Fundamentals of Failure Analysis

By Fred Schenkelberg

November 11, 2025 / 9am Pacific Time

Failure analysis is not just about finding the root cause of a failure; it’s also about preventing future failures. Yet, the process starts much like a crime scene. Understanding some basic steps and approaches helps you fully grasp the failure and its impact or implications.

Sometimes, just identifying a failure is the difficult part. Sometimes, it’s the collection of clues or evidence. Sometimes, it’s the skills and tools needed to fully understand the root cause. The intent of any failure analysis is to understand the problem well enough to craft and implement short and long-term solutions.

Let’s explore the basics of failure analysis, the basic steps, and some ways to identify and avoid ways a failure analysis may fail. If you like, grab your Sherlock Holmes cap and magnifying glass and prepare to improve your ability to learn from every failure.

What is the Gamma Distribution

By Chris Jackson

November 25, 2025 /8am Pacific Time

And how does it help me?

Normal distributions. Exponential distributions. Weibull distributions. Lognormal distributions. So many distributions! So why would I want to turn up to this webinar to learn about another distribution called the ‘gamma’ distribution? Because the gamma distribution is awesome! … for certain situations. So if you want to learn about this ‘gamma’ distribution (which is often used for lots of different reliability tests) without complex equations … this webinar is the webinar for you.

Optimizing Efficiency: A Comprehensive Guide to 5S Principles

By Ginette Collazo

November 3, 2025 / 10-11:30am Pacific Time

$150

Human error is known to be the primary cause of quality and production losses in many industries. Although it is unlikely that human error will ever be eliminated, many human performance problems can be prevented.

This webinar would provide tools that can be implemented and used after this event. These include practical tools and recommendations. It presents and overview of the five pillars of 5S: Organization (Sort), Orderliness (Set in Order), Cleanliness (Shine), Standardization (Standardize), Discipline (Sustain). The contents if this course are based on Hiroyuki Hirano’s, 5 Pillars of the visual workplace.

Impact Assessment and Risk Management for Change Control

By Alan M Golden

November 3, 2025 / 12pm Pacific Time

$150

In this webinar we will examine the process of evaluating and completing an impact assessment when applied to change control. We will discuss how to determine the level of impact assessment needed for what type of changes and how to base this decision on risk.

A major part of the discussion will be the development of tools which can be used to do a complete impact assessment and how this will lead to a change plan to complete any activities needed to fully verify/validate the change. We will also be discussing a tool for doing a change specific risk assessment which highlights the risks associated with the change. Applicable regulatory guidance will also be discussed.

Root Cause Analysis of Conformal Coat Failure

By Jason Keeping

November 4, 2025 / 9am Pacific Time

Free for members and students / $25 non-members

With the increasing integration of electronics into our industry and their deployment and exposure to harsh environments, this highlights the growing importance of conformal coating as a fundamental protective method for high reliability products. However, with the escalating component density and complexity of board topologies that are present these provide significant challenges in developing and understanding the manufacturing process interactions to provide a stable conformal coating solutions that provide the final end user reliability that is required.

This presentation will feature a case study where we utilized industry best practices to build the boards, material compatibility testing to understand the chemistries, yet the final end-user reliability requirements did not meet end user requirements.

QMS 101: Quality Management System Guide

By John E Lincoln

November 5, 2025 / 7-8:30am Pacific Time

$199

ISO 9001 is an international standard for Quality Management Systems for all business or industrial systems and is used as such by companies worldwide.

This webinar will evaluate the requirements for the foundational / basic Quality Management System (QMS), ISO 9001m and how most QMS’ requirements build upon that foundation. Then it will go into a detailed analysis of the basic requirements of ISO 9001 and what that means for the typical manufacturing company (and others).

Accelerated Test, Design and Analysis to Demonstrate Reliability

By Dr. Alec Feinberg

November 5, 2025 / 8:30-12:30 Pacific Time

$400

Design For Manufacturing (DMI) and the Impact on Defects

By Ray Prasad

November 5, 2025 / 9-1:30 Pacific Time

$75 for members / $100 non-members

Designing for SMT (Surface Mount Technology) can often feel like trial-and-error, with constant frustration from fast-paced packaging changes and the added challenges of lead-free assembly. This course—based on Ray Prasad’s industry-leading book Surface Mount Technology: Principles and Practice, Second Edition and the IPC-7351 Land Pattern Standard (originally chaired by Ray)—provides practical, detailed guidelines for DFM in both tin-lead and lead-free assemblies.

