James Schuler has dedicated two decades of his career to advancing aerospace engineering and contract manufacturing. Beginning his professional career as a journeyman machinist, James quickly rose through the ranks due to his innovative mindset and technical acumen. His early years were defined by contributions to systems such as the Mars Lander and Rover missions, F-22 Raptor, and numerous technological systems operating on the International Space Station. This success propelled him into leadership roles within a top aerospace firm, where he oversaw multimillion-dollar projects and fostered collaboration between engineering teams and manufacturing. As James’ career progressed, he became a sought-after consultant known for his expertise in aerospace manufacturing and continuous improvement strategies. His ability to streamline processes and implement cutting-edge technologies not only enhanced production capabilities but also significantly reduced costs and time-to-market for critical aerospace components. Beyond his technical prowess, James is renowned for his leadership in fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within his teams. His legacy is marked not only by his contributions to pioneering technological advancements but also by the mentorship and inspiration he provides to the next generation of aerospace engineers and machinists.

Power Transformer Reliability: An Overview of Active Monitoring and Diagnostic Methods, by Emilio Morales Cruz, Technical Application Specialist at Qualitrol. I'm a Technical Application Specialist in Transformer applications at Qualitrol Company LLC. My focus is to support solutions in comprehensive monitoring for Transformer applications. I attended Nuevo Leon State University in Mexico, receiving a bachelor's degree in Electromechanical Engineering in 1980. I have over 30 years of experience in power transformer design which includes transformers up to 500 MVA and 500 kV, furnace and rectifier transformers and reactors. I'm member of the IEEE/PES Transformer Committee, IEC and CIGRE. I joined Qualitrol in June 2012 and previously worked with GE-Prolec , Ohio Transformer, Sunbelt Transformer and Efacec.

Maintenance, Operations, Reliability (and even IT?) Expertise by John Todd, Sr. Business Consultant at TRM. John has nearly 30 years of business and technical experience in areas such as: Project Management, Process management, Quality/ISO/CMMI Management, Technical Training, Reliability Engineering, Maintenance Analysis, Application development, Risk Management, & Enterprise Asset Management. His experience includes work as a Reliability Engineer & RCM implementer for NASA/JPL Deep Space Network. He has engaged on numerous customer projects and consulting activities as a reliability and spares analysis expert. He has managed a Mission Assurance function for an Air Force contract that involved close coordination with the government customer and close focus on project performance. John has also worked closely with clients and their third-party validation teams to ensure implementations meet FDA requirements for hosted and cloud-based software solutions. He has honed his project management, business, engineering, functional and technical consulting skills through his engagements with clients across the spectrum of industry and Government. John is very active creating both TRM and LinkedIn articles, eBooks, conference sessions, videos, and blog posts covering industry and product topics.

Optimizing Equipment Reliability Through Value-Driven Maintenance by Matthew Beu - Director of Operations at Datamura Solutions. As the Director of Operations at Datamura Solutions, Matthew Beu has overseen several unique, data-centered solutions addressing modern operational challenges faced by major organizations in the pharmaceutical industry, particularly in Digital Transformation. With a strong background in mechanical engineering—bolstered by six years of field experience and a bachelor's degree from Temple University—Matt leverages his "boots on the ground" knowledge in all his projects. This experience better equips both him and the project scope to meet comprehensive organizational needs. His role as a project manager has also allowed him to perfect documenting engineering standards, manage large-scale projects, and interpret and analyze engineering data, as well as automate business processes.

The 15 Reliability and Maintenance Management Beliefs by Christer Idhammar, Founder of IDCON INC. Christer Idhammar is a high-profiled and world-renowned guru and expert in Reliability and Maintenance. He began his career in the Swedish merchant marine, where he started developing the fundamentals of his Results Oriented Reliability and Maintenance Management concept. Over the past 40 years, this concept has evolved during his roles as a mechanic, craftsman, engineer, manager, consultant, educator, philosopher, reliability guru, and company leader. As a consultant, he founded the Idhammar group of companies in Sweden in 1972, after spending eight years as an engineer on ships. In 1985, he established IDCON INC in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, which is now an independent TRM company. Awards: In 2002, he received the coveted Euromaintenance Incentive Award at the biannual Euromaintenance conference in Helsinki, June 2002. Among candidates from 19 European member countries, he was nominated and received the award from EFNMS - European Federation of National Maintenance Societies - for his outstanding achievement and worldwide accomplishments in the field of reliability and maintenance. In 2008, he received the Salvetti Foundation Best Speaker Award in all categories among 154 speakers at Euromaintenance in Brussels, Belgium. In 2013, he received the “Best Presentation Award” among 120 speakers at the Reliability2.0 conference in Las Vegas. Several hundred successful companies around the world have engaged Mr. Idhammar in their reliability improvement initiatives.

