Abstract: 

It is vitally important to remain current with the latest developments in standardization, efforts to intercept counterfeit parts, best practice testing, as well as news stories and events that may provide education. Dissemination and intelligence are key to establishing proactive management of this supply chain risk.
For this reason, the Anti-Counterfeiting Forum (ACF) was formed in 2008. This online organization led by the UK was originally supported by UK government funding but is now a not-for-profit company.
ACF has accumulated a vast quantity of online information on its website since its formation, as follows:

• A directory of solution providers
• A live page of upcoming events
• A directory of other industry organizations and forums with a focus on combating counterfeiting
• A listing of suspected/alleged counterfeit parts submitted by member companies
• A listing of best practice documents including relevant international standards
• News articles relating to counterfeiting dating back to 2008

This information is immensely valuable to the global electronic and electrical industries, especially to the online community of 1,082 global contacts of which 471 are UK based and 276 are US based while the remainder is spread across fifty-one other countries. 
Additionally, ACF directly engages with IIOM (International Institute of Obsolescence Management), the MOD, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), Suppliers, and Service providers. The ACF has held regular events since 2009 including webinars through the COVID pandemic. Access to the service is free.

Biographies:

Ian Blackman [Anti-Counterfeiting Forum]

Ian spent more than thirty years in the Avionics and Defense Industry working in senior roles within Procurement, Component Engineering, and Obsolescence Strategy Development. He is the former CTO of the International Institute of Obsolescence Management and is a fellow of that organization He is also the co-owner of the UK-based but international Anticounterfeiting Forum which has more than 1100 active members.
 

Roger Rogowski [Anti-Counterfeiting Forum]

Roger is a co-owner of Anti-Counterfeiting Forum, which has for over ten years provided a comprehensive online resource disseminating information on the threats and trends relating to counterfeiting in the electrotechnical industry and organized annual seminars and periodic webinars. Roger has worked in the industry for nearly fifty years, during which time he has fulfilled a wide range of management roles in sales, marketing, procurement, inventory, major bid, operations, and project management for companies such as Arrow Electronics, HCA Healthcare, Jermyn Distribution, Lex Electronics, Minco Technology Labs, Quantel, QinetiQ, and Zeus Electronics.  He is a past Chairman of the Component Obsolescence Group and a director of the National Obsolescence Centre. For nine years, he provided the secretariat for the UK Electronics Alliance, a consortium of leading UK trade associations representing the UK electronic systems community, coordinating industry-wide initiatives, and working with government departments and agencies.