The Duties and Responsibilities of a Reliability Engineer
The Reliability Engineer plays one of the most important roles in a business, especially for those whose operations depend on large, expensive pieces of equipment or technology. A reliability engineer is the person that is in charge of monitoring the equipment to prevent any failures that could impede business operations and potentially lead to downtime or a loss in profits. While the role of a reliability engineer varies from business to business, their goal is always the same: reduce maintenance costs as much as possible without interrupting business operations. Learn more about what goes into Reliability Engineering from the professionals at Infralogix.
Reduce Maintenance and Operating Costs
As any business will tell you, maintaining large pieces of equipment is one of the most expensive parts of running a large plant or any other type of facility. These pieces of equipment are a fundamental part of what keeps the business running. Any lapse in service could be detrimental to the business’s livelihood, but of course, equipment isn’t made to last forever. Machines will fail at some point or another. It’s up to the Reliability Engineer to determine how long the business can expect these pieces of equipment to last, how much they will cost to repair, and how to keep them running for as long as possible. Simply put, the Reliability Engineer is here to help the business save money by monitoring and maintaining the equipment at all times.
Assist with Project Planning and Implementation
Reliability services are also a critical part of the design and planning stage. Before a project can begin, the Reliability Engineer needs to be consulted in terms of what kind of equipment needs to be purchased, what kind of ROI the business can expect in return, as well as how and where that equipment needs to be installed. All of these issues are extremely important when it comes to reducing overhead and ensuring the project’s success. If a project manager fails to consult a Reliability Engineer during the design phase, it could lead to added expenses down the line.
Manage and Assess Overall Risk
Another key part of Reliability Engineer is what’s known as risk assessment. This involves monitoring the overall risk of certain assets or pieces of equipment. What’s the risk that this piece of equipment could fail? More importantly, what are the risks involved with the equipment’s eventual failure? Is it simply a loss in revenue or could the equipment physically harm one of the business’s employees or the environment? When dealing with expensive or even potentially hazardous pieces of equipment, a Reliability Engineer is in charge of making sure that the company is taking on as little risk as possible. In order to reduce those risks, the Reliability Engineer will need to monitor the equipment in question, make suggestions as to when the equipment should be repaired, and make sure that the equipment is functioning in a way that keeps the business and its employees out of harm’s way.
For more information about Preventive Maintenance and Reliability Engineering, contact the experts at Infralogix.