Tuesday, December 9, 2008

ESCS CONSULTATIVE SERVICES FOR COUNTERFEIT RISK MITIGATION

With the alarming increase in counterfeiting of electronic components, the need is greater than ever to ensure your company has a strong and effective risk mitigation strategy. We could all use a "Professor Quality"


Leading aerospace and military manufacturers are taking steps to reduce the risk of receiving counterfeit parts through implementation of strategies focused on reducing or eliminating the primary sources of risk. ESCS has been an active advocate in the industry helping develop best practices, and can work with your team to assess your current situation and provide recommendations tailored to your company’s operating structure.
An excellent starting point in your evaluation is ESCS’s site dedicated to mitigating counterfeit risk at www.combatcounterfeits.com There you will find a wealth of information that will be thought-provoking and help educate your quality and procurement teams on the primary issues and concerns.
Areas you may want to review:
· Distributor knowledge & experience
· Distributor quality certifications & systems
· Inspection and testing
· Vendor reduction
· Inventory management and lot traceability
· Distributor management of their supplier base
· …and many more.
The consultative service ESCS provides is free for the use of all aerospace and military manufacturers. Give us a call and we’ll help you quickly put together an assessment of what should be considered in developing your own risk mitigation strategy.
And remember… As Professor Quality says.......
“Risk mitigation starts by consulting with ESCS”.
ESCS is the company that pioneeered Safe Source Seal Aerospace Sourcing Assurance

Thursday, December 4, 2008

ESCS CombatCounterfeits.com gets a new Aerospace overhaul of current info


CombatCounterfeits.com is dedicated to promoting best practices to reduce the incidence of counterfeit electronic components in the aerospace and military manufacturing supply chain.
Electronic Supply Chain Solutions, Inc. is an Aerospace AS9120 certified independent distributor recognized as a leading quality advocate in the industry. ESCS sponsors CombatCounterfeits.com as a free service for both distributors and manufacturers alike. Learn of The Shocking Truth about Electronic Component Counterfeiting Share it freely, use it to educate, or as an information source and research tool in developing risk mitigation strategies. Here you will find information and counterfeiting tricks and examples, resources on quality systems, inspection protocols, industry standards and certifications, counterfeit reporting and much, much more.
The battle to combat electronic component counterfeiting requires on-going attention and diligence. ESCS believes education and training, along with the development of strong industry standard best practices is the most effective approach to mitigating counterfeit risks.
CombatCounterfeits.com should be just one of your tools in the battle. The"Other Resources" tab provides information on government and industry associations who are active in the fight to combat counterfeits. The SafeSourceSeal.com provides authenticated sourcing for aerospace and military manufacturers when procuring electronic components through Aerospace AS9120 certified independent distributors. A free Electronic Industry Assessment is available for printing and sharing on the Awareness and Industry Efforts to Combat Counterfeits in Aerospace & Military Electronic Component Procurement.
Many quality professionals also enjoy the ESCS Counterfeit Gallery and share this as well!
"Chinese food is great, but Chinese components is a bad diet for your Company"

Monday, December 1, 2008

The ESCS Graphic Procurement System navigates you to the info you need!


  • Electronic Supply Chain Solutions Announces www.ESCSGPS.com
  • It may look like the GPS in your car but ours navigates electronic buyers directly to the precise data needed to make sound electronic components business decisions.
  • The ESCS GPS displays 12 web products from a single access point.
  • 1.)The ROHS Forum- identifies MFG ‘s Lead Free initiative web pages.
  • 2.) The DSCC Dashboard - simplifies the surfing of government information.
  • 3.)The ICPHOTOSYNTH -graphically displays ESCS inventory & ties them to Datasheets4u
  • 4.)Request a Quote- provides an opporitunity to communicate directly with ESCS
  • 5.)TEMO - “The Electronic Manufacturers Outlet” hyperlinks buyers to over 3000 MFG’s web sites.
  • 6.) Combat Counterfeits educates electronic companies on how to mitigate risks of counterfeits.
    7.) CLICK n GO - An ESCS product that guides buyers to MFG’s products by commodity.
  • 8.) NQA – is the registrar of ESCS’s aerospace AS9120 & ISO9001 Certifications.
  • 9.)Learn how ESCS sponsors High School Team KRUNCH 79 with Honeywell & FIRST Robotics.
  • 10.) COTSS - ESCS offers many “Component Off The Shelf Services” learn more . . .
  • 11). ESCS Information Source- provides info on a broad range of topics.
  • 12.) Components2go -links our customers to the products they can hold in their hand tomorrow.
  • Navigate to the info you need now!
  • ESCS may adopt an Android platform soon!

Monday, November 17, 2008

ESCS pioneers the first Aerospace Sourcing Assurance Program with source validation” for aerospace and military manufacturing industry

Electronic Supply Chain Solutions Inc Introduces







.

With the rapid increase in counterfeiting of electronic components, many aerospace prime contractors are demanding to know where their parts are coming from when sourced through the independent distributor market.

Many discussions with
aerospace quality professionals confirmed Safe Source Seal is the only verifiable program to address this need.

Safe Source Seal identifies each component on your packing slip according to a four tier designation:

(1.) Direct from the component manufacturer;
(2.) From an authorized franchise distributor;
(3.) Having 3rd party testing for authenticity and/or functionality (according to your purchase order conditions) (4.) Received with a copy of the original manufacturer’s CofC.

