Reliability Engineering

9Parts Selection and Management

To produce a product, there is usually a complex supply chain of companies that are involved directly and indirectly in producing and parts (materials) for the final product. Thus, to produce a reliable product, it is necessary to select the parts that have sufficient quality and are capable of delivering the expected performance for the targeted life-cycle conditions.

This chapter discusses parts selection and management. The key elements to a practical selection process are presented. Then, the practices necessary to ensure continued acceptability over the product life cycle are discussed.

9.1 Part Assessment Process

The parts (materials)¹ selection and management process is usually carried out by a multidisciplinary team, which develops part assessment criteria and acceptability levels to guide part selection. A part is selected if it conforms to the targeted requirements, is cost-effective and available² to meet the schedule requirements. If there are problems, the parts management team also helps to identify alternative sources of parts or ways to help the supplier produce a better part.

Many product design teams maintain a list of preferred parts of proven performance and reliability. A “preferred part” is typically mature, and has a history of successful manufacturing, assembly, and field operation, so it is usually the conservative approach to parts selection. Thus, in some cases, new technologies, processes, markets, materials, and price pressures ...