NCIS (The Naval Counter Intelligence Service) strikes again! To date there have been three significant raids on electronic component distributors selling counterfeits. MVP, VisionTech, and now Epic International Electronics, Inc. NCIS and Methuen police officers confiscated electronics as evidence to begin their case against the couple working out of their home in Methuen, MA. AERI had also received counterfeits early on from their former named company Tytronix, Inc. and removed them from our AVL. Since that time it appears as though they have been reported for selling counterfeits by several industry websites. It is still hard to believe that companies which are reported for selling counterfeits on multiple occasions could continue to have a customer base. It just shows you that there are plenty of OEM’s and CEM’s not doing their homework when selecting a distributor. If all manufacturers were careful selecting their broker and they trusted them when they said “There is nothing out there that we trust to buy for you”, then all of these companies would go out of business fast. There are at least a hundred more of these companies out there. If you are not already using an independent distributor with a known good reputation, the proper equipment to detect counterfeits, and conducted an audit of their facilities, it’s time to do so now. Don’t find yourself in a counterfeit component disaster. See this link to read more.
Robb Hammond, founder and president of AERI (American Electronic Resource, Inc.). Founding member and former committee chair of the SAE AS6081 Standard created for the avoidance of counterfeit electronic components. Robb founded AERI in Costa Mesa, California, in 1994 as an independent distributor of hard-to-find, obsolete and allocated electronic components. AERI is AS9120B, ISO 9001:2015 and AS6081 certified, tests to AS6171 standards, and inspects every part in its in-house QC lab before it ships. Robb writes about electronic component shortages, sourcing strategy and counterfeit avoidance.