Only AS9120quality certified companies can participate in the program, as they are mandated to provide all pedigree documentation during their annual quality audit.

Why not share this with your Supply Chain Quality Management team? Find out why other prime contractors are turning to
Safe Source Seal, and how Electronic Supply Chain Solutions is providing this unmatched level of sourcing assurance.

Review the program at http://www.safesourceseal.com/ and provide your quality team with the tools they need to combat counterfeits.

Find out if your AS9120quality independent distributor may participate. If they are an AS9120 certified indepenent distributor that can meet these high standards, ask them to learn how they can participate in the SSS quality program to help you combat counterfeits. Quality Professionals who searched this topic also visited www.ISO9001QUALITY.COM & WWW.AS9120QUALITY.COM

SAFE SOURCE SEAL

Thursday, October 23, 2008

It’s ESCS Quality Performance Award Time Once Again.


Have you earned the right to be rewarded?
As part the ESCS quality management system we are required to rate our suppliers performance for both on-time and quality.
Electronic Supply Chain Solutions maintains an almost perfect scorecard to our prime customers, so our need to demand the same of our suppliers is paramount to our success. Many of our suppliers obtained the award the past two years with one of them being Tresco (click on Tresco to follow the link). We are proud to recognize a job well done and as this year closes we urge those of you whom are in the hunt to keep up great work as your efforts continue to make ESCS one of the premier AS9120 certified distributors in our industry.

Monday, October 13, 2008

ESCS President gives keynote speech at the 2008 First Aerospace Congress


This years Future Aerospace Congress was well represented by senior members of prime contractors such as: ABB, Boeing, Bell Helicopter, NASA, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and United Space Alliance, just to name a few.
The three day event consisted of roundtable discussions on the Evolution of Advanced Materials, recycling, automation and the importance of full disclosure.
A second round table discussion was on Supply Chain Strategy including best practices, sourcing and overall effectiveness. As an owner of an electronic component distribution company, Electronic Supply Chain Solutions’ President Matthew Heaphy III provided other panel members a unique prospective as to the approach his company has taken to “Combat Counterfeits" with a free web site designed to educate the electronics industry. Mr. Heaphy discussed what it meant to be an AS9120 Quality Certified company and how teaming up with organizations such as GIDEP, AIA, IDEA, ERAI and his association with the CACP (Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy) were just some of the steps companies can take to protect their supply chain. ESCS also showcased a process called ICPHOTOSYNTH.com which captures every single lot code of every single date code of every part that enters ESCS during the inspection process.
This year's Future Aerospace Congress also featured several keynote speakers during the event. The first speaker this year was Electronic Supply Chain Solutions President Matthew Heaphy III on the topic of “Best Practices in Supply Chain Sourcing to Combat Counterfeits” During his speech Mr. Heaphy touched on many of the issues identified during the panel discussion but also conveyed the size and scope of the counterfeiting problem in the USA and the trickle down effect it has on all U.S. citizens. He also outlined some of the steps companies need to take to protect themselves. As an independent distributor that services the aerospace industry ESCS is asked to procure obsolete products that are required to maintain aircraft for many years. ESCS uses third party testing and evidence based protocols to mitigate our customers risk especially as it relates to the loss of human lives. A watch or DVD seems like a victimless crime; however, intellectual property is stealing the life blood of companies today. Information sharing is becoming more popular when conducting business with supply chain partners. But how can you protect your IP? This topic was on the minds of everyone in attendance and many companies requested private discussions with ESCS to explore their options.
Electronic Supply Chain Solutions staff has been collecting data as part of their commitment to a safe supply chain and has published an Industry Assessment entitled Awareness and Industry Efforts to Combat Counterfeits in Aerospace & Military Electronic Component Procurement
By clicking on the above link you can learn the views and prospectives of many aerospace industry leaders and use that information to Combat Counterfeits at your company.
ESCS has also tried to raise awareness in the industry by offering its product called “Infomins” Have you taken yours today? Infomins are like vitamins that give you the information you need to make sound business decisions. Visit www.infomins.com.
Mr. Heaphy wrapped up his speech on Best Practices in the Supply Chain by announcing thier latest brainchild of www.escsgps.com which navigates to the information you need. This GPS “Graphic Procurement System” utilizes many of ESCS graphics to hyperlink you to our proprietary suite of web products designed to help buyers and engineers become better informed.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

AEROSPACE COMPANIES COMBAT COUNTERFEITS THROUGH MINIMUM DISTRIBUTOR QUALITY REQUIREMENTS


ESCS promotes industry best practices to combat counterfeits to ensure quality service from independent distributors of electronic components. We strongly believe every aerospace and military manufacturer should demand at least the following minimum standards of excellence from their independent distributors:


1. Aerospace AS9120 certification - If your company is aerospace certified, shouldn't you require your suppliers to maintain the same quality standards for inventory control, split lot traceability and vendor management? Companies with only an ISO 9001 certification should be given a deadline to achieve AS9120 certification or lose their status as an approved supplier. You can easily view your suppliers' AS9120 certification status on the OASIS database at http://www.iaqg.sae.org/servlets/index?PORTAL_CODE=IAQG. For all audits completed after October 1, 2008, the IAQG is now requiring certification bodies to upload the latest audit details as well as any corrective action reports with root cause analysis and correction plans, yet it will be up to the distributor to make this data viewable on the OASIS database. All distributors should be required to allow visibility to their scored results for your review. For all audits completed before October 1, 2008, distributors may request their most recent audit information be uploaded for your review.

