Obsolescence Management for Electronic Components
Electronics Design
Electronics Design Entrust your new application to our world-class electronics engineers
Obsolescence checks are critically important in manufacturing because they help to ensure that the parts and components used in the production process are still viable and available. In manufacturing, components can become obsolete for a variety of reasons, including changes in technology, market demand, and regulation. Without proper obsolescence checks, manufacturers may unknowingly continue to use outdated parts and components, which can result in decreased efficiency, increased costs, and even product failure.
By regularly checking for obsolescence, manufacturers can proactively identify and address potential issues before they become major problems, ensuring that their products remain reliable and competitive in the marketplace.
Consider obsolescence on your Bill of Materials to avoid:
- Production delays: If an essential component becomes obsolete, it can cause delays in the production process as the company scrambles to find a replacement.
- Increased costs: Obsolete components can be more expensive to source, or require redesigning the product, which can drive up costs.
- Product failure: If a company continues to use obsolete components in their products, it can lead to product failure, customer dissatisfaction, and potential liability issues.
- Damage to company reputation: Product defects and failures can seriously impair a company's reputation, making it difficult to recover from the loss of trust.
How our parts obsolescence services work
Most contract manufacturers in the UK don’t have a full engineering team so aren’t qualified or capable of providing a solution to parts that are obsolete. They will simply push the problem over to you to solve. We won’t. We work in two ways, depending on who the design authority is:
- BitBox as the design authority: The engineering team will be notified of the PCN (product change note) from the end manufacturer of the component and will immediately begin identifying suitable alternatives. We will begin with looking for footprint-compatible devices to avoid any PCB respins, but if that isn’t an option, we will then identify a component that is fit for purpose, offers the correct level of tolerance, and requires the minimum amount of changes necessary without negatively impacting performance. You are merely being kept in the loop and all decisions (and responsibility) sit with BitBox.
- You as the design authority: Despite BitBox not designing the product, when we receive notification of the PCN, we will still go through a similar process detailed above. We won’t throw the problem to you and wash our hands of it. We’ll communicate the problem but also work with you (if required), to suggest suitable alternatives. The main difference to the above is we’re suggesting alternatives for the design authority to then validate and sign off on.
Send your BoM(s) over to us for a no-obligation, and free-of-charge BoM health check
Frequently asked questions
Are you struggling to source components for your product(s)?
We are well aware of the global component shortage issue and are fully prepared to deal with problem parts. We have a great team of design engineers and procurement specialists who can work together to evaluate your product needs and provide a solution.
We will review what your existing component specifications are and redesign or specify a suitable alternative, if required. In tandem, as soon as our engineers have specified the alternative component(s), our procurement team will source these immediately to provide you with appropriate stock for as long as needed.
On average, how long does the hardware design process take?
To go through the phases of component selection, layout and schematics 'on average' is probably in the 2-4 month timeframe. Some jobs can be considerably less and some can be considerably more, it all depends on the scope of the requirements.
What are the benefits of using an electronics design service provider like Bitbox?
Putting our highly experienced team to one side, it really comes down to our experience in designing products that are as cost-effective as can be to manufacture. We see it time and time again on contract manufacturing jobs where 'design for manufacture' (DfM) clearly hasn't been considered which typically results in a higher unit cost driven by the extra time required in labour that could have, in many cases, been totally avoided had DfM been considered at the design stage.
Looking for a specialist partner to design and manufacture your new electronics device?
Get in touch to talk to one of our specialist engineers to arrange a free consultation.
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Manufactured in the UK
BitBox is one of the few electronics and software design companies that has its own in-house manufacturing facility under the same roof here in the UK.