WARRENDALE, PA -- SAE Aerospace has published new guidelines for prescreening components and conducting on-site assessments of potential suppliers.

ARP6178, "Fraudulent/Counterfeit Electronic Parts; Tool for Risk Assessment of Distributors," is intended to gauge a supplier’s ability to prevent, detect, contain and report suspect, fraudulent or confirmed counterfeit electronic components. The document supplements SAE standards AS5553 and AS6081, the latter of which is publication pending.

ARP6178 provides guidance and an invaluable rating tool that can be used to identify/requalify trusted suppliers. Assessors begin the screening process by conducting a preliminary review of a potential/existing supplier’s counterfeit avoidance preparedness in the form of a pre-visit assessment survey. This ensures time and money is not spent visiting suppliers that are not yet/no longer adequately positioned and/or properly equipped to meet the organization’s expectations. If the supplier does adequately meet the organization’s expectations, the assessor can then schedule a detailed on-site assessment. ARP6178 offers guidance and a detailed set of criteria to be measured and a numeric scoring scheme that can be customized to meet the assessor’s specific needs and expectations. The scale factor ranges from 1-10 (i.e. 1 = the process/requirement is minimally significant; 10= the process/requirement is critical) and an assessment score of 0-3 (e.g. 0=not compliant, 3=fully compliant).

ARP6178 ensures vital assessment criteria is not omitted when screening suppliers and the vetting process is consistent and documented.

This tool and is available for purchase from SAE.