Molex announces the results of a global reliability and hardware design survey

Molex, the global leader and connectivity innovator in the electronics industry, has released the results of a global reliability survey that reveals the challenges faced by hardware (including devices) system architects and design engineers in balancing increasing reliability expectations with increasing product complexity, reduced test times, and ongoing cost and manufacturing constraints. However, the survey results also show excitement about the future, largely due to opportunities in key technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), simulation, and advanced analytics.

Equally important, 91 percent of survey participants say there is a strong correlation between their ability to deliver reliable products and having trusted, proven supplier relationships. To this end, 96% of respondents have switched parts suppliers due to reliability issues, and more than a quarter of respondents report changing frequently. Overall, these supplier relationships are becoming increasingly important, with 74 percent of respondents believing product reliability is at risk due to shorter design cycles.

Scott Whicker, senior vice president and president of Mobility Solutions at Molex, said: "Reliability is a truly 'critical' topic that has a profound impact on all aspects of product development, manufacturing and end-user experience. Choosing the right partners, deploying the most efficient processes, and leveraging the latest data insights to accelerate the design and development of the most reliable products are all critical. Our latest global industry survey Outlines evolving expectations for product reliability and the realities of design trade-offs, while expressing optimism that AI and data-driven innovation will take product reliability to the next level."

Reliability status

Molex commissioned Dimensional Research to survey more than 750 globally qualified participants with direct or managerial responsibility for hardware design or system architecture. Respondents shared their reactions to end-users' changing reliability expectations, with 54 percent saying that reliability has become an increasingly important driver of brand loyalty. In addition, 52 percent of respondents believe that customers expect equipment to operate reliably under any environmental conditions, including dust, water, and vibration.

Most companies (64%) rely on their quality teams to drive reliability efforts, followed by test engineers (60%) and product development departments (58%). But in the automotive and transportation industries, test engineers rank highest (71 percent) for ensuring products meet stringent reliability requirements. Survey participants across industries, when describing their companies' approach to reliability, report overdesigning products almost twice as often as pursuing low-cost solutions. Many respondents (42%) aim to exceed current industry certifications and standards when designing their hardware, while 44% strive to align with possible future requirements. More than half (51%) of data communications industry respondents are committed to meeting both current and potential future needs. While reliability is critical, only 18% of engineers have a verification and validation plan in place before starting product design. Most engineers (44%) make these plans while working on product design.

Reduce reliability risk

When considering the biggest difficulty in designing for reliability, 42 percent of respondents cited sufficient test time, followed by the correlation between supplier quality, cost, or design attributes and their impact on reliability at 37 percent each. Most of the time, engineers put cost (50%), manufacturability (46%) and user experience (35%) ahead of reliability when making trade-offs. In contrast, they are least likely to prioritize weight (35%), functionality (26%) and form/size (26%) over reliability.

The rise of artificial intelligence and data-based tools

Currently, only 33 percent of respondents use data-based models to help evaluate design trade-offs, but with survey results showing increasing optimism about the role of data in improving reliability, this percentage is likely to change. Looking ahead, nearly half of respondents (46%) ranked AI, machine learning, simulation and data analytics innovations as the best overall choice for improving the reliability of future electronics. In fact, 83 percent of respondents are bullish on AI's potential to improve product reliability. When ranking AI use cases, respondents pointed to the ability to identify and predict failures (43%), optimize reliability designs (31%), perform more complete verification and validation simulations (31%), and build better test plans and models (29%).

An ageing workforce will add to worries

More than half of respondents (51%) predict that experience will become more important to understanding product complexity over the next five years, but 92% expect senior experts to face retirement. While 83 percent of participants expect the loss of critical engineering expertise to pose a risk to employee satisfaction, brand reputation, and even lost revenue, only 39 percent have a plan in place to mitigate the associated risks.

A global consensus on reliability

Across the globe, engineering experts agree that AI has the greatest impact on reliability, with participants in the Americas the most optimistic about AI's prospects for improving product reliability within five years. European respondents are the most bullish on using AI to identify and predict failures. In addition, survey results from participants in the Asia Pacific region show the strongest awareness of the potential risks arising from the reduction of key talent with deep reliability expertise.