Details all the issues and applications of reliability engineering relevant to the use and purchase of equipment. Introduces reliability terminology for the non-specialist. Discusses product procurement based on life cycle cost, the total expenditure of ownership as opposed to merely acquisition, procurement dependability specifications, equipment inspection frequency, optimization of replacement, overhaul tactics and schedules. Explains how to collect, analyze and monitor field failure data in order to build up dependable reliability data banks for future use.

Henry S. Blanks is the author of Reliability in Procurement and Use: From Specification to Replacement, published by Wiley.