The most sustainable component is the one that already exists—how avoiding obsolescence combines sustainability and cost efficiency

Around 900 components reach end-of-life status worldwide every day, one in three without warning. The presentation shows how early protection of the configuration chain can prevent redesigns, reduce e-waste and cut costs. A real customer case – 86,500 protected control units, zero field failures over 15 years and €700,000 in avoided redesign costs – demonstrates the impact of combining obsolescence and configuration management. It compares redesign, last-time buy and end-of-life production in terms of cost, time and risk, providing practical criteria for choosing the right strategy.