On today’s episode of "The Maintainers," David and Jake sit down with the ever-insightful Ron Moore, managing partner at RM Group Inc., who shares his riveting journey from working on nuclear submarines to becoming a globetrotting consultant in reliability. 

Right off the bat, Ron shares stories about sky-high standards in nuclear sub maintenance, offering listeners a treasure trove of lessons about the importance of upstream defect management. Throughout the conversation, Ron dives into his master strategies for creating a seamless maintenance environment. He champions the significance of executive sponsorship, collaboration across departments, and genuine shop floor engagement. 

Ron’s specific approach makes complex ideas accessible, stressing that effective training, the right tools, and strong leadership are the backbone of any successful maintenance program. As the chat transitions to the future of manufacturing, Ron offers his thoughts on AI and the critical role of a strong manufacturing base for national security. His candid views on these topics are both eye-opening and practical, making for a holistic discussion that addresses current challenges and future opportunities. With his knack for storytelling and an uncanny ability to simplify intricate concepts, Ron Moore provides a masterclass in reliability and operational excellence that will leave listeners both informed and inspired.

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Guest Bio

Ron Moore is Managing Partner of The RM Group, Inc., and an internationally recognized authority on strategies and practices for operational and manufacturing excellence. He travels worldwide working with manufacturing companies in North and South America, Europe, Australia, Africa, and Asia.

Ron is also the author of “Making Common Sense Common Practice: Models for Operational Excellence,” of “What Tool? When? A Management Guide for Selecting the Right Improvement Tools,” of “Where Do We Start Our Improvement Program, of Business Fables & Foibles,” of “A Common Sense Approach to Defect Elimination,” and of “Our Transplant Journey: A Caregiver’s Story,” as well as author of over 80 journal articles. Ron has applied the principles described in these books worldwide to help companies to improve productivity and global competitive position. 

Ron is a member of the Society of Maintenance and Reliability Professionals, a Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional, and Fellow with the Electric Power Reliability Alliance. Prior to this, he was also a Senior Fellow with the University of Dayton's Center for Competitive Change, Chairman of its Manufacturing Series Advisory Board; a former advisory board member for the Instrumentation and Control Division of Lockheed Martin Energy Systems. 

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Guest Quote

“If you don't have good leadership alignment, teamwork, and so on, it doesn't matter what tool you use. It's not going to work. So the key to any effective organization is executive sponsorship, the sense of working collectively to a common purpose, the alignment, the culture, and so on.  It's those kinds of things that really matter the most.” – Ron Moore

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Time Stamps 

00:00 Episode Start

01:35 Opening Icebreaker

03:20 Ron's Background

07:40 Surprising insights from nuclear sub maintenance

09:20 Segment 01: The Maintainer Mashup

10:00 Ron's perspective on maintenance and reliability practices

13:25 How Ron guides his clients in the right direction

17:55 Building strong partnerships for operational excellance

21:55 Segment 02: What's in Your Toolkit?

22:30 Discussing Ron's published works and lessons in operational excellance

29:48 Uncovering operational complexities in manufacturing

33:58 Segment 03: The Future of Factories

34:40 The future of manufacturing with new technology

44:05 Segment 04: Fix It Funnies 

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Links

• Find Ron Moore's books on Amazon 
• Connect with David Lee on LinkedIn
• Connect with Jake Hall on LinkedIn
• Learn more about Tractian