Future Proofing Your Supply Chain – Managing Obsolescence in Safety-Critical Projects

Obsolescence is an ongoing issue that all sectors of the electronics industry are facing, exacerbated by Covid-19 and the shortage market, while things begin to shift to a new norm, obsolescence is something that will remain. For safety critical systems, including Military and Defence, the impact of obsolescence is a huge concern for manufacturers and engineers, as redesign can be more demanding in terms of time and cost.

As manufacturers continue to invest in Research and Development of new technology, older and less profitable components become redundant resulting in short notice last time buys. An increase in mergers and acquisitions are also encouraging companies to streamline their portfolios, again causing components to become obsolete. Clients are now increasingly worried that over the next 18 months to two years there is going to be a huge wave of obsolescence which will have a significant impact on production lines.

Most frequently, obsolescence causes the need for a redesign within production lines which is costly and time consuming for any manufacturer. Another concerning impact is a now dramatic increase in counterfeit parts circulating the market. When producing safety-critical equipment, these impacts carry significance. The risk that comes with manufacturing these products means that there is a multitude of approval processes that are in place, so a redesign may take years to go through. There also needs to be a higher level of vigilance around the potential of purchasing counterfeit parts.

Military and Defence manufacturers are one of these safety-critical clients who are struggling to cope with obsolescence. Their projects have at least a minimum of 25-years support and designed to be long lasting, legacy products with procurement cycles that span decades. Therefore, opting for a redesign when a component becomes obsolete may not be the most optimal approach. Often, sourcing obsolete parts safely through a trusted and reputable distributor is the timelier and cost-effective solution.

With 20 years of experience in the industry, Rebound Electronics has developed a good knowledge and reputation as a global independent distributor of electronic components. We have the ability to source obsolete components through a wide range of global supply chain partners. We enable ourselves to go safely to market with the protection of ERAI as well as other tools meaning we are a reliable supplier for safety-critical clients.

With a global reach and five different procurement hubs across the world, we are able to dovetail into various companies across multiple territories when sourcing difficult to find, obsolete parts. Rebound have OEM and CEM global relationships and a Reverse Logistics team who manage obsolete parts in stock through these partnerships.

Rebound’s quality team process all parts through in-house enhanced inspection and testing as well as hold partnerships with AS6081 accredited test laboratories. For clients who require their own in-house testing, we offer a warranty period as security.

Rebound Electronics are a partner who will work to future proof your supply chain, safely sourcing obsolete stock to help avoid costly and time-consuming redesigns and protect you from the risk of counterfeit parts.