Drawing on Ray’s experience as Intel’s SMT Program Manager, this course connects Design for Manufacturing (DFM) decisions directly to defect prevention, SMT yield improvement, and cost reduction. Attendees will see real-world examples of how design, materials, and processes impact SMT performance and reliability.

Software Verification and Validation – The 10 Must Have Documents

By John E Lincoln

November 5, 2025 / 10-11:30am Pacific Time

$199

Software and related hardware design, development, verification and validation is difficult to manage, document and control. This presentation focuses on the verification and validation planning and execution of software after basic developmental testing and de-bug. It includes COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) and growing “cloud”-based software. A suggested FDA model, also accepted by Notified Bodies, will be evaluated, implemented, with V&V documentation and test case examples. The focus is on the most recent issues the FDA has had in this area, and remediation approaches. Software considered: 1) In-product, 2) As-product, 3) Production and test, and 4) QMS / 21 CFR Pt. 11, and Cybersecurity. Field examples, good and bad will be addressed. Evaluation of the chief areas of FDA concerns will focus on actual and anticipated changes in emphasis based on the changing regulatory climate.

How to Build an Investigation File as a Report

By Mark Galley

November 6, 2025 /8am Pacific Time

Our updated template in Excel makes it easier to save your entire investigation in easily sharable formats. In this webinar we will walk you through the different ways to compile the results of your investigation into a condensed, easily sharable report – whether you’re looking for Excel, PowerPoint, Word or a Summary PDF, we’ve got you covered.

Seminar on Advanced Experimental Characterization of Heat Generation Rates of Lithium Ion Batteries

By Song-Yul Choe

November 10, 2025 / 8-9:30am Pacific Time

In this presentation, an overview of approaches for lithium-ion battery research by modeling, experimental, and theoretical analysis, and advanced controls will be provided as an introduction. Then the presentation will focus on the principle of thermal behaviors of lithium-ion batteries and show a couple of examples of how to characterize heat generation rates of pouch and cylindrical cells, including the entropy coefficient, using the developed calorimeter.

This is an in-person event with Zoom option to join online.

From Breakdowns to Breakthroughs: Unlocking Reliability with Optime + Redlist

By Frank Mignano and Robert Williams

November 11, 2025 / 8am Pacific Time

This webinar showcases how Schaeffler’s smart condition monitoring and lubrication systems, combined with Redlist’s connected workforce platform, turn maintenance challenges into opportunities. Together, they deliver real-time visibility, streamlined execution, and measurable gains in uptime and efficiency, proving that reliability can be a true breakthrough for modern plants.

FMEA, RCM or RCA? Which is the Right One for the Issues I Have?

By David Auda

November 13, 2025 / 9am Pacific Time

There are a lot of different tools available to reliability practitioners, maybe too many to choose from. In my career there have been numerous occasions when individuals didn’t know what tool to use and, and in some instances, they chose the wrong tool. Not knowing which tool to use or picking the wrong tool will result in ineffective results and valuable time losses. In the vast majority of cases, there is no time to correct from such an error. Schedule slip, cost overruns, risk and/or unsafety exposure, discrepant nonrepairable product, etc., demand immediate and effective results. There are no contingencies that allow such issues to persist, and in many cases, schedule and cost are more likely to be tightened in attempts to beat competitors to market and/or offer a lower sale price. This presentation will provide guidance on tool selection and tool utilization, provided by a career reliability engineer with experience across multiple industries.

Presenting an Investigation to Management

By Mark Galley

November 14, 2025 / 8am Pacific Time

You’ve defined a problem, analyzed it and found solutions using the Cause Mapping® investigation template in Excel. You’ve created your investigation file and now it’s time to present your findings. In this webinar, we’ll explain how to effectively present your Cause Map™ diagram and investigation findings to your colleagues or managers. We’ll address what to include in your summary, what points to emphasize, the order of presenting information as well as what language to use to have the most impact.

