5 End of Life (EOL) Material Management Tips

Product line changes and upgrades may bring current material to the end of their life cycle.

If you are sourcing a part that is critical in your application but coming to the end of its availability, these 5 tips will help you manage your production schedule.

1.  Once you have received an End of Life (EOL) notification from your component manufacturer or franchise distributor, you can usually continue to purchase the product until the Last Time Order date if product is still available. Signing a support agreement with the part manufacturer or their authorized supplier prior to designing an expensive or crucial part onto your circuit board will help in getting continued support through the term of the agreement.

2.  Monitoring potential EOL products on your Bill of Material (BOM) can be done by visiting the Product End of Life section of most manufacturers. Alternatively, you can subscribe to a BOM management software service that monitors the availability of your material.

3.  Product longevity is an important part of the engineering and design process. Selecting material that comes with a 10 -15 year product longevity commitment from the manufacturer will ease the risk of EOL product shortages.

4.  Some after market component manufacturers are purchasing EOL dies from major part Original Component Manufacturers (OCMs) for continued product support. Ask your salesperson if there is a company that is licensing the technology for future reference. Buying parts that are manufactured by an aftermarket licensing may be an expensive but is still a viable solution.

5.  Buy from a trusted source (yes, like Inland Empire Components, Inc.) who specializes in providing you the material you need when you can’t source it from your regular supplier.

About Inland Empire Components:

Established in 1989, Inland Empire Components, Inc. (IEC) is a known, liked and trusted provider of procurement solutions to the buyers and engineers at original equipment and contract manufacturers.

IEC distributes the electronic parts and materials needed to keep manufacturing lines from going down.  IEC specialized in challenging diminished supply chain solutions including spare parts, obsolete, hard-to-find procurement support for highly-allocated board-level electronic components as well as the commonly available or long lead time situations.

IEC provides a level of quality and service that exceeds the industry’s highest standards. With our local ESD compliant warehouse packed with millions of parts ready to ship today and billions more available from around the globe, IEC is recognized as a preferred vendor to some of the world’s largest OEMs and EMS Providers.

Contact Information:
Inland Empire Components, Inc. (IEC)
www.iecsolutions.com
951-245-6555