In a world constantly evolving with technological advancements, it’s easy to overlook the critical issue of tackling semiconductor obsolescence in critical industries. For industries like aerospace, defence, and automotive, where every component plays a pivotal role in safety and functionality, obsolete semiconductors can be more than just a nuisance. They can spell disaster.
The world of semiconductor obsolescence can be an interesting one to delve into which is why we have written this post. Contrary to what one might think, it’s a topic that goes far beyond nostalgia for old tech. It’s about the profound challenges these industries face when the components they rely on are no longer manufactured. And more importantly, it’s about the sustainable solutions that Force Technologies has been pioneering for over 30 years.
We think it is important to highlight the significance of semiconductor obsolescence in industries like aerospace and defence. Unlike commercial products such as a smartphone, that in today’s throw away culture are simply replaced entirely when defective or slowing in performance, these critical sectors demand smarter, long-term solutions. Sustainability naturally becomes a central theme and whilst short term demands are important, ensuring products are available for the entire predicted lifecycle of our customers application is paramount.
Force Technologies was formed in 1986 and since then we have been revolutionising the way key industries like defence and aerospace handle obsolescence. There are many real-world stories of how Force Technologies has implemented innovative sustainable solutions to reduce waste and save our clients millions of dollars. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do here, and it has the added benefit of helping our clients deliver product on time and protect from application obsolescence.
Some of these examples include:
Custom Design Aerospace Obsolescence Solution
One that comes to mind is a fighter jet manufacturer we work with. The avionics systems were at risk of total redesign. The sustainable solution we put forward therefore not only prevented a costly and lengthy redesign but by them engaging with our Long-Term Storage and forward build service they secured immediate requirements and their future demand out to 2035.
“Sustainable solutions for the defence Industry”
In the defence industry, long term sustainable solutions are vital. We worked with a military contractor on a project involving a missile guidance system. They were using an EEPROM that was now obsolete and required a replacement that would be available for over 15 years. Designing the obsolete product out would have been extremely expensive when factoring in the requalification. Force was able to offer a form fit and function replacement utilising the original OEM wafer from our die bank. Not only saving thousands in re-development costs but also potential millions in requalification costs.
Naval Radar
Another of our defence customers was retrofitting a naval radar system, however wanted to continue to use a particular legacy device. Traditional component replacement would have led to significant downtime and resource consumption. Our drop-in replacement was available to ship in 10-12 weeks and allowed upgrades to proceed within months. This really shows that even quick turn solutions can be integrated seamlessly into critical defence operations when proper care is taken.
These cases are just a few examples of how our focus on sustainable solutions in defence and aerospace is driving positive change. It’s about innovative approaches to component obsolescence that consider both reliability impact and operational demands.
Force Technologies take our responsibility to deliver high quality solutions that meet all customer demands very seriously. We also strive to be economically viable in everything we offer to our global customer base. Our innovative solutions have been driving change in the defence and aerospace sector and enhancing operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Force Technologies is indeed the unsung hero in the battle against semiconductor obsolescence and striving to make obsolescence a thing of the past.