Hello,
In the company I am currently working, they mention to us that all parts which are used for manufacturing of our products (components) must have traceability and warranty. They told me that if they buy from regular distributors such as Arrow, Avnet, etc… this traceability and warranty are indeed effective.
What about parts purchased at Digikey ?
I’m sure a Digi-Key employee will correct me if I’m wrong.
My experience using Digi-Key for work is that they can provide the same level of traceability and warranty as any other distributor we’ve used including Allied, Arrow, Avnet, and Future.
Hello ABC,
Thank you for your inquiry. Welcome to the TechForum. Per your inquiry please see paragraphs 15 and 16 of the link below.
The short answer to such a question would be “yes.”
By “regular distributor” one most likely meant “manufacturer authorized distributor.” This can be recognized by membership in the ECIA (electronic components industry association) or international equivalent.
Authorized distributors purchase product direct from the manufacturer only, under contract, to ensure product quality and supply chain integrity. There is also significant care taken to ensure that proper handling procedures are followed.
Component products procured through non-authorized channels such as fleabay, the jungle store, wallyblahblah, etc. are not subject to the same supply chain contracts or handling discipline, and are frequently counterfeit or of substandard quality.
For better or worse, many have gained familiarity/comfort with such channels as a source of consumer goods for personal use, and may not immediately appreciate the need for a higher level of supply chain integrity when procuring product to be used for commercial production.
It’s one thing if those cheap capacitors from BugChips69 causes one’s hobby project to break, quite another if it means that half of everything one’s produced and sold for the last three months is going to fail under warranty.
In my understanding, as long as Digikey is mentionned as Authorized distributor on website of manufacturer, the warranty is working. However, what about other manufacturer who don’t mention Digikey but which Digikey still distribute ?
To be ECIA authorized (which DK is) a distributor must be contractually authorized to resell product from all suppliers listed on their published line card. Whether or not a given supplier’s marketing department chooses to advertise the fact is immaterial.
Hello ABC,
We are an authorized distributor for the products we sell (other than MarketPlace products). Generally the manufacturer list of authorized distributors should have us listed if we carry their products, however more time than not I see these lists not being updated on many manufacturer websites. Since we may be an authorized distributor but their list may not show this, you can always email the manufacturer for clarification as well.
