Beware the risks of buying from untried sources

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Feb 29, 2008

Why take the risk of sourcing electrical and electronic components outside the UK, asks Terry Spriggs, when you can rely on the experience of a trusted UK supplier to shoulder the responsibility?

Why take the risk of sourcing electrical and electronic components outside the UK, asks Terry Spriggs, when you can rely on the experience of a trusted UK supplier to shoulder the responsibility? Ever increasing accountability and increases in safety standards such as EN60335-1 part 2 for electrical devices means that manufacturers can be held liable for potentially dangerous product failures.

This can stretch from an errant spark caused by poor insulation in a terminal block, or microswitch, causing an explosion or electrical shock - through to counterfeit light fittings and poor quality LEDs failing in safety critical signalling applications, the list goes on.

The constant drive for price reductions on individual components and cost base reductions in manufacturing have a place in terms of competing on a global scale.

The downside is that cutting costs without looking at the wider implications of "least cost" components can lead to a company's reputation being destroyed.

This needn't be the case though, competitive prices are available from UK suppliers that offer tried and tested components and provide a guarantee of quality that is worth something.

Buying of electrical and electronic components in the UK has changed drastically in the last ten years, with easy access to bulk Asian and Indian manufacturing economies, the temptation for higher volume purchasers is to source directly.

But the process of searching for suppliers, validating them and testing performance as well as quality is lengthy and expensive in terms of time and administration costs.

One electronics testing company based in the USA recently reported that estimated losses suffered by companies unwittingly purchasing counterfeit components for example were in excess of US $15 billion per annum, highlighting the risks of buying from untried sources.

If the end result is to save a fraction of a penny on an item, then low- to medium-volume purchasers are far better advised to speak to a specialist supplier that can not only provide an appraisal of what is currently on the market, but can also attest to the quality of manufacturers and brands through direct experience and in-house knowledge.

The upshot can often be a better product supplied at a lower overall cost and a quality guarantee that is worth something, because the company that backs it up is based in the UK and can't turn into a faceless monolith based thousands of miles away should there be questions to ask.

Speed of delivery and ease of administration are also crucial factors, by dealing with fewer suppliers the hidden cost of purchases are kept to a minimum and when the product is stocked in the UK with flexible delivery options, the beneficial arguments for heading offshore in person seem all the more remote.

Suppliers such as Hylec-APL provide free impartial advice, quality guarantees and product samples to help ensure the right connection is made every time.