Reliability is a broad term that focuses on the ability of a product to perform its intended

function.

Reliability engineering consists of the systematic application of time-honored engineering

principles and techniques throughout a product lifecycle and is thus an essential component of a
good Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) program.

The goal of reliability engineering is to evaluate the inherent reliability of a product or process
and pinpoint potential areas for reliability improvement. Since all failures cannot be eliminated
from a design, another goal of reliability engineering is to identify the most likely failures and
then identify appropriate actions to mitigate the effects of those failures.

The reliability evaluation of a product or process can include a number of different reliability
analyses. Depending on the phase of the product lifecycle, certain types of analysis are
appropriate. The different reliability analyses are all related, and examine the reliability of the
product or system from different perspectives, in order to determine possible problems and assist
in analyzing corrections and improvements.

Despite its name, reliability engineering can be done by a variety of engineers including quality
engineers, test engineers, systems engineers or design engineers. In highly evolved teams, all key
engineers are aware of their responsibilities in regards to reliability and work together to help
improve the product.

Reliability engineering is important for a multitude of reasons. Perhaps at the top of that list is
reputation. A company's reputation is very closely related to the reliability of its products. The
more reliable a product is, the more likely the company is to have a favorable reputation.

Reliability engineering also is key for customer satisfaction. While a reliable product may not
dramatically affect customer satisfaction in a positive manner, an unreliable product will
negatively affect customer satisfaction severely. Thus high reliability is a mandatory requirement
for customer satisfaction.

The IEEE Reliability Society is a society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

(IEEE) with a focus on Reliability Engineering.

Want to learn more? Tonex offers a large selection of Reliability Engineering Training courses –
training that benefits most engineering specializations including mechanical engineering,
electrical engineering and applied statistics.

Additionally, these courses are excellent for product managers, project managers and production
supervisors or anyone else who wants to learn the foundation of reliability engineering through
hands-on activities and directed classroom discussion.

Courses offered include:

Reliability Engineering 101 (2 days)

FMEA Training (2 days)

Software Reliability Training (4 days)

Reliability Engineering Principles Training for Managers (3 days)

Risk and Reliability Engineering Training (3 days)

For more information, questions, comments, contact us.