Articles

Find all articles across all article series listed in reverse chronological order.

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…]

by Adam Bahret Leave a Comment

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…]

by Fred Schenkelberg Leave a Comment

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…]

by James Reyes-Picknell Leave a Comment

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…]

by Greg Hutchins 2 Comments

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…]

by Mike Sondalini Leave a Comment

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…]

by Fred Schenkelberg 6 Comments

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…]

by Fred Schenkelberg 2 Comments

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…]

by James Reyes-Picknell Leave a Comment

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…]

by Greg Hutchins Leave a Comment

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…]

by Mike Sondalini Leave a Comment

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…]

by Fred Schenkelberg Leave a Comment

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…]

by James Reyes-Picknell 1 Comment

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…]

by Mike Sondalini 2 Comments

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…]

by Greg Hutchins Leave a Comment

US Government ERM Requirement Finalized

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

We’ve been discussing how ISO 9001:2015 has adopted Risk Based Thinking that will impact 1.2 million companies. ISO 14001:2015 will impact 400,000 companies. Now, government agencies are adopting and putting into statute risk management.

We’ve been talking up the fact the US government is requiring Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), specifically Office of Management and Budget Circular OMB A 123, of all US departments. This is a game changer for federal agencies. In this article, we’ll look at some of the significant changes in ERM for Federal agencies. [Read more…]