Dealing with Suppliers
Abstract
Kirk and Fred discussing dealing with suppliers in dealing with failures in complex interconnected systems.
Key Points
Join Kirk and Fred as they discuss the many different responses and challenges that different subsystem suppliers can have when trying to get their help with a reliability issue.
Topics include:
- Much of a suppliers response can be based on how significant a customer you are. If you are 0.1% of their business they are probably not as responsive as an OEM customer who has 70% of their business.
- If a supplier is selling significant of the same or similar components or subsystems to many different product types and applications and has few issues with the other customers, they will be more often deny there is an issue if the component still meets the original specifications.
- Semiconductor component suppliers may have a tendency to assume ESD and EOS (electrical Over-stress) as the reason for failure and dismiss other potential causes because they have seen the same damaged components so often. To be fair, the supplier may have nothing to do with the cause of the EOS as the application of the component may have a poor design margin.
- Kirk discusses an failure with many of the same damaged varactors. Performing a cross-section and SEM inspection showed the RCA of the failure that the giant component supplier that would be dismissed by the manufacturer if it had been sent back for FA.
- A suppliers help with solving a reliability issue with their component or subsystems is very dependent on many factors, besides the percentage of their business they are. Some additional factors are how new is the technology or system they are selling to your application, how many different or similar applications they are selling to, and the long term relationship your engineering team has with them.
Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches.
Show Notes
Kirk with be giving a Hobbs Engineering webinar this July. To register for the July 18th and 19th Hobbs Engineering Webinar follow this link to Rapid and Robust Reliability Development – 2022 HALT & HASS Webinar by Kirk Gray
Please click on this link to access a relatively new analysis of traditional reliability prediction methods article from the US ARMY and CALCE titled “Reliability Prediction – Continued Reliance on a Misleading Approach”
For more information on the newest discovery testing methodology here is a link to the book “Next Generation HALT and HASS: Robust design of Electronics and Systems” written by Kirk Gray and John Paschkewitz.
Related Topics
SOR 715 Choosing Reliable Suppliers(Opens podcast in a new browser tab)
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