Maintainability

Independent cost analysis studies indicate that an inordinately large percentage of the overall life-cycle cost of most systems/products is currently taken up by maintenance and support. In fact, for many large-scale systems, maintenance and support have been shown to account for as much as 60% to 75% of overall life-cycle costs. At a time of fierce global competition, long-term cost effectiveness is a major competitive advantage that manufacturers simply cannot afford to underestimate. Clearly then, to remain competitive in today's international marketplace, companies must institute programs…