ReliabilityRadio

In a unique twist at The Reliability Conference 2025, hosts Jonathan Guiney and Brendan Russ hand over the microphone to Jack Ryan, a young engineer from JLL. Jack interviews the veteran hosts, exploring how reliability methodologies have evolved through technology while core objectives remain the same. The trio discusses the "Sisyphus" nature of the reliability journey, emphasizing that there is no peak value, only continuous improvement. They dive into essential traits for engineers—specifically persistence and attention to detail—and share practical advice for overcoming technician skepticism and leveraging AI as a tool rather than a savior.

In this episode of Reliability Radio, hosts Jonathan Guiney and Brendan Russ sit down with Fabrice Brion of I-care at The Reliability Conference to move past the AI hype and focus on actionable solutions. Fabrice argues that for technology to succeed, it must be implemented "bottom-up," solving real problems for the workforce rather than serving as top-down mandates. The trio discusses the pressing "Silver Tsunami"—the aging workforce crisis—and how predictive maintenance and AI are essential for doing more work with fewer resources. Fabrice also draws a compelling parallel between the future of surgical, high-speed maintenance and Formula 1 pit stops, ultimately predicting a fully integrated "maintenance autopilot" system within the next five years.

On this episode of Reliability Radio, hosts Jonathan Guiney and Brendon Russ speak with JLL's Bryce Steffens about the most important asset in the age of AI: People. While many workers are "running scared" that AI will take their jobs, Bryce shares a revolutionary mindset shift: What if you eliminate your own job first? Drawing from his presentation at TRC 2025, Bryce focuses on the People and Culture at Work domain of the Uptime Elements, emphasizing Opportunity for Growth and Mattering at Work. Key Takeaways & Concepts: The Glug Effect: Bryce introduces the hilarious and highly relatable analogy of the "glug" —the sudden, overwhelming feeling of negative emotions caused when too many demands (meetings, urgent work) flood your schedule, leading to breakdowns and messes in your team and process. The Proactive Solution: The core counter-strategy is to write things down with the explicit mentality of giving that work to someone else. This practice captures valuable tacit knowledge, creates growth opportunities for others, and frees up your time for passion work. Reliability Connection: By reducing the overwhelm (the "glug"), people are happier, more effective, and the underlying processes become more reliable. Actionable First Steps: Bryce offers simple, low-tech ways to get started, such as writing down just one task, recording a screen recording, or keeping an informal SharePoint or Wiki—proving you don't need official sign-off or a huge budget to begin leaving a meaningful legacy. This session serves  as a breath of fresh air, reminding everyone that people drive processes, and focusing on team well-being is the fastest route to reliable equipment.  Watch Session https://reliabilityweb.com/en/reliability-tv/maintenance-culture

On this episode of Reliability Radio, hosts Jonathan Guiney and Brendan Russ welcome Michael Bigelow, Systems Engineering, Energy and Water Efficiency lead at Seattle Children's Hospital, to discuss the extreme measures taken to ensure the reliability of critical assets, specifically patient transport elevators. In a facility where vertical transportation is essential for safety, accessibility, and the core mission, Michael details their holistic strategy: Defining Criticality: How a deep survey of patient experience, including the helicopter landing pad and emergency department access, drives their criticality analysis. The Performance Contract: A revolutionary approach to vendor management where financial incentives and penalties are tied directly to performance metrics like Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) and callback rates. Data and Buy-In: The extensive process of aligning legal, sourcing, and frontline staff through the CMMS to ensure clean data and a unified understanding of the maintenance strategy, driven by the "why." The Future: Plans to deploy IoT telemetry to move from reactive tracking to anticipatory maintenance and optimize planned downtime. This is a masterclass in how reliability principles are applied when asset failure has significant life-or-death implications.

Join Hosts Jonathan Guiney and Brendon Russ on Reliability Radio as they welcome Matt Vilardebo from JLL. Drawing on four decades of experience—starting with his father's early work in vibration analysis—Matt discusses the surprising persistence of reactive maintenance. He explores the "million dollar question": Why do maintenance teams still walk by known asset failures? Matt shares real-world stories from power plants to the Middle East, highlighting the constant battle against the mentality of running assets to failure and the critical need for maintenance professionals to communicate the true cost of downtime and subsequent equipment damage.    

