NORRISTOWN, Pa., March 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — United States defense and aerospace companies have struggled to navigate a life-critical counterfeit parts epidemic, estimated by the Senate Arms Services Committee in 2011 to cost US taxpayers more than $6 billion dollars a year. Secure Components LLC, an independent distributor of obsolete and hard-to-find electronics and mil-spec material located in Norristown, PA, has completed an audit by DNV which recognized that Secure Components conforms to the AS6081 Counterfeit Avoidance Standard.
Conducted as a pilot, this proposed new International Electro-technical Commission's Quality Assessment System (IECQ) for electronic components is designed to address the critical issue of counterfeit electronic components infiltrating the defense supply chain.
"We are proud to be the first company in the world to complete this rigorous third party assessment," says Todd Kramer, CEO of Secure Components. "We have better positioned ourselves to meet the needs of our clients who rely on our company to assist in sourcing obsolete components critical for defense and military applications. Our mission is to partner with clients by finding and supplying high quality, reliable parts in a timely manner when their normal supply chain cannot."
Certification by accredited registrars enables independent distributors to demonstrate compliance to the international AS6081 standard. This third party certification will revolutionize the procurement process for material that is obsolete or on prohibitively long lead times and therefore cannot be obtained from the Original Component Manufacturer ("OCM") or a franchise or authorized distributor. AS6081 requires significant transparency between the distributor and the procurement department purchasing the electronic components. This transparency ensures that testing, which is critical when procuring on the open market, is occurring when invoked, says Kramer.
Ultimately, the engineer for each application will conclude the degree of testing required based on the risk presented. This international counterfeit avoidance standard is the first of its kind in the world and mandates oversight by third party auditors to ensure compliance. The first phase of the Secure Components audit was witnessed by ANAB, the IAF MLA signatory accreditation body in the United States. The SAE AS6081 Standard ensures uniform requirements, practices and methods to mitigate the risk of distributors purchasing and supplying counterfeit electronic parts throughout the defense and aerospace supply chains. This Counterfeit Avoidance Process Certification program is administered by the IEC IECQ based in Geneva, Switzerland.
Secure Components expects to receive the official certification soon after the final technical committee review by subject matter experts and approval by the IECQ Management Committee, who are scheduled to meet in Singapore on May 3, 2013.
Inquiries from media representatives and industry members interested in this international counterfeit avoidance development effort are directed to contact Strategic Account Manager, Jesse Silverman Esq., Email, 610-551-3475.