Accendo Reliability

Your Reliability Engineering Professional Development Site

  • Home
  • About
    • Contributors
  • Reliability.fm
    • Speaking Of Reliability
    • Rooted in Reliability: The Plant Performance Podcast
    • Quality during Design
    • Way of the Quality Warrior
    • Critical Talks
    • Dare to Know
    • Maintenance Disrupted
    • Metal Conversations
    • The Leadership Connection
    • Practical Reliability Podcast
    • Reliability Matters
    • Reliability it Matters
    • Maintenance Mavericks Podcast
    • Women in Maintenance
    • Accendo Reliability Webinar Series
  • Articles
    • CRE Preparation Notes
    • on Leadership & Career
      • Advanced Engineering Culture
      • Engineering Leadership
      • Managing in the 2000s
      • Product Development and Process Improvement
    • on Maintenance Reliability
      • Aasan Asset Management
      • AI & Predictive Maintenance
      • Asset Management in the Mining Industry
      • CMMS and Reliability
      • Conscious Asset
      • EAM & CMMS
      • Everyday RCM
      • History of Maintenance Management
      • Life Cycle Asset Management
      • Maintenance and Reliability
      • Maintenance Management
      • Plant Maintenance
      • Process Plant Reliability Engineering
      • ReliabilityXperience
      • RCM Blitz®
      • Rob’s Reliability Project
      • The Intelligent Transformer Blog
      • The People Side of Maintenance
      • The Reliability Mindset
    • on Product Reliability
      • Accelerated Reliability
      • Achieving the Benefits of Reliability
      • Apex Ridge
      • Metals Engineering and Product Reliability
      • Musings on Reliability and Maintenance Topics
      • Product Validation
      • Reliability Engineering Insights
      • Reliability in Emerging Technology
    • on Risk & Safety
      • CERM® Risk Insights
      • Equipment Risk and Reliability in Downhole Applications
      • Operational Risk Process Safety
    • on Systems Thinking
      • Communicating with FINESSE
      • The RCA
    • on Tools & Techniques
      • Big Data & Analytics
      • Experimental Design for NPD
      • Innovative Thinking in Reliability and Durability
      • Inside and Beyond HALT
      • Inside FMEA
      • Integral Concepts
      • Learning from Failures
      • Progress in Field Reliability?
      • R for Engineering
      • Reliability Engineering Using Python
      • Reliability Reflections
      • Testing 1 2 3
      • The Manufacturing Academy
  • eBooks
  • Resources
    • Accendo Authors
    • FMEA Resources
    • Feed Forward Publications
    • Openings
    • Books
    • Webinars
    • Journals
    • Higher Education
    • Podcasts
  • Courses
    • 14 Ways to Acquire Reliability Engineering Knowledge
    • Reliability Analysis Methods online course
    • Measurement System Assessment
    • SPC-Process Capability Course
    • Design of Experiments
    • Foundations of RCM online course
    • Quality during Design Journey
    • Reliability Engineering Statistics
    • Quality Engineering Statistics
    • An Introduction to Reliability Engineering
    • Reliability Engineering for Heavy Industry
    • An Introduction to Quality Engineering
    • Process Capability Analysis course
    • Root Cause Analysis and the 8D Corrective Action Process course
    • Return on Investment online course
    • CRE Preparation Online Course
    • Quondam Courses
  • Webinars
    • Upcoming Live Events
  • Calendar
    • Call for Papers Listing
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Webinar Calendar
  • Login
    • Member Home

All articles listed in reverse chronological order.

by Fred Schenkelberg Leave a Comment

Getting Started in Reliability Engineering

Getting Started in Reliability Engineering

Initially, the CRE Prep blog aimed at providing refresher material for those preparing for the ASQ CRE exam.

In discussions with readers, it has become clear to me that many new to reliability engineering have found the series of articles useful.

That is should not be surprising since many of the tutorials are introductory and practical.

The problem those new to the field have is related with where to start.

There is a lot of information related to reliability engineering.

