Project Overview

An industrial automation equipment maker was facing a critical shortage of the semiconductor ICs at the heart of its control boards. An approaching production window of just eight weeks meant that any gap in supply of microcontrollers and power-management chips could halt assembly of an entire machine series. The customer needed genuine, in-stock components — fast.

The Challenge

• A global allocation shortage affecting mainstream MCUs and analogue ICs.
• An eight-week deadline before scheduled line assembly.
• Zero tolerance for counterfeit or out-of-spec chips in certified equipment.
• Multiple packages and voltage variants spread across several board designs.

Customer Profile

The client designs and builds industrial control and automation equipment for the packaging and material-handling sectors. Its machines run in continuous, round-the-clock production environments, so component reliability and traceability are contractual requirements rather than optional preferences. The company sources several hundred active part numbers a year.

Our Solution

Leveraging our broad network across the semiconductor supply chain, we ran a multi-brand search across ST, Texas Instruments, ONsemi and ADI lines, matching each board's exact part numbers and package options. Every offer passed a strict anti-counterfeit protocol before being quoted.

Where allocation was unavoidable, we proposed qualified cross-references so the design team could keep production moving without redesigning boards. Firm stock was reserved and shipped in scheduled drops to match the customer's build sequence.

Results Delivered

• Line kept fully running — no stoppage during the eight-week window.
• 100% genuine components, verified through our four-step test report.
• Flexible MOQ allowed the customer to buy only the volumes required.
• 18% average saving versus the customer's spot-market alternatives.

The customer has since moved its critical IC categories onto a rolling forecast with us, smoothing future demand peaks.

Beyond this project, the customer now receives regular market briefings on lead-time and allocation trends, helping it plan purchases further ahead and avoid repeat shortages. We also hold agreed safety stock on its top ten part numbers, giving the production team a predictable buffer for future builds.

Why It Worked

In a shortage market, the value of a sourcing partner is measured in certainty: authentic parts, documented testing and dependable delivery. Our multi-brand coverage and rigorous inspection process delivered all three when they mattered most.

Facing an allocation or authenticity challenge? Talk to our sourcing desk for a same-day quotation.