2. Membership in GIDEP - The Government and Industry Data Exchange Program provides an important resource for current information on suspect and known counterfeit components, as well as disseminating general information critical to maximizing supply chain efficiency.

3. Membership in ERAI - Membership in The Electronic Reseller's Association requires distributors to be in good standing, and provides access to critical information on suppliers and the ERAI's counterfeit component notification database.

4. Validated component testing - Distributors should confirm what testing protocols are required under their quality management system for all components lacking clear pedigree back to the original manufacturer's Certificate of Compliance. Decide whether 3rd party testing should be required or if testing done in-house is acceptable to your standards. If in-house, confirm their inspection staff is qualified by a standard at least as strong as the Independent Distributors of Electronics Association's IDEA-STD-1010-A inspection standard, and that on-going compliance with this is documented in their AS9120 Quality Management System.

5. Vendor management system - Confirm your distributor maintains their own approved vendor list, and that their quality management system includes tracking of each supplier's performance for quality and delivery compliance. You may want to ask what the minimum requirements are to add a supplier, and the minimum quality standards they must achieve to remain on the distributor's approved vendor list.

6. Agreement to on-site audits - Every distributor should be required to allow on-site audits by their customers. Whether the manufacturer chooses to do so or not, any distributor who will not agree to at least prospective future audits with minimal notice should be suspect.

The above requirements should be considered minimum standards. At ESCS, we not only meet and exceed these standards, we offer a wide range of quality services to help increase manufacturers' supply chain efficiency and cost-effectiveness, and provide best in class buyer resources to help make sound business decisions through our buyer portal at http://www.escs9120.com/.

Please give us a call today to learn more about these free, on-line buyer productivity tools and the wide range of component services provided by ESCS. For more information on how your company can combat counterfeits, visit ESCS's site, http://www.combatcounterfeits.com/.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

ESCS INTRODUCES INFOMINS




ESCS INTRODUCES INFOMINS


FOR MILITARY AND COMMERCIAL ELECTRONIC BUYERS AND ENGINEERS


  • COMING SOON TO YOUR COMPANY......
    INFOMINS PRECAUTIONS

    1. JUST A FEW INFOMINS MAY MAKE YOU A KNOW IT ALL

    2. DO NOT CARRY A HEAVY WORKLOAD WITHOUT THEM

    3. SHARING INFOMINS WITH YOUR FELLOW WORKERS MAY LEAD TO PROMOTIONS

    4. IF YOUR DAY LASTS MORE THAN 8 HOURS SEEK HELP FROM ESCS

    5. EXTENDED USE OF INFOMINS CAN HAVE LONG LASTING POSITIVE EFFECTS

    6. TAKE INFOMINS ONLY AS YOU SEE FIT . NO PRESCRIPTION NECESSARY

    7. IF YOU MISS AN OFFERING DO NOT CALL ALL INFOMINS ARE ARCHIVED

    8. INFOMINS ARE ABSORBED INTO THE BRAIN AND THEN PASS THROUGH YOUR BODY

    9 OUT 10 BUYERS AND ENGINEERS CAN NOT EVEN TELL YOU WHAT THEY TASTE LIKE
VISIT http://www.infomins.com/

FOR A FREE TRIAL OFFER
ESCS HAS YOUR INFOMINS IN HAND

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

ESCS offers Datasheets 4 U

Electronic Supply Chain Solutions links it's customers with datasheet information from two sources.
http://www.escsclickngo.com/ and http://www.icphotosynth.com/
Both feature quick access to not only the picture of the part in our stock but also the pdf datasheet 4 U to pass along or investigate.
ESCS provides the information you need to make sound business decisions. Thousands of manufacturers websites can be accessed from ESCS's "TEMO "The Electronic Manufactures Outlet"
An example of a Mil spec diode that can be found on the ESCS CLINKnGO that navigates you to the commodity of Semi-Conductors then diodes and finally hyperlinks to the mfg site is shown below:

JANTX1N5811 - Diode from Microsemi
This "Ultrafast Recovery" rectifier diode series is military qualified to MIL-PRF-19500/477. The JANTX1N5811 is ideal for high-reliability applications where a failure cannot be tolerated. These industry-recognized 6.0 Amp rated rectifiers for working peak reverse voltages from 50 to 150 volts are hermetically sealed with voidless-glass construction using an internal "Category I" metallurgical bond. These devices are also available in surface mount MELF package configurations by adding a "US" suffix (see separate data sheet for 1N5807US thru 1N5811US). Microsemi also offers numerous other rectifier products to meet higher and lower current ratings with various recovery time speed requirements including standard, fast and ultrafast device types in both through-hole and surface mount packages.Maximum Electrical Rating Symbol Max UnitOutput Current IO 6 AReverse Voltage Vrwm 150 VMax Forward Surge Current IFSM 125 AElectrical Rating Symbol Min Typ Max UnitForward Voltage(IF=4 A, TA=25 ºC) VF1 0.875 V(IF=6 A, TA=25 ºC,300µs pulse) VF2 0.875 V(IF=6 A, TA=25 ºC) VF3 0.925 VReverse Leakage Current(Vrwm=150 V, TA=25 ºC) IR 5 µAReverse Breakdown Voltage(IBR=100 µA) VBR 160 VJunction Capacitance(TA=25 ºC) Cj 45 pFReverse Recovery Time trr 30 nsec