From defining reliability to working with teams to Weibull analysis, there is a lot to know. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, CRE Prep, CRE Preparation Notes Tagged With: cre prep

by Adam Bahret Leave a Comment

The Side Swipe: When Innovation is your Wheelhouse

The Side Swipe: When Innovation is your Wheelhouse

Many companies achieve great success based on their ability to create, invent, and develop a technology.

If this is the dominant focus of their product development programs they will maintain a high market share by continuing to be cutting edge.

These industries and technologies are highly competitive with respect to new features and functionality for a period of time, but the growth of any specific technology slows as it matures.

When this occurs, customers begin to put more weight on cost point and reliability when deciding which model or brand to purchase.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Apex Ridge, Articles, on Product Reliability

by Fred Schenkelberg Leave a Comment

Are Prototypes Useful for Reliability Estimates

Are Prototypes Useful for Reliability Estimates

Prototypes are precious items. A vendor sample or beta version of factory parts may provide necessary insights.

They are not real though.

The prototypes and samples we hold, admire, examine and test are just a representation of the final product or system.

It is extremely rare we will learn exactly what we need to know with these few items. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Musings on Reliability and Maintenance Topics, on Product Reliability

by James Reyes-Picknell Leave a Comment

Entropy and Maintenance

Entropy and Maintenance

Entropy is a thermodynamic concept that represents chaos and degradation. It occurs naturally in any physical system and will naturally grow (i.e.: become more chaotic) if we don’t do something to arrest its growth. Doing something requires the expenditure of energy, so energy is what counters entropy. We don’t speak of these thermodynamic terms and concepts in everyday language and conversation, but they are at work behind the scenes. We are well advised to remain aware of them and act accordingly or nature will steadily and relentlessly increase the state of chaos in which we exist. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Conscious Asset, on Maintenance Reliability Tagged With: entropy

by Greg Hutchins 2 Comments

Can You Calculate the Probability of Uncertainty?

Can You Calculate the Probability of Uncertainty?

Guest Post by Geary Sikich (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)

Many aspects of risk management are deeply rooted in mathematical formulae for determining probability. This heavy dependence on mathematics to determine probability of risk realization may create “false positives” regarding a risk that can be either positive or negative. There is also a limitation on how much data can be gathered and assessed in respect to the development of the probability equation regarding the risk being assessed. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, CERM® Risk Insights, on Risk & Safety Tagged With: uncertainty

by Mike Sondalini Leave a Comment

Keep Gearboxes Running

Keep Gearboxes Running

A gearbox is used to control the operating speed of industrial equipment.

It converts a high input speed to a lower output speed and so permits one driver element, such as an electric motor, to do numerous duties.

Failure of the gearbox causes the equipment and associated plant to stop.

Proper selection, care, and maintenance of gearboxes is critical to your company’s continued profitability.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Maintenance Reliability, Plant Maintenance

by Fred Schenkelberg 6 Comments

Exam Taking Insights and a Request

Exam Taking Insights and a Request

Recently one of the CRE Preparation course students sat for the ASQ CRE exam at one of the Prometrics testing centers.

She passed – which is great, and she knew this as she received grading immediately after finishing the exam.

That is a new and nice feature. What we do not know if what happens if you do not pass.

Do you get feedback in a meaningful manner?

Here are a few other notes on the exam experience Raye reported. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, CRE Prep, CRE Preparation Notes Tagged With: Exam Preparation

by Fred Schenkelberg 2 Comments

The Role of Legends in Your Reliability Program

The Role of Legends in Your Reliability Program

One of my favorite things to do when visiting a new company, it at lunch or during a break, ask:

“Any major disasters that impacted reliability?”

