PODCAST · business
Sourced by Cofactr
by Cofactr
Sourced by Cofactr is hosted by Ed Dodd. From Navy destroyer ships to Fortune 500 supply chains, Ed brings 30+ years of experience understanding why things break - and how to prevent it. He helps hardware teams bridge the gap between “how it’s always been done” and “how it needs to be done,” without breaking the bank or losing compliance.Cofactr (YC W22) is building the future of hardware operations. Each episode cuts through the noise to show how modern teams streamline procurement, source with confidence, and build resilient supply chains that scale.When Ed’s not untangling supply chain puzzles, he’s running D&D campaigns for his five kids - because whether it’s hardware or heroes, good systems are all about planning ahead and adapting when things don’t go as expected.Visit us at: https://cofactr.com👍 Like, Share, and Comment: If you found this video helpful, give us a thumbs up, share it with your network, and leave a comment below with your thoughts or any questions you migh
Episodes
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Managing FAR and DFAR Flow Downs
In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, Ed tackles one of the most complex and often misunderstood challenges in government contracting: managing Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) flow-down clauses. Winning a major defense contract…
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WEEE Compliance Explained
In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, Ed breaks down one of the less visible—but increasingly important—requirements of selling electronics in Europe: compliance with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. What might look like a simple recycling rule, symbolized by the...
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Explaining Export Rules - ITAR vs EAR
In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, Ed demystifies one of the most misunderstood areas of electronics manufacturing and global trade: the difference between ITAR and the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). What often sounds like an intimidating legal issue is, in reality, a set of…
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From Accepted to Assembly - The Component Prep Bridge
In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, Ed shines a light on one of the most overlooked stages in electronics manufacturing: everything that happens after components are received but before they ever reach the assembly line. While accepted inventory is often treated as production-ready, the…
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Is Build-to-Order Kitting Right For You
In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, Ed explores one of the most effective—and frequently misunderstood—strategies for reducing inventory risk in electronics manufacturing: build-to-order (BTO) kitting. Starting with the familiar problem of excess finished goods tying up valuable components and...
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How Poor Kitting Disrupts Your EMS
In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, Ed examines one of the most underestimated causes of manufacturing disruption: poor kitting. While production delays are often blamed on component shortages or execution failures at the EMS, the conversation reveals a deeper reality. Long before a circuit...
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Why Your Inventory Data Lies
In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, Ed tackles one of the most persistent and expensive misconceptions in manufacturing operations: the belief that inventory visibility is simply a software problem. Beginning with a deceptively simple question—“Do we have the part?”—the conversation quickly...
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Catching Counterfeits at Receiving
In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, Ed dives into one of the most dangerous blind spots in modern electronics procurement: the false sense of security created by standard receiving inspections. What begins with a simple thought experiment—a shipment that passes sampling inspection while...
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The Easiest Way to Spot Counterfeit Electronic Components
In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, Ed pulls back the curtain on one of the electronics industry’s most misunderstood threats: counterfeit components hiding in plain sight. What starts as an assumption of sophisticated, high-tech fraud quickly unravels into something far more unsettling—a…
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The Hidden Risk in Drone Supply Chains: Why Dependency Is a National Security Problem
In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, Ed unpacks a risk hiding in plain sight: the global drone supply chain. What begins as a familiar scene—a camera drone hovering over a packed stadium—quickly transforms into a sobering thought experiment about what happens when that same system is…
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Kitting Is About Onboarding Expertise Not Outsourcing Labor
In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, Ed challenges one of the most persistent misconceptions in hardware manufacturing: that kitting is just low-skill, outsourceable labor. Through a vivid failure scenario, he shows how seemingly minor handling mistakes—like improper ESD precautions—can quietly...
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Navigating Global Electronics Supply Chain Shocks
In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, Ed unpacks a reality most engineering teams underestimate: supply chain disruption isn’t a rare event—it’s the default operating environment. What starts as a distant geopolitical headline or a factory incident halfway across the world can quietly cascade…
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How to Survive an ESD Audit
In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, Ed goes deeper into one of the most misunderstood threats in electronics operations: electrostatic discharge (ESD). What feels like a harmless, invisible force is actually governed by strict standards like ANSI/ESD S20.20—and the gap between what humans can...
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Electronics Warehouse Best Practices for Compliance, Safety, and Efficiency
In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, Ed dives into a hidden reality of electronics logistics: the most dangerous warehouse risks aren’t forklifts or falling pallets—they’re invisible. From electrostatic discharge that silently damages chips to microscopic moisture that can cause semiconductors…
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How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the BOM Scrub
In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, Ed tackles one of the most misunderstood—and underestimated—rituals in hardware: the BOM scrub. What sounds like a tedious spreadsheet cleanup is actually the critical bridge between a working schematic and a shippable product. Ed breaks down why engineering...
