Cofactr

DAC 2026 is coming. We'll be at booth 938. If your team is spending engineering hours on sourcing, purchasing, or inventory management for electronics — let's talk. That's exactly what Cofactr is built to fix. 📍 Booth 938 | Design Automation Conference | July 2026 #DAC2025 #procurement #electronicsdesign #hardware

Your ERP says you're good to build. The bin is empty. That gap has a name: system optimism. And it's one of the most common — and most expensive — failure modes in electronics manufacturing. It doesn't happen because your team is careless. It happens because systems only know what humans tell them. One unlogged prototype pull and your inventory data quietly becomes fiction. Ed Dodd breaks down why poor kitting is a handoff quality problem, not a warehouse problem — and what it actually takes to ship a build-ready kit. 🎧️ Listen to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/djQMb-wK 📖 Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/dv5FX6M5

Your warehouse may look ESD-compliant, but auditors look for gaps—not appearances. The most common failure: controls that work at the bench but break down everywhere else. Common issues include inconsistent grounding, incomplete ESD coverage across workflows, incorrect packaging, poor verification practices, and documentation that doesn't match reality. True ESD compliance requires end-to-end process control backed by evidence—not just a workstation that passes inspection. Full breakdown here → https://lnkd.in/g62JmMB9

I’m a supply chain founder. Here are 3 things in the space that AI will NOT replace: 1. Supplier relationship building: A lot of work with suppliers, like getting quotes and determining delivery schedules, WILL be replaced by AI. But the strategic part, the one where you build a relationship with your supplier and make them believe in the future of your business? Only a human can do that. 2. Physical warehousing: Robot arms can move things, but they’re still far less dextrous than humans. Tricky tasks like re-reeling valuable chips should only be handled by homo sapiens for the foreseeable future.   3. All the infrastructure that the AI needs: Humans will always need to operate the organizational rails behind AI systems. They can’t accomplish anything without communications, financial, and physical infrastructure on which to operate! Do you agree? What am I missing?

Managing tens of thousands of orders manually isn't a resourcing problem — it's an impossible one. AI handles the scale. Our experts handle the judgment calls. The result: tighter control, better visibility, and precision that used to take an army. cofactr.com

The Good Parts June Newsletter is live — bringing you curated industry insights, essential reads, and a look at what’s happening at Cofactr each month. Take a look, subscribe, and get straight to the good parts 👇

We published our ITAR compliance guide in 2024, but the landscape has changed. Today, CMMC and FedRAMP are critical for software companies serving defense hardware teams. CMMC enforcement is underway, with third-party audits beginning in November 2026. If customers store CUI in your platform, their compliance requirements can extend to you. At the same time, FedRAMP equivalency standards have become more stringent, while FedRAMP 20x promises a faster, more automated path to authorization. Read the full overview here → https://lnkd.in/gJqaP_sU

🎉Welcome to the team, Ashley Parks, our newest Electronic Component Buyer! Ashley brings extensive experience managing high-volume quote-to-order processes in the Aerospace & Defense industry, where precision, compliance, and attention to detail are critical. Her background includes validating pricing, contracts, and documentation across CRM and ERP systems to ensure every transaction is accurate and execution-ready. That expertise aligns perfectly with what our customers expect: trusted sourcing, rigorous validation, and seamless procurement execution from start to finish. We're excited to have Ashley on board. Please join us in giving her a warm welcome!

People think we’re a competitor of component data providers like Silicon Expert, Accuris, and Z2 Data… But we’re not. Why? Sure, we both have a place you can put a BOM. But those companies are there to give you technical and risk data line lifecycle estimates, alternatives, and compliance docs. Yet when it comes to actually DOING the stuff? That’s where we come in. Cofactr actually does sourcing, purchasing, warehouse operations, and material management for you. We also have data, but theirs is more about compliance. Ours is more about real-time supply chain visibility. Want the best of both worlds? The good news is that we play nice.

Your MSL components are sealed, bagged, and stored correctly. So you're covered... right? Not always. Many teams assume moisture-sensitive components are protected once they're packed in moisture barrier bags with desiccants and humidity indicator cards. But that's where a costly misconception begins. The real risk isn't always obvious moisture exposure, storage failures, or damaged packaging. It's what can happen inside those controls—often without any visible warning signs. And by the time the problem appears during assembly, the damage may already be done. Our latest article explores a commonly overlooked challenge in moisture-sensitive component handling, why standard precautions aren't always enough, and what hardware teams should be watching for. 🔗 Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gz9xwVhv