Do You Know the Lifecycle of the Electronic Parts on Your BOM?

As more products have become “smart”, the requirements for even simple products to sense and react has led to the incorporation of more sophisticated electronic components. A component change or obsolescence that goes unnoticed or unaddressed in one of these products can result in significant costs to the business, as well as significant lost opportunities. So, if your company hasn’t been impacted by components becoming obsolete before your product, it is likely just a matter of time.

This white paper, Living With the Dynamics of Electronic Components, by Jim Brown, a recognized expert in software solutions for manufacturing, explores the problems created for electronics manufacturers by the lifecycle mismatches between products and components being experienced in the electronics industry. As Brown explains, when electronic parts and components become obsolete before products, manufacturers need to implement a management system to minimize impacts.

These impacts can result in significant costs to the business. These costs can take many forms. In the extreme case, a component change could result in a part shortage that would shut down production or limit the ability to service a product. The direct cost and impact on customer satisfaction in these situations can be astronomic. More frequently, scenarios fall short of those high-profile scenarios. But multiple small events can add up to significant costs.

Parts may need to be procured at highly unfavorable rates because of reduced negotiation time, the company may be saddled with excess inventory, or they may face a critical shortage of inventory and need to buy through brokers at significantly higher costs.

Component lifecycle events - End of Life (EOL) notices and Part Change Notifications (PCNs) - are triggered by several possible initiating evenings. These events include

• technological advances
• financial drivers such as market collapse
• regulatory issues such as RoHS/WEEE and similar environmental requirements

Electronic Component Manufacturers (ECMs) try to adhere to an industry standard of 180 days notice before a part is changed or declared at end of life. Even with shortened design windows achievable today by better engineering practices and tools such as Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), rapid response to component changes is essential.

This white paper is relevant to any manufacturer that relies on electronic components including manufacturers in industries such as

• medical devices
• aerospace and defense
• communications
• networking
• test and measurement
• computer hardware
• automotive and consumer electronics

The problem faced by these industries is that products are in active production or in service and warranty repair mode for longer than the average life of the components inside the products. The solution requires effectively integrating Component Event Management into overall PLM systems.

If you struggle with electronics parts management in your industry, download this white paper to find expert recommendations for integrating and managing component events within your operations.