Industrial Edge

A site can hit 98% uptime and still be reactive. How?

Simon Murray, founder of Your Maintenance Coach, has spent more than 25 years in maintenance. Since 2012 he's been a consultant, coaching manufacturing sites from family businesses to global supermarket brands. In this episode, Joe and Simon look at why so many organisations get stuck in the reactive cycle. Some are even very good at being reactive, and that hides how much it costs them.

Simon walks through his maintenance → reliability → asset management curve and how to tell where a site sits just by listening to its morning meeting. He also explains why combining the planner and supervisor roles doesn't work, why most sites don't need more tradespeople, and how AI is already changing RCM and CMMS analysis.

Key takeaways

• Listen to the meetings, not just the KPIs. If the conversation is "what broke yesterday and whose fault was it," the site is still in the maintenance phase, whatever tools it has.
• High uptime can hide an expensive reactive model. Look for too many people on reactive work, too many spares and weak lubrication.
• The step change into reliability usually needs someone who owns it. For many sites that means a reliability engineer.
• Keep planning and supervising separate. The breakdown always wins, so planning never gets done.
• Match skills to tasks. Visual inspections and greasing don't need a qualified tradesperson.
• Build the ROI case on the cost of the current state. "We're busy" won't get you headcount.
• Most sites aren't ready for textbook best practice. Get lubrication and condition monitoring right before a full PM review.
• AI is already here. It's strongest at first drafts and at connecting messy CMMS data. People still need to verify the output.

Connect with Simon

• LinkedIn: Simon Murray -https://www.linkedin.com/in/yourmaintenancecoach/
• Website: Your Maintenance Coach - https://yourmaintenancecoach.com
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Connect with Industrial Edge

• https://open.spotify.com/show/4zruZV0wwTTCupDgXlvO9B

Three Continents, One Playbook — Leading at Scale with Akhil Saxena

Most operations don't fail because people stop trying. They fail because the system only holds when the right person is in the room.

Akhil Saxena spent 20 years at Hindustan Unilever and 11 at Amazon — where he joined three weeks after the India launch, built the operations network from scratch, caught a competitor that was seven years ahead by year two, then scaled across countries and time zones and ran the whole thing through COVID. On top of that he took on Worldwide Customer Service. Today he's an executive coach and board advisor. Few people have led operations at the scale he has.

We get into what actually changes at real scale: why throwing good people at problems stops working, and why reliability becomes a design problem, not an effort problem.

Then the segment every maintenance and reliability professional needs to hear — how executives really see support functions (noticed only when they break), and why MTBF and OEE earn a "so what?" in the boardroom until you translate them into the one language the business speaks: cash. Capex avoidance. Free cash flow. Opportunity cost.

Plus the T-shaped leader, why letting go is the hardest move for anyone who came up through the ranks, and where AI genuinely shifts the RME role — from doer to thinker.

In this episode:

• The most misunderstood thing about running operations at scale
• Building Amazon's India network — and catching a rival seven years ahead
• Culture as the first casualty of fast growth
• How boards actually view maintenance & reliability
• The "so what?" test: speaking the language of the business
• The T-shaped leader — depth of function, breadth of leadership
• Letting go to grow the next set of leaders
• AI: from doer to thinker, agents and orchestration

Connect with Akhil on LinkedIn.

Kim Acosta is the founder of Ucentric. She has spent nearly two decades in talent acquisition recruiting technical people.

In this episode we get into what actually separates a strong technical candidate from a confident one, why her most AI-focused clients are going back to reading CVs by hand, and the junior-role problem nobody's planning for.

In this episode, Salah Attia shares his inspiring journey from Egypt to Australia, his expertise in rotating equipment and condition monitoring, and insights into building a successful business in the industry. Discover practical tips, industry challenges, and the importance of humility and continuous learning.

Anthony Perizzolo has an impressive background in engineering and operations, his early years at Toyota gaining foundational expertise in lean methodologies and operational excellence helped him shape businesses in various industries, along with building his general & executive management skills along the way.

From those early days as a mechanical engineering grad, to now being an Executive General Manager, via Toyota, Boral and more recently Amazon, where he scaled an operation from ten people to over 5,000, launched seven sites in seven weeks, and ran 400+ hiring interviews.

Travis Soutter has spent 25 years inside asset management — Visy, Amcor, AGL, now running his own consultancy, Concordia.

He thinks most organisations are already doing asset management. They just don't call it that, and they don't coordinate it.

In this episode we get into:

– Why the ISO 55000 label has made things worse, not better– The shutdown planning war story that taught him why "everyone hits their critical path" still isn't enough– Why 50% of a good CEO's decisions are gut instinct — and what that means for engineers– The training course where only one person in the room thought they did asset management (everyone did)– How tangible and intangible assets follow the same maintenance logic — including brand– Courage and empathy as leadership disciplines, not soft skills

Travis is a CAMA-certified consultant and his intro-to-asset-management course is now endorsed by the World Partners in Asset Management (WPiAM).

Adam Lea-Bischinger shares his extensive experience in asset management across various industries and regions.

He discusses the misconceptions, standards, and opportunities in asset management, emphasizing the importance of culture, leadership, and practical application of best practices.

Asset management is often misunderstood. It’s not just about maintaining assets; it’s about ensuring they deliver value. Think of everything you rely on daily – roads, airports, power stations.

The goal? Keep those assets operational while balancing risks and costs throughout their lifecycle.

Too often, people see it only through a financial lens. But real asset management connects the dots between strategic goals and day-to-day operations.

As we navigate global challenges, understanding this is more crucial than ever. What’s your perspective on asset management?

Chris Hallum from UE Systems & host of his own podcast - Talking Reliability shares his insights on reliability, the evolution of ultrasound technology, and the importance of training and partnership in condition monitoring.

Discover how large organizations like Amazon implement standardization and leverage AI to optimize asset management.

## The Chain of Reliability: Understanding Roles Across Departments

Reliability in any organization is akin to a chain, where each department plays a crucial role. Chris emphasizes that if one link in the chain weakens, the entire system can falter. For example, procurement teams often purchase cheaper alternatives that may not meet the necessary reliability standards, impacting overall performance.

The Importance of Cross-Departmental Communication

Why It Matters: Ensuring that all departments—from engineering to procurement—understand their roles in maintaining reliability can prevent costly mistakes.

How to Implement: Foster open communication channels between departments. Regular meetings can help clarify responsibilities and align goals.

Common Mistake: Ignoring the interconnectedness of departments can lead to oversights that undermine reliability efforts.

In this interview, Gary shares four decades of insights into reliability in maintenance, emphasizing the importance of culture, continuous journey, and practical strategies. Discover how to shift from reactive to proactive maintenance and the value of storytelling in industry knowledge.

Discover how Davin Forster, Head of Operations at SKUtopia, shares insights from his diverse career spanning Amazon & Woolworths. Learn about the evolution of industrial automation, the transformative role of data and AI, and practical tips for scaling operations effectively.