Manufacturing Archives - Page 4 of 6 - GDCA

Apr 23

Counterfeit Components Hurt More Than Military Applications

GDCA

Anti-Counterfeiting, Manufacturing, Obsolescence

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 protect the lives of men and women who depend on the systems for their safety. Since 2011 more than 1800 cases of counterfeit components were reported in defense applications, including mission computers operating the THAAD missile system, in the Air Force’s C-27J, in the Navy’s P-8A, and in electromagnetic interference filters on an SH-60B helicopter.

However, the trouble with counterfeits isn’t limited to the defense industry and the military. They’re just currently the ones driving the conversation and legislation such as the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, Sec. 818.
Mar 12

Drinking From a Too-Short Straw: The Brutal Costs of Mismanaging Obsolescence

GDCA

Manufacturing, Obsolescence

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 […]
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 […]
Oct 23

Keys to Successfully Managing DMSMS: Being Proactive

GDCA

Defense, Events, Manufacturing, Obsolescence

“Proactively take timely and effective actions to identify and minimize the DMSMS impact on DoD acquisition and logistics support efforts.” SD-22 DMSMS Guidebook The DMSMS conference is just around the […]
Sep 18

Software Obsolescence: Why Modernization Doesn’t Necessarily Mean “Modern”

GDCA

Defense, Manufacturing, Obsolescence

For players in the embedded industry it is easy to forget how large the problem of obsolescence can be, especially beyond the component level. Recently, I was talking to a software engineer who had spent a year doing software modernization, as a result of upgrading a flight navigational system from the original code to Linux.

The reasoning for the transition certainly made sense—the program was having difficulties finding software engineers who could continue to sustain programming that had been implemented during the early 1980s. While the system was incredibly robust and was considered “bulletproof,” it could no longer be supported the way it had been. Under pressure to upgrade, the program moved to Linux, which has a community that affords an active and growing resource for talent.
Aug 21

Counterfeit Mitigation: The Trouble with “Tagging”

GDCA

Anti-Counterfeiting, Events, Manufacturing, Obsolescence

When the subject of counterfeit mitigation and avoidance comes up you generally find a couple of areas that people focus on: standards, test/inspection, and tagging. Tagging can involve many things, […]
Jul 10

Arrow ACT Masters: An Environment of Innovation

GDCA

Events, Manufacturing

GDCA enjoyed the privilege of being a part of this year’s Arrow Electronics ACT Masters 2013 in Denver CO. Arrow’s technical sales force was trained in a centralized fashion while […]
Jun 26

Counterfeit Components: More than parts — it is about people

GDCA

Anti-Counterfeiting, Events, Manufacturing

With the dialog about counterfeits in the supply chain, it is easy to lose track of what counterfeits actually mean. Yes, they will hurt your business. Yes, they can lead to heavy penalties and jail time, but counterfeits can also lead to jeopardizing lives; a risk that could otherwise have been avoided.

I am always looking for recent numbers and reports to keep the topic fresh and moving forward. But, recently, as I researched my paper for the upcoming SMTA International conference, I’ve come across some new numbers that drives home, once again, how vulnerable everyone is to the issues around counterfeits.

I personally take an average of 2-4 flights every month. According to the FAA, the amount of travel Americans are doing both for business and recreation is increasing. It is projected that the total number of people flying commercially on U.S. airlines will increase from 732 million to 746 million in 2013, and increase to 1.2 billion by 2032. And in 2010 the FAA estimated that some 520,000 counterfeit parts make their way into planes each year.
Jun 11

COTS: A “reactive” good idea (continued)

GDCA

Manufacturing, Obsolescence

To answer the question, we need to look at the issues of innovation from a different angle; namely economics and markets. Free markets are a wonderful concept as long as […]
May 29

COTS: A “reactive” good idea

GDCA

Manufacturing, Obsolescence

Following a directive from the US military in the early 1990s, the defense industry made a shift from using custom embedded electronic components made to military specifications to commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) […]

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