Hans-Dieter Kochs was head of the Chair of Computer Engineering and Information Logistics at the University Duisburg-Essen, Germany. He received a Diploma-Degree in Electrical Engineering (1972) and a Dr.-Ing. Degree (1976) from the Technical University (RWTH) Aachen, Germany. From 1972 to 1979 he was a member of the Institute of Power Systems and Power Economics (IAEW) at the RWTH Aachen (Prof. K.W. Edwin) as a research assistant. From 1979 to 1991 he held leading positions in industry (AEG/Daimler Frankfurt, FAG Kugelfischer Erlangen, and ESWE Wiesbaden, Germany). Since 1991 he has been a full Professor. From 1972 to the present day, he has been engaged in scientific and industrial dependability analyses and studies.