Obsolescence Community

 

Community that deals with obsolescence topics and the generated impact.

In today’s society, where obsolescence is increasingly common and has become a serious concern, there is a growing community of committed people who are actively addressing this issue and trying to attenuate the effects with controlled measures.

Obsoleszenz Management Portal Schaubild
If you are not yet a member, please register under the following link:

How does it work?

  • Members could discuss about latest insights regarding Obsolescence Management
  • Members could share information about obsolete items and their alternatives
  • They might explore ways to repurpose or revive outdated technology for alternative uses
  • Discussions could also involve strategies for dealing with new environmental regulations that impact products already on market and the future releases of products

Who might be interested?

    AMSYS Customers
    Our customers are from different industry branches like:
  • Railway
  • Aerospace
  • Automotive
  • Military
  • Medical
  • Obsolescence specialists
    International Institute of Obsolescence Management (IIOM International) Members (www.theiiom.org)

Members

  • Business Professionals in industries facing rapid changes who want to stay informed about strategies for adapting to technological or market obsolescence
  • Those concerned about the environmental impact of electronics and interested in sustainable solutions for disposal and recycling of obsolete electronics
  • Subject Matter Experts (SME) that want to raise awareness about Obsolescence and contribute to a continual improvement of this discipline

Benefits

Time

Members are always up to date when it comes to obsolescence topics and problems.

Know-How

Due to the content posted, members have access to the Know-How this platform offers.

Strategies

Members contribute to a continual improvement of strategies used when approaching Obsolescence.

Collaboration

Members expose issues they are facing and exchange ideas with other community members. The purpose is here to help each other out and together strengthen the market position. The community could provide a platform for collaboration and collective efforts to address the challenges associated with obsolescence in its various forms.

Supply-Chain Resilience

Adapt and recover quickly from disruptions through Risk Mitigation which often involves diversifying suppliers, having alternative suppliers or redundant systems in place. Through this you will be flexible, allowing quick adjustments to changes in demand. Resilience often involves improved visibility into the supply chain, allowing better monitoring and management of processes.

What is Obsolescence?

Obsolescence refers to the state of being outdated or no longer in use, usually because newer and more advanced technologies, methods or products have been introduced. It can be observed in domains such as technology, products and processes.
Technological obsolescence occurs when newer technologies surpass or replace ones making them less relevant or efficient.
Product obsolescence takes place when a specific item is no longer produced or supported by its manufacturer due to the introduction of newer models or technological advancements. This can make it challenging to find replacement parts or receive support, for the product.
Planned obsolescence is a strategy where manufacturers intentionally design products with a lifespan to encourage consumers to replace them frequently. While this approach stimulates sales it also raises environmental concerns.

What is Obsolescence Management?

Obsolescence management refers to the systematic approach and strategies implemented by organizations to mitigate the impact of obsolescence on their products, systems, or processes. The goal is to proactively address the challenges associated with the inevitable aging and discontinuation of components, technologies, or materials that are critical to the functioning of a product or system.
The Obsolescence Management Plan (OMP) can be seen as a way to mitigate the impact of obsolescence in organizations. According to the Standard IEC 62402:2019 Ed. 2, the content of an OMP is structured by the following key indicator:
     a) Responsibilities and resources
     b) Scope
     c) Objectives
     d) Data collection
     e) Strategies to minimize obsolescence during the life cycle of the unit
     f) Transfer of obsolescence management requirements along the supply chain
     g) Monitoring and timing
     h) Obsolescence management approach
     i) Selection and implementation of corrective actions
     j) Review of the plan
     k) Performance of the plan
     l) Tools used

Obsolescence management activities are:

  • Design to minimize obsolescence
  • Check for obsolescence
  • Act on obsolescence
  • Plan for obsolescence
  • Start from the beginning

For more insights, please check the detailed section about the offered seminars and certifications in the section “How to fulfill the requirements?”

