Obsolescence is not just a supply chain inconvenience. It is a business risk.
Force Technologies provides military-grade long-term component and die storage to guarantee shelf-life extension, eliminate grey market dependency, and preserve the integrity of your builds for 10 to 25 years.
Eliminating Procurement and Supply Chain Risk
Your production cannot afford to stop because a component becomes unavailable.
Whether you are making last-time buys, managing legacy platforms or planning for future obsolescence, we help you secure your supply chain with compliant, auditable storage solutions.
| RISK |
Impact |
FORCE TECHNOLOGIES SOLUTION |
|---|---|---|
| Counterfeit components | Unregulated sourcing introduces failure risk and lack of traceability | All items stored are original, fully traceable and certified |
| End-of-life redesign | Component unavailability triggers expensive redesign and requalification | We guarantee availability for up to 25 years, removing redesign risk |
| Price volatility | Degraded stock leads to costly re-sourcing or production delays | Your investment is preserved and ready for use when needed |
| Lead time instability | Market shortages or supplier exits disrupt production schedules | Your certified inventory is immediately accessible from secure storage |
Force Technologies’ Comprehensive Storage Programme
We offer two complementary services to ensure your future builds are secure, compliant and uninterrupted.
Finished Component Storage
This service is for ICs, passives, PCBs and assemblies that have already been acquired. We store these in climate-controlled, J-STD-033 compliant environments to prevent degradation and ensure long-term usability.
Die and Wafer Banking
The strategic storage of raw silicon. This allows components to be remanufactured years into the future, even after they are no longer available from the market. This also ensures protection of your intellectual property.
Component Preservation and Rejuvenation
Every component stored with Force Technologies undergoes a structured process designed to preserve its usability for future assembly.
Step |
Process |
|---|---|
| Incoming inspection | Moisture Sensitivity Level (MSL) is verified. Serialised and fully traceable records created in line with AS9120 standards |
| Precision baking | Moisture is extracted using controlled baking in accordance with J-STD-033D |
| Hermetic sealing | Components are sealed in Moisture Barrier Bags (MBBs) with desiccant and humidity indicator cards |
| Inert atmosphere storage | Sealed items are placed in an inert nitrogen storage environment to prevent oxidation and moisture ingress |
Key point:
Our storage resets components to a ‘day zero’ condition, ensuring maximum reliability and eliminating the risk of micro-fractures, delamination and field failure.
Die and Wafer Banking – The Long-Term Safety Net
Die storage is the ultimate obsolescence strategy for mission-critical programmes with no margin for redesign risk.
Why bank dies or wafers?
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Maintains manufacturing capability indefinitely
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Protects intellectual property
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Prevents total system obsolescence
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Supports builds well beyond supplier lifecycles
The Long Term Storage Tech Talk
If you want to know the answers to your most common questions about the long term storage of electronic components then watch this Tech Talk from 2025. Tech Talks are Force Technologies’s equivalent to a podcast and cover everything you need to know from the world of obsolescence.
Ben Savage and Charlotte Hughes our Sales Manager run through the most common questions they get asked by our long term storage clients.
Our Long Term Storage Cabinets
The Secure Storage Vault
When dealing with mission-critical systems and long product lifecycles, standard storage is simply not an option.
Our dedicated component storage cabinets are the physical guarantee that your Last-Time Buy (LTB) inventory will maintain ‘factory-fresh’ quality and solderability for 15-20 years.
Key Features Of Our Certified Storage Environment
- Durable and Secure Shell: The cabinets feature a durable outer shell constructed from 1mm thick carbon steel and are equipped with airtight, magnetically sealed, and locked doors for maximum security and integrity.
- Nitrogen Purged Atmospheres: Storage chambers are continuously purged with 99.9% pure nitrogen. This displaces oxygen, completely avoiding the risk of oxidisation, contamination, and intermetallic growths on sensitive components or bare die.
- Precision Environmental Control: Components are stored at highly stable conditions:
- Temperature: Stable range between 15C and 28C.
- Humidity: Controlled range between 7% and 30%, depending on specific component requirements.
- Continuous Monitoring and Logging: Automatic humidity control detects excess moisture and adjusts nitrogen flow accordingly. All temperature and humidity readings are logged to an external database. Any deviations from the set range trigger an immediate alarm response.
- Comprehensive ESD Protection: To prevent harmful Electrostatic Discharge damage, cabinets are designed with reinforced, antistatic glass and are mounted on antistatic wheels to mitigate electrostatic build-up, even if the cabinets are moved.
- Pre-Storage Preparation: Before entering the cabinets, all components are sealed in a certified Moisture Barrier Bag (MBB), adding an extra layer of protection against the environment.
+44 (0)1264 731200
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Some frequently asked questions about our long term storage facility at Force Technologies HQ.
Component Integrity & Shelf Life
How long can electronic components be stored and remain reliable?
With standard, uncontrolled storage, component shelf life is often limited to 1–2 years due to oxidation and moisture absorption. Force Technologies’ certified, environment-controlled storage can extend the life of most components to 10+ years, often decades, by mitigating the factors that cause degradation (humidity, temperature, ESD).
What is the biggest risk to components during long-term storage?
The primary risks are oxidation (affecting solderability) and moisture absorption in plastic-encapsulated components (leading to “popcorning” during reflow). We mitigate this using Moisture Barrier Bags (MBB), desiccants, and ultra-low humidity Dry Cabinets or Nitrogen-purged storage.
Do you follow industry storage standards?
Yes. Our facilities and processes adhere to international standards, including JEDEC J-STD-033 for moisture-sensitive devices and best practices from organizations like the IEC 62435-4:2018 standard for long-term storage. This ensures full quality and audit compliance.
What happens to components that have exceeded their standard shelf life?
They can often be recovered. We offer component re-conditioning services, such as baking (per J-STD-033) to remove moisture, and re-tinning/alloy refresh to remove oxidation and restore the component’s solderability before delivery to your production line.
Storage Environment & Security
What are the specific environmental controls in your facility?
Our storage is managed within tight parameters: Temperature (20°C-25°C), Relative Humidity (typically below 5% RH) via dry storage cabinets, and complete Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Protection across the facility, adhering to EPA standards.
How do you protect against counterfeit components?
Component integrity starts upon receipt. We offer Level 1 to Level 3 component authentication and inspection services (visual, decapsulation, X-ray) before they enter storage. This ensures only authenticated, original parts are included in your long-term inventory.
Is the storage secure and insured?
Yes. Our facility uses advanced access control systems, 24/7 monitoring, and specialized zones for high-value inventory. All stored inventory is fully traceable via our Inventory Management System and covered by comprehensive insurance.
Logistics & Inventory Management
How do I access my stored components when I need them?
You simply place a “Call-Off” order. We then pick the required quantity, perform any necessary re-conditioning (baking, re-reeling), and ship them directly to your designated manufacturing location on a Just-In-Time (JIT) basis.
How is my inventory tracked?
Every component batch, reel, or tray is tracked using a unique identifier within our dedicated Warehouse Management System (WMS). This ensures full, auditable traceability from the moment of receipt through to final delivery, supporting regulatory compliance (e.g., aerospace, defence).
Quality Assurance
We pride ourselves on providing solutions to the highest quality standards. It’s our policy to meet customer requirements and enhance their satisfaction with our products and overall service by operating all of our processes under controlled conditions.
This policy deployed through our quality management system has been established, documented and implemented to fully conform to ISO 9001:2015, AS9100 Rev D, customer-specific applicable law, and regulatory requirements including ITAR compliance wherever they apply to our product services.