Why do suppliers give very short or unclear end-of-life notices?
Short end-of-life notices happen because the semiconductor industry has consolidated significantly over recent decades, leaving fewer manufacturers with more decision-making power and less lead time for product discontinuation.
Karen Salmon, Force Technologies CEO, explains that consolidation through mergers and acquisitions has reduced the number of factories and manufacturers. When a company decides to discontinue a chip, that decision often comes with only six months’ notice before production ends and factories shut down entirely.
There is also a lag in how end-of-life information reaches end users. When a distributor receives a last time buy notice from their manufacturer franchise partners, the information sometimes takes time to filter through the distribution system to customers. Customers may not receive notification until stock is already depleted.
Additionally, manufacturers sometimes use end-of-life notices as a market test. They publish a notice and measure incoming orders. If demand justifies continued production, they may withdraw the notice and restart manufacturing. This uncertainty creates confusion and inconsistent communication.
In some cases, industry documentation requirements made notification even harder. For example, defence contractors were historically required to keep records for only five years. If your system had been using a component for ten years, you might never receive formal notification of discontinuation.
What are the biggest engineering mistakes when reacting to obsolescence under time pressure?
The most dangerous mistake is deviating from your approved supply chain when you face urgent timelines. When a component becomes obsolete and you need a replacement immediately, pressure mounts to find alternatives anywhere possible.
Ben Savage, Force Technologies Applications Manager, explains that some customers have strict buying requirements that mandate purchases only from authorised franchised sources. Under time pressure, engineers and procurement teams begin to deviate and source from non-franchised distributors. This dramatically increases the risk of counterfeit parts entering aerospace, defence, medical and industrial systems.
A second critical mistake is skipping or rushing qualification steps. When you identify an alternative component, it requires full qualification and approval before integration into your system. Under pressure to meet project deadlines, teams sometimes bypass individual component qualification and try to qualify only the finished board or assembly. This approach leaves dangerous blind spots in your quality assurance process.
Project managers, buyers and engineers all experience competing priorities in a crisis. Pressure flows downhill, and these cascading demands can push teams to make snap decisions without proper review. The highest-integrity solution takes time, and time is precisely what you do not have. This conflict between urgency and quality is what creates mistakes.
What options do you have if you miss the last time buy notice?
Even if you miss the last time buy notice, options exist. The first is to engage with your approved supply chain and solution providers rather than panic and redesign immediately.
Charlotte Hughes, Commercial Director at Force Technologies, emphasises that customers often find options once they stop assuming the component is gone forever. If distribution channels failed to communicate the obsolescence properly, there is usually stock floating in the supply chain even after the official last time buy date has passed.
However, you are now in competition with every other company facing the same obsolescence. When many customers are hunting the same last remaining stock, pricing will rise significantly. Distributors and brokers can charge premium rates for the final inventory.
The smarter approach is to get close to your supply chain before obsolescence occurs. Building supplier assurance into your processes, maintaining good forecasts and communicating with your solution providers early prevents you from chasing last-minute inventory at inflated prices. This protects your costs and helps stabilise the market overall.
What is the difference between form fit function and a 1-to-1 replacement?
A form fit function replacement is a component that meets all dimensional requirements for your PCB, matches the electrical parameters (either identical or with better performance), and can be qualified as an alternative to your original part.
Ben Savage explains that form fit function replacements require qualification and engineering review before use. For example, a semiconductor used in avionics equipment might be classified as form fit function because it fits the physical space, meets or exceeds electrical specifications, and is functionally compatible. You can use it, but only after your quality and engineering teams have approved the substitution.
A 1-to-1 replacement (also called an absolute direct replacement) is a pre-qualified substitute. Some component part numbers, particularly older mil-spec parts, have multiple manufacturers already qualified against the original part drawing. These alternatives are listed on the component’s original design specification and are pre-approved for substitution.
For example, a 5962-series mil-spec microchip might have four or five different manufacturers approved to supply that same part number. If your original supplier becomes unavailable, you can source from any of the approved manufacturers listed on the drawing with no additional qualification. The main difference is that 1-to-1 replacements skip the qualification step because the work has already been completed and documented.
How do you balance just-in-time with products that have 30-year lifecycles and obsolete components?
Just-in-time inventory management is impossible for long-lifecycle products with obsolescent components. Systems in aerospace, defence, medical and industrial sectors often remain in service for 30 years or more. You cannot apply standard just-in-time principles to a product that must function two decades from now using components that are discontinued today.
Eder, one of Force Technologies’ senior specialists, points out that customers must invest in the inventory they need to ensure their systems survive the entire lifecycle. Force Technologies has adapted its approach to support this reality by investing in long-term storage capacity and intelligent systems that can respond quickly when customers need parts, even if those components were produced years or decades ago.
The practical solution is efficiency with foresight. Karen Salmon explains that Force Technologies’ manufacturing and assembly timelines are typically six to eight weeks. The business is working toward a capability where it can support more just-in-time ordering for standard products by maintaining strategic inventory. This hybrid approach requires knowing your forecast and your supply chain well in advance.
Charlotte Hughes has noticed that some customers are improving their forecasting. When asked for their expected usage over the next ten years, they provide detailed answers faster than they used to. This transparency helps Force Technologies maintain the right balance between inventory and responsiveness.
Force Technologies has even bought raw dies for customers who initially said they did not need additional stock, because the team knew from experience that demand would emerge. That kind of proactive partnership converts a logistics problem into a supply chain advantage.
Learn more about obsolescence management, Form Fit and Function replacements, and long-term component storage at Force Technologies.