EOL is the distinction given to parts that will no longer be produced by the supplier or manufacturer in the near future. A supplier may make this decision for a number of reasons—the part may be obsolete, a newer version may be able to replace it, or the part may not be profitable enough to justify manufacturing.

When the supplier makes the decision to discontinue production, it gives buyers a set window of time to make final orders before the part is no longer available. This timeframe is often between 30 and 180 days, but is up to the supplier’s discretion. The supplier also decides at this time whether the part going EOL also means support for the part will no longer be available.

Suppliers and manufacturers notify all current and past buyers of EOL parts with an EOL announcement. The EOL announcement will let you know which part number has been affected and how long you have to repurchase (typically between 30 and 180 days) before the part is no longer available.

An EOL part can be catastrophic for manufacturers, particularly if they are in industries like medicine or military where a change in parts will require a requalification of the entire system. Qualification processes present a second challenge in that the qualification timeline is often much longer than the final purchase window for the EOL part.

Even in simpler cases, an EOL part almost always requires a product redesign, which may have trickle-down effects that impact manufacturing processes, tooling costs, and/or enclosure changes. One option to mitigate these challenges is to make a large final purchase of the part while it is still available, but this choice requires significant upfront costs and stocking costs that are often not feasible for the buyer.

Master Electronics extends your use of the EOL part, lengthening your timeframe for finding a long-term solution by up to five years. There are two primary ways we make this happen.

The first option is for Master Electronics to act as an intermediary to find out if the supplier can avoid EOL completely. This can happen if the EOL status is a result of the MOQ being too high to justify the cost of manufacturing runs. In this case, Master Electronics may be able to make larger purchases that make the parts profitable, offering you continued access to the original part.

If there is no way to avoid the EOL move, Master Electronics can save you from upfront costs and stocking fees by purchasing up to five years’ worth of the EOL part. During this time, we will work with you on the design, testing, and regulatory approval processes involved in finding a long-term replacement part. This gives you breathing room while you find a solution, and it ensures a seamless transition from the old part to the new one. In the event that finding a replacement proves to be challenging, Master Electronics will work with you to come up with a custom solution.