Changing How We Approach Embedded Electronics Obsolescence

Everyone has habits. They permeate every aspect of our lives, from home to work to hobbies and even how we think. As is often said, people are creatures of habit, and we use our daily habits to navigate our world, combat challenges, and solve various big and small problems.

However, once those habits are formed, they’re tough to break — even if a particular habit creates more problems than it actually solves.

Why bring up the concept of habit in an article discussing collaboration in supply-chain management and electronics obsolescence planning? Because manufacturers of embedded electronics, their customers, and on up the supply chain, all the way to end-use products, have formed approaches to obsolescence that turn into essentially negative habits. These old ways of tackling electronic obsolescence tend to create more problems than they solve for all stakeholders, and those problems are only worsening (Fig. 1).

The embedded electronics industry must fundamentally alter its approach to obsolescence. While challenging, breaking free from habitual responses is important. The rapid pace of technological innovation will only exacerbate the problem of obsolete electronics. Proactive and collaborative action is essential to effectively mitigate these challenges.

Reframing Obsolescence as a Natural Part of the Product Lifecycle…and NOT Necessarily the End

If everyone’s collective objective is never to leave their customers hanging, it’s helpful to acknowledge that customers’ and OEMs’ lifecycles don’t always line up. Some customers will need parts longer than the OEM prefers to produce them.

It’s been said, “The question IS the answer.” What does that mean?

It means that finding the correct answer to any problem is easiest if the question is the right one. For example, when customers and their OEM suppliers encounter an obsolescence issue, their first question is often, “How do we deal with this obsolescence issue?” It’s a short-term question that typically leads to a short-term solution. Legacy product sustainment is a long-term problem.

Instead, what if everyone asked a different question: “How do we deal with customers who have ongoing demand for legacy products?”

Typically, obsolescence is viewed as a future problem that gets put off repeatedly until there’s no choice but to deal with it. As time goes on, supply chains break down, knowledge of the product and the testing capability for it is lost, and newer products become increasingly incompatible with older software.

Most importantly, the ability to find some way to combat obsolescence issues gets harder, with options growing thin the longer the problem is put off (Fig. 2).

Traditional approaches to obsolescence are typically reactive, addressing issues only after they arise. This often involves implementing partial solutions that fail to sustain the discontinued product for its required lifespan. This reactive approach is particularly problematic for mission-critical applications like industrial automation and defense systems, where continuous uptime and long-term reliability are paramount.

A prevailing assumption is that the obsolescence of a component necessitates a complete redesign of the higher-level assembly. This assumption needs to be challenged.

Instead, we must recognize obsolescence as an inherent and predictable stage in the lifecycle of any embedded system or circuit card. By anticipating this eventuality, we can proactively implement strategies to mitigate its impact. Such a shift in perspective requires reframing obsolescence from a distant future concern to a present-day challenge that demands immediate attention and proactive planning.

Legacy Equipment Manufacturing: Securing Supply Chains and Collaborating for Successful Product Sustainment>

Taking a proactive approach to obsolescence allows us to better tackle electronics obsolescence challenges, shore up supply chains, and fill in the gaps that need SCRM initiatives. Ultimately, this requires significant collaboration at virtually every level of the supply chain. Why?

Obsolescence isn’t something that any one company, nor any one department within a company, can tackle alone. It requires collaboration between all stakeholders, and it needs a leader who specializes in facilitating such collaboration. This is right in the LEMs’ wheelhouse.

LEMs specialize in mobilizing all necessary supply-chain stakeholders: the Embedded OEM who manufactured and sold the system to the broader market, their Application OEM customers who bought the system and integrated it into their own products, and the end-users who then used those products in every industry: planes, trains, weapons, medical devices, industrial robots, and so on.

Every single person has a stake in the product and in the solution that allows for sustainment until the system is no longer needed. And each stakeholder should be involved in some capacity in that plan for sustainment (Fig. 3).

Ultimately, that’s the job of an LEM. An LEM reaches out and connects all of these dots, all of these people, and encourages them to collaborate to find a solution that benefits everyone. They determine how long the product will be needed, the best ways to sustain that discontinued product, and ensure that every person with a stake in the product has a say in how the product will ultimately be supported.

Our industry isn’t unique in its instinct to fix problems alone; we try to do everything internally and react to problems as they crop up. Wouldn’t it be more profitable, practical, and sustainable to work together, plan ahead, and think differently about how we handle the demand for discontinued electronic systems?

It all starts with challenging our beliefs and changing our habits.