Shorter and shorter product life cycles in the Consumer area have led to it, that also many industrially used electronics components already after one or two years are only difficult to get or not available anymore.
That an electronic component sometime is obsolete , would be nothing unusual, if not the product life cycles of the individual components and the final products would run ever further apart. For enterprises in industries like the military, railway, power station, automation and medical technology, where products must be as invariably as possible supplied over many years, both the production development and the cost calculation thereby more and more often to the tightrope act, stresses Klaus Kruse.
However in Germany the costs caused by obsolete components no longer available on the regular market move in the meantime in the three-figure million range. The damage caused by counterfeit components is not yet taken into this account. In the long run , if you are a manufacturer of long-lived industrial goods one will not come past arguing with the topic Obsolescence. “
As the most effective protection from unpleasant surprises by component obsolescence or changes – Klaus Kruse recommends changes already begin in the evaluation phase of a new product with the Obsolescence process. „ Argue before the development with the prospective availability duration of the necessary components and possible alternatives , afterwards every now and then very much money helps itself to save, because the additional exchange of individual components or complete Redesigns are just connected with high risks of costs “, Klaus Kruse means.
With the examination and evaluation components endangered by parts lists on risky obsolescent is mostly not yet done possibly however. The fact that there is not the one Obsolescence solution absolutely but for an effective Obsolescence strategy usually a whole set of measures is necessary.
Karl Kruse’s solutions range from complex components with integrated databases for discontinued forecast about international procurement management, Replacement-ICs, long time storage draughts, engineering, Rework and Electronic Manufacturing service to the aftermarket production discontinued
Components and development of customized Replacement ICs. „Our aim is to sensitize CEMS, manufacturer, distributors and the users stronger for this subject. There will never be the absolute protection from Obsolescence though, but many possibilities of the risk minimization of which we want to give an understanding and pass it to our customers .“