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Leadership Lessons from the Navy Hangar to the Factory Floor with Paul Flitcraft, Director of Corporate Maintenance at American Woodmark Corporation
Welcome back to The Maintainers with Jake Hall and David Lee. In our Season 02 premiere, listen as Paul Flitcraft, the man who once maintained fighter jets and now ensures your cabinets are flawlessly made, shares his captivating journey from Navy hangars to factory floors. As the Director of Corporate Maintenance for American Woodmark Corporation, Paul has been with the company for nearly a decade.
Throughout the interview, Paul brings powerful lessons about data-driven maintenance — utilizing advanced tech to prevent equipment failures and drastically cut downtime. If you’re serious about leveling up your maintenance game, you don’t want to miss his insights on predictive maintenance and AI tools.
Paul dives into the importance of creating a cohesive, collaborative team environment. Drawing parallels from his military days, he highlights how breaking down silos between departments can skyrocket efficiency. His philosophy? Real leadership is about empowering and educating your team, which he lives out by mentoring future leaders to eventually surpass him.
Additionally, Paul shares eye-opening stories about overcoming obstacles and driving cultural change in organizations. He offers Jake and David practical advice on integrating modern tools and fostering a proactive maintenance culture to revolutionize operations. Tune in for a blend of military discipline, modern tech, and heartfelt mentorship — all aimed at making your facility as reliable as a well-oiled machine.
—
Guest Bio
Paul Flitcraft is the Director of Corporate Maintenance at American Woodmark Corporation, one of the nation’s largest cabinet manufacturers with over 19 facilities and 10,000 team members.
With a distinguished background in military service, where he worked on fighter jets, Paul applies his extensive knowledge of maintenance and reliability to manage large-scale operations. He is known for promoting a data-driven approach to maintenance and fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement across the organization.
Paul's unique journey from military service to corporate leadership showcases his dedication to maintaining operational excellence and supporting his team to achieve remarkable results.
—
Guest Quote
"I always liked taking older things and watching them turn into something new or better. I have a
53 Chevy that I would match up against anything that you put out on the market today. I joined the military to work on fighter jets, got out and started in a manufacturing company making cabinets. And you know what? I'm still that way today. I'm a maintainer. I love watching equipment work. Somebody told me once that a successful company is only good as the maintenance department and I believe that.” – Paul Flitcraft
—
Time Stamps
00:00 Episode Start
03:05 Paul’s Background
04:41 Segment 01: The Maintainer Mashup
05:10 How AWC thinks about reliability
9:29 Lessons Paul takes from his time in the Navy
12:26 Segment 02: What's in Your Toolkit?
13:08 Creating standards in both your personal and professional shop floors
15:38 The importance of training the next in line
21:06 Standing up for your convictions
23:18 Segment 03: The Future of Factories
24:21 Implementing automation succesfully
28:27 Working to prevent downtime across the business
32:29 Hurdling corporate obstacles when implementing new technology
34:40 Segment 04: Fix It Funnies
—
Links
- Connect with Paul Flitcraft on LinkedIn
- Learn more about American Woodmark Corporation
- Connect with David Lee on LinkedIn
- Connect with Jake Hall on LinkedIn
- Learn more about Tractian
View all episodes
By TractianWelcome back to The Maintainers with Jake Hall and David Lee. In our Season 02 premiere, listen as Paul Flitcraft, the man who once maintained fighter jets and now ensures your cabinets are flawlessly made, shares his captivating journey from Navy hangars to factory floors. As the Director of Corporate Maintenance for American Woodmark Corporation, Paul has been with the company for nearly a decade.
Throughout the interview, Paul brings powerful lessons about data-driven maintenance — utilizing advanced tech to prevent equipment failures and drastically cut downtime. If you’re serious about leveling up your maintenance game, you don’t want to miss his insights on predictive maintenance and AI tools.
Paul dives into the importance of creating a cohesive, collaborative team environment. Drawing parallels from his military days, he highlights how breaking down silos between departments can skyrocket efficiency. His philosophy? Real leadership is about empowering and educating your team, which he lives out by mentoring future leaders to eventually surpass him.
Additionally, Paul shares eye-opening stories about overcoming obstacles and driving cultural change in organizations. He offers Jake and David practical advice on integrating modern tools and fostering a proactive maintenance culture to revolutionize operations. Tune in for a blend of military discipline, modern tech, and heartfelt mentorship — all aimed at making your facility as reliable as a well-oiled machine.
—
Guest Bio
Paul Flitcraft is the Director of Corporate Maintenance at American Woodmark Corporation, one of the nation’s largest cabinet manufacturers with over 19 facilities and 10,000 team members.
With a distinguished background in military service, where he worked on fighter jets, Paul applies his extensive knowledge of maintenance and reliability to manage large-scale operations. He is known for promoting a data-driven approach to maintenance and fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement across the organization.
Paul's unique journey from military service to corporate leadership showcases his dedication to maintaining operational excellence and supporting his team to achieve remarkable results.
—
Guest Quote
"I always liked taking older things and watching them turn into something new or better. I have a
53 Chevy that I would match up against anything that you put out on the market today. I joined the military to work on fighter jets, got out and started in a manufacturing company making cabinets. And you know what? I'm still that way today. I'm a maintainer. I love watching equipment work. Somebody told me once that a successful company is only good as the maintenance department and I believe that.” – Paul Flitcraft
—
Time Stamps
00:00 Episode Start
03:05 Paul’s Background
04:41 Segment 01: The Maintainer Mashup
05:10 How AWC thinks about reliability
9:29 Lessons Paul takes from his time in the Navy
12:26 Segment 02: What's in Your Toolkit?
13:08 Creating standards in both your personal and professional shop floors
15:38 The importance of training the next in line
21:06 Standing up for your convictions
23:18 Segment 03: The Future of Factories
24:21 Implementing automation succesfully
28:27 Working to prevent downtime across the business
32:29 Hurdling corporate obstacles when implementing new technology
34:40 Segment 04: Fix It Funnies
—
Links
- Connect with Paul Flitcraft on LinkedIn
- Learn more about American Woodmark Corporation
- Connect with David Lee on LinkedIn
- Connect with Jake Hall on LinkedIn
- Learn more about Tractian