System reliability

System Reliability to the consumer means that products in systems will perform for a specified amount of time with minimal or no failures or maintenance. A manufacturer will guarantee that their products are reliable by offering a warranty that typically covers breakage, lack of performance, and manufacturer's defects. To ensure that their products will outlast the warranty, reliability must be designed into the system. Designed-in means to understand what the reliability drivers are and to eliminate them or minimize their effects. Several factors and processes contribute to the reliability of a product: the components selected, how they are applied and how they are manufactured and assembled in the system. Each, once understood, can be appropriately designed and planned, and thus the effects of failures can be minimized. Listed below are major contributors to product reliability.