Issue link: https://resources.pcb.cadence.com/i/1545418
The Data-Driven Decision Problem Engineers will often default to the lowest-priced or most familiar option when supply chain information is not visible at the point of selection. When price is the most prominent attribute and lifecycle status, lead time, and counterfeit risk are absent or require additional steps to find, the part that looks cheapest in the moment is often the one that costs the most later. Surfacing supply chain data at the point of selection changes the decision. A part with a 54-week lead time looks very different from a part with a 24-week lead time when both attributes are visible alongside price. A part listed as obsolete is not selected when that status is displayed in the standard search view. The library governs the quality of part decisions by controlling what information is visible when those decisions are made. Integrated Access to Distributor Data Minimize the time designers spend searching distributor and manufacturer websites by integrating real-time distributor data directly into the design environment. A single search across multiple distributors, performed without leaving the CAD tool, allows designers to quickly compare component information, verify availability, and confirm that price, quantity on hand, and lead time align with project requirements. Note: Centralizing parametric, supply chain, and purchasing data in a single environment means designers spend less time switching between tools and more time making informed decisions earlier in the design cycle. 9. Integrate Supply Chain Resilience Into Part Assessment Reviewing parametric information alone is not enough to ensure that a component can be procured when the design reaches production. Supply chain information from trusted, authoritative sources needs to be analyzed throughout part selection, not only during library creation or NPI review. Section 8 described what good part selection looks like from a workflow perspective. This section covers the specific supply chain factors that need to be assessed for each component, and what each one means in practice. These are the fields that should be visible at part selection and verified at NPI, not discovered at BOM submission. The following supply chain factors should be assessed as part of every part selection decision, not as a separate post-se- lection step: Part Status and Lifecycle Part status and lifecycle risk should be analyzed before committing a component to a design. If the component is listed as Active, there should be minimal purchasing issues in the near term, though lifecycle risk still needs to be assessed for longer- horizon products. A new part should be selected if the component is listed as: f Obsolete: No longer manufactured. Remaining supply is finite and diminishing. f Not Recommended for New Designs (NRND): The manufacturer is signaling intent to discontinue. New designs should use an alternative. f Last Time Buy (LTB): A final purchase window exists. Missing this window means the part is unavailable from the original manufacturer. Selecting a component that is NRND or LTB may result in premature design revision before the product reaches the end of its intended service life. 13 www.cadence.com Managing Your Component Library for Supply Chain Resilience