For Pete’s Sake, Stop with the Shiny Stuff… Let Us First Get the Basics Right by Shon Isenhour, Owner of Eruditio. Shon Isenhour, an engineering graduate from North Carolina State University, has become an expert in the implementation of holistic reliability solutions using tools such as Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM), and Root Cause Analysis (RCA), as well as Six Sigma and Lean to drive significant bottom-line results. Shon specializes in Adult Education, Business Process Management, Strategic Planning, Organizational Change Management, Leadership, Asset Management, and Reliability Engineering. He has led improvement initiatives across industries including pharmaceuticals, metals, petrochemical, paper, and power generation, among others. Shon has also shared his expertise at numerous professional conferences across the United States, as well as in Europe, South America, Africa, and the Middle East. Shon holds certifications as a Maintenance and Reliability Professional (CMRP), a Certified Asset Management Assessor (CAMA), and has been certified by Prosci and Colorado State University as a Change Management Professional

NFPA 70B Updates and Electrical Failure Mode Detection Utilizing Ultrasound Technology by Adrian Messer, CMRP, U.S. Operations Manager at SDT Ultrasound Solutions. With over two decades of dedicated experience in the maintenance and reliability field, I have established myself as a trusted resource and advisor to numerous industrial manufacturing plants and facilities. Throughout my career, I have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to enhancing operational efficiency through the implementation of cutting-edge maintenance and reliability best practices. My passion for optimizing processes has driven me to continuously seek out innovative solutions that drive productivity, reduce downtime, and elevate overall performance. I take pride in my role as a mentor and collaborator, leveraging my expertise to guide teams toward success while fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Using AI and ML to Integrate Operational, Equipment, and System KPIs for Reliability by Buddy Lee, CMRP, AI/ML SME at Mesa Associates, Inc. After graduating from the University of Tennessee with a BSEE in 1987, Buddy was hired as a General Engineer at the Department of Energy in Oak Ridge, TN. In January of 1989, he joined CSI as an Applications Engineer. Buddy formed MAARS, Inc. in 1996, where he developed online, permanently mounted vibration and process monitoring systems. Buddy is a co-holder of US Patent #6,276,213, awarded in 2001, for an Analog Devices 5B module redesigned to add vibration capability and mount on an Opto-22 backplane. Buddy performed consulting work at customer sites from 2013 to 2017 while completing an MBA at the University of Tennessee. In early 2018, Buddy joined Emerson as an Instructor, and in 2021, completed a Master of Science degree in Reliability Engineering (with a minor in Statistics). His thesis was developed to test 30 AI classification models using vibration data on a paper mill roll in production. In October 2022, Buddy joined Mesa Associates, Inc. as an Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Subject Matter Expert. Buddy has been a CMRP since 2007.

Why Many Improvement Initiatives Fail to Deliver the Full Expected Results by Christer Idhammar, FOUNDER of IDCON INC. Christer Idhammar is a high-profiled and world-renowned guru and expert in Reliability and Maintenance. He began his career in the Swedish merchant marine, where he started developing the fundamentals of his Results Oriented Reliability and Maintenance Management concept. Over the past 40 years, this concept has evolved during his roles as a mechanic, craftsman, engineer, manager, consultant, educator, philosopher, reliability guru, and company leader. As a consultant, he founded the Idhammar group of companies in Sweden in 1972, after spending eight years as an engineer on ships. In 1985, he established IDCON INC in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, which is now an independent TRM company. Awards: In 2002, he received the coveted Euromaintenance Incentive Award at the biannual Euromaintenance conference in Helsinki, June 2002. Among candidates from 19 European member countries, he was nominated and received the award from EFNMS - European Federation of National Maintenance Societies - for his outstanding achievement and worldwide accomplishments in the field of reliability and maintenance. In 2008, he received the Salvetti Foundation Best Speaker Award in all categories among 154 speakers at Euromaintenance in Brussels, Belgium. In 2013, he received the “Best Presentation Award” among 120 speakers at the Reliability2.0 conference in Las Vegas. Several hundred successful companies around the world have engaged Mr. Idhammar in their reliability improvement initiatives.

Hidden Value of Effective MRO Inventory Management - What Reliability Leaders Need to Know by Andrew Jordan, Managing Director at Xtivity. Andrew leads Xtivity across its strategic and operational activities, focusing on improving asset availability across asset-intensive industries through effective inventory management and supply chain support. Before joining Xtivity, Andrew spent over 20 years working in both management consulting roles and as a Supply Chain executive with several Fortune 500 companies. He has a proven track record in enhancing manufacturing and supply chain performance across diverse industries such as pharmaceuticals, mining, consumer packaged goods, pulp and paper, and food and beverage. Experience: Operations Strategy – Led a project team for a national department store chain through a two-year structured assessment and redesign of their major home fashions supply chain. This project involved tendering warehousing and home delivery services, as well as designing and implementing supporting TMS and WMS systems. Operations Strategy – Led a cross-functional project team of 20 associates for a generic pharmaceutical manufacturer, evaluating their manufacturing and supply chain capabilities. This resulted in a 5-year multi-site capability improvement plan supported by $38 million in capital investment. MFG Network Design – Restructured the Canadian supply network for a global pharmaceutical manufacturer, reducing 3rd-party suppliers from 16 to 3, yielding direct product cost savings exceeding $4 million while maintaining security of supply. Inventory Optimization – Conducted a comprehensive inventory study for a leading beverage alcohol firm, identifying over $1.6 million in reduction opportunities while increasing service level by 4%. This engagement subsequently led to a multiyear outsourcing relationship. Strategic Sourcing – Led three client commodity teams, each comprised of eight people, through a structured supplier assessment and selection process as part of a Strategic Sourcing exercise for an international shoe company. Savings by commodity group ranged between 8% and 15%, totaling over £1,000,000 on a spend of £7,000,000.

Are you trying to be a Rock or a Rockstar? The Difference May Lie in Your Communication by Shon Isenhour, CMRP, Owner of Eruditio. Shon Isenhour is an engineering graduate of North Carolina State University and has become an expert in implementing holistic reliability solutions using tools such as Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM), and Root Cause Analysis (RCA), as well as Six Sigma and Lean methodologies, to drive significant bottom-line results. Shon specializes in adult education, business process management, strategic planning, organizational change management, leadership, asset management, and reliability engineering. He has led improvement initiatives for industries such as pharmaceuticals, metals, petrochemicals, paper, and power generation, among others. Shon has spoken on these topics at numerous professional conferences in the United States, Europe, South America, Africa, and the Middle East. He is a Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional (CMRP), Certified Asset Management Assessor (CAMA), and has been certified by Prosci and Colorado State University as a Change Management Professional.

Business and Management: Lubrication Program Improvements by Tobiaz King, Mechanical Engineer at Tennessee Valley Authority. My name is Tobias King, and I am a mechanical engineer. I currently have two years of experience working as an engineer at a coal power plant. Within my first year, I discovered my passion for learning about predictive maintenance and rotating equipment. I love trying to determine what is 'wrong' with a piece of equipment based on vibration readings or improving my site's lubrication program. Working at the power plant has exposed me to many facets of engineering, and I am grateful that I found my passion so early. One of my most notable career accomplishments is leading and coordinating the lubrication program assessment at my site. The lubrication program’s strengths and weaknesses were assessed, necessary improvements documented, and an estimated cost savings analysis of implementing an improved program was provided by a third-party vendor after the assessment. Through these experiences, I continue to apply knowledge acquired from reading so I can be an asset. I seek to learn as much as I can to be valuable both in and outside of the workplace. Outside of work, I enjoy many activities. My favorite hobbies are writing dialogue and camera angles for short films, exercising, playing ultimate frisbee, and chess. I recently started writing short films and take inspiration from my life experiences. I am passionate about storytelling and communicating a meaningful message through an entertaining story. I believe my writing will eventually have a positive and noticeable impact on another person’s life, and I look forward to creating positive change in the world. I am also training to perform impressive calisthenic exercises such as a muscle-up and human flag because I desire to impress myself with the progress I make through consistent physical training. Ultimate frisbee is another hobby I enjoy because I get to play a sport again and compete with athletic people. Chess is one of my favorite games to play because it mirrors life. Chess has taught me the consequences of making poor moves and rushing to make a move. A move in chess can be likened to a decision in life. These are my passions.

Getting the Right People in the Right Place for Your Reliability Organization by Rob Probst, CMRP, Maintenance Excellence Trainer at Skills4Work Ltd. Rob currently provides maintenance excellence consultancy, training, and career development services in New Zealand and the USA. He has 40 years of experience in engineering, project, operations, and maintenance management in New Zealand, the USA, and Australia. Rob acted as National Maintenance Engineering Manager at Fonterra (New Zealand’s largest company), where he was responsible for initiating and leading a national maintenance improvement program. One of the Fonterra sites achieved World-Class recognition (by IDCON Inc.) in 2009. He has also held engineering management roles at Norske Skog Tasman, CHH Wood Products, and Synlait Milk, where he led successful maintenance process improvement initiatives. Rob holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master of Business (HR) from Massey University in New Zealand, where he completed a research project on the applicability of career development theory to employee selection and placement. Rob was also awarded a Graduate Certificate in Career Development from Auckland University of Technology. He currently holds CMRP certification from SMRP.

