There does not seem to be any slowdown in the rate of counterfeits we receive. Even with our strong vendor approval process, the fakes keep on coming in. We see at least a few groups of counterfeit parts each week. Thankfully we have not had a counterfeit slip through our counterfeit electronic component detection processes for years.
With this continued rate of counterfeit product entering the market, it’s scary to see the continued lack of good counterfeit detection processes at the majority of suppliers in the world. When meeting with new customers, it often surprises us to find out that they have not thoroughly vetted their current suppliers countefeit detection processes. In this market, it is essential that manufacturers select just a few independent distributors/brokers, audit their processes, and check their references. Manufacturers do not need more than a few electronic component suppliers in the independent market. The majority of the inventory that they have access is available to all electronic component brokers.
Below is a typical example of what we see. We received these this week. You can easily see blacktopping under the microscope, there are chips on the package from being removed from a board, and the leads have been re-tinned to make them look new.
Robb Hammond is the President of AERI and the former chair of the Aerospace Industry’s Counterfeit Electronic Components Mitigation Standard for independent distributors, AS6081, which has become one of the industry’s most respected documents, as well as being adopted by the Department of Defense. Robb is one of the foremost thought leaders in the industry on counterfeit detection and speaks regularly at conferences around the globe.
