Fraudulent/Counterfeit Electronic Parts: Avoidance, Detection, Mitigation, and Disposition - Distributors
ALERT: Revision A of AS6081 no longer defines test methods unique to AS6081 and now references AS6171 for the test and inspection methods.
SMT Corp. recommends all companies currently testing to AS6081 test methods transition to the equivalent AS6171 test plan based on AS6171 Moderate Risk Level 2 which SMT Corp. offers at the same price and lead time as the previous AS6081 test methods.
Your questions and answers regarding Revision A are addressed in SMT Corp’s latest paper: AS6081 Rev. A
The following matrix provides a brief overview of how SMT Corp has implemented key elements of the AS6081A standard. SMT Corp is certified to AS6081 by NQA (NQA AS6081). For more information about how SMT Corp. can provide our world class capabilities to improve your company’s counterfeit EEE parts mitigation program, contact us today!
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Key Elements |
SMT Corp Compliance. |
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Related Quality Management System to AS6081 Requirements |
SMT Corp is certified for AS9120 which Is required to become certified for AS6081. |
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Control of Documented Information |
SMT Corp has a secure and redundant file management system, ensuring that information related to your project is maintained for a minimum of 20 years. SMT Corp. is currently executing a Plan of Record (POR) to achieve CMMC 2.0 compliance by Q1 2024. |
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Supplier Approval, Source Selection, and Purchase Order Review/Agreement |
SMT Corp has an audited, risk-based, supplier assessment process that is used to track and rank suppliers based on multiple factors including historic performance, technical and financial risk. Currently we have approximately 200 approved suppliers and over 1,400 restricted suppliers. |
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Verification of Purchased Product |
SMT Corp has invested millions of dollars in equipment and personnel for the specific purpose of EEE parts counterfeit detection. Our track record of superior inspection, testing and reporting is the reason why SMT Corp is recognized as the ‘gold standard’ for the counterfeit mitigation of EEE parts. SMT Corp is frequently called upon by the US Government and others to provide expertise regarding the state of counterfeit EEE parts. |
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Control of Suspect Counterfeit EEE Parts/Assemblies and Product Impoundment |
SMT Corp has designated areas within our facility for the storage and destruction of suspected counterfeit material. Furthermore, SMT Corp has a relationship with authorities, including the Department of Criminal Investigation Services (DCIS) for material confiscation and reporting. |
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Reporting |
SMT Corp is a member of both the Government-Industry Data Exchange Program (GIDEP) and ERAI. Using our high-level inspection and testing procedures for counterfeit detection SMT Corp has a strict policy in place for reporting suspect counterfeit and counterfeit EEE parts. |
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Personnel Training |
SMT Corp has a world-class counterfeit electronics detection training and development program based on SMT Corps years of experience and data related to counterfeit EEE parts detection and mitigation. This process is used to train new technical staff and maintain certifications of existing staff. |
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Test and Inspection Requirements |
Rev A of AS6081 references the test and inspection methods for AS6171. SMT Corp was amongst the first companies to become accredited for AS6171. SMT Corp developed a proprietary report template that incorporates all required and supplemental test data, that outputs into a user-friendly report, generally spanning 30-60 pages of content. A description of our test capabilities can be found here. |
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Contractual Terms |
Our ability to source from reputable & constantly audited independent distributors, or brokers, along with our world class counterfeit EEE parts detection program, results in a significant reduction in risk to your company. Customers do not have financial liability for the products we source for them until they have passed our industry-leading authentication workflow. Furthermore, you will receive a report fully documenting the inspection and testing we have performed, with the evidence we have collected to determine device authentication. |
At SMT Corp., our conviction is that counterfeit EEE parts mitigation starts with counterfeit avoidance by rigorously implementing the requirements of AS6081 when sourcing from the open market – and follows through with best-in-class counterfeit detection testing and inspection accredited to AS6171. SMT Corp implements the entire counterfeit mitigation process from sourcing to authentication to delivery and warranty, completely managing the risk for our customers when sourcing products from the open market is the only, or best, option.
Question: My organization currently requires our independent distributors to authenticate EEE components sourced from open market, or unknown sources, based on the test methods defined in AS6081. Do we need to change our flow-down?
Answer: AS6081A, which supersedes the prior version of AS6081, eliminates AS6081 specific test methods and now specifies the test methods as defined in AS6171. If your organization is flowing down inspection and test requirements as part of AS6081A, the only test and inspection methods referenced by the AS6081 standard are defined in AS6171.
Question: Does that mean that my organization needs to flow down the test methods specified in AS6171 to be compliant?
Answer: If your contract is with the U.S. Department of Defense, the answer is most likely yes. DFARS requires Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) covered contractors to establish and maintain an acceptable counterfeit electronic part detection and avoidance system including inspection and testing of EEE parts. All contractors are responsible for inspection and testing when they obtain parts of questionable provenance; this is what is provided by AS6171.
Question: What is the effective date for AS6081A?
Answer: AS6081A, released in April 2023, supersedes the prior version of AS6081. At the point where the updated standard was released, the old version of AS6081 became obsolete.
Question: Does this mean that the AS6081 standard is being replaced by AS6171?
Answer: No. The AS6081A standard is the correct standard to flow down to independent distributors that are procuring EEE parts from the open market. The change means that the testing methods defined in your AS6081A flow-down are now provided by AS6171. It’s also important to note that you do not have to flow down test methods in AS6081A, for example, if you are contracting with a separate test house to perform your authentication.
Question: The independent distributor, or broker, my organization usesstill performs authentication based on the test methods of the previous version of AS6081. Is this still a valid authentication methodology?
Answer: Any effort made to mitigate counterfeit EEE parts is better than doing nothing. This includes measures such as visual inspection of parts, a robust vetting process for sourcing parts, radiological inspection, functional testing, and many more. While the term valid can imply many things, it is safe to state that performing testing and inspection based on the previous version of AS6081 is a good methodology for counterfeit mitigation but not as robust or up-to-date as the methods in AS6171. There are many enhancements in the AS6171 testing methods to address the increasing complexity of EEE counterfeit parts, and performing testing in accordance with the test methods in the prior version of AS6081 is no longer included in the AS6081A standard. If your organization requires alignment with the standard, which is there to ensure the test methods are reasonably aligned with your organization’s overall risk assessment, then your organization should have a plan that is based on the methods defined in AS6171. Additionally, AS6171 is increasingly being mandated by government and industry organizations so it is only a matter of time before most organizations will have to adopt these test methods.
