Our Authors & Sponsors
Get to know the creative authors and inspiring sponsors who make our work possible and help bring our vision to life with passion and purpose.
Bjoern Bartels
AMSYS, a Z2Data Company
Bjoern Bartels is Managing Director of AMSYS specializing in advanced obsolescence management software & process solutions. He co-developed standards such as IEC 62402 & VDMA 24903 (smartPCN) and supports industries worldwide with proactive, data-driven supply chain risk management strategies. As a COGD member & IIOM Endorsed Trainer, he advances professional training & beyond expert publications also co-authored “Strategies to the Prediction, Mitigation, and Management of Product Obsolescence.
Christoph Horlebein
Horlebein Consulting
Christoph Horlebein, CEO & Founder of Horlebein Consulting, helps high-tech leaders turn risk into resilience. Former Brainlab R&D project lead (FDA/CE approval) and Fortune 100 strategist securing a $1B portfolio. Builds human-centered, data-driven strategies by aligning people, process & tech. C-level advisor, investor, author and speaker with global experience from India to Europe. Leader of the 12 Steps framework—driving digital transformation, sustainable implementation, and strategic foresight.
Darren Topley
CMCA(UK)
Darren Topley, Managing Director of CMCA(UK), is a seasoned expert in Integrated Logistic Support and Obsolescence Management with over three decades of military and industry experience. A former Royal Air Force officer, he developed OM strategies for major programs like Eurofighter Typhoon and later advised global clients including the UK MoD, US DoD, and Raytheon. As Managing Director, Darren continues to guide organizations worldwide in strategic lifecycle and obsolescence planning.
John Wombwell
CNX Technology
John Wombwell, founder of CNX Technology and Innovation Group, has over 25 years of experience in Component Engineering and Obsolescence Management. A Royal Air Force veteran, his career spans work with radar, missile, and communication systems across defense, medical, and rail industries worldwide. Now focused on advancing proactive obsolescence management, John shares his expertise through CNX as initiator of the 12 Steps framework and the International Institute of Obsolescence Management.
Kelsey Brown
Z2Data
Kelsey Brown is the Compliance Advisor at Z2Data, specializing in REACH, RoHS, PFAS, and ESG-related regulations. With a background in biology, biochemistry, and materials chemistry, she leads compliance strategies and risk analyses for global clients in the electronics industry. Kelsey also contributes to education through articles and webinars, combining scientific expertise with outreach and creativity as a local artist and science advocate in Arkansas.
Martin Riedel
Martin Riedel Consulting
Martin Riedel, MD of Martin Riedel Consulting, is an Executive Advisor & Global Account Management leader with 25+ years of international experience in consultative sales, business transformation, and relationship strategy. Formerly at Schneider Electric, he scaled partnerships across industries, driving a 15x sales increase. Combining engineering & business expertise, Martin helps organizations turn customer relationships into strategic, long-term collaborations built on trust & shared value.
Nathan Eldridge
Elekta
Nathan has 17+ years in through-life support engineering, specializing in aging & obsolescence management for components, products, and major assets. He has developed and implemented strategies across aerospace, transport, energy, and medical sectors, creating standards, policies, and training, and integrated management systems. He has also managed supplier capability assessments and lifecycle planning from concept to end-of-life. Former IIOM UK council member; supported UK MoD JOMWG and CAWG.
Oliver Hoffmann
Z2Data
Oliver Hoffmann, General Manager at Z2Data, is a leading expert in data-driven decision-making & obsolescence mgmt., with over a decade of experience advising 1,000+ companies worldwide. After expanding SiliconExpert’s presence across three continents, he joined Z2Data to redefine component intelligence & supply chain insight. A long-standing COGD member & Board Treasurer, Oliver drives innovation in AI, sustainability, and data transparency across global manufacturing & compliance ecosystems.
Simran Gajra
Horlebein Consulting
Simran Gajra, Director of Marketing & Operations at Horlebein Consulting, drives operational excellence to advance product risk management solutions. Starting her entrepreneurial journey at 13 managing her family business in India, she built deep expertise in business development and operations. After moving to Italy to earn a Master’s in Marketing & Entrepreneurship, Simran leverages a global perspective and data-driven strategy to accelerate growth and implement impactful projects for clients.
