Obsolete included
Serial lookups prove nothing
Hold on consequence
Standardise the fleetWhat we supply
- PLC and I/O modules, processors, power supplies, communication and network modules, current and legacy
- HMI panels and industrial PCs, including form-fit replacements for discontinued models
- Variable speed drives and soft starters, with parameter transfer from the failed unit where it can be recovered
- Switchgear, contactors, protection relays and metering
- Field instrumentation, sensors, transmitters and control valve accessories
- Industrial networking, managed switches, media converters, fibre and connectors
- Industrial batteries and UPS for control and telemetry systems
The counterfeit problem, and the checks that are worth running
Obsolete automation parts carry a genuine counterfeit and refurbished-as-new risk, and it concentrates in exactly the high-value, hard-to-find items a plant is most desperate for.
The check most buyers rely on is a serial number lookup on the manufacturer's spare parts portal. It does not validate authenticity. Those portals confirm that a catalogue number exists and is orderable. They do not confirm that the serial on the label in front of you was ever issued. A "the serial checked out" reassurance usually means nothing was actually verified.
What does carry information:
- Provenance. Where did this unit come from, in a chain that can be named. An authorised distributor invoice is the strongest answer. A marketplace listing is the weakest.
- Firmware and date code consistency. A firmware revision that post-dates the stated manufacturing date, or a date code inconsistent with the production run, is a real signal.
- The physical build. Board revision, component layout, connector and moulding quality against a known-genuine reference unit.
- Powered functional test on a bench before it goes anywhere near a running plant.
- A written genuineness condition on the purchase order, so that authenticity is a condition of payment rather than a preference expressed afterwards.
Non-English labelling or packaging on its own does not indicate a counterfeit. Genuine product is manufactured and distributed globally, and a sticker in another language is a routine consequence of that. Judging authenticity on the language of the label produces false alarms and, worse, false confidence when the label happens to look familiar.
Critical spares, planned rather than reacted to
Most plants hold the wrong spares, which is to say the cheap ones. The list worth holding is driven by consequence and lead time, not by unit price:
| Hold on site | Source on demand |
|---|---|
| Long lead time and stops production | Short lead time, or redundant in service |
| Discontinued, with no successor | Current catalogue, multiple sources |
| Single point of failure with no bypass | Manual bypass exists |
| Common across a standardised fleet | One-off, non-repeating |
A standardised fleet is what makes this affordable. One spare covering many machines is the whole argument for resisting the temptation to mix models across a retrofit programme for a small unit price difference.
Where the holding cost is the obstacle, stock can be placed on site under a consignment arrangement so the part is physically present but is not on your books until it is drawn. It suits long lead time items on critical duty, and it is worth asking about rather than assuming the choice is buy or do without.
Questions we get asked
Can you find parts that are completely discontinued?
Usually, through refurbished and surplus channels. What we will also tell you is when the honest answer is that the part should not be chased any further and the system is now overdue for migration. Continuing to buy grey-market processors for a platform with no support path is a decision worth making deliberately rather than by default.
How do you verify a part is genuine?
Provenance first, then firmware and date code consistency, then physical comparison against a known-genuine reference, then a powered functional test. And genuineness is written into the purchase order as a condition of payment. A serial number lookup on a manufacturer's spares portal is not a verification, because those portals confirm the catalogue number exists, not that the serial was issued.
Do you supply parts you did not install?
Yes. Supply is not conditional on having done the original project.
Can you hold stock on site for us?
Yes, under a consignment arrangement where it makes sense. It suits long lead time, high consequence items, and it keeps the part physically available without it sitting on your books until drawn.