Rochester helps aerospace manufacturer avoid “grey market” risks with ASIC device replication

2026-03-183 min.

Aerospace and electronics manufacturers can’t afford lengthy disruptions in production. Manufacturers have strict timeframes for delivering products, and if they can’t meet those deadlines, their business is at risk. So when critical parts become obsolete, manufacturers must quickly find a reliable replacement so that they can continue production. Product obsolescence is becoming more pervasive as technology continues advancing, and manufacturers need to ensure continued supply of critical parts reaching the end of their lifecycle.

An aerospace and electronics manufacturer faced possible disruption when it learned that a critical part was being obsoleted. „This part was an application-specific integrated circuit in a current loop scheme that decodes signals – critical for the safe operation of an aircraft“, Rochester Electronics – a globally recognized distributor and one of the largest manufacturers of semiconductor solutions in the world – informed BalkanEngineer.com.

This aircraft is unique because of its speed and flight range for mission versatility, including multi-mission capability for assault, combat support, special ops, transport, search, rescue, medevac and other military operations supported. There were 36 devices needed – two for each of
18 sensors.

The manufacturer turned to Rochester Electronics to replicate the device, confident that Rochester had the knowledge and expertise to reengineer the original IP, tooling, and finished device, providing an exact replica of the original device. The manufacturer supplied Rochester with a source control drawing, an internal document detailing graphs, electronic data and verbiage detailing what the device needs to do, and two coveted “golden samples” – two of the original components from the company’s own inventory.