Typically, there are three stories that start with, “Remember the… “, or, “One time…”

It seems every organization has legendary stories in the organizational memory. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Musings on Reliability and Maintenance Topics, on Product Reliability Tagged With: program

by James Reyes-Picknell Leave a Comment

Economic Considerations

Economic Considerations

Our simple 3 legged stool model from part 1 will deliver high performance at low cost and risk – i.e.: high productivity. It is important however to keep the legs intact! Doing so requires a bit of investment. In thermodynamic terms we need to put some energy into the system to keep the entropy from growing. That energy is investment in maintenance and the payoff comes in the form of steady, predictable revenues with a high margin for profit. Those words should be music to accountants’ ears. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Conscious Asset, on Maintenance Reliability Tagged With: entropy

by Greg Hutchins Leave a Comment

Minimizing Career Path Risk

Minimizing Career Path Risk

Guest Post by John Ayers (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)

Some people say take what you love in college. Problem is, not too many high school seniors know what they love. Others say college should be an intellectual journey. Problem is many degrees will not prepare you for the real world in terms of making a good living. I believe college is to prepare you for a career which can support you and a family down the road. If important, intellectual studies can take place outside of work using the internet. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, CERM® Risk Insights, on Risk & Safety Tagged With: career, Risk

by Mike Sondalini Leave a Comment

Corrosion in Agitated Conditions

Corrosion in Agitated Conditions

Chemical corrosion occurs at increased rates in agitated conditions.

Typical iso-corrosion curves for alloy metals no longer apply. These curves only show corrosion rates at various chemical concentrations and temperatures in stagnant conditions.

A typical curve is shown below. The curves are available from alloy metal suppliers on request.

When metals are selected for agitated corrosive conditions the curves can only be used in a relative sense.

They help grade the metal selection but they cannot provide absolute corrosion rates. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Maintenance Reliability, Plant Maintenance Tagged With: corrosion

by Fred Schenkelberg Leave a Comment

Customer Reliability Expectations Change

Customer Reliability Expectations Change

Image that. Customers say one thing and expect something else.

A customer may provide a detailed and complete reliability specification, then, 6 months into using the product complain it is not reliable enough. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, CRE Preparation Notes, Reliability Management Tagged With: Customer Needs Assessment

by nomtbf Leave a Comment

The 3 Best Reasons to Use MTBF

The 3 Best Reasons to Use MTBF

14586620299_60a4c792ef_m_dThe 3 Best Reasons to Use MTBF

This may seem an odd article for the NoMTBF site. Stay with me for a moment longer.

Over the years of speaking out on the perils of MTBF, there has been some push back. A few defend using MTBF. Here are three of the most common (maybe not exactly the best, per se) reasons to use MTBF. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, NoMTBF Tagged With: MTBF

by James Reyes-Picknell 1 Comment

Fundamentals

Fundamentals

We all want high productivity – maximum output for the least input, the most blast for our buck! We know that high payback will entail a level of risk, but again, we want to minimize our downside risks and maximize the opportunities that may be available to us. We need practical ways to achieve this. Good Capital Asset Management™ will deliver that – how? Well, here’s a simplified scientific explanation of how that works. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Conscious Asset, on Maintenance Reliability Tagged With: entropy

by Mike Sondalini 2 Comments

Benchmarking using Replacement Asset Value

Benchmarking using Replacement Asset Value

A benchmark is the end distance point from the start.

In the world of maintenance, it is the name for the targets that an organization sets for itself in an improvement program.

Benchmarking is often against world-best practice and it is used to provide direction and focus in an organization’s efforts to improve.

When RAV is chosen as the benchmark it means that the annual cost of maintaining the plant will be measured against the value of the plant.

RAV is a percentage of the cost to replace the plant. The lower the RAV the more effective the maintenance effort. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Maintenance Reliability, Plant Maintenance Tagged With: asset-management

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 169
  • 170
  • 171
  • 172
  • 173
  • …
  • 215
  • Next Page »

Join Accendo

Receive information and updates about articles and many other resources offered by Accendo Reliability by becoming a member.

It’s free and only takes a minute.

Join Today

Recent Articles

  • test
  • test
  • test
  • Your Most Important Business Equation
  • Your Suppliers Can Be a Risk to Your Project

© 2025 FMS Reliability · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service · Cookies Policy