On this episode of Reliability Radio, hosts Jonathan Guiney and Brendan Russ welcome Bill Kilbey, Chief Reliability Officer from Weight Sensor Technology, to discuss the ongoing tension between AI hype and the human element in condition monitoring. Drawing on his background from the U.S. Navy's nuclear submarines, Bill emphasizes that sound and vibration analysis is a detective game that requires deep human expertise. He argues that while AI is necessary to process 5 billion readings a day, a human analyst must always be in the loop to provide curated, in-context data and prevent inaccurate, unqualified recommendations. Key Takeaways: The AI Reality: Learn why the hype cycle is in full swing, but true predictive maintenance still relies on certified analysts with industry experience. Beyond the Sensor: How the company won the Solution Award by creating a product that enables customers, not replaces them. Future of Data: The powerful role of Large Language Models (LLMs) in ingesting documents (like motor manuals) and cross-correlating them with analysis data to provide contextual maintenance guidance. The Final Warning: A call to arms to put down the phone, use your brain, and not outsource critical thinking to a digital twin.

On this episode of Reliability Radio, hosts Jonathan Guiney and Brendan Russ welcome Candi Robinson from IFS Ultimo to confront the biggest misconception in Enterprise Asset Management (EAM): that AI is an "easy button" that will magically fix every operational problem. With two decades of EAM experience, Candi argues that technology cannot solve a foundational problem. She reveals that many organizations are still stuck using antiquated practices, like printing work orders, while expecting to jump straight to Industry 4.0. This candid session covers: The Data Reality Check: Why 20 years of inaccurate data will shape (and potentially break) your AI-driven future. The Work Ahead: The essential steps—like implementing mobile solutions and achieving transparency—that must be completed before AI becomes useful. Ultimo's Solution: How Ultimo embeds AI into the work order process to aid technicians and enforce better data entry, driving accuracy and educating users. Single Pane of Glass: The importance of a unified platform to drive KPIs and manage compliance, especially amid changing economic and sustainability pressures. Stop debating AI and start fixing the fundamentals.

On this episode of Reliability Radio, hosts Jonathan Guiney and Brendon Russ welcome Allen Rienstra from SDT Ultrasound Solutions to discuss the biggest mistake companies make after purchasing new technology: undervaluing training. Allen reveals that the failure rate for new monitoring programs that neglect continuous, hands-on training aligns perfectly with the 70% program failure statistic. The core problem is the confusion between certification training (learning physics and theory) and implementation training (learning the software, making real-life decisions, and applying it to your assets). Key Takeaways: The Cost of No Training: Learn why checking the box by buying the tool leads to it sitting in a closet, and how a single wrong call can kill a program's credibility forever. The Power of Ultrasound: Discover why ultrasound is the most versatile condition monitoring technology, owning the apex of the P-F curve as the earliest detectable method, providing immediate ROI. Solution for Budget Constraints: Allen shares a resource that provides thousands of instructional tutorials to help upskill your team, even if you can't get the training budget. Never value engineer training—it is the difference between a successful program and a tool collecting dust.

On this episode of Reliability Radio, hosts Jonathan Guiney and Brendan Russ (JLL) welcome Robert Skeirik from i-care, the largest independent vibration service company globally, to discuss the limitations of traditional monitoring and the future of Maximo Predict. Robert reveals the critical flaw in using a single "overall" vibration number, explaining through a compelling "radio dial" analogy why minor but critical signals—like a looming bearing defect—are drowned out by louder faults (unbalance, misalignment). This session details: The Vibration Lie: Why rolling element bearing defects, the #1 cause of rotating equipment failure, are nearly impossible to catch with just overall vibration. Beyond Vibration: How i-care's proprietary sensor uses three parameters (vibration, impacting, and lubrication effectiveness) to provide a true severity trend. CMMS Integration: How their process leverages AI, human analysts, and a REST API connection to your CMMS (Maximo) to generate precise, validated work orders for maintenance planning. Fit for Purpose: Why you must choose monitoring devices that are engineered to catch specific failure modes.