ESCS is AS9120:2002 AEROSPACE QUALITY CERTIFIED & ISO 9001-2000 CERTIFIED

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

ESCS GOT COTSS


ESCS COTSS Componnent Off The Shelf Services is just another added advantage to dealing with an AS9120 quality company such as Electronic Supply Chain Solutions. Read our COTSS Whitepaper to learn what ESCS provides in addition to being a franchise electronic component distributor. ESCS clients are predominantly mil spec prime aerospace companies and their sub contractors. Save money with ESCS COTSS

Thursday, July 31, 2008

ESCS staff joins Criss Angel at the ushering out of an old landmark in Clearwater F.L. (The Spyglass Hotel)


The Spyglass like many buildings of their time has run their course of desirability.

Many of us may have great memories of old buildings and even great companies that delivered exceptional service. Where has it gone?
In the Electronic distribution business companies such as: Schweber, Hamillton, Hallmark, Kent Wiley, Milgray, and ACI to name a few have been gobbled up in the name of progress. So now we have only the big cookie cutter companies that offer only what they decide.
Some would say “gone are the days you got your windshield cleaned and were asked “May I Check Your Oil” when you pulled into your local service station. (We now call them gas stations)
Electronic Supply Chain Solutions aka ESCS is one company that still believes that a knowledgeable staff, a quality management system and a sense of urgency are still needed in the mil spec world of change.
ESCS provides web products designed to deliver precise information faster and even better than Google. Surfing the web with search engines provides a general selection of information.
ESCS believes in providing the exact required information for buyers to make sound business decisions. Visit ESCS9120.com We don’t do windows but we will do more than just check you oil!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

How not to Shave Aerospace Quality to the Bone on Electronic Components .... WhyThink AS9120 Certified?

If you ever decided to go out for a quality meal, you first pick a restaurant that has been described by others as having great food and service. Each of those two ingredients was well planned and executed which resulted in a positive experience. Sometimes you feel like a great meal sometimes you don’t. We often try to eat healthy but are willing to throw caution to the wind in the heat of convenience or hast. Well let’s say you always want a good meal but aren’t willing to pay for it. After all at the end of the day it’s just another meal. So what does this have to do with Aerospace electronics? Well nothing unless the poor standards practiced by the Chinese companies that were ISO 9001 certified are now killing our pets and contaminating the food chain that humans are consuming.

We have not begun to count human lives lost. We all learned about aerospace components and what kind of o-rings NASA had used on the Challenger. The loss of life and the ramifications it had to the future of space travel are more than just a bad dining experience. Most of us have been on a jet. There are procedures and routine preventative maintenance that is planned and executed to provide you a safe and positive experience. ESCS understands mil spec
A bad airline experience quickly and publicly takes human lives. It is not forgotten like a bad meal. The lesson learned is improved procedures as well as proactive measurement of all products and suppliers can safeguard that history does not repeat it self. The definition of isanity is "to repeat the same action over and over and expect a different result."

The Aerospace industry by its nature has to hold itself to a higher standard!
For years many factories have embraced the idea of quality with ISO 9001 however this quality management system falls short of the requirements needed to protect human life.
The Aerospace industry created an AS9100 standard for manufacturers, AS9120 for distributors, and AS9110 for repair and over haul facilities. This standard was built on the foundation of the International Standards Organization ISO9001 however over 100 added requirements are demanded by the Aerospace AS9100 standard to ensure a safe and positive experience.

The AS9120 standard mandates that you identify an approved supplier data base.
1.) You must identify the scope of what you buy.
2.) You must keep a matrix on the number of orders, how many on-time deliveries and how many quality issues for each supplier.
3.) All lot codes are documented. Any split lot codes must be documented for 7 years.
AS9100 requires not only that you check what you are doing but that you are proactively measuring the practices and procedures you follow will achieve an improved predicted goal.

In contrast ISO9001 certified companies are not required to measure their suppliers the same way, nor are they required to keep track of date codes or a split lot of material.
Wouldn’t you like to know that the aerospace companies and the companies that support them are mandated to identify quality companies who perform, keep track of how old those o-rings were and what other companies they were sent to! If the companies were not AS9100 certified, we may never know! Buying because it is cheap or purchasing from a supplier who buys surplus lots that are not required to have any quality control systems in place is no longer an option! Some resellers go so far as to state they are ISO9001 compliant. According to whom! Buying a box of documents and crossing out the word company and replacing it with your company name some could say makes you compliant but only to the one who sold you the make believe quality system.
You don’t buy a certification. It’s like a college diploma, you learn it, earn it, and practice it, prefect it and it becomes part of who you are. Being compliant is like a high school student saying I have read some of the books Wharton school of Business graduates have used in their education.
DO PLAN CHECK is the Aerospace "credo"
Which of the 3C’s should represent your current supplier’s quality management system?
Complacent, Compliant, or Certified
What subjective evidence have you demanded of your suppliers that demonstrate they will provide a Q.M.S that is protecting your supply chain to combat counterfeits?
Want to learn how not to Shave Aerospace Quality on Electronic components?
Visit www.combatcounterfeits.com/ or www.escs9120.com/ to learn more!

