WHO S RESPONSIBLE?

WHO'S RESPONSIBLE?

Full realization of R&M benefits requires consistent application of the process. Simultaneous engineering (SE) teams , together with the plants and the supply base, must align their efforts and objectives to provide quality machinery designed for R&M. Reliability and maintainability engineering is the responsibility of everyone involved in machinery design, as much as the collection and maintenance of operational data are the responsibility of those operating and maintaining the equipment day to day.

The R&M process places responsibility on the groups possessing the skills or knowledge necessary to efficiently and accurately complete a given set of tasks . It turns out that much of the expertise is in the supply base, and as such, the suppliers must take the lead role and responsibility in R&M efforts. The R&M process encourages the organization and suppliers to lock into budget costs based on Life Cycle Costing (LCC) analysis of options and cost targets. Warranty issues should be considered in the LCC analysis so that design helps decrease excessive warranty costs after installation. The focus places responsibility for correcting design defects on the machinery designers.

Facility and tooling producers who practice R&M will ultimately reduce the cost (such as warranty) of their product and will become more competitive over time. Further, suppliers that practice R&M will qualify as QS-9000 certified, preferred, global sourcing partners . Engineers and program managers who practice and encourage R&M will reduce operational costs over time. In doing so, they will meet manufacturing and cost objectives for their projects or programs.