New AS 5553 Revision A released for Fraudulent/Counterfeit Electronic Parts; Avoidance, Detection, Mitigation, and Disposition

AS 5553, “Fraudulent/Counterfeit Electronic Parts; Avoidance, Detection, Mitigation, and Disposition,” has just been revised and the new Revision A is available from Document Center Inc. now.  This standard is for use by organizations that procure and/or integrate electronic parts and/or assemblies containing such items.

Originally focused on Aerospace end-product producers, suppliers and processors, the standard has been expanded to address fraudulent/counterfeit risk mitigation on a global scale.  Multi-sector electronic supply chain industries can use this standard, since it provides uniform requirements, practices and methods to alleviate the risks of receiving and installing fraudulent/counterfeit parts.

The new issue is significantly longer than the original AS 5553 release (43 pages as compared to 33 pages) and has a new title as well.

When suspect or confirmed counterfeit electrical and electronic equipment is discovered, AS 5553A standardizes requirements, practices, and methods for:

  • Parts Management
  • Supplier Management
  • Procurement
  • Inspection
  • Test/Evaluation
  • Response Strategies

For more information on the SAE documents available on this topic, see our blog from 11/7/2012 on AS 6462.  For more information on this standard itself, see our blog from 9/10/2010 on AS 5553 original release.

All these standards can be purchased from Document Center Inc. in both paper and pdf format at our webstore, www.document-center.com.  Or contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  All SAE standards are sold under license agreement and come with our free update notification service.

New AS-6462 standard released for Certification for AS 5553, Counterfeit Electronic Parts; Avoidance, Detection, Mitigation, and Disposition Verification Criteria

In our on-going effort to keep you up-to-date on standards for counterfeit parts identification and avoidance, we’re constantly looking for new documents in this area.  So we’re pleased to announce that Document Center Inc. has the new AS 6462 Aerospace Standard available for you in paper or pdf format.  The document, titled “AS5553, Counterfeit Electronic Parts; Avoidance, Detection, Mitigation, and Disposition Verification Criteria,” was recently released by SAE’s G-19c Standards Compliance Verification Committee.

The set of criteria in AS 6462 will be utilized by accredited Certification Bodies (CBs) to establish compliance and grant certification to AS5553, “Aerospace Standard; Counterfeit Electronic Parts; Avoidance, Detection, Mitigation, and Disposition.”

The new document is one of a series of Risk Assessment Tools developed under the umbrella of ARP 6178, “Fraudulent/Counterfeit Electronic Parts; Tool for Risk Assessment of Distributors.”  But where the AS 5553 provides user requirements and AS 6462 gives certification verification, planned standards AS 6081 and AS 6301 (not currently available) provide the same guidance for distributors.

Certainly the Aerospace and Avionics industry is taking the “Chain of Custody” concept seriously, developing SAE documentation to support the goal of component authenticity.  Being able to certify your international supply chain is essential in an industry with zero tolerance for failure.

Document Center Inc. provides you with licensed SAE standards in both paper and pdf format on our website, www.document-center.com.  Or contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  We’ve been helping folks like you solve their standards requirements since 1982.

New ARP 6178 released on Fraudulent/Counterfeit Electronic Parts; Tool for Risk Assessment of Distributors

Today we’re going to follow up on our previous blog on AS 5553, “Counterfeit Electronic Parts; Avoidance, Detection, Mitigation, and Disposition.”  SAE has just released a new Aerospace Recommended Practice ARP 6178, “Fraudulent/Counterfeit Electronic Parts; Tool for Risk Assessment of Distributors.”

Dated 12/19/2011, it’s applicable to all organizations that procure electronic components from sources other than the original component manufacturer.  ARP6178 is especially useful for assessing distributors that sell electronic components without contractual authorization from the original component manufacturer.

With the obvious dangers inherent in using counterfeit electronic components, manufacturers need any and all tools at their disposal for identifying and avoiding the use of non-compliant parts.  SAE has been actively working with industry on this topic for a number of years now and these new documents are the result of those efforts.

All current SAE standards, and many obsolete ones, are available from Document Center Inc. via our website, www.document-center.com.  Or consider contacting us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  Our staff can assist you in identifying, purchasing, and maintaining the standards you need to protect your business from the liabilities associated with non-conformance to best practices and current standards.

Top Quality Standards for the Aerospace Industry

Our Top Quality Standard for the Aerospace Industry is the AS-9100,  Quality Management Systems – Requirements for Aviation, Space and Defense Organizations.  It is the successor document to the first Aerospace Quality Standard, the now obsolete AS-9000.  The current Revision C dated in 2009 will replace the previous Revision B in July 2012.

SAE International states that the document “specifies requirements for a quality management system where an organization a) needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide product that meets customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, and b) aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system, including processes for continual improvement of the system and the assurance of conformity to customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.”

The next Quality Standard is the AS-9110, Quality Management Systems – Requirements for Aviation Maintenance Organizations.  This is the standard for certification for Maintenance groups.  Built on the foundation of ISO-9001, the additional aviation maintenance industry requirements, definitions and notes are highlighted in the text of this standard.

And the final certification standard in the series is the AS-9120,  Quality Management Systems – Requirements for Aviation, Space and Defense Distributors.  Again, the document is based on the ISO-9000, with deviations in the text highlighted for use by distributors.

Next on our list is the AS-9101, Quality Management Systems Audit Requirements for Aviation, Space, and Defense Organizations.  This essential standard provides you with the requirements for the actual audit.  It is the guide by which a certification process will be judged.

We should also mention AS-9003 at this point,  Inspection and Test Quality System.  SAE International states, “This document contains the minimum requirements for supplier Inspection and Test Quality System. It is emphasized that the quality system requirements specified in this standard are complementary (not alternative) to the contractual and applicable law and regulatory requirements.”

Another standard in this series is the AS-9006,  Deliverable Aerospace Software Supplement for As9100a.  However, as the AS-9100 Revision A is now obsolete, this document is not useful for new projects.

And the last standard we need to reference in this list is AS-5553, Counterfeit Electronic Parts; Avoidance, Detection, Mitigation, and Disposition.  With the quality concerns that arise from the use of sub-standard component parts, this standard is essential to the manufacture of safe products.

At the time of this post, draft documents are under review for the AS-9110, AS-9003 and AS-5553 Standards.