CIE 40th Anniversary
Adapting to the evolving requirements of a dynamic industry
The electronics industry has changed dramatically in the last 40 years, particularly when it comes to component distribution. Customers demand much more now from their distributors than simply quoting on a parts list, taking an order and shipping the product.
A
good distribution partner aims to address every aspect of your supply chain requirements. Technical component
specifications and engineering
support during the design in phase are clearly vital to ensure a solution delivers the functionality your engineers require. Your product may face performance challenges in harsh environments; there may be regulatory hoops to jump through, testing issues and sourcing and obsolescence problems to overcome.
The more of these challenges a distributor can help you tackle, the better a distribution partner they become.
Taking the plunge
If a distributor has supported a dynamic, fast- moving industry like the electronics industry for several decades the services it provides will inevitably have evolved to meet the changing demands of customers. This evolution was a major driving force behind the recent rebranding of a leading electronics distributor. In October 2023, Solid State Supplies became Solsta. For a well-established and trusted name, a change of brand is a significant step and not one to be taken lightly.
As Jon Baxter, sales & marketing director at Solsta, observes: “Part of the reason we decided to change our name is that our previous brand, Solid State Supplies, simply no longer represented everything we do for our customers. Your supply chain will run more
Solsta provides secure processing and connectivity solutions
Solsta has a class 7 cleanroom, with a class 5 enclosure for critical builds, in its UK based Design Centre, offering a complete end-to-end solution for optoelec- tronics, sensing and display technologies. Solsta’s team can advise on the imple- mentation of secure, reliable connectivity. Solsta’s portfolio includes everything you need to design communications infrastructure and turn products into connected products.
smoothly and efficiently if you can come to us for more than just ‘solid state’ components; our wider portfolio now incorporates non-solid state parts such as magnetic sensors, resistors and antennas.
“We also recognise that you need us to do more than just ‘supply’ components. As a result, our range of value-added services has evolved in response to what you’ve asked us to do. For example, we reacted to increased demand for our sourcing and obsolescence solutions by strengthening our component sourcing team. We now provide a wide range of component-level services to help you overcome supply chain issues and keep your production running. Our specialist Sourcing and Obsolescence unit offers a comprehensive sourcing service for obsolete and hard-to-find electronic components, utilising the latest anti- counterfeit methods, and with over 20 years of industry knowledge.”
The vital component linking up the electronics community The team of experienced engineers and product experts at Solsta focuses on providing not just component parts, but complete
30 December/January 2024 Components in Electronics
system support. By taking a deep dive into the additional challenges you face beyond your technical and functional requirements, they can then connect you to the methodologies, technologies, suppliers and products you need to turn your idea into reality.
Customisation is frequently the key to a successful project completion. Suitable component parts may simply not be available off the shelf, but a distributor familiar with the potential of the customisation process, ideally with in-house custom manufacturing capability, can suggest ways around this. Baxter adds: “Our UK Custom Solutions Centre has the resources and capabilities to design and build completely new components and displays. As we have taken on higher value and more complex projects, the rigour and business disciplines we’ve adopted are all part of ensuring that we can deliver our products and services robustly.”
The Solsta Custom Solutions team has years of experience supplying top tier defence and medical OEMs. As Barney Mitchell, special projects group manager, notes: “We’re specialists in designing and manufacturing sensors and systems for highly regulated
industries where very specific requirements and standards apply. Our team is very familiar with the stringent safety and quality processes that must be followed in order to demonstrate compliance with these standards. The longer lifetimes of medical and defence equipment add the issue of component obsolescence. If a component part has been discontinued, a replacement product must be sourced that replicates its form, fit and function, and must come with evidence of its compliance to the original specification and standards to avoid lengthy and costly re-validation processes. In this situation, working with our design and manufacturing team to achieve a compliant, drop-in replacement can be preferable to investing in a large last-time-buy of stock that could degrade and become unusable.” The challenges of present-day supply chains are many and demanding. Whether it be regulatory requirements, environmental demands or sourcing and obsolescence issues, you need trusted partners with the technical knowledge, connections and adaptability to solve problems you can’t solve alone.
www.solsta.co.uk www.cieonline.co.uk
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