Those are FAKE !!!! ... No.. not Silicone.... Silicon !

[cbelt3]

My company makes printed circuit boards for our products. Through hole, surface mount, etc... Right here in Ohio. (weird, huh ?). And we use a lot of components- active, passive, semiconductors.

All of a sudden one of our products is failing in testing after manufacture. And the failure analysis points to...... Counterfeit Chips !

Like most companies, we buy semiconductors from brokers. And our broker has no idea how these boxes of chips... with the manufacturer's labels on the box, on the tube, on the chips themselves... were fakes.

Of course we've pulled the products that made it through test from our warehouse and are rebuilding them, and fussing at the broker, etc. etc. etc.

But still... Counterfeit Chips ? Sheesh. Purses and DVD's are one thing. This is something entirely different.

[mattkime]

thats been a problem for a while now. probably a problem due to a long chain of outsourcing.

[DP]

>Like most companies, we buy semiconductors from brokers

And there you go. I know your company does it to save money but it ends up costing more in the long run due to fixing the problem and your company's reputation taking a hit. You get what you pay for.

[bazookaman]

DP wrote:
And there you go. I know your company does it to save money but it ends up costing more in the long run due to fixing the problem and your company's reputation taking a hit. You get what you pay for.

come on now. what company nowadays thinks "long term"? Its all about how much money can I make RIGHT NOW.

[cbelt3]

DP-
It's not to save money. It's to get the dam parts. We don't buy enough of them to get the manufacturer's attention.... they told us "Sure, you can get on the waiting list".

What most people don't realize is that as the economy is coming back to life, a lot of manufacturing capacity that was idled is NOT coming back to life. So supply is limited, and that essential economic factor is slowing recovery. I'm not saying that's a bad thing overall, because a huge jump "up" can be almost as bad on the long term as a huge jump down.

[mattkime]

>>What most people don't realize is that as the economy is coming back to life

did you really just say that??

[kap]

The little 'e' could make all the differences :jest:

The economy is springing back to life?!! Man, where have I been?!!

[OWC Jamie]

http://www.bunniestudios.com/

Happens to lots of companies. Check that blog out about Sandisk microSD cards.

[RAMd®d]

The economy is springing back to life?!!

That's not what he said.

[Lux Interior]

Your company makes the electronics for Toyota?