Industry Professionals Report that the Chip Shortage Could Lead to Counterfeits

The pandemic placed a heavy emphasis on the capabilities for organizations to shift to remote operations, and if you were one of the many companies to seek additional equipment and hardware to make this happen, you might have noticed a lack of product out there. The global chip shortage has made it difficult for companies to procure new equipment, but there is another darker side to this story, particularly in regards to issues in the supply chain.

The COVID-19 pandemic increased demand for remote technology, triggering a massive shortage in the global semiconductor market that is still lingering to this day. Countless companies and organizations rushed to nab their technology solutions to keep their operations moving despite the pandemic, and the market simply could not keep up with the demand. This led to significant impacts on manufacturers of electronics.

According to Gartner, this shortage could likely last well into 2022, forcing businesses to reconsider where they are getting their technology from. The alternative is suffering an operational deficiency, which is something that not a lot of organizations want to deal with. Some industry professionals worry that this shortage of parts could open up the possibility of scammers manufacturing and selling (or even reselling) fraudulent components.

ZDNet reports that fraudsters will likely take advantage of this opportunity to produce counterfeit products that are close to the real thing, but no dice. According to ZDNet, this has happened in the past, like with the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan, triggering a shortage of capacitors for medical devices, a shortage that fraudsters took advantage of by producing counterfeit products.

These counterfeit products are sure to cause some problems for the industry. In most cases, the semiconductors themselves might appear to be legitimate, or they may include components that have been stripped of branding and repackaged for resale. The issue here is that these fraudulent components have gotten around the comprehensive quality control processes that large manufacturers have in place. Without these procedures guaranteeing quality, you cannot be confident that these fraudulent products are viable long-term.

Now, imagine what could happen if a business or manufacturer were to procure these counterfeit products and integrate them into the supply chain. These components then become active in the industry in the same way that tested, quality-controlled products would, potentially resulting in devastating consequences. If these components fail, it could cause trouble for countless businesses that are unknowingly using them.

In terms of procuring equipment for your organization, you can rely on Horne & Benik to find the best deals for the best components. We only work with trusted vendors to make sure that you get the most value out of your technology, and if we trust them, you can know with confidence that they are legitimate.

If you want to find out more about what we can do to help you procure the best technology for your business, reach out to us at (603) 499-4400.