AMSYS
AMSYS GmbH, founded in 2013 & part of Z2Data since 2025, delivers advanced obsolescence and Life Cycle Management (LCM) solutions. Its flagship, the LCM Client software, automates individual processes, provides enhanced case management compliant with IEC 62402, integrating best-in-class proactive risk analysis and compliance reporting. AMSYS also offers collaboration portals, expert communities, IIOM endorsed trainings, audits, and tailored process design — ensuring resilience and transparency.
CMCA(UK)
CMCA(UK), established in 1997, delivers strategic and tactical obsolescence management services and IIOM-certified training. Solutions include BOM cleansing, proactive component tracking via COMPASSWeb, mitigation analysis, and tailored strategies to reduce risk and improve operations. CMCA supports long-term system availability across diverse technologies, offering bespoke courses and innovative approaches for cost avoidance, lifecycle resilience, and enhanced supply chain reliability.
CNX Technology
CNX Technology & Innovation Group (CNXTIG) provides comprehensive obsolescence management & counterfeit avoidance solutions. Services include component engineering, BOM & database monitoring, compliance audits, and procurement support. CNX offers IIOM-aligned training courses on obsolescence and counterfeit detection, plus bespoke consulting to optimize management plans. With proactive monitoring and tailored strategies, CNX ensures product viability, risk mitigation, and supply chain integrity.
COGD
COGD e.V. (Component Obsolescence Group Deutschland) is a German association focused on mitigating component obsolescence risks across industries like aerospace, defense, rail, energy, and automation. It provides members with resources, IIOM-aligned recommendations, expert forums, and quarterly meetings to foster proactive lifecycle management. COGD enables networking, knowledge sharing, and practical solutions to ensure system reliability, minimize disruptions, and maintain competitiveness.
Horlebein Consulting
Horlebein Consulting is a strategy consulting firm specialized in AI-powered product risk management & supply chain digitization. The firm bridges people & culture, process & management, and data & technology to build resilient strategies. Tailored solutions help high-tech companies manage lifecycles—ensuring delivery, integrity, and compliance while mitigating obsolescence, geopolitical, ESG, and supply chain risks. Integrating strategy with change management, the firm cuts costs by up to 85%.
Martin Riedel Consulting
Martin Riedel Consulting drives strategic customer relationships, global account management, and B2B sales growth. Services include defining customer groups, fostering collaboration, simplifying complexity, and creating quantified value propositions. Acting as advisor, coach, or interim manager, the firm ensures efficiency, authenticity, and sustainable growth through tailored strategies, transparent offers, cross-selling opportunities, and pragmatic execution.
Z2Data
Z2Data is a leading supply chain risk management platform that helps organizations identify risks, build operational resilience, and improve profitability. Powered by a proprietary database of 1B+ components, 1M+ suppliers, and 200K manufacturing sites, Z2Data delivers real-time, multi-tier visibility into obsolescence, ESG and trade compliance, geopolitics, and supplier health. It does this by combining human expertise with AI to provide trusted insights that teams can act on with confidence.
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Most companies in high-tech industries face the same pain points: standards are complex, guidance is scattered, and every department speaks a different language when it comes to risk and mitigation. The result? Costly redesigns, supply disruptions, compliance gaps, and teams stuck in reactive firefighting.
This knowledge base initiative was brought to life to change exactly that. It distills product risk management into 12 clear steps — each mapped to international standards, explained with practical examples, and supported by real cases from industry. The aim is not theory, but application: a unified framework with one language that engineers, procurement, quality, finance, and leadership all can apply and understand.
Our long-term goal is to make this the reference point for obsolescence, product lifecycle, ESG & compliance, and supply chain risk knowledge — a resource that helps MedTech, aerospace, automotive, defense, and industrial firms protect revenue, improve compliance, and keep products reaching customers.
Standards and regulations (What you must comply with)
Data, practical tools and case studies (What helps you make decisions)
Execution: Company processes and culture (How you actually work)
Product Risk Management (PRM) is about anticipating and controlling risks that threaten a product’s availability, compliance, or cost-effectiveness across its lifecycle. These risks can come from many sources: discontinued components, supplier instability, geopolitical and tariff tensions, new regulations, rare minerals or mismatched lifecycles between final products and its embedded parts.
The challenge is that most organizations address these risks reactively — often too late, leading to redesign projects, production stoppages, or expensive last-minute sourcing. The 12 Steps framework was developed to counter this by breaking PRM into structured, manageable actions. Each step links directly to international standards and is supported with tools and business cases, making risk management practical rather than theoretical.
12 Steps to Product Risk Management
INDEX
01.
Proactively identifying components, technologies, and their lifecycle risks is the foundation of resilient product design. This step outlines how to build a master component database, assess obsolescence, supply chain vulnerabilities, compliance, and ESG factors—ensuring early risk visibility and strategic mitigation.
Author: Nathan Eldridge (Head of Service Data & Information, Elekta)
02.
Monitoring & Early Warning Systems
TBD
Author: Andrew Heath (Digital Solutions Global Lead, Sourceability)
03.
Strong supplier relationships are the backbone of resilient product strategies. This step shows how trust, transparency, and structured collaboration can prevent obsolescence surprises, enable early warnings, and foster co-creation. Learn how the Triple Fit Framework turns partnerships into strategic assets for continuity and innovation.
Author: Martin Riedel (MD Martin Riedel Consulting) | Co-Author: Christoph Horlebein (CEO Horlebein Consulting)
04.
This step introduces a structured, data-driven approach to assess product risks across lifecycle, supply chain, compliance, and ESG dimensions. Learn how to evaluate likelihood and impact, build risk profiles, and justify resilience investments—transforming risk management from reactive firefighting into a strategic business advantage.
Author: Bjoern Bartels (MD AMSYS, a Z2Data company)
05.
Regulatory shifts like RoHS, REACH, PFAS bans, and conflict minerals laws drive obsolescence and supply risk. This step outlines how to integrate compliance into design, procurement, and supplier management—avoiding costly redesigns, ensuring market access, and building resilience in a fast-changing legal landscape.
Author: Kelsey Brown (Compliance Advisor, Z2Data)
06.
Last Time Buys & Stockpiling
LTBs can prevent redesigns and ensure continuity—but they come with hidden costs. This step explores how to calculate LTB quantities, weigh redesign vs. stockpiling, and apply models like Porter Refresh and MOCA. Learn how to store, monitor, and preserve LTB inventory to avoid degradation, waste, and compliance risks.
Author: John Wombwell (MD, CNX Technology and Innovation Group)
07.
Predictive Maintenance / System Sustainment / System Management
TBD
Author: Andrew Heath (Digital Solutions Global Lead, Sourceability)
08.
Design for Resilience
This step embeds risk intelligence plus mindset into the design phase to create products that withstand lifecycle shifts, supply chain volatility, and regulatory evolution. Learn how to integrate foresight into engineering decisions—covering component lifecycle, sourcing flexibility, compliance, ESG alignment, and modularity—so your products remain viable, adaptable, and available.
Author: Oliver Hoffmann (Treasurer, COGD | General Manager, Z2Data)
09.
Documentation and Knowledge Management
Robust documentation and knowledge management preserve organizational memory, enabling consistent tracking, reporting, and mitigation of product risks. Maintaining lifecycle and risk data, alternatives, and communication
channels ensures continuity across personnel changes.
Author: TBD (TBD)
10.
Communication & Reporting
Clear communication and transparent reporting are the backbone of effective product risk management. This step shows how cultural openness, structured reporting, and AI-powered dashboards enable early warnings, cross-functional alignment, and fact-based decisions—turning risk from a surprise into a manageable strategy.
Author: Christoph Horlebein (CEO Horlebein Consulting) | Co-Author: Simran Gajra (Director Marketing & Operations Horlebein Consulting)
11.
Training & Awareness
Competence and culture are the backbone of resilience. This step shows how to build both—through role-specific training and organization-wide awareness. Learn to embed lifecycle risk thinking into daily decisions, align teams with IEC 62402, and sustain continuous learning. Discover strategies for measuring impact, breaking silos, and turning knowledge into proactive resilience.
Author: Darren Topley (MD, CMCA UK)
12.
Regular Review & Updates
Plans lose relevance as risks evolve. This step explains how to keep your Product Risk Management Strategy and Plans current through structured reviews and agile updates. Learn to set review cycles, apply IEC 62402 compliance, and integrate lessons learned—ensuring governance adapts to technology shifts, supplier exits, and regulatory changes.
Author: Darren Topley (MD, CMCA UK)