For military or high-reliability programs that require traceability to the original wafer lot or date code, the active status simplifies procurement — no last-time-buy scramble, no reliance on surplus brokers.
The 5962-8943601MRA is, which typically means tubes or trays rather than tape-and-reel. For a pick-and-place machine this may require a tube feeder or tray handler; for hand-insertion or prototype builds it is straightforward. Verify your assembly house can accept bulk media before committing the line to a reel-only feeder.