Track 2 Session 4
2:20 to 3:20 p.m. Wednesday June 20, 2007

Component Reliability Assessment at John Deere

Customer expectations require the John Deere brand to be of the highest quality, performance, durability and innovation. Competition is continually improving and quality/reliability is one aspect of the customer experience where John Deere has the opportunity to place itself above the competition. In all John Deere divisions, customer research shows clear linkages between customer satisfaction and quality/reliability. In many John Deere products, supplier-provided components account for 70-80% of the product cost. High component reliability is vital to improved profitability and customer satisfaction. In order to achieve the Enterprise goals of high reliability and improved customer satisfaction, John Deere uses a seven step Component Reliability Assessment Process that is designed to establish component reliability goals, communicate the goals and specifications to the suppler, and statistically verify that the component has met the goal.

Key Words: Component Reliability Metrics, B Life Goal, Component Specification, Inherent Reliability Assessment, Component Initial Reliability, Product Verification and Validation (PV&V) Plan