Managing Editor of Procurement Pro, Paige Hookway, interviews Victor Meijers, Senior Vice President, ECIA & TrustedParts at EDS Leadership Summit.
Why authorised channels matter
TrustedParts aggregates inventory exclusively from authorised distributors: “When you have the potential to put counterfeit parts or parts that have been mishandled into the supply chain, you really risk a lot of different things. You risk reputation. If your parts fail. You risk damage, people getting hurt,” said Meijers.
The scale of the counterfeit problem is estimated anywhere from $250 million to $3 trillion in damages, but, says Meijers: “What does it really matter whether it’s $100 million or $1 if somebody gets hurt?”
He stressed that the authorised channel provides an unbroken chain of custody from manufacturer to customer dock, and that testing alone cannot substitute for that assurance. “You can’t test your way to perfection … In some cases, you have to destroy the part in order to actually verify that it is.”
A redesigned BOM tool
One of TrustedParts’ most significant recent developments is the redesign of its Bill of Materials (BOM) tool. The standard version supports searches of up to 100 part numbers at a time, while a premium tier handles up to 1,000. The latest iteration, recently released, focused heavily on user experience.
The updated tool offers improved filtering by favourite distributors, manufacturers, supply chain or design chain risk, stock availability, and pricing. Users can save and share BOMs across teams, export to Excel, upload into ERP systems, and set automated alerts for price movements or lead time changes. “If it goes up 10%, I want to know about it. We automatically notify you.”
Tariff indicators and critical minerals
In response to the current trade environment, TrustedParts has introduced a tariff indicator, which is a “buyer-beware” flag to prompt further due diligence. Looking ahead, the platform is also working to surface data on critical minerals covered under Tariff 232, including aluminium, steel, and copper, in partnership with data provider Sluicebox. “That’s another tool, another way that we can present that data, and all of that stuff is available in the BoM tool.”
Carbon footprint data via Sluicebox
The partnership with Sluicebox, which has been underway for a couple of years, allows TrustedParts to display carbon footprint data at the part number level using a generative AI model without requiring direct input from every manufacturer. Meijers noted the methodology has proven approximately 90% accurate and is ISO and TÜV certified.
“I don’t want to pretend like people are going to make design decisions based on carbon footprint – that’s not the first parameter they really care about – but all things being equal, you want to give engineers the opportunity to say, okay, if this is important, I at least have options to be able to compare different products.”
Expanding into the design stage
With EDA and CAD models now available alongside datasheets and sourcing data, TrustedParts is evolving beyond its procurement roots. “The idea … is we want to create as much of a one-stop shop as possible, so an engineer can get the CAD model, but they can also get datasheets, they can also get all the other information that we have, all in one place.”
AI and what’s next
On AI, Meijers said that TrustedParts is set to launch an MCP, which is a bridge enabling AI agents such as Claude, Copilot, and ChatGPT to interface directly with TrustedParts data. “We’re going to be the first aggregator … we actually built an MCP. They can create that agent and interface with our data.” The platform also plans to introduce special pricing access for buyers directly on-site, removing an additional step in the procurement process. “We continue to think about how can we make this a better tool for the user. We’ll continue to innovate – so keep an eye on it, because we’ve got a lot of stuff coming.”
Watch the full conversation here:
