What does it take to keep thousands of automotive glass components moving through production every day? In this episode, Martin Engster sits down with Todd Gibbs, Maintenance Manager at Carlex Glass, to discuss more than four decades of maintenance experience and the importance of building reliability into manufacturing operations.

Todd shares how his time serving in the U.S. Navy's nuclear submarine program helped shape his approach to maintenance and reliability. From vibration analysis and thermography to root cause analysis and planned shutdowns, he explains why reliability-centered maintenance delivers greater value than simply completing preventive maintenance tasks.

Listeners will hear real-world examples of maintenance successes, including how upgrading conveyor chains eliminated costly downtime and how creative repairs helped avoid catastrophic failures while replacement parts were being scheduled. Todd also offers insights into automotive glass manufacturing, manpower challenges in the trades, spare parts strategies, and the role of new technologies like AI and 3D printing.

------------------------- Are you responsible for keeping machines running and production on track? If you’re a maintenance manager, tool crib manager, or shop leader — we want to hear how you’re getting it done. Apply to be a guest on https://maintenancemanufacturinginsights.com/guest and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.