We all pay for services in everyday life. Just the other day, I paid $2.99 per minute for a service call to a leading computer company's technical help desk to troubleshoot a computer problem (that was never resolved). Granted, that was a pittance, relatively speaking. But the fact remains that I was willing to pay for a service, not a product, in an attempt to fix a problem.

Many OEMs that use distribution already pay for product-fulfillment services such as just-in-time delivery, in-plant stores and traditional value-added services. So why balk at paying for at-your-fingertips access to component data that could speed design cycles and save money?

In many cases, the new online services that bundle design and supply chain information give the user access to a plethora of component data that can help identify, for instance, which parts are in short supply or are hard to find. You can also retrieve information on availability, lead time, book price, life cycle and breadth of use, which gives an indication of whether the components will be available in the future. This type of information, said one engineering manager, makes project teams more productive by eliminating the time spent waiting for return phone calls. It ensures that the bill of materials (BOM) consists of valid and readily available components, he said. This should be good news for engineers.

A key concern: Do these offerings cover the majority of your BOM, considering that each distributor's offering is based on parts in its line cards? And should this be a factor in your choice of services?

I'd like to know what the engineering community thinks about the new services, and how (or whether) they will help your company save money and time throughout the entire design cycle, to production manufacturing. I can be reached at gmroos@aol.com.