ATLANTA – ECIA’s Global Industry Practices Committee, (GIPC) has published an ECIA Update document based on the five-year review process conducted by SAE’s AS6496 Standard Committee. There have been changes to the standard, which is out for the final vote. The updated version, AS6496A, is expected to be available by the end of the year.

The Society of Aerospace Engineers’ (SAE’s) AS6496 is an anti-counterfeiting measure outlining requirements for mitigating counterfeit products in the authorized supply chain by distributors performing authorized distribution. SAE adopted this standard on Aug. 20, 2014, with the official title of "Fraudulent/Counterfeit Electronic Parts: Avoidance, Detection, Mitigation and Disposition – Authorized/Franchised Distribution."

The standard is used by authorized distributors to reduce the risk of counterfeit components entering the aerospace supply chain, but it is a reliable anti-counterfeiting model for any customer.

The ECIA Update includes a background on the standard, a detailed explanation of what has changed in the updated version, and how customers in any industry can mitigate the risk of counterfeit components entering their manufacturing processes.

"A number of ECIA distributor members have been working on this standard since its inception," remarked Kevin Sink, VP of total quality, TTI. "Anti-counterfeiting measures are deeply embedded in the way authorized distributors do business. The best way to avoid counterfeit components is to buy components from authorized distributors."

Read the ECIA Update here.