The German Electronics Design and Manufacturing Association (FED) and the Component Obsolescence Group Deutschland (COGD) have signed an agreement to cooperate closely in the future on the subject of obsolescence. The signing took place at the Electronica trade fair in Munich last week.
The two associations will take joint action regarding managing the obsolescence of electronic products. This includes a coordinated representation of interests when meeting political decision-makers and networking in research and development. In addition, the two associations plan to develop training courses and lectures to demonstrate the benefits of strategic and proactive obsolescence management and to raise awareness of the issue among companies affected by the issue, and their employees.
“The current situation, and the last two years, have shown how dramatically the non-availability of components affects our industry. Without appropriate obsolescence management, this can massively jeopardize companies‘ ability to deliver,” Dieter Müller, FED Board Chairman. “The FED wants to work with the COGD to ensure that the issue of obsolescence is permanently brought to the attention of business and politics, and to demonstrate solutions as to how it can be countered with a long-term strategy. At the same time, we also want to be the point of contact for all industry companies and help them deal with obsolescence issues properly.”
“We are very much looking forward to working closely with the FED, because efficient, proactive obsolescence management starts at design level,” Dr. Wolfgang Heinbach, honorary chairman of the COGD board, added. “If risky components or materials are used at this early stage, the subsequent effort required to correct the problem is all the greater.” The obsolescence expert believes that geopolitical uncertainties and other unknowns mean that German companies will have to deal with potential obsolescence risks and their operational and macroeconomic effects much more frequently and to a much greater extent than in the past. This applies not only to the handling of electronic components, but also to an increasing number of raw materials, materials, semi-finished products and software products, he said. “We have now reached a point where obsolescence can pose a significant risk not only to individual companies but also, in the worst case, to entire sections of our national economy. Making politicians and industry even more aware of this explosive issue is therefore an important common concern for us.”
The cooperation also has direct benefits for the members of both associations. They will be automatically provided with information from the partner association via regular updates on events, training courses and other offers.
About FED
The FED represents the interests of 700 members, including PCB designers and manufacturers, EMS companies, EDA companies, process and technology service providers, and suppliers of manufacturing equipment, software and consumables. The FED provides its members in Germany, Switzerland and Austria with orientation and support in technical business processes and decisions. The focus of the association‘s work is the preparation and transfer of specialist knowledge and the in-service qualification of electronics designers and electronics specialists. Further information can be found at www.fed.de.
About COGD (Component Obsolescence Group Germany) e.V.
The COGD (Component Obsolescence Group Deutschland) e.V., a chapter of the IIOM, is an association that deals with the causes and consequences of product discontinuations and their impact on the ability to deliver. It develops ideas, concepts and tools for the proactive avoidance and efficient handling of product discontinuations once they have occurred. The focus is on pragmatic “best practice“ solutions that arise from the intensive exchange of experience between the member companies. The aim is to minimise the economic follow-up costs caused by product discontinuations.