Jonathan and Brendon welcome Jon Mortensen from IFS on Reliability Radio for a discussion that defines the future of enterprise asset management. Jon reveals IFS's commitment to the full Asset Lifecycle Management (ALM) journey, which they call the "Must to Dust" cycle. The key focus is on solving the universal problem of capital constraint. Learn how the strategic acquisition of a leading Asset Investment Planning (AIP) company allows IFS to optimize capital expenditure, evaluating repair vs. replace decisions, and leveling financial peaks and troughs over a 20-year horizon. This episode details: Industrial AI: How IFS avoids the "University of TikTok" problem by using a closed, pre-trained AI ecosystem that leverages your organization's manuals and data, making AI practical and reliable. The Future of Work: The imminent arrival of AI Agents designed to automate mundane business processes, like procurement, dramatically reducing "busywork." ALM Strategy: Why 80% of an asset's cost is determined before it's even purchased, and how this data-driven philosophy changes maintenance strategy forever.

Join Jonathan Guiney and Brendon Russ on Reliability Radio as they speak with Sheldon Roper, a CRL Black Belt and Reliability Engineer at JLL. Sheldon shares his unique career path from working on offshore rigs to becoming a reliability engineer and achieving his Black Belt in a remarkably short two and a half years. This conversation demystifies the prestigious Black Belt certification, explaining that it's not about new, complex projects, but about providing a "proof of concept" by documenting the valuable work you do every day. Sheldon offers practical advice for anyone on the fence about pursuing the certification: just set aside the time to write up the projects you're already completing. The discussion highlights the importance of certifications for professional growth and demonstrates how they serve as a powerful tool for showing tangible value to clients and your organization.

Join Jonathan Guiney and Brendon Russ on Reliability Radio as they welcome Jeremy Frank, CEO of KCF Technologies. Jeremy shares his company's fascinating journey, which began 25 years ago with niche, high-tech work for the Department of Defense on applications for submarines and helicopters. He explains how KCF successfully transitioned this "exotic" technology to the industrial world, applying it to solve complex machine health problems. Jeremy reveals their key technical differentiator—a proprietary wireless protocol that provides high data throughput on a low power budget, enabling them to "eradicate all the problems, not just the easy ones." The conversation then turns to the biggest challenge facing the industry: the people problem. Jeremy candidly discusses how to overcome the "grizzled veteran" mentality and the fear of change, emphasizing that once workers embrace the technology, it leads to improved work-life balance, recognition, and genuine satisfaction. This episode offers a powerful message for leaders and technicians on why understanding and embracing change is the key to unlocking the true potential of AI.

Join Jonathan Guiney and Brendon Russ on Reliability Radio as they welcome Andy Hancock from SAP to discuss the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on enterprise asset management. Andy explains how SAP is leveraging AI—from its early predictive analytics library to its new digital assistant, Joule—to fundamentally change how users interact with the system. The conversation delves into the three phases of SAP's AI strategy: a "help me" function for new users, an advanced "decision support" phase that pulls insights from multiple systems, and the future of autonomous workflows that run in the background. Andy also addresses the critical role of data quality and the importance of a well-executed change management plan. This episode offers a clear roadmap of how AI is becoming a core, mainstream feature that will simplify processes, reduce screen time, and empower maintenance teams to make more accurate decisions, quicker.

Jeremiah Woodford – Verusen AI: Optimizing spares inventory tends to be a forgotten item with the focus being on day-to-day operations and maintenance activities. Often enough, companies are over buying parts and/or not accounting their use property to know where to start. We speak with Jeremiah Woodford of Verusen AI to discuss their current capabilities in leveraging organizations purchase history to identify the right MRO strategy based on your needs.

In this episode of Reliability Radio, Jennifer Gatza from Maven joins Jonathan Guiney and Brendan Russ to discuss a common problem in the Maximo® community: the "shiny object syndrome." Jennifer, a computer engineer by background, shares her powerful insight that putting technology first—before process and strategy—is a critical pitfall that leads to poor outcomes and user frustration. She details Maven's objective, disciplined methodology for guiding clients, which starts with a focus on core asset management principles and the establishment of robust governance. The conversation provides a roadmap for success: hone your fundamentals in Maximo Manage, take an incremental step with the Health module, and then strategically expand to advanced applications like Predict. This is a must-listen for anyone who wants to ensure their Maximo journey delivers sustainable value, not just a collection of cool tools.

