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Ray Harkins — Active Contributor

Author of The Manufacturing Academy articles offers Reliability and Quality Engineering Statistics, An Introduction to Reliability and Quality Engineering, Process Capability Analysis, Root Cause Analysis and 8D Corrective Action Process, and Return on Investment Analysis for Manufacturing courses.


This author's archive lists contributions of articles and episodes.

About Ray Harkins

Ray Harkins is a senior manufacturing professional with over 25 years of experience in manufacturing engineering, quality management, and business analysis.

During his career, he has toured hundreds of manufacturing facilities and worked with leading industry professionals throughout North America and Japan.

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

The Softer Side of Success: Unlocking the Power of Soft Skills

The Softer Side of Success: Unlocking the Power of Soft Skills

In the world of reliability and quality engineering, technical expertise and domain knowledge have always been highly valued. Engineers are expected to possess a strong foundation of technical skills to excel in their roles. However, in today’s rapidly evolving workplace, it has become increasingly evident that technical ability alone is not enough to guarantee success. The modern engineering professional must recognize and embrace the importance of soft skills to complement their analytical skills. 

In this blog post, we will dive into the significance of soft skills in the workplace and how they can enhance the effectiveness and success of reliability and quality engineering professionals.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Ray Harkins 2 Comments

Enhancing Engineering Problem-Solving with the Six Hats Method

Enhancing Engineering Problem-Solving with the Six Hats Method

As engineering professionals, we’re no strangers to complex problem-solving scenarios that demand rigorous analysis, innovative thinking, and efficient decision-making. Whether it’s designing new components, optimizing processes, or addressing infrastructure challenges, our success hinges on our ability to approach problems with a structured and creative mindset. 

One method that can significantly boost our problem-solving prowess is the “Six Hats Method” – a systematic approach that allows us to don different thinking hats, unlocking diverse perspectives for comprehensive and effective solutions. Let’s see how the Six Hats Method can empower engineering professionals to navigate challenges with clarity, focus, and ingenuity.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

Enhancing Component Reliability with Nondestructive Testing Technologies

Enhancing Component Reliability with Nondestructive Testing Technologies

In the world of reliability engineering, ensuring the long-term dependability and safety of components is of paramount importance. Nondestructive Testing (NDT) technologies have emerged as indispensable tools for reliability professionals in various industries, including aerospace, automotive, manufacturing, and power generation. By enabling the inspection and evaluation of materials and components without causing damage, NDT techniques play a crucial role in enhancing short and long-term reliability. 

In this blog post, we will explore several NDT technologies and how they contribute to improving component reliability.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

Cost of Quality Measurement and Reporting

Cost of Quality Measurement and Reporting

In 1956, Harvard Business Review published a landmark article by economist and business leader Armand Feigenbaum titled “Total Quality Control” that summarized the quality control system he developed during his long tenure at General Electric and gave prominence to many concepts still used in quality management today. One of those concepts was cost of quality measurement.

The goal of a cost of quality measurement system is to provide manufacturing leaders with a tool that can help drive process improvements. By understanding the magnitude and sources of their quality costs, manufacturing executives, managers, engineers, and technicians can more effectively direct their efforts, improvement strategies, and capital budgets toward reducing them.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

Understanding Bayes’ Theorem

Understanding Bayes’ Theorem

In the early 1700’s, English mathematician and Presbyterian minister Thomas Bayes derived the eponymous mathematical theorem that allows us to calculate the probability of an event occurring based on prior knowledge of conditions that might be related to the event. 

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

Unpacking Continuous Improvement Strategies

Unpacking Continuous Improvement Strategies

With U.S. annualized inflation rates exceeding 5.0% each month since May of 20211 – the longest stretch this century – the need for sustainable cost improvements has rarely been greater. And one source of cost reductions available to nearly every manufacturer is the elimination of waste and quality defects within their own facilities. Understanding the major continuous improvement (CI) strategies may help manufacturing leaders find a path toward lowering their costs and creating healthier margins for their organizations.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

What is the Difference Between Quality Assurance and Quality Control?

What is the Difference Between Quality Assurance and Quality Control?

