A Missing Chip Rarely Affects Purchasing Alone
In 2023, more than 328,000 end-of-life notifications for electronic components were registered worldwide. Around one third arrived without a prior product change notification.¹ While components disappear, vehicles, industrial equipment and medical systems continue to operate.
A discontinued microcontroller rarely affects purchasing alone. It can trigger a redesign, require new approvals, limit repairability or put spare-parts supply for an entire assembly at risk.
The chain extends from the component to the circuit board, the control unit and the end product. If a critical chip is permanently unavailable, the circuit board may no longer be manufacturable or repairable. Safe storage does not replace product development or sourcing strategy. It can, however, preserve options when a last-time-buy, end-of-life production or long-term spare-parts supply has to be planned.
¹ Z2Data / Datalynq, end-of-life notifications for electronic components, 2023
Protection Means More Than a Climate-Controlled Shelf
The risks are usually not visible. Humidity can affect solderability. Electrostatic discharge can cause latent defects. Packaging ages. And in control units or assemblies, electrolytic capacitors can lose functionality over time even when the housing remains externally unchanged.
That is why a protection concept means more than a climate-controlled storage location. Depending on the component and the intended storage period, it combines ESD and moisture protection, controlled storage conditions, nitrogen atmosphere, vacuum sealing and documented repacking cycles. For assemblies, powering and functional testing can also be agreed.
Preserving Function, Not Just Condition
Control units illustrate the difference between passive and actively managed storage. A device can look brand-new while individual components inside it no longer retain the required functional reserve.
With a coordinated power-on concept, control units and modules are powered and checked on agreed cycles. Whether and in what form this is useful depends on the assembly, the component technology and the planned storage horizon. The point is not to treat every item in the same way, but to select measures that fit the actual risk.
Value Retention Needs Independent Evidence
When an organisation needs a stored component years later, it needs more than the statement that it was stored professionally. What matters is what can be demonstrated throughout the period: identity, quantity, storage movements, protection cycles, checks and deliveries.
The btv technologies long-term-storage process was validated once by the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology (ISIT). The study assessed SMD components that had been stored at btv technologies since the end of 2000. Even after additional extreme aging, no wetting deficiencies were found in the reflow process.
The study is not a blanket functional promise for every component or application. It is independent evidence for the tested process and test conditions. For individual requirements, btv technologies additionally works with independent test houses that can issue component-specific storage recommendations on request.
A Component's Value Is Not Its Weight
A protection concept does not end with temperature, humidity and documentation. It also has to answer what happens in the event of a loss. Many warehouses are liable under the German General Freight Forwarder Terms and Conditions (ADSp) based on the weight of the goods — often at only a few euros per kilogram and up to a maximum total claim of EUR 35,000 per incident.
That may be sufficient for standard goods. A single box of microcontrollers or power semiconductors, however, can represent inventory worth several hundred thousand euros. Weight-based, capped liability does not protect the economic value of that inventory.
At btv technologies, stored components are insured based on their actual component value, not their weight — from Standard Storage onward. Coverage therefore follows the actual value of stored inventory and covers the full loss amount.
Storage Duration Is Not a Standard Question
A production buffer for the next twelve months needs a different concept from a control unit that must remain repairable for many years. The appropriate storage horizon follows from the product lifecycle, spare-parts or service commitment, demand profile, component technology and assembly criticality.
The right question therefore is not “How much warehouse space do we need?” It is: Which commitment must this inventory still fulfil — and how do we make sure it is actually ready for use when that point comes?
Frequently Asked Questions About Safe Component Storage
The Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology (ISIT) assessed SMD components that had been stored at btv technologies since the end of 2000. Following defined extreme aging, the subsequent reflow test found no wetting deficiencies. The result applies to the tested process, components and test conditions.