Thursday, June 26, 2008

100% Score for AS9120 Quality Audit


Congratulations to Electronic Supply Chain Solutions for attaining a 100% score on its Aerospace AS9120 reassessment quality audit. This is ESCS’s 5th independent audit and a score of 100% is rarely achieved. ESCS President Matthew Heaphy said “Aerospace quality is built on the ISO9001 standard and is a maturing process that demands that your company outline, measure and achieve goals for both your suppliers and your internal quality management system. I am extremely proud of my staff as well as our approved suppliers that share our commitment to delivering a mil spec quality product on-time.” Visit http://www.escs9120.com/ to learn more.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Electronic Supply Chain Solutions Demands Commitment




In cost reduction, technical support, kitting, prototype support, development, and production services. ESCS is a unique distributor. In a world where "design-in" engineering support and ordering product is considered "service", we go far beyond.
At ESCS Electronic Supply Chain Solutions, we utilize our own web products to predict our customer needs. Our cross referencing, historical observation and market trend analysis. Isn't it time you work with a business partner that is focused on your needs - one that brings quality to the procurement process? At ESCS we thrive on providing a quality management system that is second to none.
ESCS Electronic Supply Chain Solutions has a philosophy that is based on a competent, trained staff, supported by a dedicated Quality Control team. All of whom are dedicated to Customer Satisfaction. The company is tailored to be an integral part of our customer’s complete supply chain solution.
At ESCS Electronic Supply Chain Solutions our dedication for high quality precision has enabled the Company to earn the trust of its valued Customers who have come to expect the company to always deliver the highest quality mil spec products on time.
We have the ability to support our customers from our product line to give the best in Supply Chain Management. Our resource team is focused on delivering products in times of shortage and allocations to enable our customer to receive Supply Chain Fulfillment.
Is a supplier failing to deliver your high demand components like IC’s, Passives, LCD's, FLASH, & ASIC's on-time? Let ESCS show you how we deliver. ESCS is more than just another distributor. ESCS Electronics is a true partner.Electronic Component Distribution... It’s not all that we do….We also educate our customers to make sound business decisions.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

NEDA joins ESCS to Combat Counterfeits at the CACP


Electronic Supply Chain Solutions Combats Counterfeits with some help from NEDA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy.
ESCS President Matthew Heaphy said “I had the pleasure of sitting along side NEDA’s Vice President Robin Gray at the 4th Annual Summit on Counterfeiting in Washington DC. While NEDA’s focus is on its member franchised distributors and manufactures, ESCS is spear heading a movement among the aerospace certified distributors to urge others to recognize the importance of protecting the electronic supply chain from counterfeits. While ESCS was one of the early members. we are now 240th in alabetical order in a list of over 550 members. ESCS maintains a website called http://www.combatcounterfeits.com/ to educate it’s customers to make sound business decisions. As an independent AS9120 certified distributor ESCS focuses primarily on directly educating and protecting prime aerospace contractors by seeing that their special purchase order conditions and mil specs are flowed down to their sub contract manufactures, NEDA provides its franchised members and manufactures with valuable information to combat counterfeits. Whether the information is directed to the end user by ESCS or offered to the supply chain by NEDA both organizations agree the CACP is worth supporting. Click this link to hear more from ESCS President
While counterfeiting is not new to the electronics supply chain, what appears to be changing is the degree of proliferation of these parts into the authorized supply channel, notes Robin Gray, executive vice president of National Electronic Distributors Association (NEDA), Alpharetta, Ga. “Counterfeiting has been an ongoing concern for electronic component manufacturers. But until recently, the franchised distribution sector has been somewhat insulated from the problem,” he says. “We’ve seen a big change in the past couple of months: A lot more counterfeit product has been coming into the supply chain.”
Gray believes that most counterfeit product gets into the franchised channel as a result of OEM product returns. “Sometimes counterfeits get into the supply chain through the back door,” he says. “Customers mix product from their different sources, and then when they return inventory to authorized distributors, they may unknowingly be sending back counterfeit components.”
Distributors Take a StandRecognizing that it was time to take more aggressive action against the counterfeiting problem, NEDA recently joined Electronic Supply Chain Solutions and more than 285 businesses and associations that make up the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy. Formed in 2004, CACP’s mission is to “increase the understanding of the negative impact of counterfeiting and piracy by working with Congress and the administration to drive greater government wide efforts to address this threat.” Gray reports that NEDA will take an active role on the CACP task force that is working with the government to help train business on spotting counterfeit components, as well as the authentication technology task force, which is working with vendors to develop ways to make it easier and less costly to identify fakes.
Outside CACP's purview, NEDA is collaborating with component makers on re-evaluating the returns process. “That is where distributors need to be particularly vigilant,” Gray says. “Once product is out in the channel, contaminated product can get back into an authorized source.” NEDA is also spearheading a public awareness campaign to educate the government and the public about the economic cost and social consequences that counterfeiting has on the United States.
While many buyers are simply swindled by the increasingly sophisticated methods used by counterfeiters to create look-alike products, some knowingly purchase “knock-off” goods, seeing little harm in buying a bootleg DVD, a fake “Gucci” handbag or even an imitation “Intel” chip. But the consequences are very real and are growing at an alarming rate, Gray says. Electronic Supply Chain Solutions Matthew Heaphy said “One of the major things that everyone needs to learn is that when a company invests its profits back into its products or services, that intellectual property deserves to be protected. When a company or parent allows the consumer to benefit from a counterfeit they not only cause losses directly, they also affect those in the distribution channel. I urge everyone to educate themselves first and then share your education with others. The ESCS website http://www.combatcounterfeits.com/ is a great place to start today!Excerpts of this article were combined with text from of Distribution Insider: An Industry Guide to Electronics Supply and Demand

