Third party component sourcing companies, such as Entheo Electronics, can help when a failed EMC test leads to product modifications and an urgent demand for additional components. A low cost modification such as an extra resistor or capacitor may not seem expensive, but for the buyer who finds this item has gone obsolete, or is on a 20 week lead time, the costs are far greater.
Halting production for most companies is not an option. Buyers can easily spend hours calling round for price and delivery information, only to find the part is still unobtainable.
Sourcing companies offer a number of solutions, from locating stock of long lead time or obsolete components, to buffer stocking or even cross referencing. This frees up time for customers and can lead to savings since some sourcing companies have large global spends and a correspondingly increased buying power.