Military & Aerospace
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…
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…
Vehicle Electronics and the U.S. Army’s New VICTORY Standard
April 4, 2012
Like the image to the side, modern combat vehicle electronics can resemble a bowl of hardware spaghetti. Different “bolt-on” devices and adaptors are stitched together by multiple suppliers who may be using different standards and interfaces. With barely enough room for a soldier wearing body armor, integration and interoperability have become key concerns. Working with…