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

ESCS Continues to Support FIRST ........ Team Krunch 79



FIRST= For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology
FIRST is a international organization that unites high school students such as our team KRUNCH 79 East Lake High School in Florida with Honeywell engineers and adult mentors to build a robot that will compete at regional and national competitions. Internationally, 156,000 students, countless engineers, and many other mentors around the world participate in FIRST. The number of teams has grown from 28 in 1992 to about 1500. Along the way, students learn concepts related to engineering, programming, and advanced computer software such as AutoDesk 3D Studio Max, AutoDesk Inventor, and C compilers. Students get a hands-on perspective of the engineering field and workplace.
FIRST is about more than just robots. At competitions, teams are always willing to help each other by supplying extra parts or by volunteering to help another team. This atmosphere is the result of FIRST’s coined phrase: “Gracious Professionalism.”
The Chairman’s Award is the most prestigious single award at any FIRST competition This award solely based on communication, organization, and creating inspiration in other people’s lives. The Chairman’s Award, is given to teams who effectively spread the FIRST message and inspire youth to become more interested in science and technology. Winners of this award are inducted into the FIRST Hall of Fame. Team KRUNCH is one of the only teams to receive 6 awards and in 2008 it received it’s second Governor’s award.
At the beginning of January, the teams view a live telecast presented by the FIRST founders, which explain this year’s challenge. The teams are given a kit of parts and have roughly six weeks to design and build a very competitive robot. At the end of the six weeks, the robot must be shipped to the team’s first regional competition.
The competitions are very exciting, but you find a level of cooperation which is not present at typical sporting events. Teams are friendly, helpful, and encouraging to all of their opponents. The robots play in randomly selected alliances and must be ready to be united with any team.
Teams that win a regional competition or the Chairman’s Award go on to the national competition held in April in Atlanta GA
Electronic Supply Chain Solutions continues it’s sponsorship of Team KRUNCH 79 in 2008 along with many Honeywell engineers and mentors. Read this EE Times Article to learn more
Visit http://escs9120.com/roboticsframe.htm to see ESCS Sponsorship of Robotics
For more info about FIRST, go to: http://www.usfirst.org/who/default.aspx?id=34

Friday, February 29, 2008

ESCS Feeds Free Information

Get the information you need to make sound business decsions.
. Don't let your company turn into a Little Shop of Horrors
It is simple. Just follow these steps.....

CLICK on this word ESCS FEED
Look forthe word Subcribe and click on it.... It's that simple.
You are now in the know and......
you don't even have to say "Feed me Seymor"

This is a FREE service from ESCS that keeps you informed.
Every Engineer and Every Buyer if they do nothing else....
Should Do it Suddenly..learn the mil spec and .......Subcribe Today
Alright.............. Stop Singing............

ESCS Guides it's Customers to Combat Counterfeits


*FREE* White paper on Counterfeiting

ESCS Electronic Supply Chain Solutions a well known education based electronic component distributor is leading the way to a safer supply chain by providing valuble industry related content!
If you are not preparing, educating and protecting your company, then you need to STOP.
While many customers have visited ESCS’s site that addresses counterfeiting, the enormous amount of valuable content requires a little digging. Feedback has been very positive so ESCS has created several hot links below to showcase content that may be missed on a quick glance.
ESCS Quality manager Jan Salatino said
"Our mission in creating this free product www.combatcounterfeits.com was to provide consultive services that would educate as well as provide up to date information on the steps we have learned can protect our customers from the $250 Billion per year that the CACP (Coalition Against Counterfeiting & Piracy) has stated the U.S. loses each year.”
Highlights of our Consultive Services to Combat Counterfeits include these hot links:
> Are you living Status Quo ?
> Tricks they play with electronic components
> Ten steps -ANTI- COUNTERFEITING MEASURES
> Counterfeiting ABC's to slow counterfeits to your CM’s
> White Papers on Counterfeiting
> 4th Annual Anti-Counterfeiting & Piracy Summit
> ESCS President Matthew Heaphy III Editorial Comments
> THETRUECOSTS.ORG
Can you spot a fake component?
If not...... You need to consult with the people that can...
ESCS (an education based distributor)
ESCS knows the Mil Spec and other DSCC info

Visit www.myinformationvault.com to start the process to STOP Counterfiets.
“ESCS gives you the room to know”
Remember Vendor Reduction starts by adding ESCS an AS9120 certified company

