Rockwell Collins has become the first company to achieve Counterfeit Avoidance Accreditation Program (CAAP) accreditation for its supply-chain management procedures. The accreditation, which was earned as the result of an extensive auditing process, recognizes steps taken to detect and prevent counterfeit electrical, electronic, and electro-mechanical devices and components within the supply chain. The audit process is based on the AC7401 CAAP Audit Criteria for accreditation to the AS5553 industry standard for avoidance, detection, mitigation and disposition of counterfeit electrical, electronic, and electromechanical (EEE) parts.
CAAP was created in 2015 and is administered by the not-for-profit Performance Review Institute (PRI). It enlists technical experts from both industry and government for ensuring compliance to standards associated with identifying and eliminating the possibility of counterfeit parts in a production line.
Counterfeit electronic components typically appear in the supply chains for high-volume parts, but can affect manufacturing systems in all markets—including for military systems (see photo). Eliminating counterfeit products from the production line has become increasingly difficult in recent years, although by establishing effective counterfeit-identifying techniques and systems, Rockwell Collins has taken positive steps to eliminate or at least minimize the problem of counterfeit electronic components.
