photo of an old circuit board

How to assure technological progress and innovation?

In the rapidly changing world of technology, the semiconductor industry is at the forefront, driving innovation and progress. However, with great advances also come significant challenges, particularly the pervasive problem of counterfeit components. The integrity and reliability of these small but crucial components are vital to the smooth operation and success of countless devices and systems. In this context, the need for dynamic, cutting-edge solutions to combat counterfeit chips is more evident than ever.

Why is it important to fight counterfeit chips?

Combating counterfeiting in the semiconductor industry is essential for several critical reasons involving the security, economics, and reputation of the companies involved.

Economic impact of counterfeiting

  • Direct financial loss
    Purchasing counterfeit parts can increment costs significantly from the resulting repairs, replacements and potential product recalls. This directly affects your budget, as can the potential production interruptions, which increase downtime and add to operating expenses.
  • Reputational damage
    Distributing defective products seriously jeopardizes your reputation. Customers lose trust when products do not meet their quality expectations leading to declining sales and greater difficulty in maintain long-term business relationships. Reputational damage can be difficult and expensive to repair, negatively affecting your market position.
  • Legal costs
    Legal disputes arising from the use of counterfeit components can be a significant financial burden to your company. The legal fees, settlements and damages associated with lawsuits not only drain economic resources, but also divert attention from growth and innovation, preventing you from achieving your business goals and undermining your competitiveness.

Other consequences of counterfeiting

In addition to the potential financial, legal and reputational problems, the use of counterfeit electronic components can negatively impact your company in other ways, too. In the next article, we will explore consequences such as product safety implications, regulatory compliance risks, and the long-term effect on the trust of your customers and business partners.

In the next article, we will explore consequences such as product safety implications, regulatory compliance risks, and the long-term effect on the trust of your customers and business partners.

Electronic Partner’s solution

Electronic Partner, as an independent distributor of electronic components, takes a rigorous and holistic approach to ensuring the authenticity of components by partnering with independent testing laboratories to ensure neutral and accurate verification. This commitment to the quality and safety of materials offered to customers reflects the importance of training and experience in the semiconductor sector.

By choosing to work with us, you can avoid each of these problems because we only select authentic components that we subject to rigorous testing by independent laboratories outside the supply chain. We actually request these laboratories to advise which tests should be performed based on the nonconformities associated with the specific item, data code, and production lot. Based on their responses, we determine whether their experience with the particular component is sufficient or whether the services of another external laboratory with more specific expertise is required.

This approach allows us to guarantee the quality and authenticity of the materials we supply. It also enables us to safely manage reconditioned materials when nothing else is available, despite the increase in counterfeiting post-Covid and always subject to your prior approval. Furthermore, it means we can accurately identify Class B parts, which are widely known to also come from official sources or distributors.

Thanks to the extensive experience and expertise of our partner test houses, we can provide additional assurances on the authenticity and integrity of the materials we supply.

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