HMS' products are meant to stay on the market for a long time. To manage the products in a structured way during their lifetime, HMS has established a product life cycle policy over a series of phases.
HMS Industrial Networks (HMS) develops products that are meant to stay on the market for a long time, often more than 10 years. The products are designed to be used in industrial applications, which brings high demands on reliability and availability. Product lifetimes are influenced by many factors such as component availability and technology development. HMS always strives, as long as technical and/or financially viable, to keep the products up to date and maintain backward compatibility.
To manage the products in a structured way during the lifetime, HMS has established a product lifecycle policy over a series of product lifecycle phases. Within this scope, HMS is committed to notify customers of any change in product lifecycle status well in advance, for customers to be able to plan their operations in an efficient way. The transition between the different phases may need to be done faster in force majeure situations beyond HMS control, including exceptional and extreme situations on the electronic components market.
Note: Software (configuration tool, mobile Apps, safety stacks, etc.) are not always subject to the same phases and lifetime as Hardware products.
The Ramp-up phase begins with the “public release” when a new product is launched on the market and HMS starts to actively sell, promote the product and ramp up production. It’s an optional phase that lasts up to 12 months.
During this phase:
| Length of phase | Up to 12 months |
| Compulsory phase | No |
| Notifications | Public Release |
| Price | Standard price list |
| Recommended for new projects | Yes |
| New feature development | Yes |
| Bug fixes1 | Yes |
| Security patches | Yes |
| Cloud services availability | Yes |
| Product certification (excl. network conformance) | Yes |
| Technical support | Yes |
| Warranty2 | Standard warranty |
| Documentation | Yes |
| Lead time | Lead time may be longer than standard |
| Product returns (RMA) | Yes |
The product is in volume production and is promoted and sold actively.
During this phase:
| Length of phase | Years |
| Compulsory phase | Yes |
| Notifications | N/A |
| Price | Standard price list |
| Recommended for new projects | Yes |
| New feature development | Yes |
| Bug fixes1 | Yes |
| Security patches | Yes |
| Cloud services availability | Yes |
| Product certification (excl. network conformance) | Yes |
| Technical support | Yes |
| Warranty2 | Standard warranty |
| Documentation | Yes |
| Lead time | Standard lead time |
| Product returns (RMA) | Yes |
The product has normally been on the market for a long time and is still in demand but there is no need for further updates. The Mature phase lasts a minimum of 12 months and is optional if a substitute product has been released or if there have been no orders for several years.
During this phase:
| Length of phase | At least 12 months |
| Compulsory phase | Optional if substitute product available |
| Notifications | Mature notification |
| Price | Different prices may apply |
| Recommended for new projects | No |
| New feature development | No |
| Bug fixes1 | Limited |
| Security patches | Considered for high severity security issues (>6.9 CVSS score) |
| Cloud services availability | Yes |
| Product certification (excl. network conformance) | Yes |
| Technical support | Limited (lower priority) |
| Warranty2 | Standard warranty |
| Documentation | Only release notes |
| Lead time | Standard lead time |
| Product returns (RMA) | Yes |
During the Exit phase, the product is phased out from the market over at least 12 months to allow a smooth transition.
During this phase:
| Length of phase | At least 12 months |
| Compulsory phase | Yes |
| Notifications | Exit notification with “Last time buy” due date |
| Price | Different prices may apply |
| Recommended for new projects | No |
| New feature development | No |
| Bug fixes1 | No |
| Security patches | Considered for critical severity security issues (>8.9 CVSS score) |
| Cloud services availability | Yes |
| Product certification (excl. network conformance) | Until last production or “Last time shipment” |
| Technical support | Limited (lower priority) |
| Warranty2 | Standard warranty |
| Documentation | Only release notes |
| Lead time | Extended lead time |
| Product returns (RMA) | Same product, substitute, or free credit, subject to stock and certifications3 |
HMS will stop accepting orders once the product becomes obsolete.
During this phase:
| Length of phase | Forever |
| Compulsory phase | Yes |
| Notifications | N/A |
| Price | N/A |
| Recommended for new projects | No |
| New feature development | No |
| Bug fixes1 | No |
| Security patches | No |
| Cloud services availability | Not guaranteed |
| Product certification (excl. network conformance) | No |
| Technical support | Not guaranteed |
| Warranty2 | N/A |
| Documentation | No |
| Lead time | N/A |
| Product returns (RMA) | No |
Note: Once a product is obsoleted, some sold products may still be under warranty. During this warranty period, HMS will ensure the following services:
