Upcoming Membership Meeting: The Integrity of the Supply Chain in an Age of Globalization - Counterfeit Parts, A Systems Engineer's Nightmare!

Meeting Information

Speaker: George J. Vlay

Date: April 14, 2014

Time: 5:30pm to 8:00pm

Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Silicon Valley Campus (CMU), Moffett Field, CA

Summary

Counterfeit electrical, electronic and mechanical parts are flooding the marketplace.  More than a million counterfeit parts were found in military equipment.  National Defense Authorization Act-2011 requires contractors to certify all components meet all regulations.  Failures in a DOD program will require the prime contractor to replace and repair at their own expense.  Anticipated consequences of DOD, European Union and Russia include cracking down on counterfeit parts. 

All of the counterfeit parts will now find their way into civilian markets.  Automobile recalls, Lithium-Ion parts and the San Francisco Bay Bridge bolts will be reviewed.  Counterfeit software is allowing hackers to embed back doors for future access into personal, business and protected data. 

Best practices will be outlined with consequences for System Engineers.  A proof will be presented to understand the reliability of every part and material in a product.

Speaker Bio

Mr. George J. Vlay received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Buffalo (UB) in 1953, and further pursued his education at UB with graduate work in electronics and mathematics.  From 1956 to 1966 he held positions as Project Engineer with Aero Commander, Inc. in Norman, Oklahoma and with Sylvania Electronic Systems in Williamsville, New York.

George then joined Philco-Ford (renamed Ford Aerospace) in 1966 in Palo Alto, California, holding a number of increasing responsible positions:

• Joining the company as Manager of Communications Systems Activity, he was responsible for advanced communication satellite designs, large scale communication systems and ground terminal systems
•  As Director of Business Development & Planning, George was responsible for the Western Development Divisions 5/10 year Business Plan and Marketing Plans.
•  As Director of Technical Affairs with responsibility for the IR&D Program for plan, 5/10 year technology plans, mission analysis, proposal development, productivity and computer-aided design for engineering and manufacturing.
• As Director of Product Assurance he held responsibility for hardware and software Quality Assurance, reliability, test equipment and spacecraft and aerospace ground equipment environmental test equipment.
• His last assignment with Ford Aerospace was as Director of Systems Management, to review and improve the division’s processes to maintain the high reliability of the Divisions products.

Mr. Vlay then established Systems Management Associates, a consulting company to Space Systems Loral and electronics companies throughout Silicon Valley.  Although many contracts required confidentiality agreements, one program stands out:  The US Air Force embarked on a program to streamline the RFP process.  A team of 20 Air Force Officers and civilians were empowered to perform this task.  They also required industry participation and Mr. Vlay was selected as the CODSIA (Council of Defense and Space Industries Association) representative for this year-long program.  A very streamlined RFP process was developed and implemented by the US Air Force.

George Vlay has been an active participant in the following organizations:

• Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
•   Distinguished Lecturer for the AIAA
• Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)
• Founding Member of the International Council of Systems Engineers
• Member of Pi Mu Epsilon, a National Honorary Mathematical Fraternity