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78 SMT Magazine • December 2014 into a science. Secure Components, for exam- ple, partners with suppliers to locate hard-to- find parts, teams up with authorized test centers and amplifies customers' supply chain. Purchas- ing can become so focused on cutting cost it un- knowingly introduces counterfeit components into the supply stream generating costs down- stream erasing any initial savings. Because these suppliers may have no expe- rience satisfying AS6081 requirements, an in- house quality system is teamed with third-par- ty test facilities to authenticate a part's pedi- gree. Depending on the customers' application and the suppliers' quote, which includes risk assessment, a well thought-out decision regard- ing the level of authenticity testing is required. All AS6081-invoked orders are processed using the minimum level, including: documenta- tion and packaging inspection, external visual inspections, inspection for remarkings and re- surfacing, X-ray inspection, lead finish evalu- ation and delid/decapsulate for internal anal- ysis. Additional tests, when agreed to by the customer, may include environmental, scan- ning electron microscope, quantitative surface analysis, thermal testing, electrical testing, burn-in tests, hermeticity verification for fine and gross leaks, scanning acoustic microscopy, and more. Test programs are designed to test component functionality in accordance with OCM specs. There is a cost associated with this level of vigilance but authenticating a part to OEM specification generates greater customer satisfaction, system reliability and bigger mar - ket returns. When organizations fail to recognize the benefit of counterfeit avoidance practices in favor of cheap substandard components, they are going against the prevailing trend. The DoD recognizes these gaps in the supply chain. To address them, AS6081 is intended to remove counterfeit opportunities. Failure to imple - ment a counterfeit avoidance program is fast becoming a barrier to federal contracts. Busi- ness segments like the automobile industry also seek protection from the costly effects of fake parts. The Global Business Leaders Alliance Against Counterfeiting is one such organiza- tion to have major automobile manufacturers Daimler Chrysler and General Motors as mem- bers. Remember the air bags? A rigorous envi- ronmental test program would have unveiled this deficiency. So what do you get with cut-rate compo- nents, or rather, what don't you get? Evidence of supplier requirements: Flowing system requirements to purchasing contracts clearly communicates to the vendor what docu- mentation must accompany all shipments. In- sisting on this information, suppliers are reluc- tant to ship merchandise at the risk of incurring return shipping and restock fees. Authentication: Counterfeiters are market- savvy and keep abreast of what components are obsolete, yet in demand of salvage parts. Apply- ing a new coat of ink and freshening up com- pany data on parts add to the illusion of OCM hardware, as does fake certification information printed from the Internet. Without traceabil- ity documentation, inspection and tests, per- formed by qualified test centers, you may be purchasing shorted circuits, or rejected and/or salvaged parts Genuine savings: Fake components add costs in the form of rework, repair, maintenance time or off-duty periods. Factoring the expense associated with these activities exceed initially realized savings. The damage done to reliabil- ity predictions, maintainability and company brand are additional unexpected costs. Counterfeit components are cheap! Many are reconditioned parts, even tested to a degree, and sold as new. It's hard to resist these seem- ingly cost-effective alternatives when cost is a primary driver, but the risk to personnel and systems is too great a gamble. A reliable system performing as marketed is vastly more valuable than any short-term savings from "yard sale" quotes or parts salvaged from a reject pile. SmT ColuMn bAd cUSTOmerS continues Todd Kramer is CEo of Secure Components llC, an AS6081 & AS9120 certified independent distributor of electronic and mechanical components to the aerospace, defense, and high- reliability industries. To contact Kramer or to read past columns, click here.