Embedded Technology Archives

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.”
Aug 04

Last Time Buy vs. Last Time Offering

GDCA

Critical Thoughts

A widespread practice among original equipment manufacturers (OEM) is the last time buy (LTB) event, which is usually a warning call to customers that a product is approaching its end […]
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, […]
Dec 15

Risks of Sourcing EOL’d Embedded Boards Outside the OEM

GDCA

Critical Thoughts, Obsolescence

There are a variety of issues to be faced when your embedded boards have reached end of life (EOL) or been discontinued by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). Without a […]
Nov 25

Are Obsolescence Management Processes Crucial to Corporate Strategy?

Tania Scroggie

Obsolescence, Proactive Obsolescence Management

Why Obsolescence Management Processes are Crucial to Support Corporate Strategy Since I began working at GDCA, I have had the opportunity to work closely with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to […]
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 […]
Jul 08

How to Effectively Prune Your Embedded Product Portfolio

Tania Scroggie

Critical Thoughts, Manufacturing, Proactive Obsolescence Management

In embedded computing, product pruning is the selective removal of certain products that no longer contribute to the health and growth of a company. Product families that are generating little […]
May 12

Now’s the Time for Electronics OEMs to Shape Their Futures

Ethan Plotkin

Letter from CEO, Manufacturing, Obsolescence

In view of the COVID-19 disruption and anticipated aftermath in the embedded electronics industry, computer board OEMs face an existential challenge right now: How do they best allocate their resources […]
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.
Apr 09

A Tale of Two SHIELDS: Marvel Comics, DARPA, and Counterfeiting

GDCA

Anti-Counterfeiting, Defense

Marvel Comic’s SHIELD (Strategic help Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division) and, slick as it is, it is more likely to wind up counterfeited than prevent counterfeiting

It is a program devised by a secretive government agency. Its purpose is to organize and motivate the top actors in their fields to come together to prevent crimes that threaten not only the economy but our national security. It focuses its attention on producing cutting-edge technologies. It is SHIELD, and it is becoming a reality.

No . . . no . . . not that SHIELD. That’s Marvel Comic’s SHIELD (Strategic help Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division) and, slick as it is, it is more likely to wind up counterfeited than prevent counterfeiting. We’re talking about the Supply Chain Hardware Integrity for Electronics Defense program being initiated by DARPA, and rather than placing a series of gigantic floating gun platforms in the upper atmosphere, it’s looking to place tiny 100 micron by 100 micron authentication dielets on all the electronic components used in Department of Defense programs.