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

OASIS Database provides subjective evidence of ESCS Aerospace Certification


(OASIS) On-line Aerospace Supplier Information System OASIS, what is it? OASIS is the web-based International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) database containing information on all AS9100 for manufacturers, AS9110 for repair and overhaul shops and AS9120 Stockist distributors all of whom are registered companies. The database displays the results of all AS9100, AS9110 or AS9120 aerospace assessments performed (including its latest score), as well as general company information.
OASIS is the resource companies should use to determine that a supplier has an Aerospace certification that demonstrates subjective evidence of a quality management system that goes beyond the ISO 9001 standard utilized by commercial companies.
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) administers the OASIS database for the aerospace scheme. Inputs for updating the OASIS database are provided by your aerospace auditors to SAE after completion of an AS9100, AS9110 or AS9120 assessment visit.
All AS9100, AS9110 and AS9120 registered clients should currently have access to the OASIS database. Each aerospace registered client should verify all information relating their company is correct, specifically the latest assessment score for their most recent aerospace audit.
If your supplier states that they are certified and they are not listed further investigations should be made to substantiate their claims. REGISTRATION TO OASIS IS FREE
To register for access to the OASIS database for viewing any company’s information, go to: www.iaqg.org/iaqgdb/supplier-admin.htm. Choose a user name and password and you’re done. Select a country, choose a standard and everyone who is certified is listed for your review.
Sampling is not allowed for AS9100 or AS9110, therefore each site must be audited in full prior to granting initial certification and each site must be audited in full at least once in the three year certification cycle at surveillance or re-assessment audits. Electronic Supply Chain Solutions maintains a website www.escs9120.com whereby clicking on their quality tab will not only provide you valuable industry information but also a hot link to OASIS Make sure you bookmark this valuable tool. As we all know poor quality is no day at the beach. ESCS is a AS9120 certified company and shall competed it's 5 th Aerospace audit in June 2008 with a 100% score!!!!! Companies investigating the process of being aerospace AS9120 should contact companies such as ESCS as they were the 3rd company in the USA to acheve this certifcation and are mature in their Quality Management System. ESCS knows Mil Spec

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

ESCS Warns - - - - Beware of Phishing




It's not like trying to combat counterfeits but it is about taking steps to secure your intellectual property. By definition - Vishing (voice or VoIP phishing) is an electronic fraud tactic in which individuals are tricked into revealing critical financial or personal information to unauthorized entities. Vishing works like phishing but does not always occur over the Internet and is carried out using voice technology. A vishing attack can be conducted by voice email, VoIP (voice over IP), or landline or cellular telephone.
The potential victim receives a message, often generated by speech synthesis, indicating that suspicious activity has taken place in a credit card account, bank account, mortgage account or other financial service in their name. The victim is told to call a specific telephone number and provide information to "verify identity" or to "ensure that fraud does not occur." If the attack is carried out by telephone, caller ID spoofing can cause the victim's set to indicate a legitimate source, such as a bank or a government agency.
Vishing is difficult for authorities to trace, particularly when conducted using VoIP. Furthermore, like many legitimate customer services, vishing scams are often outsourced to other countries, which may render sovereign law enforcement powerless.
Consumers can protect themselves by suspecting any unsolicited message that suggests they are targets of illegal activity, no matter what the medium or apparent source. Rather than calling a number given in any unsolicited message, a consumer should directly call the institution named, using a number that is known to be valid, to verify all recent activity and to ensure that the account information has not been tampered with. As my mom always says " company are like fish! They start to stink after the second day" Be careful of the company you keep and always protect your information! Visit one of the ESCS WEB SITES http://www.combatcounterfeits.com/ to learn more!

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Electronic Supply Chain Solutions’ commitment to quality transcends everything we do:


Electronic Supply Chain Solutions is both an AS9120 and ISO 9001:2000 certified distributor of electronic components. ESCS is a member of the "Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy” which is part of the US Chamber of Commerce and is kept informed as to the extent and issues concerning counterfeiting and piracy. As part of our consultative services ESCS provides valuable information needed to safeguard companies from the 250 billion dollars already being lost to Counterfeiting & piracy in the U.S. visit http://www.combatcounterfets.com/ to learn more.
Vendor Qualification
Electronic Supply Chain Solutions' suppliers are subject to stringent vendor standards of quality and accountability to ensure that only the highest quality product is sourced for our customers. Our Aerospace 9120 Vendor Qualification and Corrective Action Program is designed to screen out problem vendors before they become a problem for our customers and to ensure that issues are traced back to their root cause for corrective action. This vendor program has proven successful in allowing us to maintain high quality product standards while continually reducing our supplier network.
Product Inspection
Our Quality Assurance (QA) Department references manufacturer specifications and employs visual/microscopic inspection to evaluate the component inventory that is received and processed to fulfill customer orders. Images are collected of products and any associated certification paperwork. Electronic Supply Chain Solutions has arrangements with testing houses to conduct functional product testing on any product that does not have a factory c of c. The ESCS inventory may be seen on our website http://www.icphotosynth.com/ ESCS states” The parts you see on our site are the exact parts that will be on your dock tomorrow morning. ESCS does not post availabilities.
Order Processing
Products which meet our customer specifications may be bar coded (in accordance with EIA/JEP 130, ANSI/EIA 556-B, and EIA 624 standards), packaged, invoiced, and shipped in accordance with customer-specified instructions.
Quality Certification
Electronic Supply Chain Solutions is both an AS9120 and ISO 9001:2000 certified distributor of electronic components.
Facilities
Electronic Supply Chain Solutions' owns a building that has exterior and interior security systems (both electronic and physical) to safeguard your scheduled shipments. Electronic Supply Chain Solutions’ Operations Department has achieved electrostatic discharge (ESD) compliance throughout our facility and all employees are required to complete ESD training and receive a certificate annually.
Customer Satisfaction
We conduct customer satisfaction surveys annually to measure our objectives and exceed our customers' objectives. Our customers are also given an opportunity to take an ESCS Satisfaction Survey on our website
Employees
Our commitment to our customers begins by attracting, hiring, training, and providing professional growth opportunities for our service professionals that are empowered with building and supporting Electronic Supply Chain Solutions' customer’s relationships.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

