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20 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2022 exciting opportunity as the industry moves toward more innovative ways to solve these challenges. We've heard of companies expanding their approved vendor lists (AVLs) or lowering the requirements for getting onto the list. Are you hearing stories like this? Having multisourcing options on a BOM is a best practice that is showing its value during this time. It is natural to take shortcuts on a BOM because of the rapid design cycles of products, but when the supply chain under- goes a disruption, it has a disproportionate impact on those who were unprepared. One exciting opportunity that has come out of this supply chain disruption has been innovation through digitalization. With the focus on digi- tal connectedness, more data is at our finger- tips, and this allows everyone to have more information around AVLs, ultimately making the approval process easier. is isn't a cure-all because there are still cases where a part can- not be crossed based on the necessarily unique specs it has. W h a t a d v i c e w o u l d yo u g i v e P CB designers and engineers who are trying to source components that have lead times of 40 or 50 weeks? First, although many parts have long lead times, it does not mean that the lead time should be taken on face value. Designers should work with their sourcing teams to con- tinue checking on stock availability because it is possible that the component may turn up. We recently released WatchCQ, which allows cus- tomers to create a watchlist to be alerted when a part becomes available. Second, consider altering your requirements. See if other AVLs will work or if you can rev your product to use a different component. is may mean making tough choices about the features of your prod- uct. Finally, change your expectations. It used to be normal to expect that a brilliant design could be easily sourced and built within weeks. e current supply chain climate has made this very challenging. It is important to manage your own expectations and plan accordingly for longer product cycles and maybe fewer iterations. Some OEMs are seeking components from alternative suppliers, but they're worried about risky and counterfeit parts. What kind of due diligence should they under- take? Due diligence should be proportional to the use case of the product. If you are building a low-cost prototype for inter- nal testing in a non-critical application, then take the chance and continue your develop- ment. If your product needs to be high reli- ability or has the potential to cause signifi- cant damages, then you should exercise more caution. It is always preferable to go through sources you trust: suppliers you have worked Chintan Sutaria