Potential Discussed Topics:

Environmental Compliance:

  • RoHS – Restriction of Hazardous Substances
    It is a directive adopted by the European Union that restricts the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). The RoHS directive aims to reduce the environmental impact of electronic products by minimizing the presence of substances that can be harmful to human health and the environment. Products compliant with this directive do not exceed the allowable amounts of the following restricted materials: lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), with some limited exemptions.
  • Reach – Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals
    Has brought about changes in the manufacturing, importation and usage of chemicals within the European Union. It aims to promote the handling of chemicals, advocate for the replacement of substances with safer options and improve transparency throughout the supply chain. Moreover this regulation holds industry stakeholders accountable for ensuring the safety of their chemical products and effectively communicating information to downstream users.
  • Semiconductor:
    • Shortages in the Supply-Chain
    • Possibility to monitor the electric or electronic parts through AMSYS RM Module
  • Soft- Hardware Obsolescence:

           Independence of software and hardware enables fast and flexible adaptation to new conditions:

    • New Hardware – leads to:
    • old Software will become obsolete – leads to:
    • new Software will be installed – leads to:
    • old Hardware will become obsolete – leads to:
    • New Hardware
  • Mechanical Parts Obsolescence:
    Can have significant implications for sectors with long product lifecycles, such as aerospace, defense, automotive, and certain industrial applications. Common reasons are:
    • Discontinued production
    • Supplier Changes
    • Technology Evolution
    •  Environmental Compliance Changes:
      o This type of obsolescence can be mitigated by applying different strategies, which may include:
      • Lifecycle Planning
      • Redesigns
      • Supply Chain Diversification
      • Collaboration with Suppliers
      • Inventory Management

Effective obsolescence management is crucial for industries that rely on long-term, sustainable operation of machinery and systems. It helps ensure continuity, reduces downtime, and mitigates the impact of obsolescence on production and maintenance processes.

How to fulfill the requirements?

At least one of the below criteria are required, to be part of this community:

Attend to the Obsolescence Management Seminar hosted by Mr. Bjoern Bartels, the CEO and one of two Founders of AMSYS

    • Here you will get familiar with the Obsolescence Management standards IEC 62402:2019 Ed.2 and VDMA 24903
    • Gain knowledge when it comes to the terminology: for example, what is a product Change Notice (PCN), Product Discontinuance Notice (PDN) or Obsolescence Management Plant (OMP)
    • Learn about Obsolescence Management and how to apply some strategies when it comes to Obsolescence in your organization.
    • Learn about the reactive and proactive approach.
    • Gain insights when I come’s to tools
    • At the end of the Seminar, after you and your group went through the provided material and through the best practices examples you will receive a certificate of completion.

 

 

  • OM Certification

After attending the OM Seminar you can register for the International Institute of Obsolescence Management (IIOM International) Associate Grade                    Certification. Mr. Bjoern Bartels also hosts the Certification.

    • After subscribing to the IIOM Certification, you will receive tasks, which are to be completed before the exam itself.
    • After successfully passing the exam and all other tasks you will get a Certification

Link: “IIOM Certification“ Obsolescence Manager – AMSYS (am-sys.com)

  • Customer

Become an AM-SYS Customer by accessing our homepage and choose the package that would suite your company best or by simply requesting a trial period. After we receive your request one of our colleagues will get in touch with you and will guide you towards the package that fits best your needs

Link: www.am-sys.com/en/

We hope that we woke up your curiosity and are waiting for your application either via E-mail at info@am-sys.com or accessing the following link our website: www.am-sys.com/en/seminare/ in order to save your spot for the 2024 trainings or to get in contact with us in regards to a trial period for our Life Cycle Management (LCM) Client.

  • IIOM Member

Become an IIOM Member by accessing the following link: Membership Benefits (theiiom.org)

(Alarm) Notification if a certain obsolescence status occurs
Mapping of hardware (not limited to electronics) & software
Import & export functions (e.g. for .xls, .xml, .csv, .txt, .zip)*
Automatic output of standardised notifications & reports
Various cockpits, dashboards & graphics
Interfaces to other information systems (data bases, ERP, etc.)*
External input mask with upload function (e.g. for suppliers & manufacturers)
Manual addition or reprocessing of data sets
Sophisticated high-performance search functions (keywords & filters)
User management & administration (read & write privileges)
History function with (re-)traceability
Modern and scalable technology (web-based & mobile-enabled)
Hosting on the company‘s own or a dedicated AMSYS (SaaS) Server
System maintenance, regular updates, support & backups