Beyond the upgrade: the dark side of electronic obsolescence.

In a world where technology evolves at breakneck speed, the obsolescence of electronic products, whether voluntary or involuntary, has become a concern for consumers and ecologists alike. Between deliberate practices aimed at driving premature replacement and the natural evolution of technological standards making certain devices obsolete, we find ourselves at a decisive turning point. This article sets out to sort out the threads of voluntary and involuntary obsolescence, and looking for possible solutions in the high-tech product design.

SUMMARY

• Obsolescence: what exactly are we talking about
• Anticipating our fate amidst obsolescence: non-obsolescence by design! 

1/ Design for longevity: adopt a flexible & modular approach 

2/ Deeply work on supply chain management 

3/ Implement lifecycle planning

4/ Prioritize component standardization

5/ Collaboration and partnerships

6/ Regulatory compliance

Obsolescence: what exactly are we talking about? 

When we talk about obsolescence, we are referring to the state of being outdated or no longer useful, particularly in the context of products, technologies, or systems. Obsolescence can manifest in various forms and can affect both physical goods and intangible assets.  

In this article, we're going to focus on our core business: how can we tackle obsolescence as designers of electronic products? 

Involuntary VS programmed 

First of all, it's important to differentiate involuntary obsolescence from programmed obsolescence.

• The first one refers to the fact that most cases of obsolescence are not the result of deliberate intent, but rather of a lack of anticipation and understanding of technological and regulatory developments. Rapid changes in these areas can cause a product to become obsolete well ahead of schedule, creating unforeseen challenges for manufacturers and consumers alike. 
• The second one refers to the practice of designing products with a limited lifespan to encourage repeat purchases. This approach is becoming less tolerated thanks to increasingly stringent regulations. Companies must commit to more sustainable design. 

Obsolescence can result from a lack of information, understanding and/or anticipation of technological change, making its management complex and sometimes unpredictable. Regulatory changes, rapid technological evolution and electronic component supply constraints are all factors contributing to this obsolescence problem.  Obsolescence can affect any product, even those with an expected lifespan of several years. That's why it's crucial to implement agile design and evaluation rules, enabling us to anticipate possible market changes." “Link to the medical agility article” Denis Mercat, sustainable growth manager, supporting sustainability and eco design at Kickmaker.

Anticipating our fate amidst obsolescence: non-obsolescence by design! 

As every problem has its solution, we'll be taking a firmly pragmatic approach as we always did at Kickmaker. Here you'll find some of the solutions we're implementing to fight obsolescence:

1/ Design for longevity: adopt a flexible & modular approach 

Focus on designing products with durable components and modular architectures that allow for easy upgrades and repairs. Quality/ reliability /longevity ! Associations such as HOP - Halte à l'obsolescence programmée ! are fighting for an end to obsolescence and greater reparability. Laetitia Vasseur Florent Curel LONGTIME® Label Elsa Lomont

You may also like to read our article on agility in the industrialization of medical devices and how to design them by smart module to avoid obsolescence here. The medical sector is highly exposed to the problem of involuntary obsolescence: development and use times are very long! Medicen Paris Region MEDICALPS laurent jamet Sébastien WEISBUCH Elodie Prodeo Benjamin Boutot Pierre-Yves Berger must be familiar with these issues!

2/ Deeply work on supply chain management 

Establish robust supply chain management practices to ensure a stable and reliable supply of components throughout the product lifecycle. Develop relationships with multiple suppliers and distributors to mitigate the risk of component shortages or discontinuations. 

For exemple, the year 2021-2022 was hit by an electronic component's crisis, highlighting the fragility of the global supply chain. The sudden shortage of certain essential electronic components paralyzed many industries, forcing companies to rapidly review their production and product development strategies, highlighting the disastrous consequences of unanticipated obsolescence.  

Once-abundant electronic components became rare and precious, leading to uncontrolled speculation and exponential production costs. This crisis has also underlined the importance of documentation and in-depth analysis of products to facilitate their maintenance and future evolution. Some companies work in that field like Dipli Reynold Simonnet TT Electronics plc Julian Jane - CIPS

3/ Implement lifecycle planning

Implement proactive lifecycle management strategies to anticipate and address obsolescence issues at every stage of the product lifecycle. This includes conducting thorough component obsolescence assessments, tracking end-of-life (EOL) notifications from suppliers, and developing contingency plans for component replacements.  

At Kickmaker we are developing several projects with large well-known brands developing new business challenges for them around functional economy. We are helping them to develop and structure a global service and product architecture with a Lifecycle planning of 5 to 15 years. The main business challenge in such economy rely on the best compromise between  total cost of ownership and  initial capital investments. We have developed design methodology to understand the overall business challenges objectives and associated revenue stream (CAPEX, OPEX), this info will drive the overall architecture, partnership identification including an holistic risks matrix analysis

They are also working on that subjects, and in particular for the government. We'd love to hear your feedback ADEME ADEME Investissement Geoffrey Abécassis Pierre Lupoglazoff Thomas COTTINET Gabriel Plassat

4/ Prioritize component standardization

Standardize components and materials where possible to minimize the impact of obsolescence. Prioritize commonly used, industry-standard components with long production lifecycles to reduce the risk of supply disruptions and ensure compatibility with future generations of products.

At Kickmaker with our 6R Manifest,  “Reuse” and “Reduce” are used with different objectives most of the projects we are developing already brings innovations and associated risks, mitigating this risks is also performed by standardizing and reusing as much as we can ready to used products or standards as we reuse the product with associated developments costs and return on experience. Innovating doesn’t required to reinvent everything reusing standards as much as possible reduce the development cost, mitigate the risk, facilitate deployment and ensure repairability and long life-span.  You can also read our article on the 6Rs here.

5/ Collaboration and partnerships

Collaborate closely with suppliers, contract manufacturers, and industry partners to address obsolescence challenges collaboratively. Engage in proactive communication, knowledge sharing, and joint planning to develop effective strategies for obsolescence mitigation and risk management. 

6/ Regulatory compliance

Stay informed about regulatory requirements and compliance standards related to environmental regulations, hazardous substances, and product safety. Ensure that products meet relevant compliance requirements to minimize the risk of regulatory-driven obsolescence and facilitate market access. At Kickmaker, we have talented engineers for that mission Christophe PAYS Olivier D. Samuel Tordeux

We could go on and on about all this, but our article is already very long.

But we'd love to hear from you, your feedback, your comments!

Aurélien Gohier David Martin-Chevalier Vincent Aurez Institut Français de l'Obsolescence Marc Zolghadri Kevin BOISSIE, PhD Imen Ben Brahim Mino Yamamoto Éric Kerboas Stuart Broadbent Robin Brown Leroy Spence 🌕 Cyril Mathieu Julien BLANCHARD IIOM (International Institute of Obsolescence Management) Marie-Astrid Roux Daniel Grundy Alina Birch Nathalie BARAT VANDAMME Pascal Leclert