Beyond Date Codes

Understand the Future of Component Traceability with Our Latest Whitepaper

We are pleased to have partnered with Rochester Electronics to launch the white paper: 

Beyond Date Codes: The Importance of Traceability in Semiconductor Reliability and Supply Chain Resilience.

The semiconductor industry drives advancements across critical sectors such as aerospace, medical devices, automotive, and industrial automation. But despite semiconductors' transformative impact, the industry's logistics pose significant challenges, particularly in maintaining the continuity and reliability of supply chains. Traditional methods, notably the "two-year date code," have increasingly failed to meet the modern demands for traceability and quality assurance.

Over the last five years, global supply chain pressures, "just-in-time" manufacturing, and supply issues seen during the COVID-19 pandemic have further underscored the limitations of current practices. This period led to a pivotal rethinking of traceability standards as industries found themselves relying on older semiconductor components, challenging the rigid enforcement of date codes without compromising component quality.

This whitepaper delves into the evolving landscape of semiconductor traceability, examining the shift in standards and practices that promise enhanced supply chain resilience. It highlights how Rochester Electronics is at the forefront of these changes, ensuring component quality, authenticity, and reliability.

Whitepaper highlights:

• The Evolution of Traceability Standards: Understand how past practices shape current expectations and the shift towards more robust traceability mechanisms.
• Debunking Myths: Challenge the outdated two-year date code standard and learn about the empirical evidence supporting extended storage reliability.
• Modern Traceability Techniques: Explore cutting-edge methods like 3D barcoding, RFID tagging, and IoT tracking systems that enhance component traceability and supply chain resilience.
• Impact of Traceability on Industry Sectors: Gain insights into how improved traceability affects sectors like aerospace, medical devices, automotive, and industrial controls.
• Rochester Electronics' Vision and Practices: Learn from a leader in traceability about best practices in component storage, certification, and maintaining compliance with industry standards.

Download the whitepaper below to stay up to date on this critical topic. 

Whitepaper Foreword

The semiconductor industry has long been at the forefront of the world’s greatest technological innovations. Fields as diverse as aerospace, medical devices, automotive, and industrial automation have all been profoundly impacted by advances in semiconductor technology. But, while the semiconductors themselves have been impactful, industry logistics have been a notable challenge.

These fields, often demanding component lifecycles extending 25 years or more, depend heavily on supply chain continuity and reliability. At the highest level, reliability lies in tracing a component's origins and ensuring integrity throughout its lifecycle. However, reliance on traditional metrics like the "two-year date code" has proven increasingly insufficient in addressing the traceability and quality demands of modern supply chains.

Today, the pressures of globalized supply chains and “just-in-time” manufacturing exacerbate challenges associated with date codes. A two-year date code, when enforced rigidly, can lead to unnecessary obsolescence, reduced inventory flexibility, and increased costs for both component suppliers and end users. The semiconductor shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the fragility of these practices. During this period, many industries disregarded the two-year standard and utilized older components without reporting quality issues. This experience has since prompted the industry to reevaluate and modernize traceability practices in light of current technological capabilities.

This whitepaper explores the topic of component traceability in the context of the evolving semiconductor landscape. It examines the history and evolution of traceability standards, debunks the myths surrounding date codes, and provides insights into the power of traceability in unlocking supply chain resilience. Finally, it discusses how Rochester Electronics, with its decades of experience as an authorized distributor and traceability leader, is helping the industry embrace these changes while ensuring quality, authenticity, and long-term reliability.

You can learn more about component traceability by diving into our related article series.