ESCS supports our future engineers again


Stay tune for an update on Team KRUNCH 79 and Honeywell as they franticly enter the 6 week build 2008 season. ESCS was present at Honeywell last week for the unvailing of this years FIRST Competition streams live from NASA. This years chalange is called FIRST OVERDRIVE

You may view the press release to learn more! visit the ESCS website to view our involement and sponsorship of this exciting event.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Electronic Supply Chain Solutions decides not to hire Bill Gates after his retirement from Microsoft











ESCS President Matthew Heaphy says "the prospect of having another man with vision and creativity, such as Bill, to add to the many innovative web products ESCS has produced was very tempting, however we are not able to compensate him enough and still maintain our competative pricing. We will continue to provide you our resources in 2008 without a Bill. ( That's Free )




Electronic Supply Chain Solutions wishes Bill the best and would like to share this You Tube video for your enjoyment. Click here to see

ESCS ICphotosynth web product is setting a new standard for sourcing military and aerospace components



An ICphotosynth experience begins with a visit to www.icphotosynth.com. At first glance they may seem to be nothing more than a collection of digital photos. They are actually images captured by our AS9120 quality certified inspection team. Each photo is taken under a microscope and processed by our staff in order to highlight valuable distinctive features such as; part numbers, mfg logos, date codes, lot codes, or any special part markings (i.e. test dots). Photos that have small text or markings that wrap around the part are taken in a series that gives you a virtual 3D view of the entire part. Every date code is photographed separately to meet the requirements necessary to document split lot traceability as part of our AS9120 certification. The ICphotosynth offers benefits you will come to demand and rely on, and are only available at Electronic Supply Chain Solutions.
Imagine being able to request a photo of the product you purchased before it arrives! At ESCS you can! The ICphotosynth shows you the exact component in our inventory that will be on your dock tomorrow. ICphotosynth user friendly interface provides easy access for exploring a collection of photos in the ESCS inventory. Not all inventory at ESCS is displayed. Many parts been procured and tested to a customer drawing, and are earmarked for their future orders. All product at ESCS either comes with a factory C of C, or an MFG franchised distributor. Product that is procured and that does not have this tractability is sent out for testing. At ESCS all products received, even if it leaves the same day, is photographed. If we sourced the product specifically for you the photos will always be available upon your request. This service can aid in product liability, and is only available to OEM’s & CM’s as we don’t sell to brokers!
Navigate photos in the ICphotosynth & get Data Sheets as well.
ICphotosynth not only provides photos, but it also has an impressive feature which provides the ability to type in all or part of a component part number, and to navigate to the exact or similar part with a different value. This is great for teaching, or for knowing what a typical part looks like. Whether it's ICphotosynth collection of hundreds of photos, the ability to zoom in on the leads, or small part markings ESCS has made it simple to shop for quality components. You can search our Google image page by typing in the part number you need, and the ICphotosynth will then appear for you to share or save the image for later viewing. Need a Data Sheet to send along? Request millions of data sheets from the same page!
The ESCS ICphotosynth Technology
The ICphotosynth links both text and photographs into a individual web page incorporating the image and information. The content will evolve and change over time. Who can say where the future will take us? The ESCS ICphotosynth started out as an idea to create a web page for every part we owned, and now every part we have sold! We are excited about the possibilities, and would like to hear you ideas and/or suggestions.
This technology is provided by the same company that invented the CLICKnGO launch pad portal for buyers and engineers. ESCS was the third U.S. electronic distributor to become certified to the Aerospace AS9120 quality standard. And now after the fourth annual independent aerospace audit, ESCS continues to prove they are a quality advocate. ESCS is part of the CACP “Collation Against Counterfeiters and Piracy.” ESCS receives valuable information from the CACP and members of the U.S. Chamber of Congress. They supply information to its customers upon request so they can Combat Counterfeits. ESCS also maintains a link http://www.combatcounterfeits.com/ which provides free information to safeguard your supply chain. Explore ESCS website to learn more.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

ESCS Asked the Question



Is the product a thing? Or is it a what?

It's a companies’ responsibility to talk about its history, its capabilities, experience, expertise, philosophy, people, customers, culture and its great employees. This is all relevant stuff. But, ultimately it always comes down to the product that they put out. Electronic Supply Chain Solutions prospective customers and employees, alike, still want to know — "Are these guys as good as they say they are?" To best answer that question we submit our record. Sure, it's the work we've done for "other quality minded companies, but it's also the best indicator of what you can expect from ESCS. In and of itself, the product reflects all of our history, experience, expertise, etc. — but, the emphasis on a quality product also gives you the opportunity to finally decide for yourself, “Are they as good as they say they are?" The Product is what we deliver.


So, you be the judge! From requirement to delivery to your dock we've collected some quality certifications that others just don’t have. Our aerospace AS9120 certification is subjective evidence of a total quality management system. If you like what you see, or would like to see more, Visit http://www.escs9120.com/qindex.htm ESCS updates this section with additional and relevant information we are proud to share with our customers so they can make sound business decisions. It’s what we do!