Building Legacy and Success in CMMS and EAM with Alex Bolan of Digital Thinker

In this episode, Alex Bolan of Digital Thinker shares insights into his company’s work with Hexagon EAM solutions and his personal journey within the business. Digital Thinker was founded in 2003 by Alex’s father, a former maintenance manager who later transitioned to consulting and became a significant figure in Hexagon EAM.

Alex’s career path includes diverse roles in EMS, the Army Reserves, and corporate recruiting, which led him to join Digital Thinker a year ago to further the company’s legacy.

Key topics discussed include:

• Critical Questions for CMMS Vendors
• Support, Training, and Client Care
• Periodic Reviews and Organizational Changes
• Effective Communication for Successful CMMS Implementation
• CMMS vs. EAM
• Philosophy on work-life balance.

DigitalThinker: https://digitalthinker.com/

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Unlocking RCA, User Friendly CMMS, and Leadership in Maintenance with Bob Latino

In this episode of CMMSradio, Bob Latino from Prelical Solutions joins Greg Christensen to discuss his role as an upkeep ambassador, where he works to bridge the gap between industry practices and digital solutions. Bob emphasizes the importance of user-friendly CMMS products and highlights the need for integrating real-world insights into systems to improve efficiency. He also touches on the value of root cause analysis (RCA) to identify discrepancies between procedures and actual practice, stressing the importance of understanding human decision-making in the context of failures. The conversation underscores the need for leadership accountability and a shift away from blame culture to foster continuous improvement.

Takeaways:

• The difference between “work is imagined” (procedures) and “work is done” (actual practice) is key to identifying inefficiencies.
• User-friendly CMMS interfaces, like Ryan’s UI, enhance practical use and improve operational efficiency.
• Root cause analysis (RCA) should be integrated into CMMS to identify gaps in procedures and training rather than just analyzing failures.
• Leadership accountability in acknowledging failures is crucial for fostering a culture of improvement.
• Moving away from a blame culture and understanding human decision-making helps prevent catastrophic outcomes, like the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

Find Prelical Solutions here: https://prelical.com/

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Skilled Trades Education and Certification for the Future Workforce with SkillCat

In this episode, Ruchir Shah, founder and CEO of SkillCat, discusses the platform’s role in providing affordable and accredited online training for skilled trades certifications. SkillCat has made significant strides in offering over 1500 hours of training across various trades like HVAC, plumbing, electrical work, and appliance repair, reaching nearly 300,000 individuals. Ruchir shares his journey, which began with creating online courses for oil and gas workers, evolving into SkillCat due to the economic impact of COVID-19 on blue-collar industries. The platform not only addresses the decline in blue-collar income but also taps into a growing interest among Gen Z in hands-on trades. SkillCat’s approach focuses on affordability, accessible reskilling, and the long-term development of talent pipelines for companies.

Key Takeaways:

• SkillCat’s Impact: Offering over 1500 hours of online training for skilled trades, SkillCat has served nearly 300,000 individuals, helping to revitalize blue-collar careers.
• Affordability and Accessibility: The platform provides high-quality training for only $10 per month, making it an affordable resource for reskilling and career growth.
• Appeal of Skilled Trades to Gen Z: Trades like HVAC, plumbing, and electrical work are increasingly attracting Gen Z due to social interaction, meaningful work, and entrepreneurial opportunities.
• Future Expansion Plans: Shah aims to expand SkillCat’s offerings to include more trades like welding and to serve as a comprehensive apprenticeship solution for both large corporations and smaller companies.

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Wearing Many Hats and Optimizing Maintenance with CMMS, Collaboration, and Data Driven Strategies

Summary: In this episode of CMMSradio, Jennifer Dodd Fuller, Senior Manager of Industrial Energy Solutions at Ndustrial, shares insights into her career journey and experiences in industrial maintenance and reliability engineering. Starting with a background in HVAC, Jennifer transitioned into reliability engineering at Owens Corning, where she learned the value of collaboration, process improvement, and proactive maintenance. She discusses the role of CMMS in improving maintenance practices, advocating for intuitive systems that are user-friendly for technicians and highlighting the importance of data-driven strategies to demonstrate success. Jennifer also addresses the challenges of balancing reactive and proactive maintenance and the need for leadership support in using CMMS data to enhance team performance.

Takeaways:

• Collaboration and process improvement are key to successful reliability engineering.
• CMMS should be intuitive and practical for technicians to maximize its effectiveness.
• Data from CMMS, such as MTBF and MTTR, can help demonstrate the impact of maintenance strategies.
• Balancing proactive and reactive maintenance requires careful prioritization and leadership support.

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A CMMS Journey and Chris Hutson’s Vision for Modernizing Maintenance Management with MaintainX

Chris Hutson, Director of Lifecycle and Manufacturing Solutions at MaintainX, joins CMMSradio sharing his journey into the CMMS industry. Initially seeking a cloud-based solution for manufacturing, he joined MaintainX in 2018 after meeting the founders. With a background in manufacturing, Hutson stresses the shift of maintenance from a reactive cost center to a proactive, value-adding function. He advocates for aligning maintenance KPIs with business goals, using cloud-based systems to improve productivity and reduce costs. We get a view into the challenges of changing maintenance perceptions, the role of lean principles, IIoT adoption, AI, and effective CMMS deployment strategies Chris sees. He also highlights the importance of work-life balance, how corporate leadership plays a role, and future developments at MaintainX.

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A Reliability Journey with Andy Gailey UpTime Consultant Ltd on CMMSradio

This episode provides valuable insights into optimizing maintenance practices through communication, training, and selecting the right tools for the job.

In this episode, Andy Gailey, a mechanical production engineer and owner of Uptime Consultant Ltd, discusses his work in improving businesses reliability and maintenance practices plus several aspects of his approach to consulting, like Communication, CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management Systems), and human factors work together in driving operational success.

Key Topics Discussed:

• The Importance of Communication
• Comparing the Right CMMS Platforms
• Training and Mentorship
• Challenges with CMMS Adoption
• Fun Question Segment

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Analytics, Data Monitoring, Maintenance, and Beyond with Bryan Sapot of Mingo Smart Factory

In this episode of CMMSradio, Bryan Sapot of Mingo Smart Factory discusses the importance of production monitoring systems in manufacturing. Mingo offers a comprehensive solution that includes sensors, data collection, and analytics, providing real-time visibility into factory productivity, reducing downtime, unlocking capacity, and improving Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).

Bryan talks about his journey into the industry and the creation of Mingo Smart Factory, which is CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) agnostic, meaning it can integrate with any CMMS. He explains the value of using Mingo alongside a CMMS to enhance operational efficiency. The conversation also covers automated monitoring, predictive maintenance, and the common misconceptions surrounding OEE, which is often misunderstood or criticized. Bryan explores how Mingo’s solution drives real value in these areas by improving real-time insights and maintenance practices.

• How Mingo Smart Factory’s solution enhances production monitoring
• Mingo is CMMS-agnostic and integrates with any CMMS
• Automated monitoring and predictive maintenance
• Common misconceptions surrounding OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness)

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