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Supplier Portals are Obsolete Thanks to AI
In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, Ed takes aim at one of procurement’s most sacred cows: the supplier portal. Once sold as the “single pane of glass” that would bring order to email chaos, portals have quietly become a source of friction, duplication, and hidden cost, especially for the...
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3 Signs It's Time to Consider Procurement Automation
In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, Ed breaks down three unmistakable signs it’s time to automate procurement—and why most hardware teams wait far too long to act. He starts with the hidden tax on engineering: when highly paid technical talent spends up to a quarter of their time chasing…
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How Hardware Startups Can Succeed With the New Pentagon Strategy
In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, Ed unpacks a fundamental shift underway inside the U.S. defense establishment—one that’s redefining how hardware is acquired, produced, and scaled. Driven by a new mandate for speed and volume, the Pentagon is moving away from decades of slow, siloed...
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Top 8 Reasons Hardware Startups Choose PaaS
In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, Ed Dodd unpacks the core paradox in early hardware development: the moment a startup creates its first BOM, it suddenly needs enterprise-grade procurement capabilities. Ed breaks down why Procurement-as-a-Service (PaaS) has become the default solution…
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The Rise of Procurement as a Service
In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, Ed Dodd unpacks a seismic shift in hardware operations: the rise of Procurement-as-a-Service (PaaS). With Cofactr’s platform now free to start, Ed reveals how hardware teams can offload sourcing, supplier management, and logistics—without losing visibility…
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From Friction to Fast Track, 10 Best Practices For Buyer-Engineer Teamwork
In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, Ed Dodd tackles one of hardware’s biggest challenges: the friction between engineering precision and supply chain practicality. Through ten proven “give-and-take” practices, he shows how top teams replace bottlenecks with speed—covering proactive risk...
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Stop BOM Chaos in HMLV
High-mix, low-volume (HMLV) manufacturing lives at the intersection of complexity and chaos. In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr Ed unpacks why traditional approaches to bills of materials (BOMs) fall apart when every product run is unique and every part number matters. Ed dives deep into the...
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BOMs Away! How to Avoid Explosions in Product Data
Bills of materials (BOMs) might look straightforward on paper—but in electronics manufacturing, they’re anything but simple. In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, our VP of Business Development Ed Dodd, breaks down why managing product data is far more than just listing parts. Ed explores the...
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Why Generic Procurement Software Doesn’t Work for Electronic Hardware
Procurement challenges look very different in the world of electronics—and generic tools just don’t cut it. In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr, host Ed Dodd, VP of Business Development at Cofactr, unpacks why one-size-fits-all procurement software often fails hardware teams. Drawing on...
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What is Procurement Software?
Procurement has long been stuck in spreadsheets and manual approvals—but that’s changing fast. In this first episode of Sourced by Cofactr, host Ed Dodd, VP of Business Development at Cofactr, draws on 20 years in high-compliance electronics to explore how modern procurement software is...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Sourced by Cofactr is hosted by Ed Dodd. From Navy destroyer ships to Fortune 500 supply chains, Ed brings 30+ years of experience understanding why things break - and how to prevent it. He helps hardware teams bridge the gap between “how it’s always been done” and “how it needs to be done,” without breaking the bank or losing compliance.Cofactr (YC W22) is building the future of hardware operations. Each episode cuts through the noise to show how modern teams streamline procurement, source with confidence, and build resilient supply chains that scale.When Ed’s not untangling supply chain puzzles, he’s running D&D campaigns for his five kids - because whether it’s hardware or heroes, good systems are all about planning ahead and adapting when things don’t go as expected.Visit us at: https://cofactr.com👍 Like, Share, and Comment: If you found this video helpful, give us a thumbs up, share it with your network, and leave a comment below with your thoughts or any questions you migh
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Cofactr
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Sourced by Cofactr have?
Sourced by Cofactr currently has 25 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Sourced by Cofactr about?
Sourced by Cofactr is hosted by Ed Dodd. From Navy destroyer ships to Fortune 500 supply chains, Ed brings 30+ years of experience understanding why things break - and how to prevent it. He helps hardware teams bridge the gap between “how it’s always been done” and “how it needs to be done,”...
How often does Sourced by Cofactr release new episodes?
Sourced by Cofactr has 25 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Sourced by Cofactr?
You can listen to Sourced by Cofactr on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Sourced by Cofactr?
Sourced by Cofactr is created and hosted by Cofactr.
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