As a society, we are incredibly dependent on our smartphones and devices, whether we want to admit it or not, for many crucial aspects of our daily lives. 

But imagine one day that your smart phone just stops working. No calls, no texts, no internet connection. You can’t access your emails, your personal and office calendars, your group messaging apps, your camera and photos, or even your GPS and map. And no matter how hard you try, you cannot find, let alone buy, a working replacement. 

How much trouble would you be in? How much would you have to scramble just to get the resources you need to maintain some state of normal?

Now imagine that you knew your phone was going to shut off abruptly. You knew exactly what day you’d lose access to it. Naturally, you’d prepare, rather than sit around waiting for your phone to shut down. You’d get new lines of communication in place, store all of the crucial data from your phone in other places, and essentially find workarounds to maintain your daily life without the need for that smart phone. 

What if we applied that mindset–planning ahead, finding alternatives, and getting a new infrastructure in place–to electronics obsolescence?

Strategies for Electronic Part Obsolescence Management

Electronics obsolescence is often devastating for OEMs and end-users in industries like power generation and power grids, telecommunications equipment, flight-critical or safety-critical Aerospace, and even railway operating systems. These industries have to maintain their operations because they are a crucial part of our country’s infrastructure. But when parts of their systems become obsolete, the spares run out, and no one is selling them anymore, how do you continue to keep your infrastructure running?

Plan Ahead

We have said this again and again in our articles, but it bears repeating–the most important thing that anyone can do when it comes to real, practical strategies for part obsolescence management is plan ahead. If you knew that you’d no longer have access to your phone–and you knew roughly about when that access would be taken away–you would plan for it. The same goes for any components that are at risk of becoming discontinued, if they aren’t already. Most electronic components have an average market lifespan of about five to seven years because of the pace at which technology advances–so if you know that you’re going to be relying on a particular system for longer than that, then plan ahead. 

Consider ALL of Your Options

Believe it or not, you have many options available to you when it comes to managing discontinued critical components for embedded systems of any type. You don’t have to just rely on a last-time buy from the OEM or shore up a ton of inventory that you may or may not use, or even go straight to an expensive upgrade that you may not even be able to afford. That’s one of the benefits that many of GDCA’s clients enjoy, we provide them with far more options than they would’ve had otherwise. 

Consider Your Options as Soon as You Can

Another thing that we constantly emphasize here at GDCA is the importance not just of planning ahead, but acting as soon as you can. The earlier that you start to plan out your strategies, to consider all of the options you have available to manage discontinued or soon-to-be discontinued designs, the more options you’ll actually have available. Don’t wait until you’ve exhausted all the spares in your inventory, or even your relationship with the OEM. The sooner you plan and enact your strategy, the less risks you’ll have of losing your options in the long run and the more you’ll save on time and costs. 

And Speak with an Expert if You Aren’t Sure What Your Options Are

No matter if you’re dealing with a current or future obsolescence issue, you will only benefit from speaking to an expert in part obsolescence management, such as a legacy equipment manufacturer (LEM). LEMs deal with these sorts of challenges every single day and have a unique insight on what needs to be done in order to combat manufacturing, design, and supply chain issues related to electronics obsolescence.