Make it Less Robust
Abstract
Dianna and Fred discuss requests to engineers to make it less robust.
Key Points
Join Dianna and Fred as they discuss the situation where engineers are asked to make something less robust.
Topics include:
- Planned obsolescence and its impact on product design.
- Designing products to last a specific time, not too long, not too short.
- Why some products are designed to break, and how it affects the consumer.
- The business and marketing reasons behind planned obsolescence.
- Why some companies are moving towards design for repairability and sustainable materials.
Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches.
Show Notes
In this episode, Fred and Dianna discuss why we may make it less robust. This includes the concept of planned obsolescence and how it impacts product design. They explore the idea of why some products are made to fail and the business reasons behind this practice. One story involves a company that designs products with a specific lifespan, aiming for a 10-year warranty, while another story discusses how a contract incentivized a company to make products that would fail. They also consider how the market drives the business and how product reliability can affect sales.
The conversation also touches upon the movement towards design for repairability and the use of sustainable materials. The discussion highlights the trade-offs that businesses make between product longevity, cost, and market demand. They conclude by emphasizing that while perfect reliability is an ideal goal, it may not always align with business objectives.
I have had a military equipment contractor program manager say to me that developing robust equipment would be a lot easier if it weren’t for the fact that 60% of the total program profits came from spare parts and repair service.