The verification of electronic component authenticity is crucial as it represents a fundamental act, mainly for a company making application-specific assemblages nowadays. But, today, the problem of counterfeits or fake electronic components is a rising global issue.
These products represent themselves original according to their logos, labelling, and documents etc. It can also cause issues like poor product performance and life-threatening consequences. However, some frequent perceptions are distinguishing such types of fake parts from genuine ones.
If you work with electronic components, you need to have a strategy that is up to the mark to help you detect fraudulent if in case it happens in your facility.
You need to take assurance of its high-quality, authenticity and genuine supplies to save yourself from accidents of using fake in your projects.
This article outlines the tips for staying counterfeit electronic components out of your facility.
Must Be a Reliable Component Suppliers
If you’re buying electronic components straight-forward, you must be stringent to take control of your buying sources to avoid counterfeit products. Purchasing from one of the reliable sources will lessen the risk of possessing fake ones. Check out some ways buying from genuine suppliers can reduce the risk:
Original Component Manufacturers
Buying directly from OCMs has always been a reliable way to help you assure with legitimate parts. Reason being, the parts are one-handed, so, it keeps its authenticity secured. In very rare cases, the chances of camouflaging are there, though you can avoid this by opting reliable OCMs based on their certifications and reputations.
Authorized Suppliers
Another reliable option is to buy from authorized suppliers. The OCMs has verified this type of businesses that offer a guaranteed quality product. Although, there is no harm in doing your research as well through reviews and warranties.
Independent Distributors
When buying from independent distributors, you should ask to look conformance and certification as to know its original traces. If the documents have OCM approval, the parts are genuine. If the independent companies can’t provide full document traceability doesn’t mean parts are fake, but you may invite some risks. However, this happens rarely, and to examine this, below are some essential tips.
Receiving and Inspecting the Products
An in-house authenticity inspection team can significantly improve parts detection capabilities. Moreover, it will decrease the risk of using low quality and damaged products. The inspecting department should inspect and verify the incoming parts to ensure valid performance. If the products are in bulk, even random inspections work great to reduce counterfeiting.
Examine Labels and Packaging
There are various ways to check whether the quality is fake or real. Here are some ways:
- Check the codes against that the OCM uses if they match.
- Check for incorrect details, logos and misspellings.
- Make sure they have provided a humidity indication card for sensitive parts.
- Make sure that the place of origin is sensible, and it matches the country code.
Testing and Safety Concerns for Counterfeits
Suppliers should incorporate 100% testing guarantee to international standards to verify the condition and origin of the component. Tests might include multiple regular techniques majorly used detecting counterfeits.
It is crucial for electronic components to meet safety concerns. Fake parts can harm the person; also, it can be life-threatening. For instance, it can result in short circuits that can cause a fire. If you are not sure of the origin, you can’t count on its reliability. As they don’t fulfil safety standards, it can lead to risks to a company’s workers.
Conclusion
If there are no signs of improvement in regards to counterfeit, it requires training and certification courses. Organizations should pro-actively conduct regular training programs for employees, including areas like detection, procurement, forgeries, and reporting.
This step would be beneficial for companies to learn about fake pieces and how to stop them from entering the supply chain!
