Hi FScot: Mouser admits that it has to shield itself from its data being accessed, particularly in Asia where IP is handled differently than in the West. Several things that should ID a legit source from a FBN:
ECIA logo--the ECIA is a designation for authorized distribution only. You can source through the ECIA site: ECIAonline.org; or look for an ECIA endorsement on a distributor site.
Most legit distributors require registration and password proctection before accessing inventory and link to supplier sites. FBNs usually just list inventory.
Check out past ranking of Top 25 distrbutors on EETimes.com and EDN.com. The rankings identify authorized distributors (but only if they rank in the Top 25.)
Check out the Independent Distributors of Electronics Assoc. (IDEA) site: this is a list of independent distributors that adhere to strict rules regarding the handling of components and good business practices.
Check to see if the supplier lists a distributor as "authorized" on its site. Nearly every supplier I know does this.
It is pretty much clear that the buyers are more careful about purchasing components. The OEM's are careful about this to make sure they will not have last minute problem to build a prototype which is on real critical stage or a product which has already egun production. In anyways this is a good trend that buyers ready to spend extra cents for the guarantee.
One thing that I have seen over the years in Asia is that FBN's will use a name that is very similar to the actual distributors name. Sometimes, there is just a difference of a letter in the name and hence people confuse them with the actual distributors.
I also think only a handful of consumers actually check the suppliers site for official distributors. They usually rely on the word of mouth and local business guarantees.
@syed: That is interesting--hadn't heard that. I doubt I would notice something like that if the name of the compnay was in a foreign language, so it makes a lot of sense.
I would believe there are a lot of buyers out there who want to make sure they are dealing with a legitimet company who can consistently deliver products at reasonable prices. I personally do research on any new site before I buy. I also look at their Google page ranking and check to see when the website was created. Helps to avoid getting scammed.
Barbara, you are right. Now a day’s companies are taking extra steps and cautions, while selecting their preferred partners and suppliers. They don’t mind to spend little bit extra for quality products from reliable sources. At the end of the cycle, the quality and reliability of products purely depends up on its components and workmanship. So for a better durability of the product, they are making filtrations based on certain parameters.
I was shopping for a hard to find DVD set when I found it on a website. The deeper I dug, though, the more suspicious I became that this was probably pirated. This program had never been released on DVD, there were no trademarks, and the site had no affiliation with any provider I had ever heard of. And this was for a $50 purchase. The stakes are a lot higher if you are designing your company's next big thing, so it pays to find a ligit source. I always add sites I like to favorites, so there is reward for vendors that do a good job.
"This program had never been released on DVD, there were no trademarks, and the site had no affiliation with any provider I had ever heard of. And this was for a $50"
Thats hilarious. When the website operators know that what they are selling is a rare commodity, they will get the price tags high. When someone needs material for developing something important for his/her organization and that is not available through legitimate sources, its upto them to decide between a tough choice, either to support piracy through that particular buy or either hamper the development process of a product for the organization. Many of us would choose option A, unfortunately.
Amongst many one important factor that still secures the market for the legitimate sellers is the established standard for after sales service. Many of the illegitimate sellers are good at selling cheap goods and delivering it within no time but often lack the ability of providing support after sales which is essential and which in turn affects their customer loyalty. Many people who intend to buy from legitimate sources know that the premium price they are paying is actually the price of after-sales support. So while ignoring legal issues, many legitimate sellers and distributors are able to win purely on qualitative grounds.
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Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
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Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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