Expert Details
Reliability Engineering, Reliability Program Management, Accelerated Testing
ID: 727379
California, USA
Expert's broad experience in product reliability while at HP included developing design guidelines, rapid response procedures, engineer and management training programs and community building and networking. The five years building the HP corporate reliability program brought Expert into contact with all levels of the organization.
Expert worked to expand the impact of reliability engineering to include effective design, procurement and manufacturing policy decisions, reward and bonus structures, and product team metrics.
As a independent consultant, Expert has continued with the assessments and working with design and manufacturing teams to systemically make lasting improvements to products and practices. Expert quickly understands the product and market and business situation, then guides the management team to focus on the necessary training, policies, metrics, and practices the result in lasting changes. Expert's performance in one division of a medical device company lead to the request from corporate headquarters, “to change the culture of the company” concerning product reliability.
Mastering the product reliability program for a corporation or design team is built on deep and fundamental understanding of the broad range of reliability engineering tools and techniques. First hand experience with such diverse topics as reliability predictions, accelerated and qualification testing, FMEA (failure modes and effects analysis), derating and stress/strength analysis, HALT (highly accelerated life testing) all focus on improving a design team's performance and decision making. Tools such as vendor assessment, field data analysis, and reliability goal and metric development focus on improving the management team’s ability to focus resources for maximum improvement.
Expert has developed and teaches the keystone course for the University of Maryland's reliability engineering masters and Ph.D. program. The course has also been taught by request to NASA engineering staff in Houston. Expert has consulted with over 100 organizations on specific issues, applying Expert's expertise in reliability engineering. Conducting FMEA training, designing effective and efficient accelerated life testing, performing data analysis statistical studies of field data, building training courses and workshops, are all done in the context of business objectives.
Expert has built on his physics and statistics education along with practical experience to bring 'the questions no one else knows to ask' curiosity and understanding to solve complex problems quickly.
Expert's first engineering task related to reliability was the development of an accelerated degradation life test. This was over 20 years ago and at the time improved the accuracy of the testing results and shortened the time to accomplish the testing on a 20 year product.
Over the years, Expert blended his statistics, engineering, and leadership skills, along with enjoyment of reliability statistics to design and conduct accelerated testing on such diverse products as mobile networking servers, hot tubs, computer and networking equipment, medical devices (including implanted and critical care), solar cell technology, water purity test equipment, and gaming consoles and accessories. Expert likes to say he can break your product in a meaningful manner, resulting in the design team’s understanding of what breaks first (weak point) or how long the product will last.
Expert has also consulted with lawyers to review and comment on product design and accelerated testing practices and claims. Expert has worked with design and procurement teams to understand and in some cases develop accelerated testing for vendors.
He conducted a company wide reliability assessment for a medical device company providing clear guidance and support to dramatically improve reliability management and tracking, field data analysis and product testing. He provided detailed next steps and a path toward the creation of an effective and efficient reliability program.He provided training and workshops for all levels of an oil exploration equipment manufacturer. The training increase awareness and decision making power to the entire design team. The workshop to sets reliability goals that include sufficient information for solid engineering and procurement design making alone paid for the training.He designed an accelerated life test for multiple industries, including oil exploration, water purity measurement equipment, hot tub siding, game console accessories, telecommunication equipments, mobile routers, and aerospace. Each test designed to meet the budget, timeline and decision point requirements of the client. He also taught key team members how to carry the testing forward or apply to other products.He conducted effective team meetings focused on Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA). Then came back to teach key personnel how to effectively lead a meeting to garner the full benefit of the FMEA process. He knows how to lead complex meetings and teach others how to also lead teams.
