A Safe Bet: Standard Linear and Logic Semiconductors from Texas Instruments
Stellar Services + Support + Switches = Texas Instruments
By Purchasing Staff -- Purchasing, 9/2/2004 2:00:00 AM
More Than You Bargained For
Download a PDF version of this story.
Purchasing Standard Linear and Logic components from Texas Instruments gets you more than just the parts. In this case, the sum of those parts is more than mere electronics. You get an array of service and support to back them up.
Once TI has committed to a product family, it stays committed. The company has a unique approach to obsolescence--the buzzword that can cause nightmares in the purchasing community. Hearing that a part is about to be obsolete just as a customer is ramping production is costly because the design might need to be changed, or a launch could even be delayed while the design is reworked. That’s not much a worry when the Standard Linear and Logic parts come from TI.
The company has not obsoleted a product family in decades--dating back to the TTL logic line first introduced in 1964. And while the occasional device has gone by the wayside, in recent years product obsolescence is rare. “We didn’t obsolete a single product in 2003,” says Jan H. Pape, marketing director for Worldwide Standard Linear & Logic at TI.
And there are no plans to announce a Standard Linear or Logic part obsolescence in 2004. TI says as long as a customer using its device, it will fabricate them. TI has perhaps the largest fab of its kind, so the capacity to ramp production is there. “If there’s demand for a device and the customer tells us about it, we will not obsolete it--that’s really a commitment we have,” Pape says. “You know you can rely on TI when you ramp up, go into production, and ten years later.”
It’s not that product obsolescence won’t occur--but TI does try to cushion that blow. On those occasions where the company has seen zero demand for a component, it will eliminate it from its product roster. But when the company decides to retire a device, it offers a generous lead-time to customers. A full 18 months after the announcement, TI works to make sure a customer won’t suffer because of this decision. “We believe we have one of the most generous obsolescence policies,” Pape adds.
What’s in a Name?
Another service TI provides helps make sure you get what you’re ordering. TI has created a naming system for itsswitch devices--ensuring that component names illustrate what they do. “We decided to make it easier to identify what a designer is ordering,” says Pape. TI lays out the product specifications. For example, in the switch device namedTS5V330RGYR:
-
TS stands for TI analog or specialty switch
-
5 is the maximum Vcc voltage
-
V identifies the devices as a video switch
-
330 is the function number
-
RGY -- these three letters are the device package
designator; in this case it identifies an advanced, TI-exclusive QFN package ideal for space-constrained applications -
R indicates tape and reel bulk packaging.
TI offers a broad range of switches to meet an array of needs. TI specialty switches provide application specific solutions for video and LAN systems. TI’s analog switches are designed to pass or isolate analog signals and support analog applications such as audio and video data transmission. TI’s digital switches (also referred to asbus switches) are designed to quickly turn ON/OFF the connection to a high-speed digital line or bus. TI bus switches feature sub-nanosecond propagation delays, low On-Resistance, low Input/Output Capacitance, and bandwidths up to 500MHz.
And TI is committed to this marketplace. “We have the capacity, competitive price, we never obsolete a product family and we give the purchaser comfort knowing we’ll be around,” Pape stresses. And the company can meet a variety of purchasing methods. “You can set up any kind of purchasing set up to order parts--from the simplest one of faxing a purchase order to the most advanced EDI system with a direct customer or contract manufacturer or distributor.”
-By Heidi Elliott
Heidi Elliott is a freelance editor based in Massachusetts. She has more than 10 years experience covering management, distribution, supply chain and financial issues in the electronics industry; plus experience as a reporter for daily newspapers in the New England region. Heidi holds a BS in magazine journalism from Boston University and an MBA from Simmons College.
Now Playing: 