Counterfeit Electronic Parts West Symposium Call for Abstracts

SMTA and CALCE @ University of Maryland are pleased to announce a west coast venue for the Symposium on Avoiding, Detecting, and Preventing Counterfeit Electronic Parts. The first three symposia (held in College Park, MD) were an overwhelming success with participation of part manufacturers, distributors, users, government and law enforcement agencies, legal professionals, authentication technology manufacturers, academic institutions, supply chain and brand protection professionals. We are pleased to offer a west coast venue in 2010.

A counterfeit electronic part is one whose identity (e.g., manufacturer, part number, date code, lot code) has been deliberately misrepresented. Counterfeit electronics have been reported in a wide range of products, including computers, telecommunications equipment, automobiles, avionics and military systems. Counterfeit electronics include everything from very inexpensive capacitors and resistors to costly microprocessors, completed assemblies and even systems.

Going beyond anecdotes and examples of counterfeit parts, this symposium focuses on the solutions that are available and are under development by all sectors of the industry.

Topics will include:

• Electronic parts supply chain

• Sources of counterfeit parts

• Proven methodologies for reducing chances of being victims of counterfeit parts

• Supply chain management tools to mitigate counterfeit part risks

• Inspections tools and techniques for detecting counterfeit parts

• Authentication techniques for securing electronic part supply chain

• Trade and business issues adopted by industry

• Law enforcement and international cooperation

The conference is organized by SMTA in conjunction with Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering (CALCE) at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA. This symposium will be valuable to senior management, supply chain managers, component engineers, brand protection specialists, inspectors, marketing and procurement policy makers, contracts and legal management, security specialists and government agencies addressing the issue. Our focus is to provide relevant information to the professionals that can be used for solving problems today while planning for a different business and technology environment in the future.

Abstracts due: April 9, 2010

Please provide an abstract (within 300 words) on any relevant topics to Dr. Diganta Das via email to diganta@umd.edu no later than April 9th. The final presentations are due May 14th.

For more information about conference participation or registration, contact Melissa Serres.