One of the most commonly asked questions about quality engineering is “What is the difference between quality assurance and quality control?”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

Where Did All These Reliability Life Models Come From?

Where Did All These Reliability Life Models Come From?

Among students beginning their examination of reliability engineering, one question pops up repeatedly: Where did all these reliability life models come from? On one hand, reliability engineering is deeply entrenched in statistical models … Weibull, exponential, etc. But these models alone, do not fully explain the product life models. There is still a missing piece: the Physics of Failure (PoF).

PoF and reliability models are closely connected concepts, as they both relate to the ability of products, processes, and systems to perform their intended function consistently over time. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

Deriving the Role of the Reliability Manager

Deriving the Role of the Reliability Manager

Having worked in manufacturing quality for the great majority of my career, with a few tentacles into the field of reliability, I’ve considered many comparisons between the two fields, with of course, my unconscious biases favoring quality. One interesting comparison, for instance, is between job postings for similar positions in these related fields.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

How Do the Goals of Reliability and Quality Engineers Align?

How Do the Goals of Reliability and Quality Engineers Align?

Reliability engineers and quality engineers both work to ensure that products and systems are functioning effectively and efficiently. However, they have slightly different focus areas and goals.

The primary focus of reliability engineering is designing systems that are dependable and able to function consistently over time. This may involve identifying and addressing potential sources of failure, implementing preventive maintenance protocols, and conducting testing to ensure that the system is functioning as intended. The ultimate goal of reliability engineering is to minimize downtime and ensure that the system is available for use when needed.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

What is Six Sigma and How is it Used in Quality Engineering?

What is Six Sigma and How is it Used in Quality Engineering?

Another of the most commonly asked questions about quality engineering is “What is Six Sigma and how is it used in quality engineering?”

Six Sigma is a data-driven approach to continuous improvement that aims to reduce defects and variability in products, processes, and systems. It is based on the idea that by identifying and addressing the root causes of defects and variability, organizations can significantly improve the quality of their products and processes. Six Sigma is used to identify and eliminate defects and variability by collecting and analyzing data, identifying patterns and trends, and implementing process improvements.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

What Reliability Engineers Can Learn from Quality

What Reliability Engineers Can Learn from Quality

a.k.a. “the dark side”

Reliability engineering and quality engineering are closely related disciplines that both focus on ensuring that products, processes, and systems are efficient, effective, and meet the required standards. As such, there are several ways in which reliability engineers can improve their skills by learning about quality engineering.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

Understanding First Article Inspection

Understanding First Article Inspection

For the seasoned manufacturing quality professional, First Article Inspection (FAI) is a familiar process performed after the first production run of a new or redesigned part. But for those outside of or newer to the quality profession, the requirements of FAI may provoke a lot of questions and uncertainty.

In short, FAI is the process of planning, conducting and reporting the verification of a production process. This verification “closes the loop” between the customer’s expectations — usually described on the part’s engineering drawing — and the actual output of the supplier’s process.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

Understanding Job Satisfaction with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Understanding Job Satisfaction with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

In a season 2 episode of AMC’s acclaimed TV show “Better Call Saul”, its lead character Jimmy McGill asks his assistant Omar to “take a letter” as he dictates a handful of disjointed phrases to tender his resignation from his lucrative position at the Davis & Main law firm1. During a pause between Jimmy’s thoughts, Omar blankly states, “I just didn’t realize how unhappy you were here.” Jimmy’s response, while puzzling and a bit comical, describes a concept key to understanding the nature of job satisfaction. He replies to Omar, “Not unhappy, per se. More like not happy.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

The Window and the Mirror; A Framework for Building Credibility

The vast majority of professionals will never rise to the heights of leading a major corporation. But because of the public nature of executives and the companies they oversee, business leaders and their management methods often form effective case studies for those who manage smaller projects and organizations.

Over time, professionals who make a habit of reading trade journals and analyzing business reports can begin spotting both the useful and the futile patterns among these executives’ leadership styles. One such pattern, coined by the bestselling author of “Good to Great” Jim Collins, is called “The Window and the Mirror”.1

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

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