The Hidden Costs of Limited Asset Monitoring: Why Comprehensive Coverage Matters

By Jack Bordonaro and Gary Cohen

November 18, 2025 / 11am Pacific time

Learn how to uncover the hidden costs of incomplete monitoring strategies and why a plant-wide approach is essential for modern asset performance management. Explore how machine learning and generative artificial intelligence technologies enable comprehensive monitoring of all assets and processes, providing a holistic view of operations. By monitoring the full process rather than isolated pieces, managers can identify inefficiencies, prevent failures, and proactively address emerging hazards before they escalate.

Recent Advances in Design of Experiments

By Dr. Douglas Montgomery

November 19, 2025 / 8:30-11:30am Pacific Time

$300

The last 25 years have seen many important and fundamental changes in how experiments can be designed. These changes have come about because of increases in computing power and the development of efficient algorithms for implementing optimal design methodology. This enables engineers, scientists and other that use designed experiments to create designs that are customized to the specific characteristics of their problem and not have to rely on tables of libraries of standard designs from textbooks or software.

This webinar gives a basic overview of optimal design methodology and demonstrates how it is implemented in modern computer software. Examples of how this approach can be used to create custom designs are shown for a variety of situations, including cases where there are constraints on the region of experimentation, restrictions on the number of runs that can be made, or non-standard models that need to be fit to the results. Some specific new developments in DOX that have origins in optimal design methodology that will be discuss include no-confounding fractional factorial designs, definitive screening designs that can include both factor screening and response surface modeling in a single experiment, and designs for computer experiments.

Driving Reliability: Bringing Datalakes to the Depot

By Gareth Davies

November 19, 2025 / 10-11:30am Pacific Time

Modern fleets are data-rich and increasingly complex, with boundaries blurring between traditional domains: signalling equipment now sits onboard trains, software interacts across suppliers, and ownership of fault data is rarely clear. The result is that frontline maintainers often struggle to access actionable insights, despite the vast datasets available.

This webinar explores how we can bridge that gap — simplifying complex data flows and putting information directly in the hands of depot engineers. Direct access to meaningful data enables faster fault finding, reduces repeat failures, and drives reliability growth — core to RAM delivery. Drawing on examples from the Jubilee Line and DLR, the session will also look ahead to 4LM, where embedding digital RAM into depot practice is the next major step in operationalising data lakes.

SaRS members will gain insight into how data-driven reliability can move from theory to practice, and how digital RAM principles can be embedded into everyday operations to deliver measurable reliability improvements.

Life-Cycle Management of Analytical Procedures & Validation Parameters

By John C Fetzer

November 19, 2025 / 12pm Pacific Time

$150

In validation, certain requirements are defined by the needs for the data a laboratory generates. Some of these may be affected by changed in the same (due to formulation changes or new manufacturing processes or new changed in composition, matrix, or impurities can make a methodology ineffective.

Good planning coupled with an analytical methodology that is flexible can avoid numerous revalidations. The criteria and assessments need to extend a methods lifetime will be covered. The use of robustness and propagation of errors will be described.

After the Pressure Drops – Analysis of Boiler Failures

By Shane Turcott

November 20, 2025 / 10am Pacific Time

To inquire about registration, please email shane.turcott@steelimage.com (by invitation only)

Boilers can fail for a variety of reasons. Diagnosing the failure mechanism and determining additional details regarding its failure is useful for developing repair plans, assessing fitness-for-service and dealing with future reliability. This talk summarizes the resources Steel Image provides to support investigating boiler failures. It uses case studies to illustrate both laboratory-based failure analysis and field metallography to characterize boiler damage.

Risk, Reliability & Root Cause Analysis

By Mark Galley (pre-recorded)

November 21, 2025 / 8am Pacific Time

This presentation, for both frontline and managers, clarifies the connection between risk, reliability and root cause analysis. These three topics can sometimes be vague theories rather than concrete disciplines. Companies inadvertently make problem-solving too complicated. Six-week quality programs that leave people confused, 300 puzzling “cause codes” and frustrating investigations are not just counterproductive, they can be detrimental. It can erode the effectiveness of an organization. Your problems are confusing enough; your problem-solving tools shouldn’t make it worse. Employees who are inundated with techniques, methods and software can lose track of the basics. All problem-solving efforts should be focused on your company’s goals with a bias toward principles.