Discontinued Chinese components: last-time buying
Get a written discontinuation notice identifying affected parts and final order and delivery dates. Approve replacements against your existing specification, then size any last-time purchase around the transition and service demand, allowing for unusable stock. Cambridge China Bridge can coordinate factory checks through its own staff in China.
Agree advance notice before a part disappears
Ask the supplier to agree a written notification process covering finished products, critical components and upstream suppliers. Set the notice period around the time your business needs to assess a replacement, run trials and change production. Name the buyer contact who receives notices and require acknowledgement. Include changes that leave the product name unchanged but remove an approved component.
Request affected part codes and revisions, the reason for withdrawal, the final order deadline, final production and shipment dates, and whether accepted orders remain covered. Separate a proposed deadline from confirmed capacity. Record remaining stock, tooling availability and replacement proposals. For broader dependency mapping, use the supply-chain risk guide.
Turn the notice into a controlled decision
Create a discontinuation record linking the notice to affected purchase orders, assemblies, customers and service stock. Assign procurement to confirm availability, engineering to assess alternatives, quality to define checks, and finance to approve the stock commitment. Give each decision an owner and deadline. Ask the supplier to confirm which dates remain negotiable.
Choose between qualifying a replacement, redesigning, moving supply or retiring the product. Keep the old specification active until the buyer releases a replacement. If another factory is needed, follow the second-supplier qualification guide rather than treating its quotation as approval.
Approve the replacement before shipment
Ask for a comparison showing changes in dimensions, materials, performance, interfaces, software compatibility and repairability, as relevant. Test the replacement in the actual assembly and intended use. Define who approves the sample, trial results and revised specification. The substitution approval guide covers the detailed change review. For rechargeable products, see our guide to approving runtime and charging-time claims.
Manufacturers and importers placing products on the UK market need to demonstrate compliance with relevant safety requirements. Ask your compliance owner whether existing evidence covers the changed configuration and what further assessment is needed. Do not assume an old report covers a substitute. Record the approved revision and the batch where it enters production.
Calculate a last-time buy from usable demand
Start with demand until the replacement can be released, then add justified service and repair needs and an allowance for rejects. Deduct usable stock and confirmed incoming orders. Compare a prompt replacement with a delayed approval and declining demand. Check whether shelf life, storage conditions or deterioration make part of the proposed purchase unusable before it is needed.
Compare the final buy with redesign, alternative supply and product retirement. Include cash tied up, storage, inspection, transport and likely write-offs. Ask finance and the service owner to approve the assumptions. An attractive unit price does not justify stock that cannot be used, sold or fitted.
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Secure the final batch and close the transition
Before committing, obtain written confirmation of the approved revision, reserved quantity, production slot, delivery schedule and whether the order can be changed or cancelled. Agree inspection before shipment, batch identification and how shortages or defects will be handled after the line closes. Check whether the stock is newly made or older inventory and request its production and storage history.
Keep old and replacement stock distinguishable, record which customer or assembly receives each version, and retain approved samples and change records. Use the batch traceability guide for the recording method. Confirm arrangements for remaining tooling, spare parts and technical files before closing the discontinuation record.
Frequently asked questions
How much discontinuation notice should I ask for?
Set it around replacement assessment, trials, customer approval and replenishment. Agree the process before ordering and ask it to cover upstream component withdrawals as well as finished products.
Can the supplier send a replacement without approval?
Make written buyer approval a condition of your order. Require the proposed changes, sample evidence and revised specification before releasing the replacement for shipment.
How do I calculate a last-time buy?
Combine transition demand, justified service needs and a reject allowance, then deduct usable stock and confirmed incoming orders. Check storage life and compare the cash commitment with replacement or retirement.
What if the final ordering deadline is too close?
Ask for an extension or a bounded stock reservation while assessment continues. Confirm the commitment terms in writing. Escalate any unapproved replacement or stock gamble to the buyer responsible for accepting that risk.