Buying From Independents Carries Problems and Risks

Last week I had a prime tell us they preferred to buy a part through an independent rather than directly from Mouser, an authorized distributor.

I’ve been told this is for the convenience of the prime. They want to keep their suppler base low and they don’t have an account with Mouser. So they add an extra link to the chain by having the independent buy it from us and then the independent turns around and brokers it to the prime.

Does this mean AS5553A clause 4.1.3 b ”Specify a preference to procure directly from OCMs or authorized suppliers…” lacks teeth? Is it time to have a clause in AS5553 that says “Procure parts from OCMs and Authorized Suppliers when parts are still available from these sources.”?

What customers need to remember is that authorized distributors will not guarantee traceability though a non-authorized distributor. We also will not transfer warranty or support failure analysis though a non-authorized distributor. Many distribution agreements with manufacturers prohibit the sale of their products to non-authorized distributors.

If the parts are available in authorized distribution, they should be purchased within authorized distribution.