Reliability theory is a major concern for engineers and managers, and in light of Japan's recent earthquake, the reliability of large-scale systems has increased in importance. This also highlights the need for a new notion of maintenance and reliability theory, and how this can practically be applied to systems.

Providing an essential guide for engineers and managers specializing in reliability maintenance and quality control, this book provides a useful resource for those with doubts carrying out maintenance of new and large systems. It is also intended for graduate students and researchers interested in operations research, statistics, industrial engineering and management science.