Sourcengine's Commitment to Quality Reassures Professional Buyers

In 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security published a report called “Combating Trafficking in Counterfeit and Pirated Goods.” One of its findings is that the proliferation of e-commerce platforms has facilitated a massive increase in the trafficking of fraudulent products. The agency indicated the movement of millions of parcels between countries every day has made combating the practice more difficult.

However, the DHS determined that enhanced inspections of imported materials is an effective mitigation measure.

Following the report's publication, some leading e-commerce companies have stepped up their monitoring and verification processes to address the issue. However, other online marketplaces are struggling to develop protocols that can effectively address the problem.

Sourcengine stands apart from those providers because of its best-in-class quality assurance. From the very beginning, this has been one of its foundational principles. It thoroughly vets its vendors, maintains robust supply chain visibility, and performs intensive inspection as a matter of due diligence.

The company believes in its methodology enough to provide a 3-year warranty on every component sold on its platform.

How Sourcengine’s QA Process Helps Procurement Specialists

For procurement department managers, the critical task of avoiding counterfeit electronic components has become more challenging in recent months.

The industry is grappling with a global chip shortage that is expected to persist into 2022. Unfortunately, there are those who view part scarcities as opportunities to introduce more fraudulent products into the worldwide supply chain. Because of the scope of the current crisis, the risk of unintentionally participating in the $75 billion a year semiconductor black market is extraordinarily high.

However, professional buyers for OEMs and EMS providers can better navigate the sector's challenges using Sourcengine. The global e-commerce platform can help procurement specialists acquire legitimate components because it has a world-class sourcing process.

Quality Suppliers, Quality Components

Sourcengine knows that the best way to avoid counterfeit parts is by working with trustworthy vendors.

For this reason, it thoroughly vets each supplier it works with before its offers go live on the platform. The company also utilizes a rigorous rating system to track the performance of its sellers on its platform. Its global network of agents meticulously log each supplier's product quality, timeliness, and order volume in real-time. That enables it to ensure only high-grade and traceable parts enter and exit its network.

The firm maintains exacting standards for suppliers so that every purchasing manager using its e-commerce marketplace can have peace of mind.

The Importance of Close D/C Monitoring

Sourcengine also protects its platform's integrity by mandating date code (D/C) details as an attribute for every product listing.

The marketplace largely hosts components with D/C within two years of being listed. The firm’s preauthorized sellers want to get their offerings to customers as soon as possible. However, in the rare instance where a part listing falls outside that window, a company representative will contact the buyer to confirm the order.

The company takes a proactive approach to D/C management because it promotes greater visibility in the electronic component ecosystem. Sourcengine knows that close monitoring and verification across the supply chain is essential to counterfeit part risk mitigation.

Meticulous Inspection Process

Finally, Sourcengine’s distribution partner, Sourceability, uses a three-tier, 74-step inspection process on all components that move through its network.

In recent years, counterfeiters have become increasingly sophisticated at making fraudulent merchandise appear legitimate. Sourceability employs highly trained teams outfitted with cutting-edge equipment to conduct its product reviews to counteract the black market's new methods.

Its inspectors have the experience and resources necessary to identify nearly imperceptible flaws in an electronic part.

The company’s evaluation methodology includes a multistep visual inspection with a high-powered tool that provides 1000x magnification. Teams look for any sign of product resurfacing or marker impermanence during an inspection. They use precision measurement, heated chemical, x-ray, steam aging, decapsulation, dip and look solderability, and drying oven testing equipment to assess component legitimacy.

The firm’s team members also adhere to IDEA‌-1010B and other strict quality standards when evaluating merchandise.

Sourcengine works with a provider that employs a painstaking inspection process because less rigorous methods would not get the job done. Only comprehensive scrutiny can detect today’s sophisticated counterfeit parts.

Buy with Peace of Mind

In the current landscape, procurement specialists must work harder than ever to ensure their firms' production lines keep running. By using an e-commerce marketplace like Sourcengine, professional buyers can make their jobs a lot easier.

Knowing the lengths to which Sourcengine goes in validating its sellers, inspecting components, and listing vital data buyers need to make purchasing decisions, supply chain professionals using the platform can rest easy as they purchase large carts to keep production lines moving.

As buyers do the work of procurement, know that Sourcengine is doing the work of quality assurance. Buy with confidence, today, on the e-commerce marketplace that's at the forefront of digitalizing the electronic components supply chain.