As manufacturers phase out older products, businesses must establish a secure and trustworthy supply chain to avoid risks like counterfeiting and component failure. Rochester Electronics, an AS6496-compliant supplier, provides a continuous, authorised supply of EOL and active semiconductors, helping businesses maintain stability, safety, and long-term success.
Critical end-of-life component management
Product lifecycles typically extend far beyond active semiconductor component availability, making lifecycle status a key factor when planning, at any phase, in the new product introduction (NPI) process.
As technology evolves and new semiconductor products increase in demand, the manufacturing volume increases. Naturally, the older products are phased out. This is the EOL phase of the semiconductor lifecycle.
When the original component manufacturer (OCM) chooses to discontinue a product, they typically offer an EOL purchase, better known as a ‘last time buy’.
Most industries will face component EOL at some point and with it, come a wide range of challenges and risks.
In high-reliability industries, semiconductor lifecycle management becomes a critical factor. This practice allows for businesses to safely prepare for EOL.
Companies that are not prepared become vulnerable to counterfeits, as well as quality and reliability issues. Even for those companies who proactively prepare, long-term component storage remains a problem.
Buying from an authorised source that partners with the OCM eliminates these risks.
Fully authorised distributors, like Rochester Electronics, are compliant with the SAE Aerospace Standard, AS6496. Simply stated, they are authorised by the OCM to provide traceable and guaranteed products with no quality or reliability testing required because the parts are sourced from the OCM.
Those providers who are not, market themselves as AS6171/4 compliant. This source, though better than no compliance, follows standardised inspections and test procedures with minimum training and certification requirements to detect suspicious or counterfeit components. This is an indication the parts are not sourced to the supplier from the OCM but have passed testing to minimise, not eliminate risk.
The only way to eliminate these risks is to purchase from a fully authorised source like Rochester Electronics, who is AS6496 compliant.
For more information visit: www.rocelec.com
This article originally appeared in the March’25 magazine issue of Electronic Specifier Design – see ES’s Magazine Archives for more featured publications.
