How did Force Technologies start solving obsolescence?

The answer

Force Technologies began solving obsolescence around 1995, when a defence customer needed a replacement for an Atmel part that had been made redundant. Because it was a defence application, the replacement had to meet every original specification, so Force used a Hitachi die and packaged it to match the original. That part stayed in supply for around 20 years at 100 to 200 units a week, and it became the foundation of the obsolescence business Force runs today.