New FAA-Certified Repair Station Keeps COTS Obsolescence Out of the Air

LIVERMORE, Calif. - April 30, 2013 - PRLog -- GDCA, Inc., the leader in proactive commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) legacy management, announces certification of their FAA Repair station for the repair of the Viper809BXA-01 Circuit Card Assembly.

The Viper809 was discontinued in 2009 by the original manufacturer; however, there was still active need for this time-tested and mature product. With an EOL in the works, the customer was facing all the challenges of out-of-warranty repair and obsolescence- possibly an entire redesign.

“Many customers can’t just decide to take on the costs of pulling an airplane down because of an ‘obsolete’ computer board -- that’s why we started working on this FAA repair station,” commented Steve Roldan, Director of Sales and Accounts at GDCA.

Issues around sustainment aren’t new for the aviation industry. The B-52 has been in the air since 1952, and the F-35 has recently faced concerns regarding its ongoing sustainment costs. Ongoing obsolescence management to support aging products brings additional risks and costs for sustaining engineering teams. As products age, original manufacturers are finding themselves in a difficult position with legacy customers. But facing EOL time and again is challenging for customers who know their systems will last longer than the average lifecycles of their component parts.

With over 25 years of innovative proactive legacy product management and more than 3,000 so-called “obsolete” COTS products still being manufactured and supported, GDCA is no stranger to the legacy game.

“Mature technology is time tested, customers have been using it and they know what it will do for them. To be told they’re looking at the costs of a redesign or recertification when budgets are already tight is the last thing they want to hear,” points out Ethan Plotkin, GDCA’s CEO. “Between our partnerships with major equipment manufacturers and the Viper809 FAA repair station, we can help keep critical legacy programs in the air.”

About GDCA, Inc.

GDCA is the industry pioneer in the emerging field of product legacy management. Collaborating across the embedded supply chain, GDCA has developed the tools and systems to turn the costs and hardships of obsolescence management into an easily manageable business activity.

With operational headquarters in the Silicon Valley, GDCA has global partners across the Americas, Europe and Asia. GDCA manufactures and supports over 3,000 COTS and custom embedded boards and systems. To learn more about GDCA’s Proactive Legacy Management (PLM+) Solutions, please visit http://www.gdca.com