Track 1 Session 1
9:10 to 10:10 a.m. Wednesday March 26, 2008

Ensuring Product Reliability Through Continuous Implementation and Rollout of Design For Reliability Process

Design For Reliability (DFR) has its vital place within concurrent product development when companies are satisfying their customers with reliable solutions during the products life cycle. The role of DFR even increases when the provision of services is part of the business landscape. Modern methods and tools of DFR are well known among reliability professionals. However, chief design engineers and many persons even outside R&D are making several decisions that have a big impact on product reliability. The challenge of the resurrection of the DFR process is heavily linked to the communication and motivation within different organizations. This is especially valid when other important product development factors, such as time to market and product cost, have to be considered in trade-off decisions.

This presentation illustrates how to communicate some of the key reliability engineering aspects to an audience hearing them maybe for the first time ever. The presentation will also discuss DFR process challenges relating to creating solutions for complex repairable systems built up of all sorts of technologies. The experiences discussed will provide a benchmarking possibility for other companies.