CONTACT: Jennifer Read
678-393-9990
[email protected]

August 20, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

ECIA’s GIPC Publishes Anti-Counterfeit Guide
Document outlines reasons to use only the authorized component channel. 

Atlanta — ECIA’s Global Industry Practices Committee (GIPC) has released a succinct explanation of the compelling reasons to use only the authorized channel to procure electronic components. With the double threat of a steep rise in bad actors with new tools to sell fake components, combined with more frequent supply chain disruptions, it is an especially critical time to be vigilant.

“These guidelines spell out the specific risks taken when going outside the safety of the authorized channel to buy electronic components,” explained Don Elario, ECIA Vice President of Industry Practices. “We urge customers to seriously consider the consequences that can occur when a counterfeit component infiltrates their BOM: catastrophic failure, brand damage, liability, and so on. Our document contrasts those risks with the assurances that come from the authentic chain of custody from the component manufacturer through the authorized channel.”

“These guidelines are intended to be easily communicated throughout the industry: the GIPC urges ECIA members and others in the channel to spread the word by posting this PDF on their website, by using the diagrams in their own customer materials, and doing all they can to warn and inform their customers and supplier partners about this important issue,” added ECIA Senior Vice President, Victor Meijers. "Product integrity is more important now than ever before as electronics are built into more areas of our lives: medical, defense, IoT, automotive, aerospace. That’s why ECIA members built the www.TrustedParts.com platform.”

The GIPC Guideline, ‘The Risks of Buying Components Outside the Authorized Channel’ can be downloaded at this link.

ECIA thanks the committee members who worked on this initiative:

Brian Giudice – VP Sales Millennium Alliance Group, AEM Group
Anne Taylor – Sr. VP for Global Customer Experience, Vishay 
John Barrington – VP Marketing, Powell Electronics, Inc.

About ECIA

The Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA) is made up of the leading electronic component manufacturers, their independent manufacturer representatives and authorized distributors. ECIA members share a common goal of promoting and improving the business environment for the authorized sale of electronic components. Comprised of a broad array of leaders and professionals representing all phases of the electronics components supply chain, ECIA is where business optimization, product authentication and industry advocacy come together. ECIA members develop industry guidelines and technical standards, as well as generate critical business intelligence. For more information, visit www.ecianow.org or call 678-393-9990.