ERAI to host executive conference in Orlando

Electronics industry group ERAI, Inc. will host its annual Executive Conference April 18-19 at Orlando’s Rosen Centre Hotel. The event brings together professionals from across the electronics supply chain to address detection, avoidance and elimination of counterfeit electronic parts.

The two-day conference will include lectures, panel discussions and interactive workshops led by subject matter experts from industry and government, with a special focus on what to do in light of the government’s new requirements for detecting and eliminating counterfeit parts in the defense supply chain.

Last year, the federal government signed a new law, Section 818 of the National Defense Authorization Act, that imposes new responsibilities on the Department of Defense and all of its suppliers to detect, avoid and eliminate counterfeit parts in the defense supply chain. ERAI will host independent and franchised distributors, purchasing and manufacturing organizations, original equipment manufacturers, contract manufacturers, aerospace integrators, test and inspection laboratories, certification bodies and auditors, and government and enforcement agencies—all in an effort to better understand and prepare for the new requirements and continue the fight against counterfeit electronic parts.

ERAI points to the NDAA and other recent actions as evidence of a turning point in the counterfeit fight this year. Following the passage of the NDAA early in2012, the Defense Logistics Agency announced in October that it would require DNA marking of certain electronic parts in an effort to safeguard its supply chain. In November, standards-setting body SAE International released its anticipated aerospace standard AS6081, for which training is ongoing nationwide. In January of this year, SAE published the first revision to its AS553 standard, which aims to broaden acceptance and applicability of the standard worldwide. SAE is also expected to release another standard later this year, SAE AS6171, which standardizes practices to detect suspect counterfeit electronic parts, maximize the use of authentic parts and ensure consistency across the supply chain for test techniques and requirements, according to ERAI.

“Collectively, these efforts alone should serve as evidence the global supply chain is making progress,” ERAI said in a statement announcing the April conference, “and this trend that points toward improvement shall serve as the basis for this year's ERAI conference theme: ‘Gaining Momentum - Supply Chain Advancements in the Fight Against Counterfeits.’ While much has been accomplished, much remains to be done.”