Online
ToolS for TrAckIng componEnTS
HowIntermec Technologies Corp. has utilized SiliconExpert’s tools to
solve its component data issues By SiliconExpert staff
As an OEMof inventory tracking products, Intermec’s engineering team requires data on several thousand electronic components, which are actively used to build its devices. However, the challenge lies in keeping this component data error-free and updated with the latest information from component manufacturers and their authorized distributors.
“Managing our component database and keeping
it updated was a daunting task. Our engineers require the latest information on the electronic components selected for our products and any lapse in the availability or freshness of the data is simply not acceptable,” says John Starr, component engineer at Intermec. In lieu of clean or fresh component data, component engineers at Intermec have at times been forced to manually visit websites of tens of suppliers to gather the required data.
In addition, component engineers at Intermec relied heavily
on direct contacts with manufacturer representatives and distributors for component status updates and change notices. Some of these direct contact points dissolved over time, as the industry took new approaches to field representation and notification methods. These changes caused the Intermec’s component engineers to look for alternate methods for identifying and tracking critical elements of the thousands of components, which they were responsible for maintaining. “There is an immediate need to receive timely alerts any time there are data or lifecycle changes associated with components in our database,” adds Starr.
Analyzing BOMs in an optimized and productive manner, in
order to find multi-sourcing options, market availability and component obsolescence events for thousands of parts, has been another challenge for Intermec’s engineers. “Populating datasheets, lifecycle statuses and cross references for thousands of parts in multiple BOMs is a laborious process without an automated and reliable solution -- let alone the process of validating the part numbers and manufacturer names while scrubbing the BOMs,” says Starr.
48 | Annual Edition 2011
SiliconExpert's Part Search and BOM Manager tool
The solution
Following a close analysis of the required needs, Intermec implemented site wide licenses of SiliconExpert’s Part Search & BOMManager tools for its engineering teams. “We were able to upload our BOMs and have them validated against SiliconExpert’s much larger parts database quickly and easily. The BOMManager tool has had an immediate
impact on the way our component engineers review BOMs and seek second sources,” says Starr. Automated scrubbing of BOMs gave Intermec’s component engineers comprehensive amounts of component data, such as RoHS compliance, lifecycle statuses, market availability, last time buy dates and cross references.
“With the inclusion of the BOMManager tool, we’ve nearly
doubled our productivity, while scrubbing BOMs and generating comprehensive data reports,” says Starr. “Finding the latest datasheets for all of our parts alone has reduced our data processing efforts by a factor of five.”
Additional features that Intermec uses actively are the parametric search and research tools:
• One case in particular stands out, which involved a device that had been identified by an Electrical Engineer as having an extremely long lead-time. Through the use of the parametric search function, an alternate was identified the same day, as well as some distribution channels where the part could be purchased quickly. This activity saved the company several weeks of development time, and potentially thousands of dollars of lost revenue, due to a late arrival in the market.
In addition, cross-referencing components to other sources has been an essential part of Intermec’s obsolescence mitigation strategy using SiliconExpert’s tools. John Starr explains:
• A second incident involved an obsolete part. Our component
www.electronics-sourcing.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68