How Lifetime Extension Keeps Your Products Moving: Overcoming End-of-Life Challenges in Electronics

What exactly does "lifetime extension" mean, and why is it important for modern companies?

Mateusz Osada: Lifetime extension is ideal when customers need a solution that minimizes risk while delivering quick, tangible results. It works best in situations where they want to validate concepts before committing to a full-scale rollout, or when flexibility and cost-efficiency are priorities. It’s also a good fit for organizations seeking iterative improvements, faster time-to-market, and the ability to scale later without heavy upfront investment.

How does lifetime extension affect business continuity?

Mateusz Osada: It enables the continued sale of products that have been on the market for years, even when their components are no longer available due to discontinued production. With our experienced team, we conduct a thorough analysis of the project and propose changes that allow production to continue. This extends the product’s lifecycle and improves return on investment from its design (R&D costs) and industrialization (tools, testers). For any manufacturing company, maintaining supply chain continuity is essential - we don’t want a repeat of the pandemic-era disruptions. Many companies then faced serious challenges in keeping production going. At Etteplan, we take a comprehensive approach to component replacement, mindful of past supply chain interruptions. It was a difficult time for businesses and customers alike.

As part of lifetime extension projects, we create dual sourcing strategies whenever possible.

Mateusz Osada: We develop an Approved Vendor List (AVL), offering 2–3 direct replacements (1:1) for each part number (PN). This approach increases flexibility and ensures production continuity. We continuously monitor market changes and select the best components available.

Although lifetime extension may seem complex, it’s also an opportunity to improve many aspects - especially quality.

Mateusz Osada: If a product struggles with issues such as quality or component availability, lifetime extension is a great chance to resolve them. Our team has extensive testing experience, and our lab enables precise product analysis. We identify what’s malfunctioning and fix the errors. Our engineers work across various industries, including industrial, automotive, and medical. Their expertise allows us to effectively solve problems. We use methods like Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and techniques such as Ishikawa and 5 Whys to understand and address issues at their source. 

Component replacement also allows for quality improvements, new functionalities, and regulatory updates.

Mateusz Osada: Lifetime extension helps meet new or updated regulations, which is crucial in today’s fast-changing world. Replacing components enables product compliance, helping companies avoid penalties and meet cybersecurity standards, for example. At Etteplan, our team is well-versed in legal updates affecting electronic devices across many industries. This allows us to identify key areas and implement the right solutions.

What was the most challenging project your team faced?

Mateusz Osada: Clients often come to us in crisis situations, unable to resolve technical issues with their products - usually with the risk of halted production. Two examples stand out. In the first case, a client from a demanding industry needed a redesign that typically takes 2–3 years. They had only 9 months to rework a complex device due to a missing key component. We succeeded, and the client was surprised it worked. They had even prepared a backup plan to limit one of the product’s functions in case of failure. In the second case, we dealt with an outdated electronic system requiring replacement of several FPGAs. We had to update 20-year-old modules without changing the firmware layer and while maintaining the original pin layout. It was a massive challenge and finished with success.

Interested to learn more? Listen to our joint webinar with our partner Scanfil Group.