Career Spotlight: Reliability Engineer
Business owners often review their production processes and equipment so they can look for ways to cut costs and spot problems. Sometimes it’s more helpful to have a professional in charge of conducting this assessment as well as of identifying and managing problems that might arise in production and with safety equipment. These professionals are known as reliability engineers, and they can be found working in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, military, utility systems, transportation, medical, and others.
What Is Reliability Engineering?
Reliability engineering focuses on making sure products, software, and data act as they were intended without failing. Reliability engineers use scientific reasoning to predict, identify, prevent, and manage problems and failures in a business. They also use engineering techniques to improve the reliability of products, software, and data.
What Is a Reliability Engineer?
As mentioned, a reliability engineer is the professional charged with the responsibility of ensuring a business’ products function properly. To keep businesses running effectively and efficiently, reliability engineers focus on risk management and asset management.
What Does a Reliability Engineer Do?
Reliability engineers specifically study the life cycle of the production process and identify points for improvement, and use their knowledge to increase equipment efficiency, improve operations, and prevent problems. Here are some other responsibilities they may have:
- Planning evaluation tests to find production and safety risks
- Helping to create and install technical systems
- Testing and evaluating products and components
- Identifying dangers or failures in the production process or technical system
- Performing analysis of recurring failures and recommending ways to improve
- Helping to develop loss prevention strategies
- Tracking the life cycle of product development
- Analyzing information and strategies to reduce risk
- Determining the consequences of a failure
- Maintaining how efficiently a company can fix equipment
- Reviewing new installations
- Providing technical support to other teams
How to Become a Reliability Engineer
To become a reliability engineer, you need to fulfill several qualifications, including earning a degree and obtaining certification. It’s also helpful to gain experience in the field, either by volunteering or interning in the engineering sector. This would give you valuable experience and introduce you to your preferred industry. It’s also important that you gain the proper certification.
Education Requirements for a Reliability Engineer
Reliability engineers need to have at least a bachelor’s degree in the engineering field or something similar. You can pursue mechanical or industrial engineering and even major in engineering, logistics, or statistics. Excelsior’s Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering Technology program, accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET, provides students with knowledge in areas such as reactor operations, health physics, quality assurance, chemistry, and instrumentation and control related to the nuclear engineering technology field. This degree is an appropriate choice if you’re interested in becoming a reliability engineer.
Reliability Engineering Certification
To complete your qualifications to become a reliability engineer, you must acquire certification. One of the popular certifications you can pursue is a Certified Reliability Engineer, which is offered by the American Society for Quality and is for engineers to prove their technical expertise and analytical skills in reliability. The Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional is offered by the Society of Maintenance and Reliability Professionals and tests management and leadership skills, asset maintenance, troubleshooting, and reliability leadership, among other capabilities. Finally, the Certified Reliability Leader is offered by the Association of Asset Management Professionals and tests knowledge in economic prosperity, social responsibility, and environmental sustainability.
If a reliability engineer sounds like the profession for you, consider speaking with an Excelsior admissions counselor to start your educational path.
