A programme for sustainability & obso

At last, a programme for managing obsolescence and industrial shortages!
A unique specialist master’s degree is taking shape in the obsolescence and scarcity management landscape, with input from Valérie Ozier, educational coordinator and lecturer for the future Sustainability, Obsolescence and Scarcity (Pérennité Obsolescence Pénurie – POP) programme, and obsolescence management expert at ACTIA. Offered by the ISAE-Supméca – School of Mechanical Engineering in Paris, this programme is a dynamic response to today’s industrial and environmental challenges, where resource management needs to be part of the product design cycle.

“This programme has recently been accredited by the Conférence des Grandes Écoles (CGE) and is a unique opportunity to train a new generation of experts capable of providing innovative solutions in this constantly evolving field. At a time when companies are facing increasing challenges in terms of component obsolescence and shortages of materials, launching this specialist master’s degree was essential,”

explains Valérie OZIER.

Who is the programme aimed at?

Valérie Ozier: “This programme is aimed at a wide range of people, from engineers who are retraining to professionals who want to acquire a higher qualification in this crucial field,” explains Valérie. “The target professions and functions include design engineers, purchasing managers, maintenance managers, quality managers, and many more. This programme is not confined to electronic obsolescence and sustainability. It also deals with the obsolescence of know-how and knowledge transfer, the sustainable management of software and long life-cycle operation.”

How do you see the growing need for training and young engineers’ increasing interest in the field of obsolescence?

Valérie Ozier: “Many electronics engineers and other engineers are indeed seeing increasing relevance in specialising in the management of obsolescence associated with the environmental impact of products or processes. It’s a constantly evolving field, offering stimulating challenges and opportunities for innovation. By pursuing the master’s degree in Sustainability, Obsolescence and Scarcity, they can acquire the skills they need to become key players in obsolescence management and help ensure the sustainability of products, solutions and services in a changing industrial context.”

This programme offers career opportunities in various industrial sectors.
Can you tell us more about that?

Valérie Ozier: “Automotive companies like ACTIA and Valeo, aerospace companies like Airbus, rail companies like ALSTOM and SNCF, and even energy companies like Orano and EDF, are increasingly aware of the importance of having qualified professionals in this field,” explains Valérie. “The challenges of obsolescence affect not only their products and systems, but also their production processes and tools, as well as their skills management. For example, in the rail sector, companies such as ALSTOM have to deal with the obsolescence of critical components in their trains, which have an operational life of 30 to 40 years. Similarly, in the energy sector, power plants are faced with these challenges when it comes to the control and monitoring equipment that is essential for their facilities to operate properly. Faced with this reality, it is vital for companies to have specialists capable of anticipating and effectively managing obsolescence problems, whatever they may be.”

“But these challenges are not confined to these specific sectors,” adds Valérie. “They also affect other industries such as the agri-food, chemical and textile industries, and heavy industry. In each of these fields, companies are faced with the challenge of maintaining the sustainability of their products, production tools and processes in a constantly changing environment, which further underscores the importance of having qualified obsolescence management specialists.”

What do you see as the future challenges for obsolescence and scarcity management specialists?

Valérie Ozier: “We are facing a large number of complex challenges. The shortage of materials, environmental challenges and sovereignty issues are all major challenges facing us.
Specialists in scarcity management need to be able to adapt to a constantly changing environment and propose innovative solutions to ensure the sustainability of products and services.

What’s more, obsolescence management is not an isolated task within the company, but must form part of the standard process for design and operation. It requires close collaboration with various internal functions such as design, development/production, purchasing/procurement, supply chain and quality, as well as with value chain players such as customers and suppliers. Sometimes you need to extend your knowledge beyond Tier 1 suppliers.

Future graduates of the POP Master’s degree will need to have extensive knowledge of the market and the technologies used in products. They must also have data mining skills, enabling them to detect the weak signals of future obsolescence and shortages.”

Our expert also underlines the major impact of the master’s degree on industry.

Valérie Ozier: “I am convinced that the master’s degree in Sustainability, Obsolescence and Scarcity will have a significant impact on industry by training a new generation of qualified specialists. By bridging the gap between supply and demand for skilled professionals, this programme will help to guarantee product sustainability and reduce the social and environmental impact of obsolescence.”

We can conclude that the specialist POP Master’s degree is a major advance in the field of obsolescence and scarcity management for the electronics sector and many other sectors. The programme is scheduled to start in September 2025, providing a unique opportunity for students and professionals to specialise in a constantly evolving field and acquire the skills needed to meet the challenges of obsolescence and scarcity in various industrial sectors.

Learn more : https://www.isae-supmeca.fr/mastere-specialise-perennite-obsolescence-penurie/