Strategies to the Prediction, Mitigation and Management of Product Obsolescence

8.1 MEMBERS OF THE PROACTIVE OBSOLESCENCE MANAGEMENT BOARD

It is advisable to include project participants from different departments in the proactive management process. For an electronic assembly board, the product manager inherits the most important position. If it exists, the obsolescence management department, which will provide relevant data throughout the product’s life cycle, will also play a central role.

For realistic product pricing of an electronic assembly board, product management and sales should participate. In most cases, both departments together make decisions on future reactive activities and approve the later required budgets. The development department’s participation is essential because of their expert knowledge on technical realization. The purchasing department contributes know-how on parts’ prices, availabilities, and lead times and can evaluate the credibility of a supply’s long-term delivery programs. Supply-chain management issues can either be accounted for by the supply-chain management department or the strategic purchasing department. The service department is an option and depends on the level of aftersales service provided for the product. Under certain circumstances (such as strong customer focus) the customer might also participate in the process.