Component Obsolescence
Is obsolescence a problem within your organisation? Are you fed up of having to stop production or re-design a product because of parts are no longer available? Then this means ‘Obsolescence’ is affecting your way of working. If you feel this, you wouldn’t be wrong, as virtually all organisations are being affected from either components, piece of equipment or materials that are no longer available from its original source. So this is a clear problem, and the only way to overcome it is to manage it!! This is firstly achieved by making yourself aware of trends in technology or legislation that may affect your products design. Also be aware of the length of time your component or materials will be available for. Once you are armed with this information you can begin to take an ‘Obsolescence Management’ approach which involves working closely with all members of the supply chain, to increase communication flow. An organisation which take this type of approach is the Component Obsolescence Group.
COG was established in 1997 to help industry address the issues of electronics and mechanical obsolescence. Members organise meeting for approx 100+ people from many different organisations. It enables all the groups to discus and share ideas and opinions of practices that work in overcoming component obsolescence. One organisation which is involved in COG is Winslow Adaptics. Established in 1977, Winslow Adaptics manufacture a broad range of connectors and integrated circuit adapters for the electronics manufacturing industry. To find out more about Winslow Adaptics go to their profile on out company directory. COG is a member of the UK Electronics Alliance (UKEA). For more information about both COG and the UKEA, click here to visit our UKEA links page.
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