We are living in a world that demands instant gratification. The good news is that thanks to an explosion of innovation and creativity over the past 2 decades, we have the ability to meet those demands using hand-held (and even more recently hands-free) smart devices. This surge of new technology and applications has generated unprecedented demand across manufacturer supply chains. As companies rush to put out the next big thing year after year, shortages, obsolescence and end of life components are becoming increasingly worrisome factors for OEM’s.
End of life solutions are out there for companies from prevention in the early stages of a project, to calling for help when a build just can’t wait. The Joint Electron Device Engineering Council or JEDEC has created a standard called JESD48A which states that semiconductor manufacturers must provide customers with a timely notification of product discontinuance. Every major company has their own portal service in place including: Xilinx Service Portal, My Analog, and My Vishay. Each of these services offer members the ability to receive newsletters about the company and, more importantly, they receive PCN’s (product change notices) and PDN’s (product discontinuance notices) which are critical in the decision making process for engineers as they get ready to design new products or launch a new build.
There are also third party services out there that companies can sign up for that will help them chart and forecast their specific component needs based on the stage of each of their components’ lifecycles. Being up to date on component lifecycles is key to maintaining a smooth operation.
In the event of a shortage or obsolescence, a component distributor can become a manufacturer’s best friend. Independent distributors often stock varying sized inventories of components both new and old. Distributors’ inventories can be particularly useful to buyers who have requirements for specific date code ranges. NetSource Technology offers a large inventory of components to select from for same-day shipping as well as an expert procurement team that can reliably locate EOL parts across the globe.