iSuppli: One counterfeit part every 15 seconds

There have been several reports circling about a spike in counterfeit electronic parts lately, but just how many and how it breaks down might be shocking.

Market intelligence firm IHS iSuppli found that more than 12 million parts have been involved in counterfeit incidents worldwide from 2007 through April 2012

IHS researchers found that the total of reported incidents of counterfeited parts amounted to 1,363 last year, which likely accounts for a lot more as each incident has the potential to consist of thousands of separate parts.

Analysts estimated that adds up to roughly 12 million over the last five to six years, breaking down to the report of one counterfeit part every 15 seconds.

But the real danger might lie in counterfeit goods that sprouted in the years leading up to this time frame.

Rory King, director of supply chain product marketing at IHS, explained in the report that the big risk lies in obsolete parts -- especially those found in the defense and aerospace industries.

Slightly more than one out of every two counterfeit parts shipped during the decade from 2001 to 2011 are obsolete. Obsolete parts are where a lot of counterfeit activity is occurring. This underscores the importance of obsolescence management and lifecycle planning. Although obsolescence management is critical, more than one-third of counterfeit incidents are for active components underscoring that this issue is not exclusively a matter of obsolescence management.

In February, IHS reported that the number of reported counterfeit parts had quadrupled globally since 2009. Following these events, IHS researchers warned that new regulations on counterfeit goods from the U.S. Department of Defense could have significant ramifications for the international tech supply chain, among others.

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