The rapid growth of the information and automation industries has spurred dramatic changes in the parts that make up electronic products and systems. In particular, changes are continuously being made to increase performance, reduce feature size and power, and of course reduce costs while meeting environmental and other legal regulations. 

All changes introduce uncertainty and this uncertainty can affect the operation of the supply chain, as well as the final results. The more frequent changes are made, the more complex the operations of the supply chain become and the more attention is required to assess the changes. 

This presentation will discuss some of the key issues with changes and how advanced supply chain methods are being used to address the changes. Issues concerning obsolescence, the use of application specific parts, counterfeit parts, qualification, reliability and operational availability will also be presented.