Obsolescence Management
How do you fulfill long-term demand for a system when you don’t have a long-term support contract?
May 15, 2019
Often, having a maintenance contract misleads Application OEMs and Prime Contractors into a false sense of long-term protection. When Primes are not privy to an accurate assessment of a system’s life cycle, gaps between the end of a contract and the continuing need for parts creates production and sustainment vulnerability. Reacting to these vulnerabilities adds…
5 Common Miscalculations OEMs Make That Impede Effective Proactive Obsolescence Management
February 28, 2019
…and What You Can Do Embedded and Application OEMs both face issues with their customers when product life cycles are longer than originally anticipated. Thinking critically about servicing systems past component EOL notices is vital for effective forecasting and maintenance, not only for end users but for manufacturers as well. Paying attention to the following…
Legacy Manufacturing: Where Discontinued Embedded Boards Still Have a Future
August 7, 2018
With technology advancing at lightning speed and embedded boards being EOL’d sometimes even while a system is still in the design phase, new methods and ways of thinking must be introduced to meet the needs of programs and applications with long lifecycles. When embedded boards become obsolete, a Legacy Manufacturer can step in and provide…
What is a Legacy Equipment Manufacturer (LEM)?
June 6, 2018
Once your electronic embedded board has reached EOL, but your system still needs to be viable, you will want to talk with an experienced equipment manufacturer that specializes in legacy sustainment. A Legacy Equipment Manufacturer (LEM) is a specialized embedded board producer that supports and services embedded board level products after OEM’s are no longer…
Legacy Assurance vs. Just in Time (JIT) Procurement
May 10, 2018
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 Manufacturing (LEM). Once an EOL notice has been issued and the parts for your system are no longer in production you’ll want to know the…
What is Obsolescence Management?
April 12, 2018
Obsolescence Management takes into account the life span of all the moving pieces of your complex system with a plan to replace obsolete parts as they age, before it becomes a crisis. This is not a simple process. Challenges include parts availability, diminishing materials, counterfeit avoidance and knowing where to look to find what you…
Knowing the Difference Between a Legacy Equipment Manufacturer (LEM) vs. an OEM Saves You Time and Money
August 3, 2017
When you need an embedded board that is still in production, it is easy to call the OEM, order what you want, and receive delivery. Because everything needed to produce your product is still readily available, you don’t have to worry about issues like accessibility, documentation, or counterfeit parts. However, after the point when an…
Sensors Going Blind: Obsolete Medical Scanners in the Developing World
August 20, 2014
Imagine waking up in the middle of the night with chest pains. You can’t call 911 because you live in a region without telephone service. There are few emergency services available and, even so, there are few functional roads. The pains pass, but you know you need to have it looked at. You begin the…
Counterfeit Components Hurt More Than Military Applications
April 23, 2014
When reading the news around counterfeit components, much of the dialogue is driven by the defense industry. When you are dealing with systems that protect our national security and the lives of the people out in the field – you’re not dealing with counterfeits in a bunch of trivial electronics. You’re taking necessary steps to…
Drinking From a Too-Short Straw: The Brutal Costs of Mismanaging Obsolescence
March 12, 2014
It can be easy for those of us in the embedded industry to think of obsolescence as predominantly an electronics or software issue and to imagine its scope as limited to small- or medium-scale consequences. Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that obsolescence is a problem across many industries, and the consequences can be severe. The…