ARROW NEWS

Simplifying Power Supply Complexity

Steve Sessions, Power Supplies marketing manager at Arrow Electronics, looks at how the company is adapting to address the changing process of specifying and buying power supplies.



In the past the power supply was often treated as if it was an afterthought in the design process. The focus of attention rested on what were considered the more ‘challenging’ parts of the system, the thinking being, perhaps, that it is straightforward to add a suitable power source at a late stage. However, the increasing complexity of systems – often matched by greater power supply sophistication – has moved the specification of the power source higher up the agenda.

This change has combined with a number of other trends, all of which have an impact on the job of the electronics buyer. The focus on supply chain management and vendor reduction now often links with the need for international transferability of production. And the increasing criticality of the power supply as a system component simply focuses attention even more keenly on its purchase.

For those Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) buying small volumes of power supplies, the distribution channel has been their only available source. Medium to larger volume OEMs may have gone direct to power supply manufacturers but, apart from at the very high end of run rates, the response they received is likely to have been decidedly mixed. Those who are able to deal directly with the power supply makers may find the business terms imposed – such as minimum order levels, payment periods and delivery lead times – take the shine off the satisfaction of a direct relationship.

The alternative, buying through distribution, has, in the past, tended to offer polarised options: at one end of the scale, broad based suppliers with purchasing strength and stock but very limited (if any) technical support; at the other end, niche specialist distributors with experienced design-in support but limited size. Neither end of this scale was ideally suited to meet the converging demands of the industry outlined above. As a consequence of this, the distribution channel is being compelled to adapt in order to meet these new requirements.

Arrow is now bringing the two ends of the spectrum together, developing new value added services and honing processes to deliver a ‘best of both worlds’ combination. Technical sales and application specialists have been put in place to address the specific needs of power supply purchasers, while a wide range of franchises and relatively high free stock levels in commodity products such as industry standard DC/DC converters, non-isolated Point-of-Load converters and low-medium power AC/DC units mean that many requirements can be satisfied off the shelf. Arrow can also address these applications where a non-standard solution is required.

Arrow’s services include PCB, sheet metal and cable assembly design and implementation, installation of products such as fans, heatsinks, LEDs, switches and relays, product testing and documentation, project management, and technical support. Modular power supply configuration services provide users with a fully outsourced solution to rapidly building application-specific solutions with a wide variety of power ratings, input voltages, output options and on-board functionality. The customisation and configuration services are performed by Arrow design engineers at an ESD-controlled, ISO9002-certified facility that is safety certified by UL, VDE, CSA and TUV.

Arrow, therefore, is in a position to rapidly deliver a wide range of standard or customised power supplies, configured as required, at a competitive price. But, of course, there are more criteria than these on which to make buying decisions nowadays and this is where Arrow can add further value through advanced supply chain solutions and electronic services not to mention financial strength and stability.

And, lastly, almost all manufacturers can now find themselves playing on a global stage. By combining a global footprint with focussed regional support, Arrow can address customers power supply request on a worldwide basis.