Newark InOne Aims to Communicate Product Discontinuations

Chicago-based component distributor Newark InOne is pitching in to help its customers stay atop a recent wave of product discontinuations.

As parts suppliers switch to components that meet the requirements of the European Union’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), which goes into affect July 1, many of these suppliers are discontinuing the non-compliant versions of their parts. This shift has become a huge concern for industries such as defense, aerospace and medical, since those industries rely on parts that contain lead.

Newark InOne is using data from its more than 440 suppliers to email 500 or more Product Watch notices each week. These notices that contain discontinuation information are going to customers that have purchased those discontinued parts during the past year. The Product Watch emails detail the number of parts still available for purchase and provide a direct link to part detail and online ordering. The emails also list suitable substitutes if they are available.

Component obsolescence of leaded parts is the surprise stumbling block in the switch to RoHS-compliant components. Few predicted that the greatest difficulty of RoHS compliance would be with the exempt industries that can no longer get non-compliant parts. Newark InOne’s Product Watch system was designed to help alleviate that difficulty.

“Without an early warning system, engineers can design-in components that will no longer be manufactured,” said Paul Tallentire, president of Newark InOne. “Going back to square one is not an option in today’s competitive market.”