Lifecycle Archives - GDCA

Apr 10

The Human Factor: When losing older workers leads to obsolescence

GDCA

Manufacturing, Obsolescence

Ask anyone who drives an older car.

As the system ages, it develops its own quirks. You have to jiggle the shifter in park to get the keys out of the ignition. You have to pump the gas twice before it starts up on a cold day. The AC has to be turned off when going up a steep hill on days over 96 degrees. You know that you can get away with just 2/3rds of the thread on the bolts, but only for 6 weeks.

In short, you know that system inside and out: all the bugs, the features, and quirks that impact operation and repair. Unless your mechanic is into vintage cars, though, he’s not going to relish working on an older vehicle. A younger mechanic may tell you the car is “old” and you’re better off just getting a new one, just when the old one was about to become a “classic.”
Feb 18

The Win-Lose Dilemma

GDCA

Critical Thoughts, Manufacturing, Obsolescence

All people face personal dilemmas during their lifetimes. Corporations, made up of people, face a fair number of professional dilemmas as well. Companies that produce embedded computer products are aware […]
Jun 19

Wood Burning as Disposition for End-of-Life Products

Tania Scroggie

Manufacturing, Proactive Obsolescence Management

Wood Burning as Disposition for End-of-Life Products I live on a ranch in northern California. This winter, we accounted for the dead oak trees and cleared them for the first […]
Apr 06

Mergers and Acquisitions

Tania Scroggie

Proactive Obsolescence Management

Mergers and Acquisitions Sometimes we think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. These days, it is not difficult to think this when social media allows […]
Mar 10

Recap: Sustainment Symposium 2020

GDCA

Critical Thoughts, Events, Manufacturing, Proactive Obsolescence Management

The team here at GDCA has always looked forward to attending the DMSMS conference each December as a capstone to the year. It was a magical time when DMSMS wonks obsessed with DMSMS solutions and obsolescence […]
Mar 08

Helping you keep your New Year’s resolution

Ethan Plotkin

Letter from CEO, Manufacturing, Obsolescence

I used to be a cigarette smoker. Each New Year I resolved to stop smoking, and I’d stash my “last” half-pack of cigarettes deep inside a dark drawer. Months later, […]
Nov 10

How to Find Discontinued Embedded Boards

GDCA

Critical Thoughts, Manufacturing, Obsolescence, Proactive Obsolescence Management

The inevitable has finally arrived. An embedded board in your application has been discontinued by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). Your company needs a critical embedded board, and revenue depends on […]
May 10

Legacy Assurance vs. Just in Time (JIT) Procurement

GDCA

Obsolescence

Innovative ways of thinking are tantamount to making changes in procedural methods. Just in Time (JIT) procurement for acquiring EOL’d embedded boards is often not an option for Legacy Equipment […]
Feb 26

Obsolescence: Too Soon or Not Soon Enough?

GDCA

Manufacturing, Obsolescence

It is strange how onboarding the concept of legacy sustainment can change the way you look at the world around you. On a recent road trip along one of the […]
Mar 05

Looking at Legacy: Proactively managing the risk of counterfeit components

GDCA

Anti-Counterfeiting, Defense, Events

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, proactive supply chain. Instead, each player is left facing inward — focusing on solutions from their own particular positions in the supply chain — but without the resources to truly be proactive.

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