In the ever-evolving field of power electronics, sourcing the right components is crucial to the success of any project, whether it be in renewable energy systems, electric vehicles, industrial automation or consumer electronics. Ensuring components meet the required specifications, quality standards and cost constraints can significantly impact the performance, reliability and overall value of the final product.

In a challenging market it can be difficult as a manufacturer to have the right components, in the right quantities at the right time. It can be even more challenging as a buyer to find the desired components. Importing products quickly is harder than ever, with few deliveries arriving on time. Availability is often patchy, with long lead times and rising costs, against all this, GD Rectifiers is stepping up.

In this article, we explore the strategies required to add value to component sourcing in power electronics, focusing on the key considerations that procurement specialists and engineers should prioritise.

Adding value to component sourcing

Understanding Application Requirements

The first step in adding value to component sourcing is to thoroughly consider and understand the application requirements, this involves:

• Performance specifications – identifying the electrical, thermal and mechanical specifications that components must meet.
• Environmental conditions – consider the operating environment, such as temperature extremes, humidity and exposure to contaminants.
• Regulatory compliance – ensuring components comply with relevant industry standards and certifications such as RoHS, REACH and UL.

Clearing defining these requirements will allow procurement teams to narrow down the component choices to those that are most suitable, enhancing the reliability and performance of the final product.

Supplier Evaluation and Selection

Selecting the right suppliers is paramount to ensuring a consistent supply of high-quality components. Key factor to consider include:

• Supplier reputation –assessing the supplier’s track record in the industry, including their history of quality control, reliability and customer service.
• Quality assurance – ensuring suppliers have robust quality management systems in place, such as the ISO 9002 certification.
• Technical support – evaluating the level of technical support and expertise offered by the supplier, which can be crucial in resolving any issues that arise during design and production.

Cost Benefit Analysis

Cost is often one of the most significant factors to consider in component sourcing, and it’s important to remember that the cheapest option is not always the best. A comprehensive cost-benefit analysis should consider:

• Total cost of ownership (TCO): including not just the initial purchase price, but also the costs associated with installation, maintenance ad potential downtime.
• Long-term reliability: more reliable components may have higher upfront costs but can result in lower lifecycle costs due to reduced failures and maintenance needs.
• Energy efficiency: components with higher efficiency can contribute to lower operational costs and are increasingly important in applications focused on energy savings and sustainability.

Balancing cost with performance and reliability ensures that the components chosen provide the best value over the product’s lifespan.

Innovation and Technological Advancements

Staying up to date with technological advancements in power electronic components can provide significant competitive advantages. This includes:

• Research and Development (R&D): collaborating with suppliers who invest in R&D can provide access to cutting-edge technologies and innovations.
• Emerging technologies: Keeping an eye on emerging technologies, such as wide-bandgap semiconductors (e.g. SiC and GaN), which offer superior performance in terms of efficiency and thermal management compared to traditional silicon-based components.

Integrating the latest technologies can improve the performance and efficiency of power electronic systems, enhancing their market and competitiveness.

Inventory Management and Logistics

Efficient inventory management and logistics are critical to maintaining a steady supply of components and avoiding production delays. Strategies to mitigate this include:

• Just in Time (JIT) inventory: reducing inventory costs by receiving components as they are needed in the production process.
• Supplier Managed Inventory (SMI): allowing suppliers to manage inventory levels based on real-time demand data, ensuring components are available when needed.
• Buffer stock: maintaining a buffer stock of critical components to mitigate the impact of supply chain disruptions.

Effective inventory management minimises carrying costs and ensures production schedules are not interrupted by component shortages. GD Rectifiers offers flexible ordering solutions such as call-off and scheduled orders, where customers can secure the best possible price for components and only call them off when required, mitigating component shortages.

Sustainability and Ethical Sourcing

In today’s market, sustainability and ethical sourcing are increasingly important.

• Sustainable materials: sourcing components made from environmentally friendly materials and processes.
• Ethical practices: ensuring suppliers adhere to ethical labour practices and environmental regulations.
• Circular economy: considering the end-of-life disposal and recyclability of components, which can enhance the sustainability profile of the final product.

Prioritising sustainability and ethics in component sourcing can enhance a company’s reputation and meet the growing demand for environmentally responsible products.

How GD Rectifiers adds value

GD Rectifiers’ Managing Director, Paul Bentley explains, “Our role as a distributor is no longer purely about what components and enclosures we supply and the price we supply them for; it’s the added-value and services we provide along the way. If the past five years has taught us anything, it’s that service matters now more than it ever did before.”

In challenging times for component sourcing, the best supplier is not one that only supplies, it’s one that steps up and makes the experience more easily manageable. Those suppliers will face problems head on and not avoid your calls, they’ll bring ideas and offer solutions to make the sourcing process easier. They will offer a range of services not previously considered, or an alternative part to cover a short ship, all to improve the customer experience and to minimise disruption to your supply.

Paul continued: “Adding value comes with experience and long-lasting partnerships, we have open and honest conversations with customers to explore their manufacturing challenges, capabilities and work out solutions to their problems. Our focus is on making the procurement process easier, and we can often offer contract manufacturing services to help ease the workload or production strain in-house. Unlike larger distributors and manufacturers, we drill down to the source of the component sourcing problem and offer a bespoke solution to suit each customer.

We also help customers with more process driven problems as well as the product driven ones. For example, a customer might want to hold extra stock but not have the warehouse space, business model or budget to do it. At GD Rectifiers, we offer numerous flexible purchasing solutions including call-off and scheduled orders to ease financial pressure and storage constraints.

Our ability to scale and adapt to customers individually gives us an advantage. It enables us to be nimble, flexible with customers and adapt to their needs in a way that larger suppliers typically can’t. Through all this our communication with customers is key, we are only able to offer value-added services through knowing what value to add to make the biggest difference to customers.”

Adding value to component sourcing in power electronics is a multifaceted endeavour that requires a deep understanding of application requirements, meticulous supplier evaluation, a balanced cost-benefit analysis, and a commitment to innovation, efficient logistics and sustainability. By focusing on these areas, procurement teams and engineers can ensure that they select the best components for their applications, ultimately leading to superior performance, reliability and value in their final products.

Learn more about component sourcing on our website. If you’re looking for a distributor that can provide added value, stocks the latest components from industry-leading manufacturers like IXYS, please contact our sales team on 01444 243 452 or email [email protected].