Delkin Blog

One of the biggest issues that OEMs and engineers face is when a component used in one of their devices is changed without warning, making it incompatible and thus rendering the device unusable. This challenge occurs frequently with flash memory in many commercial and consumer-grade products. For industrial applications, this risk is too much to manage, which is why you’ll find that most industrial-grade flash memory products feature a locked bill of materials, or locked BOM. Locked BOMs ensure that flash memory components will not change without notification so that designers can make the necessary adjustments to ensure that complications do not occur in the field. What exactly is a locked BOM and what are the advantages of having one? Here are the facts you need to know.

Locked BOM Basics

When a flash device has a locked BOM, it means that none of the critical components of the device, including the controller, flash, printed circuit board, lid set, and discrete components, will be changed as long as the device still has the same product number. If any of these components are to be changed, that product number will be discontinued and a new product number will be issued. Anyone currently using the old product number will be given advance notice so that they can place final orders as needed.

At Delkin, locked BOMs also mean that the product in question has undergone our strictly monitored building process. Each part has a Delkin part number, and each raw component is verified against the Delkin number to ensure that it is correct. A barcode is then generated that is unique to Delkin and the ordering company, so that each part of the process can be tightly controlled.

Locked BOM Advantages

For industrial applications, the clear advantage of a locked BOM is the confidence of knowing that devices will not fail in the field unexpectedly because of a component change. Although these kinds of changes are not unduly disruptive for consumer devices, many industrial applications control highly sensitive data, and a failure could be significantly disruptive.

The advance notice of changes is also an important advantage. It is useful not only for preventing failures before they occur, but also for managing the life of a device. Receiving warning of a parts change can help engineers conserve costs and consider the life cycle of their existing storage and when to make changes.

Get answers to your questions about locked BOMs in Delkin’s industrial-grade products by contacting us today. Our team is ready to help you select the right rugged storage solutions for your application.

ORDER DELKIN INDUSTRIAL FLASH STORAGE TODAY through our distribution partner Newark.