The Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA) released a formal industry position paper titled “The Authorized Channel: Why It Matters Now More Than Ever,” calling on the industry to reaffirm their commitment to sourcing and selling electronic components through manufacturer-authorized channels.
The paper addresses the risks posed by gray market and independent broker sourcing, including counterfeit components, improperly stored or handled product and parts of unknown provenance that may fail in safety-critical applications. ECIA’s position makes it clear that participation in these markets is incompatible with the association’s mission and the standards its members have agreed to uphold. 
“ECIA exists to advance a supply chain that customers can trust absolutely. That means the component industry must hold themselves to the highest standards — sourcing from authorized distributors and refusing to participate in gray market or broker channels that put product integrity at risk. In an industry where a single failed component can have life-safety consequences, there is no acceptable compromise on this point. We are issuing this position paper to reinforce that commitment and to make clear where ECIA stands," said David Loftus, president and CEO, ECIA.
The position paper is available to all. ECIA encourages member companies to share the paper broadly with customers, suppliers and partners as a statement of the association’s collective standards.
