1. Definitions and issues

1.1 Obsolescence of electronic components – Reminders

Electronic equipment is made up of dozens or even hundreds of different component references. Depending on the sector, this equipment can be sold for several decades. This is particularly true in the automotive, aeronautics, transport, energy and weapons sectors. However, these times are much longer than the time-to-market for most electronic components. These are of the order of two to five years before a product change notification (PCN), and six to twelve months before the component is taken off the market and replaced. Under these conditions, it is inevitable that an equipment manufacturer will be confronted with the problem of component obsolescence. If not sufficiently anticipated, this can lead to supply disruptions and significant...