Obsolescence Management
Obsolescence management is the identification and control of risks created when equipment, components, software, skills, or supplier support are no longer available.
What this term means in maintenance
Obsolescence management is the identification and control of risks created when equipment, components, software, skills, or supplier support are no longer available.
Types of obsolescence
Obsolescence may affect:
- Electronic components
- Control systems
- Software
- Mechanical parts
- Communication protocols
- Vendor support
- Specialist skills
- Documentation
Practical example
A production-line PLC is no longer supported and replacement modules are difficult to source. The plant develops a migration and spare strategy before failure.
Controls
Possible actions include:
- Last-time purchase
- Critical spares
- Approved alternatives
- Redesign
- Upgrade
- Migration
- Documentation recovery
- Skills development
- Replacement planning
Risk assessment
Review asset criticality, failure probability, stock, lead time, alternatives, and recovery time.
Common mistake
Waiting until failure occurs can turn a planned upgrade into an extended emergency shutdown.
Related concepts
Related maintenance terms
Keep exploring connected CMMS, reliability, and maintenance planning terms.
Spare Parts Obsolescence
Spare parts obsolescence occurs when a replacement part is no longer manufactured, supported, compatible, or economically practical to obtain.
Asset Lifecycle Management
Asset lifecycle management is the coordinated management of an asset from need and acquisition through operation, maintenance, improvement, renewal, and disposal.
Critical Spare
A critical spare is a replacement part whose unavailability could cause unacceptable equipment downtime, safety exposure, quality risk, or business interruption.
Glossary FAQs
- What is obsolescence management?
The control of risk from unsupported equipment, components, software, suppliers, documentation, or skills.
- What are common actions?
Last-time purchase, spares, alternatives, redesign, upgrade, migration, and replacement.
- Why should it be planned early?
Waiting for failure can create long emergency downtime and limited options.