to age across the industry, demand quickly outstrips supply. These shortages derail manufacturing efforts, impact end-users, and could hurt your business — unless you have a trustworthy obsolescence management partner.
Whether you’re looking to contract a company for the first time or considering a switch, these three keys should guide your search.
Thorough Compliance
Wondering where to begin? Check their badges. Certifications remove guesswork — to a degree — and establish an organization’s reputability.
However, be sure to prioritize ones from global professional associations and standards developments organizations. For example, the SAE Certification Body has developed a range of internationally respected standards by which to evaluate a distributor’s capabilities: ISO 9001 for Quality Management; AS9120 for Aerospace & Defense; and others.
A2 Global earned both of those, along with the following certifications, compliances, and memberships:
- AS6081
- ESD S20.20
- NIST 800-171
- IAQG
- ITAR
For a complete list, please click here.
Long-Term Thinking with an Obsolescence Management Partner
In order to understand an EOL part’s value to your organization, you need to understand the cradle-to-grave issues it may experience. To that end, long-range planning and lifecycle assessments are key to obsolescence management.
Here, A2 Global stands out. Our Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) solution brings preventative maintenance capabilities and decision-support services to traditional obsolescence management — and we include it in our overarching program. The LCA helps pinpoint problems that may arise during an individual part’s useful life and develops comprehensive strategies to address them.
This front-foot approach mitigates component obsolescence risk — regardless of the stage, you adopt it.
A Commitment to Quality
Quality sourced is quality gained — and by focusing on finding the best parts possible, an obsolescence management partner can maximize value while minimizing risk.
Dedicated methodologies can preemptively filter non-genuine parts from the supply chain. At A2 Global, for instance, we designed our A+ Smart Quality Control Process to ensure the integrity of each electronic component we distribute. It includes formal supplier qualification processes; 60+-point visual inspections; real-time performance monitoring; and other practices that work in tandem to protect organizations like yours from substandard components.
And when 71% of counterfeit reports since 2013 have involved EOL and discontinued parts, these sorts of safety nets show their worth.
By using compliance, foresight, and quality as requirements, you can find the right obsolescence management partner for your hi-rel organization. And if you think A2 Global fits the bill, send us an RFQ: We’d be glad to work through your needs.
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