Procurement management of rare and discontinued components with validation for authenticity

The procurement and organization of rare and discontinued components is increasingly becoming a risk factor to human lives, businesses, and the reliable operation of critical processes, as it is estimated that the volume of counterfeit components increased by 35% from 2021 to 2022 alone. In another report from the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, it said approximately 1,000,000 counterfeit spare parts were found, many of which were components for combat aircraft. Counterfeit parts were found in Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS) used on the C-5AMP transport aircraft, C-12 logistics aircraft and Global Hawk (RPA).

Counterfeit components also threaten human lives. For example, First Lt. David Schmitz, a U.S. Army F-16 pilot, was killed June 30, 2020, when the parachute on his ejection seat failed to open properly and he hit the ground while restrained in his seat. Two years later, Schmitz` widow sued 3 prominent American defense contractors in a civil suit. The indictment states that the malfunctioning DRS of his ejection system contained six suspected counterfeit metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFET), three suspected counterfeit serial flash memory chips, and one suspected counterfeit parallel flash memory chip that was previously determined by the USAF Research Laboratory.

What does this have to do with MSA Components?

We are a long-standing partner for critical components and support our customers not only in the project planning and development of new components, but also offer procurement management for original components in the aerospace, defense and also medical technology sectors, with the special feature: validation for authenticity.

MSA Components GmbH works with a network of hundreds of partners, distributors, and brokers to source critical components and verify their authenticity according to AS6171 and AS6081. The AS6081 standard was developed in response to the significant and increasing number of counterfeit electronic parts in the aerospace supply chain, which pose a significant risk to performance, reliability and safety. AS6171 establishes inspection and test procedures, processing criteria, and training required to detect suspected counterfeit electrical, electronic, and electromechanical parts, as well as those suspected of malicious tampering.
  In particular, customers, from safety-critical sectors such as aerospace, defense and other industries where the reliability and quality of electronic components is of great importance, benefit from our experience and network.

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