Education
Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
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Year: 1993 | Degree: MS | Subject: Statistics | Institution: Stanford University |
Year: 1983 | Degree: BS | Subject: Physics | Institution: United States Military Academy |
Work History
Years | Employer | Title | Department |
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Years: 2004 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Consultant | Department: |
Responsibilities:Expert provides a full range of consulting services. Services range from guiding management teams to make systemic company-wide improvements, to providing detailed and hands-on application of reliability engineering tools such as FMEA, HALT and ALT. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 1996 to 2004 | Employer: Hewlett-Packard Company | Title: Engineer | Department: Corporate Engineering |
Responsibilities:First as a Design for Manufacturing engineer in the Inkjet Printer division, then as an internal technology/engineering consultant with a corporate engineering group. Provided over $100 million in cost savings related to rapid resolution and avoidance of ceramic capacitor issues. Conducted reliability assessments of all divisions, built corporate wide reliability curriculum, and revised and updated essential design guidelines (thermal design, derating guideline and Design for Reliability Handbook). |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 1989 to 1996 | Employer: Raychem Corporation | Title: Engineer | Department: Chemelex |
Responsibilities:Factory floor supervisor, manufacturing engineer, and R&D engineer. Focused on the process and design improvements to self-regulated heating cables expected to last over 20 years. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 1983 to 1989 | Employer: US Army | Title: Captain/Battery Commander | Department: Artillery |
Responsibilities:Various position of increasing leadership responsibility, culminated in a Battery Command. |
International Experience
Years | Country / Region | Summary |
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Years: 2008 to 2008 | Country / Region: China | Summary: Working with contract manufacturing site for high volume product to install and improve development product testing, along with ongoing reliability testing methods and analysis. |
Years: 2008 to 2008 | Country / Region: Korea | Summary: Conducted failure analysis investigation on two large solar power installations with damaged tracking systems. |
Years: 2007 to 2007 | Country / Region: Belgium | Summary: Lead week of training on reliability engineering with focus on accelerated testing for implanted medical device company. |
Years: 1999 to 2002 | Country / Region: Worldwide | Summary: He lead the Hewlett-Packard reliability assessment and training program. Assessing approximately 50 HP product development organizations and providing in-person training, web-based workshops and presentations, and hosting seminars, conferences and consulting with HP divisions and key vendors around the world. |
Career Accomplishments
Associations / Societies |
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ASQ Reliability Division Chair IEEE Reliability Society Silicon Valley Vice Chair Society of Reliability Engineers |
Licenses / Certifications |
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ASQ Certified Reliability Engineer and Certified Quality Engineer |
Professional Appointments |
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Reliability and Maintainability Symposium Management Committee |
Publications and Patents Summary |
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He has two technical articles, numerous conference presentations and talks. |
Additional Experience
Expert Witness Experience |
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Home window qualification testing and durability, plus coaching on common reliability practices and tools. |
Training / Seminars |
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University of Maryland course EN642, graduate level course on Reliability Engineering Management. Numerous courses on reliability engineering tools. Numerous presentations and seminars at professional conferences. |
Vendor Selection |
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Currently as Chair of American Society of Quality Reliability Division along with long association with related professional organizations, Expert has developed an extensive network of reliability engineering professionals around the world. |
Fields of Expertise
product reliability, product reliability improvement, product reliability plan, reliability, reliability engineering, reliability improvement, reliability plan, system reliability, accelerated testing, climate testing, silicon component reliability, electrostatic discharge prevention, casing reliability, automobile reliability testing, reliability test, printed circuit board reliability, surface-mount assembly reliability, failure distribution, failure rate, flex testing, integrated-circuit reliability, computer reliability prediction, accelerated solder joint testing, accelerated thermal life testing, battery degradation, lifetime, bearing wear, American Society for Quality Control, electrical connector reliability, nondestructive test, semiconductor device package reliability, reliability analysis, acceptance test, acceptable quality level, analytical testing, abrasion testing, accelerated environmental testing, battery reliability, accelerated storage testing, bearing reliability, destructive testing, solder testing, acoustic emission testing, life length analysis, plastic encapsulated microcircuit reliability, printed-wiring board reliability, electrical connector corrosion, quality reliability plan, quality reliability, crystal reliability, electronic assembled device reliability, reliability theory, solid electrolyte tantalum capacitor reliability improvement, solid electrolyte tantalum capacitor reliability, ceramic capacitor reliability improvement, capacitor reliability improvement, mechanical product reliability improvement, electrical product reliability improvement, microelectronic device reliability improvement, microcomputer system reliability improvement, minicomputer system reliability improvement, electronic device reliability improvement, computer system reliability improvement, rotating machinery reliability improvement, rotating machinery reliability, machinery reliability improvement, machinery reliability, fastener quality, mechanical reliability, reliability testing, capacitor reliability, ceramic capacitor reliability, life-prediction methodology, electronic-device-component life-prediction methodology, telecommunication system electrical reliability, computer system electrical reliability, electronics reliability testing, burn-in test, semiconductor device reliability, stress testing, electronic component defect, creep-induced solder joint failure, surface-mount solder joint reliability, solder joint reliability, electronic device quality assurance, thermal shock testing, highly-accelerated life testing, burn-in, reliability prediction, medical device reliability testing, fault tree analysis, corrosion, electromigration, highly-accelerated stress screening, solderability testing, vibration testing, humidity testing, testing, nondestructive testing, life testing, failure modes and effects analysis, environmental-stress screening, endurance testing, electronic device reliability, electrical connector, derating