Join Jonathan Guiney and Brendon Russ on Reliability Radio as they welcome Louis Innocent, Director of Asset Management at EAM 360. Louis dives into a core problem facing the industry: the persistent failure of mobile adoption strategies. He explains the "why" behind this resistance—from generational knowledge gaps to poorly designed applications—and shares EAM 360's philosophy for success. Their approach prioritizes a user-friendly, offline-first experience with smart features like voice-to-text and automated work mapping. Louis also offers a powerful insight for the future: that mobile is the "last mile" for a successful AI strategy, as the quality of data captured by technicians in the field is what will ultimately enable AI's full potential.

Join Jonathan Guiney and Brendon Russ on Reliability Radio as they speak with Peter from Hexagon, a company focused on Asset Information Management (AIM). The discussion begins with a look at a fundamental challenge facing every industry: the "silver tsunami" and the loss of critical knowledge. Peter explains how Hexagon's solution bridges the siloed gap between engineering and maintenance by creating a "smart digital reality"—a digital twin of a facility. This virtual map is created using drones, scanners, and cutting-edge technology, transforming old, paper-based drawings into an explorable, video-game-like environment. Peter outlines the immense benefits of this approach: it significantly improves technician safety, boosts efficiency by providing instant access to asset information, and helps attract and retain young talent who grew up in a digital world. The conversation concludes with a look to the future, where AI will become a standard feature, offering autonomous task suggestions before humans even have to ask.

Join Jonathan Guiney and Brendon Russ on Reliability Radio as they welcome Roger Ham and Muhammad Yusuf Bin Nazman from Kerry Ingredients, a global food production powerhouse. This episode tells the story of Kerry's journey, which began in 2021 with a commitment to "safety first, quality always," and culminated in a prestigious Uptime Award for reliability and sustainability. The guests share the "golden nugget" of their success: recognizing that people are the ultimate competitive advantage. They detail how they secured executive sponsorship from the CEO and overcame challenges like language and cultural barriers across 30 sites and 17 countries by creating a common, competency-based roadmap. Their strategy focused on building a strong foundation and empowering their team with training before jumping to advanced technologies. This discussion offers invaluable lessons on how to lead a multi-regional reliability program and demonstrates that the biggest factor in long-term success is a strategic, unwavering focus on the people who make it happen.

Join Jonathan Guiney and Brendon Russ on Reliability Radio as they welcome John Fortin and Billy Appleton from the Beverly Salem Water Board. This episode tells the inspiring story of a small utility (18 employees, 4 in maintenance) serving 100,000 residents, and their incredible journey from outdated, verbal maintenance practices to winning an Uptime Award for sustainability. John and Billy detail their strategic adoption of the Uptime Elements framework, transforming operations that once relied on 1990s paper records into a structured system. A key focus is their proactive approach to succession planning and onboarding new talent, integrating the "language of reliability" (Uptime Elements, CRL) into job descriptions and training. Billy shares his first-time experience at the conference, highlighting the invaluable power of the Reliabilityweb community for learning and peer-to-peer sharing from diverse organizations. The discussion underscores how strategic alignment, cross-collaboration, and continuous learning are vital for even the smallest teams to achieve significant impact, including preparing for an upcoming $8.5 million plant upgrade.

Join Jonathan Guiney and Brendon Russ on Reliability Radio for a controversial debate with Tom Woginrich from IBM on "predictive maintenance vs. condition-based maintenance." Tom challenges the traditional view, defining the "predictive maintenance" of old as limited "univariate analytics" (single variables like vibration), often leading to frustration and missed failures. He then unveils the true power of multivariate analytics: high-frequency data from dozens of variables (amps, temperature, load, even time of day) analyzed by machine learning to predict problems long before they become potential failures. Tom shares a fascinating anecdote of how a simple window shade caused a multi-million dollar recall for an automotive manufacturer, a problem only uncovered through disparate data analysis. Learn how IBM Maximo's capabilities, including multivariable health scores, are building the foundation for this next-level prediction. The discussion culminates with a glimpse into the future, where AI-powered systems automatically suggest actions without human prompting. This episode is a must-listen for anyone ready to move beyond guesswork and unlock the true predictive power of their asset data.