Case Study: How Soberlink Avoided Production Delays

The Challenge: Difficulty Sourcing Alternative Parts

In a recent survey conducted by Foley, 77% of supply chain managers stated that they have not used automation software at their companies. This makes sourcing parts and components incredibly difficult: engineers must spend an average of 5 hours a week researching alternate parts that meet design requirements for a single component. 

Soberlink is an American medical devices company specializing in a mobile breathalyzer product. We spoke with their VP of Engineering, Dan Rhodes, to get a better understanding of some of the day-to-day challenges that he faces. 

When components start going obsolete and require a product design re-spin, Dan would spend a full day researching alternatives for 3 or 4 parts. When extrapolated to a BOM (Bill of Materials) of 100 parts, this could take upwards of 200 hours spent reading datasheets, browsing forums, and making sure the specs meet design requirements.

The Solution: Parametric Part Search

When faced with a last-minute supplier notice pushing the delivery time of a part out by 12 weeks (when he needed the part within 2 weeks), Dan was able to use SiliconExpert’s P5 Part Search to quickly find alternatives within an hour. 

What would have taken a full day to research, Dan was able to easily compare alternative components and find the best fit quickly within his first couple days as a SiliconExpert P5 subscriber. And with proper guidance, onboarding & training from our customer support team, companies can find crosses for hundreds, or even thousands, of parts within minutes.

The Impact: 8X Faster Results, Reduced Risk to Design & Supply Chain