ECIA Global Industry Practices Committee (GIPC) Completes Phase One of Design Registration Initiative

Atlanta – Design registration has been an important process for the electronic component industry for over three decades, serving manufacturers, manufacturer representatives and distributors. ECIA’s Global Industry Practices Committee recently completed Phase 1 of activities to analyze the current state of the process with a goal of improving and modernizing the practice.

“This work group study had great support from ECIA’s Board of Directors and an Executive Steering Committee with representatives from ECIA, ECIA’s three Councils, GEDA and ERA”, said Don Elario, ECIA’s VP of Industry Practices. “In this Phase 1 activity, there were 44 companies that participated in the survey which covered all areas of technology.”

A group of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from 16 companies began work in June of 2020 and swiftly moved to develop survey questions designed to identify the current state of the design registration process in the authorized electronic component supply channel.

“The work group findings on the current state will be essential in guiding us through the next phase, which is the desired-future state,” commented ECIA Manufacturer Council Chair Robert Kirch, VP of Global Distribution Sales for Vishay, “and we are now excited to investigate ways to streamline and modernize this important process.”

The outcome of Phase 1 produced three deliverables:

1. Executive Summary with 14-slides covering key findings, available to the public on the ECIA website.
2. Master Index of Survey Data – a 131-page document broken down into eight categories: Importance & Definition, Process & Management, Issues & Concerns, Forms & Communication, Policies, Metrics, Accountability, Assessment of Effectiveness & Challenges
3. Current State Assessment – a 59-page document with charts, graphs and commentary derived from the master index by 3 sub-groups (Manufacturers, Manufacturer Reps, and Distributors)

The Master Index of Survey Data and the Current State Assessment are available to participants and ECIA members only.

The methodology used ensured the research was not just academic but based on the inputs of those personally engaged with design registration. The summary of the findings of Phase 1 includes:

• Industry opportunities in all 8 categories of this study for modernization and best practice development in Phase 2: Desired – Future State.
• Lack of normalization across industry design registration programs (100s of manufacturers with different d-reg programs) drives complexity and operating costs for manufacturers, manufacturer reps and distributors.
• What products should be included and excluded from design registration is an area that guides behavior, which can be positive or negative.
• Modernization and streamlining the global d-reg process could yield profit margin benefits for manufacturers, manufacturer reps and distributors.
• Dedicated global business migration teams with ‘one’ global system is a current best practice.
• Addressing the above items will be important to bridging industry trust gaps.

In Phase 2, ECIA will adjust the work group of SMEs, create a desired future state document, research trending technologies and look to identify and demonstrate options to modernize the design registration process. For more information, contact Don Elario, ECIA Vice President of Industry Practices.