Unlocking Operational Excellence: A Compelling Business Case for Reliability Improvement by ‎Lance Bisinger, CMRP, Business Unit Director at Allied Reliability.‎ Lance Bisinger joined Allied Reliability in August 1999 as employee number three and assisted in ‎building the business (then called Allied Services Group) while delivering services. Now, as a ‎Business Unit Director, Lance is responsible for managing the assigned client portfolio to deliver ‎world-class results, drawing on his decades as a practitioner to connect services to achieve ‎sustainable value.‎ Lance started his reliability career 36 years ago while serving on a U.S. Navy nuclear-powered ‎submarine. Asset maintainability, reliability, and availability were vital for an operational submarine ‎that was also his home. His responsibility as an electrician and the sound and vibration program led ‎him to focus on condition monitoring technologies, but this expanded to capital projects, ‎maintenance, reliability, operations, training, and current state evaluations.‎ Just prior to joining Allied, Lance managed the training department for a large original equipment ‎manufacturer specializing in condition monitoring hardware and software. He developed and ‎delivered training on vibration analysis, balancing, alignment, data collection, motor circuit analysis, ‎vibration analyzers, and software. He has demonstrated his technical and professional abilities ‎across a wide range of industries, including government, healthcare, pharmaceutical, facilities, ‎education, water treatment, power generation, food, grain, chemical, metals, automotive, and oil and ‎gas.‎ Lance has been a Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional (CMRP) through the Society of ‎Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP) since 2003 and is a Certified Reliability Leader ‎‎(CRL) through the Association of Asset Management Professionals (AMP). He is an active member of ‎the reliability community, leading seminars, writing articles, and conducting conference ‎presentations to share his knowledge and experiences with attendees worldwide.‎

Shaping the Future of Maintenance: RCM for Enhanced Reliability & Efficiency by Michael Bernhard, Enterprise Solutions Director, AssetWatch. Michael Bernhard is an Enterprise Solutions Director at AssetWatch, a leading provider of predictive maintenance and condition monitoring solutions for the manufacturing industry. With more than four years of experience with the company, Michael has helped hundreds of clients reduce their maintenance costs, improve their asset reliability, and optimize their production efficiency. Michael’s core competencies include analyzing current technologies, designing and implementing customized solutions, monitoring and reporting on asset performance, and providing ongoing support and guidance. He also has a strong background in new business development, team building, and direct sales, which enables him to communicate effectively with decision makers and stakeholders. Michael’s mission is to deliver an unparalleled condition monitoring experience with a service package unlike anything in the market, and to add value and efficiency to clients' operations.

Maintenance and Reliability in the Land of Enchantment by Jon Yelverton, CMRP, Maintenance Engineer at Maintenance Engineer. My name is Jon Yelverton. I am a maintenance engineer at a dietary supplement factory. My career in maintenance started when I joined the U.S. Navy after high school. I served on an aircraft carrier and an AOE supply ship. I was an aircraft electrician. After my military service, I worked in a food processing factory in North Carolina for seven years. In 2018, my company paid for me to attend the Maintenance and Reliability Diploma program that was led by N.C. State University, the Marshall Institute, and the author, Dr. John Ross. After completing that course, I tested for the CMRP and passed. At 34 years old, I decided that the biggest dream of my life would be to live and work in the American Southwest. I had discovered Clint Eastwood movies, American West landscape art, and our many awe-inspiring American National Parks in the West. After sifting through several different jobs in different places in the West, in 2022, I found the right opportunity. I was hired by a clinical herbalist in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to be his maintenance technician at his medicine factory. My boss, Daniel, had entered the industry 40 years ago and had developed a very successful line of herbal remedies. He had bought several machines and multiple facilities while growing his business. I was afforded an opportunity to develop a PM program for our factory with Daniel's and my other team members' help. Our goal was to start documenting our equipment failures and also to establish practical PMs that would contribute to greater reliability. Furthermore, we had to ensure our equipment and processes met FDA standards. I have had a tremendously enriching life experience in New Mexico. I have always enjoyed working, but making natural medicine from plants in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with the kindest and most inspiring people I have ever met in my life has been absolutely enchanting.

Electrical Network Monitoring System / Integrated Motor Control System by Faleh Alajmi, CMRP, Electrical Maintenance Engineer at KIPIC. I am an Electrical Engineer who completed half of my studies in the US at UNC-Charlotte and graduated from Kuwait University. I have been working as an Electrical Maintenance Engineer for Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (KIPIC) since February 2019 at Al Zour Refinery. I was part of the core team for constructing and commissioning Al Zour Refinery. ZOR Refinery is the seventh largest refinery in the world with a capacity of 615,000 BPD and the largest project refinery built in one phase (with Utilities). Being a newly joined engineer to a project of this magnitude was a challenge in its own right; additionally, the electrical team that was responsible for 51 substations was a small team of four engineers. This gave us a sense of responsibility and trust that management had placed in us as a team. We recently celebrated reaching full capacity for ZOR Refinery, and attending that celebration was an honor, witnessing a project of this magnitude come to life before our eyes.