Is your sourcing data on the right level of quality to be profitable?

This information might have been entered into your PDM system using free text fields during the last decades (or are you working with Excel sheet still?)

You might think: „Well, fine, this is how other companies do as well”, BUT

This is not the level of quality needed to create additional profit from this big set of data, nor to avoid upcoming catastrophes.

How to achieve a common (and profitable) spelling?

Whenever you are unsure about spelling a word, you are consulting a dictionary, right?

Talking about (electronic) components: Let’s use one common dictionary as well, so that the same manufacturer part number (MPN) is always written the same way.

Only in case the MPN’s are written correctly, tools like SiliconExpert or Z2data will be able to provide us their knowledge.

Logical conclusion: Use a professional electronic part database service as dictionary.

Benefit – one out of many… Find parts you are searching for desperately

With the correct spelling of electronic manufacturing part numbers, your job to find urgently needed components in the market will be much easier 😊.  Perform a test, check outWin-Source.net and type in correct and incorrect part numbers. Wouldn’t it be a shame if you miss to find available stock simply because the manufacturing part number is miswritten? Plus, if you have the 100% correct naming, you will be aware if an available, but slightly different number is

–          Just a different reel size (no issue)

–          An even better temperature grade (also fine)

–          Or a completely different housing (not useable!)

More Benefits

Now, that your parts are “spell-checked” by professional part databases, those databases are having crucial information for you, such as:

–          Upcoming obsolescence, time to end of production

–          Alternative parts you can search for in addition if you can’t find the original part

–          ROHS III, REACH, California Prop65, TSCA, … compliance

–          Online stock quantities worldwide – or, as said: Just give Win-Source.net a chance, they have a large variety of parts, plus a good search engine

How to start correcting manufacturer part numbers?

If you consider using SiliconExpert as a service, simply ask for an “initial analysis”. You will find all your MPNs categorized as:

1) All fine. Part number and manufacturer name was found in the SE database exactly as written

2) Maybe a typo? (inside the Manufacturers name or the MPN), did you mean …. instead?

3) No idea what you are talking about here

Do not despair if this analysis looks bad. The number of “direct matches”, means: all your MPNs written correctly might not exceed 10..20%. Even if you turn a blind eye and accept the proposals in case 2), such as:

–          NEC Electronics is Renesas now

–          LM317 T(only ROHS) –> ignoring the addendum, it doesn’t seem to be a part of the MPN

Your success rate might not exceed 40..50%.  I have never seen anything better than 70% till date.

Now we know what’s written incorrectly. How to fix it?

The best course of action is always to fix it at the “source of truth”, means: Directly inside your PDM system. My experience however is that mass changes and PDM systems are somehow “mutually exclusive”.

So, what’s Plan B?

Create 2 correction lists:

List 1: Correcting manufacturer’s names

From: Manufacturer (as found in the PDM system) to: Manufacturer known by SiliconExpert

This could be mergers of different “dialects”, such as: AVX Corp / AVX Corp. / AVX / ….

Or correcting formerly entered names, acquired meanwhile: NEC now being Renesas.

This list alone might fix 75% of all cases. Creating it is straightforward and can be accomplished in a few days applying some tricks. Just ask me for the tricks or let me help you.

List 2:  Individual correction of manufacturers part numbers

This is to fix one specific component: both the manufacturer name and/or the part number

Your system now might look as follows: