Albert Einstein said, “Problems cannot be solved with the same thinking that created them,” and we agree. The speed with which technology is advancing causes new issues in system sustainability; problems that up until now, provide chronic headaches for most engineers and companies.

For instance, note the vast differences between the processes of building embedded boards and acquiring the needed components after EOL notices have been issued. OEMs scramble to fulfill the customer demands of an EOL board/component which typically falls outside of their usual processes (developing new products). These procurement tasks are a huge drain on time and bog down their ability to provide timely responses for their customers and make a profit.

In response to the complications of ongoing demand in the face of discontinued boards and components, GDCA has taken on the challenge so you can sustain a prolonged life cycle for your system in this rapidly changing environment.

A Legacy Assurance Plan provides an understanding of your options so you can make sustainment decisions for your embedded products. Successful Legacy Assurance means having a plan that covers the entire life of your program. In many cases, last-time-buys are insufficient to sustain systems that encounter obsolescence issues and drastically erode ROI and the general profitability – especially for older low-volume systems.

We’ve found that there is no “one size fits all” embedded sustainment solution for our customers and partners. The best assurance that can be offered is a plan that analyzes product viability, demand, and outlines the support options for predictable product availability. A Legacy Assurance Plan allows you to have the options you need to understand the health and risk of your embedded supply chain. Understanding your options makes it easier for management and procurement agents to make purchasing decisions that will ensure access to critical boards for a predictable lifespan of your embedded equipment’s sustainment and ROI.

When obsolescence becomes an issue, placing pressure on manufacturers for a Last Time Buy (LTB) is not going to fix the problem of demand for mature products; however, it will divert resources from addressing more permanent solutions. With a fact-based Legacy Assurance support strategy and analysis, decision makers will have the information they need to recommend more sensible and lasting solutions.