Hurricane Isaac Halts Military Conference, But Not Anti-Counterfeit Group, DAG (Distributors Advisory Group)

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) August 28, 2012

What is the number one supply chain problem in our military today? According to Senator Levin, Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, fake electronics are making their way into use by "critical" military systems, including Navy helicopters and the Air Force's newest cargo planes. A year- long investigation conducted by the Committee concluded that more than one million suspected counterfeit parts are present in the Department of Defense's supply chain. "The failure of a single electronic part can leave a soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine vulnerable at the worst possible time," the report says.

The final report, published on May 21, 2012, found that independent distributors supply most problem parts and counterfeiters exploit testing vulnerabilities. Moreover, it concluded that industry reporting to the Department of Defense and criminal authorities was not up to expectations, leaving the system with a lack of realistic solutions. Hearing the Senate’s call for solutions, Mr. Todd Kramer, CEO of Secure Components and Mr. Stanley H. Salot Jr., president of the non-profit ECC Corporation formed the USNC/IECQ Distributors Advisory Group (DAG) in June 2012. DAG brings together representatives from distributors, brokers, test labs and other organizations providing parts to the defense avionics and aerospace sectors.

Under the USNC/IECQ, the DAG has developed and is implementing a set of industry-based international distributor certification requirements for counterfeit mitigation and avoidance. This includes accredited certification bodies, assessors and company certifications. Moreover, DAG is creating international consensus programs designed to:

•     Demonstrate compliance with the Senate Committee’s directives on counterfeit avoidance, detection, and disposition;
•     Provide distributors and their customers the tools necessary to address the $6 billion counterfeit epidemic;
•     Certification processes that eliminate industry fraud.

On Thursday, September 6th at 10:00 a.m. EST., the USNC/IECQ DAG will formally announce the programs and procedures at an invitation-only teleconference. For DAG membership information, or to request an invitation to the teleconference, contact Christina Clark at Christina.Clark@ecccorp.org or call: +1.541.847.0211.
About ECCC
The ECC Corporation (ECCC) provides national and international value-added certified recognition for organizations involved with electronic components and related materials, products and processes through the International Electrotechnical Commission Quality Assessment System. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Quality Assessment System for Electronic Components is the only comprehensive, worldwide approval and certification program that assesses electronic components to quality requirements, and has been operating since 1982.
For more information, visit http://www.ecccorp.org.

Mr. Todd Kramer, Chairman
USNC/IECQ Distributors Advisory Group (DAG)
Office: 610-551-3475 Direct: 484-220-0550
http://www.counterfeitavoidance.org