Using benchmarking to introduce and improve reliability engineering

Abstract

Benchmarking has been very instrumental to Otis Elevator Company's introduction and continual improvement of several key reliability engineering activities. The feasibility of using the highly accelerated life testing and highly accelerated stress screening methods for electronics' reliability testing were studied and implemented in part by benchmarking with other companies already practising the techniques and have been continually improved using another benchmarking arrangement. Failure modes and effects analysis methods were also studied by benchmarking with other companies and attending several "outside" training courses. Activities such as part burn-in and reliability prediction were eliminated after benchmarking and analyses were performed.