Component obsolescence is unavoidable with every device, LCD displays included. Understanding that fact is an important first step in preparing for this inevitability.
Also, in accepting this, you’ll be open and ready for recognizing early the signs of LCD display obsolescence. Waiting until it’s too late can be more costly to you and your customers in the end.
The appropriate play is to plan for obsolescence in advance, and that means taking action in several ways.
Gain Clarity on the Expected Life of Both Your Product and the LCD Display
To start with, you need to know how long your product is planned to be produced. There’s a big difference between 5 years and 10 years. Consumer electronics tend to be 24 months, whereas medical electronics can be 10+ years and military and aerospace electronics can run for 20+. You also need to plan for post-production repair and return support.
Work with your design team and LCD display supplier on the timeline. Together, you can come up with a reasonable estimated life expectancy for your displays. The action is then to integrate the product lifecycle and the at-risk components within the LCD. This would typically include the TFT LCD glass, LCD driver IC, and capacitive touch panel IC.
In the current economy, many resistive touch panel suppliers are exiting the market to focus solely on capacitive touch panel manufacturing. So, if you are designing a product with a resistive touch panel, your supplier would also need to have redundancy plans in place.
Remember to revisit this matter annually to reassess the life of your display, and then update your plan accordingly. And your most impactful course of action is to deal with this upfront at the design stage — when you have the most control.
Determine Accountability of Your Supplier
Consider what responsibility your supplier has in the display obsolescence equation:
- How are end-of-life notices handled?
- Will the product be redesigned with an alternate component?
- If there’s additional customization and tooling required with an alternate component, is the supplier willing to do this customization, and who picks up these costs?
- Are there plans to stock components, and how will that be handled?
Discuss with them how they will deal with your LCD displays before, during, and after they become obsolete.
Additionally, establish measures for the supplier to update you on end-of-life concerns about your displays. You can make them accountable for updates to sync up with your entire supply chain reassessments.
Stay Up to Date on Available Technologies
One more thing: Keep yourself in the loop on display technologies available in the market.
While it’s critical that your LCD display supplier know the market, it’s beneficial for you to stay up to date as well. Be sure you’re aware of whether a new technology, or an update to an existing technology, will be relevant once your displays are obsolete. This information can also be something you request from your supplier, as they’re the experts in the LCD display space.
Planning and Partnership Makes Things Easier
An important point here is making sure to stay informed about the life expectancy of your displays. That’s always an essential part of planning, and display obsolescence is no exception.
Equally important is understanding that you’re not alone in this. Your LCD display supplier is a key partner in the display obsolescence planning process. Make sure to use them to avoid the headache and frustration of being caught with obsolete displays.
Need a new supplier that understands your unique display needs and can help you mitigate display obsolescence? Let us help. Contact us.
