Smart Ways to Source Semiconductor Components

Published on: 24/04/2019

GD Rectifiers shares their top 4 tips on smart ways to source semiconductor components

This year is set to be another successful period for the electronic components industry, with the demand for electric vehicles and the phenomenon of IoT taking off, the industry is booming and experiencing a long-awaited high.

GD Rectifiers is an all-encompassing distributor of semiconductors, passive components and circuit protection devices, they also manufacture their own extensive range of rectifiers, regulators, selenium transient suppressors, power assemblies, custom designed capacitors, heatsinks, high voltage diodes, high voltage rectifiers, thyristors and obsolete semiconductors.

GD Rectifiers has been inundated with new customers trying to source semiconductor components quickly but are being faced with lead times of up to 30 weeks. GD Rectifiers recognises that sourcing components can be a difficult and time consuming job, which is why we’re sharing our top 4 tips on smart ways to source semiconductor components.

Smart Ways to Source Semiconductor Components

Provide a forecast

It’s important for customers to establish a product forecast and share it with their distributors to improve their supply chain management and ensure there is no delays in receiving their orders.

By sharing your product forecast with your distributor, enables them to react and provide a real-time delivery date on the semiconductors you need, advising of any stock availability and production issues. Product forecasts minimise disruption to your supply chain and allows your distributor to work with you to help support your stock management.

Always place scheduled orders

Once you have shared your product forecast with your distributor, they will be able to provide a real-time quote on your semiconductor parts, advising you on the price and lead time. This then provides the perfect opportunity for customers to place a scheduled order over an agreed period of time with the distributor, protecting them from any potential price increases that are likely to happen.

Scheduled orders work well for most customers because they have the flexibility of bringing orders forward and can sometimes push them back if demand slows down. It provides the best solution for those customers that need to be reactive to the industry, product availability and to their customer’s demand.

Partner with authorised distributors

Most buyers and procurement specialists will have a preferred distributor list, sometimes without even knowing it. It’s important to work with authorised distributors to ensure traceability of your semiconductor components, you can be confident in knowing that the components have been supplied through an official distribution network and can be certain that you are not dealing with counterfeit semiconductor components.

Authorised distributors provide the most competitive pricing as they receive supported pricing on various product lines from the semiconductor manufacturers. They often stock a wide range of semiconductor components on their shelves and are able to supply the demand.

Stay up to date with component obsolescence

It’s essential for customers to stay up to date with component obsolescence, component manufacturers can issue an end of life to a product and cease production within just weeks of the announcement. In the event of a system or component failure, spares and replacements might not be available which means customers need a contingency plan in place.

Customers should partner with their distributor to keep ahead of the industry themselves and to also ask distributors if they can be notified of any obsolescence that might affect their supply chain.

GD Rectifiers contacts customers by phone and email to notify them of product obsolescence and offers them a last time to buy. Last time to buy orders can be extremely vital to customers who are in high demand of a component that is being made obsolete, needs time to phase in a new design or needs time to find an alternative.

GD Rectifiers works with customers to minimise downtime, offering a wide range of solutions for obsolete semiconductors and hard to find electronic components. They work with customers to establish heir requirements and are able to manufacture alternative semiconductor components to suit their needs.

For customers that are struggling to source a part within the power electronics industry, please contact us as we might be able to help source the part you are looking for on a shorter lead time, we might have that particular part in stock or be able to offer a mechanically interchangeable alternative from stock.

GD Rectifiers is an authorised distributor for some of the world’s leading passive and semiconductor manufacturers, including: IXYS, Westcode, Semikron, Dynex, Eaton Bussmann, Mersen, API Capacitors, Enerdoor, Sirio, Telcon, EDI, Ocram and United Automation Ltd.

For further information on sourcing semiconductor components, or to discuss your requirements with the GD Rectifiers team, please call: 01444 243 452 or email: [email protected].