Obsolescence Management in the Aviation Industry

The systematic approach to all related activities is referred to as obsolescence management (OM). Its goal is to ensure the long-term operational readiness of a company’s products on the market. A prerequisite for this is the long-term availability of supplied parts and, consequently, the prevention of—or controlled management of—product discontinuations. This is the only way to avoid negative impacts on the product life cycle, particularly with regard to manufacturability, but also regarding the supply of replacement parts for maintenance and repair.

While obsolescence management has already played a role in recent decades—particularly in the aerospace and defense sectors—the risks associated with product discontinuations have not been overlooked in the aviation industry either. In many cases, however, obsolescence management remained a niche activity that was more reactive than proactive.

However, due in particular to the increasing use of electronic components and ever-shorter product lifecycles, obsolescence management has become significantly more important over the past five years. EN 9100:2018 for the aerospace and defense industries also includes, for the first time in Section 8.3.3 f), an explicit requirement to consider obsolescence risks during development. The DIN EN 62402 standard, which bears the same name, provides guidance for the implementation of standardized obsolescence management systems.

The primary benefit of obsolescence management lies in the systematic maintenance of system and component availability and in avoiding sudden emergency measures to mitigate the risk of failure. Obsolescence management enables the early identification of at-risk components, allowing unexpected product discontinuations to be avoided or their impact on operational parts availability to be minimized. In this respect, obsolescence management always serves as an important component of risk management.

Last but not least, obsolescence management allows for more proactive cost planning. Highly developed OM systems not only include planning for the availability and interchangeability of technical components, as well as other risk-reduction measures, but also provide data for operational financial and investment planning, as well as product-related life-cycle costs.

Companies can take proactive or reactive measures to prevent unexpected material discontinuations by suppliers and thus avoid negative impacts on their own products. In reactive obsolescence management, action is taken only once signs of obsolescence have already become apparent. The following measures can be taken in such cases:

• Last-chance purchase of discontinued components,
• Component replacement (via interchangeability),
• Spare Parts Reconditioning,
• Partial replica,
• Change of supplier,
• Product redesign.

As with all reactive measures, companies are often limited in their choice of alternatives because action is usually required on short notice. Reactive obsolescence management is therefore often characterized by second-best solutions, increased costs, and tight deadlines.

Active obsolescence management is therefore more effective, as it counteracts product discontinuations through forward-looking planning. Obsolescence risks are addressed as early as the development phase, as required by the aviation standard EN 9100:2018. To ensure a consistently structured operational approach, a process must be developed to manage obsolescence risks. This process begins with component analyses to conduct a risk assessment based on an inventory, particularly with regard to technology, replacement, and suppliers. On this basis, the following measures, for example, can then be taken:

• Contractual agreements to ensure adequate
• Availability information from manufacturers, suppliers, and customers,
• Inventory management, including, where necessary, stocking the total demand expected in the future,
• Avoiding exotic species,
• Extending the service life of available components
• Early planning / consideration of interchangeability

Effective obsolescence management is not primarily reactive; rather, it proactively anticipates potential product discontinuations through active planning. This paves the way for alternatives in a timely manner. Particularly in the field covered by EN 9100:2018—that is, aerospace and defense—sufficient time must be allowed for the qualification of the affected component itself as well as for its system integration.

In everyday practice, however, it is evident that only a few companies currently have an active obsolescence management system in place. A key reason for this is a lack of expertise regarding process implementation and the integration of obsolescence management into day-to-day operations. Another key factor is the lack of systematically available knowledge regarding components at risk of obsolescence.