An increasing amount of effort is being made for the detection and elimination of counterfeit materials from our manufacturing and assembly operations, and with it, we effectively see increased overall manufacturing costs. In several respects, it is not a good trend.
This current activity however is only one element in what needs to be an effective way to deal with the ever increasing amount of counterfeit materials entering manufacturing. Due to the size and complexity of most supply chains, it is simply not possible to be able to locate and prove the responsibility of each detected counterfeit instance. As a result, the counterfeiters are able to continue to benefit from their activities whether or not the materials themselves are detected.
The application of robust and effective traceability throughout manufacturing and assembly means that at the instant of detection, the true responsibility of the instance of the counterfeit issue can be tracked to source. The potential to bring visibility on organizations where counterfeits are known to have originated can provide an effective policing of counterfeit materials, such that the current incentive can be countered by effective risk of prosecution.
Counterfeit material reduction is just one of the applications of the new proposed IPC-1782 standard for traceability, which is intended to apply throughout the electronics manufacturing industry and beyond.
Effective detection and traceability together provide a closed loop solution for counterfeit material issues, reducing the costs and risks associated with counterfeit for everyone.
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