Posts by GDCA

Will sequestration increase the risk of counterfeit components in the supply chain?

March 19, 2013

Between Section 818 in the NDAA FY12 and the NDAA FY13 Amendment, the defense industry is highly aware of the risks of counterfeit components in the supply chain.  As a rule, logistics teams know not to purchase parts off EBay but from authorized sources, or purchase directly from the manufacturer.  They know about the SAE…

Looking at Legacy: Proactively managing the risk of counterfeit components

March 5, 2013

In general, defense sustainment and counterfeit avoidance has been left to DMSMS teams and logistics or engineering tactics.  However, so far the solution has primarily been to develop standards, authentication and anti-counterfeit technologies.  These responses have been critical, but have largely remained reactive and have not produced the dynamic collaboration crucial to maintaining a healthy,…

The Risks of EOL: Lifetime Buy in “real world” terms

February 6, 2013

In the past we’ve talked about the challenges of Last-time Buy and overstock.  In Dr. Sandborn’s CALCE Obsolescence Management training, this question illustrates the challenges and risks in regards to what customers can face, at the time of EOL.  The answer might be easy if you were looking at a “bridge buy”, where you only…

DNA tagging: A post production anti-counterfeit solution?

January 9, 2013

No matter what your opinion; DNA tagging is currently one of the top methods being discussed to ensure component authentication.  The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) even issued a Request for Information on the subject. Unfortunately, due to the costs projected and associated with DNA tagging and authentication, few businesses appear to be looking forward to…

Cutting Electronic Waste out of the Counterfeit Supply Chain

December 3, 2012

According to the EPA, although electronic waste (or sometimes known as “e-waste”) is less than 10% of the current solid waste stream, it is growing 2-3 times faster than any other waste stream.   In 2005 an estimated 26-37 million computers became obsolete and the Consumer Electronics Association reported that roughly 304 million electronics—were removed from…

DMSMS 2012 – Sustaining an Integrated Supply Chain

November 7, 2012

After our evacuation from New Orleans, we wrote about the part that collaboration played in our experiences. While we focused on how the collaboration mostly focused on safely addressing an incoming hurricane; generally when we talk about collaboration here at GDCA, we’re talking about collaboration in the sense of an integrated supply chain poised to…

DMSMS 2012 – Evacuation from Hurricane Isaac and Collaboration in Action

October 24, 2012

Proactive obsolescence management can often be an adventure.  I like to think of it as a cross-industry supply chain game of chess.  On one side, you have legacy experts like GDCA, with a quarter of a century of experience sustaining legacy systems.  On the other side you have counterfeit risk, disruptive technology and time. This…

What do vintage cars and embedded boards have in common?

September 26, 2012

They both get harder to maintain as they get older, and if you don’t plan for obsolescence, they can both fail. It’s common sense.  As things get older, they become more expensive to maintain. For example, an antique car was state-of-the art when it first came out. It performed beautifully, and the parts were easy…

Legacy and NI Week 2012

September 12, 2012

When people think of “legacy”, they often think of what is being passed along or left to the future.  We believe a business’ legacy is the lasting mark they make on the industry, impacting future generations of innovators. That is why I look forward to the keynote addresses at NI Week.  Each day demonstrates the…