Tackling the Big Threat of Counterfeit Parts—with an Ounce of Prevention

March 29, 2007

Annapolis, Maryland—Yesterday’s trickle of counterfeit electronic parts has become a wave that threatens to disrupt DoD supply chains and procurement in costly and unpredictable ways. Alarming reports indicate many look-alikes and reject parts are being discovered in service—either because of failures or reliability issues.

The latest strategies for keeping counterfeits out of the DoD and OEM supply streams will be examined Wednesday, April 18, by industry and military experts at an important DMSMS panel during the 2007 Aging Aircraft Conference in Palm Springs, CA.

Experts will include Walter Tomczykowski, Life Cycle Management Programs Director for ARINC Engineering Services, LLC. ARINC is investigating new detection and avoidance technologies including RFID tags and tamper-evident packaging, as support for the National Data & Integration Test Center of the Defense Sustainment Consortium.

ARINC has also developed an “Electronic DNA Analysis” method to discriminate between real and counterfeit electronic parts in seconds, using X-ray fluorescence measurements. This potential breakthrough is an outgrowth of ARINC’s solder verification programs available to industry and DoD depot managers.

“Our research on counterfeit screening and mitigation actually draws on lessons from the pharmaceutical industry and its urgent need to block counterfeits,” stated Tomczykowski. “There are strong parallels between the two situations—and lives at stake in both.”

Several other ARINC DMSMS experts will be supporting the 4-day curriculum at Aging Aircraft 2007. Charles Marshall, ARINC DMSMS Program Manager, will give a 6-hour course in DMSMS essentials Monday, April 16.

On Thursday, April 19, Marshall will give two 30-minute presentations, "Is it the Required Item-of-Supply?" and "The DLA Form 339." Also on Thursday, ARINC Process and Manufacturing Engineering Programs Director Paul Berry will present a paper, “Destructive Teardown Inspection of the T-37B Wing,” which includes key discussions on corrosion and aircraft structural integrity related issues.

The tri-service sponsored Aging Aircraft Conference is the recognized premier conference on leading-edge technology and research in the critical area of aging aircraft in the military and commercial aerospace industry. The annual conference draws top researchers from throughout the world in the widely varied field of aging aircraft issues, and attracts an ever-growing attendance in excess of 1000. For more information, visit the Aging Aircraft web site.

ARINC Incorporated is the world leader in transportation communications and systems engineering. The company develops and operates communications and information processing systems and provides systems engineering and integration solutions to five key industries: airports, aviation, defense, government, and surface transportation. Founded to provide reliable and efficient radio communications for the airlines, ARINC is headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, and operates key regional offices in London and Singapore, with over 3,200 employees worldwide. ARINC is ISO 9001:2000 certified.

Release: 07-82

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