Tachus Technologies was founded on the basis of providing dedicated services to mitigate the risks associated with End-of- Life (EOL) and Obsolescence of electronic and mechanical components. In fact, Tachus' ultimate goal is to deliver Strategic Lifecycle Optimization Solutions which provide program teams with best –practice predictive analytics capabilities to facilitate cogent parts management decision-making at any PLM phase. Tachus Technologies' new flagship product, TOMSuite™, is a SaaS software application that has both strategic and tactical significance when it comes to executing Product Change Notification (PCN) and Obsolescence Management for electronic components. TOMSuite™ allows program management teams from small, medium and large enterprises to better manage their PLM curves.
The potential for component obsolescence events occurring at any time is a continual dynamic that program management must deal with methodically, decisively and cost-consciously. EOL component events can potentially derail projects if not properly managed. Management does not want to get into a situation where they are told: ‘In three to six months, you’ve got to qualify a new component' or have to spend money to perform a “Last-Time-Buy.” In today’s economy, companies always have to juggle their work between "current" and "sustaining" engineering projects. Searching and qualifying an alternate source can trigger a logistically difficult approval process and time is money. Lifecycles of electronic components have changed from between 10 and 20 years to between 2 years. This problem is particularly acute for complex electronic systems in both the Defense and non-Defense industries.
Lifecycle costs are probably the most underrated costs when designing an electronic system, but they can have a significant impact on the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) from a given design. According to the figure below, 70% of the total cost of a product is established in the design process. So, the cogent selection of the right components during the prototype stage can save the designers from aggravation (project delay, increased costs, etc.) in later stages. This is particularly true for "infrastructure" products and systems found in the Aerospace and Defense, Transportation, Utilities and Medical industry sectors, where high development costs are incurred "pre-production" and then high-sustainment costs are incurred "post-production".
Impact of Design Process on Total Product Life Cycle Cost (Source: SMTA, 2003)
It is critical that you empower and enable your (component) engineering team with best-practice parts management processes and tools. These business process improvements will enable your engineering team to proactively deal with component event dynamics as well as help drive further efficiencies, cost-savings, and overall PLM effectiveness. An investment in improving business processes leveraging Six Sigma principles will strategically enhance the entire program management team's ability to deliver against time-to-market, time-to-volume, and/or time-to-cost objectives.
Contact Tachus Technologies for a review of your current engineering operations processes.
