Today on The Maintainers , David & Jake welcome Dave Zapata, the general supervisor of engineering and maintenance at Chicago Heights Steel (CHS). CHS is the largest special-market mill in the United States and has been running the same type of operation since its founding in 1893. Dave calls his time with CHS “his longest summer job” as he joined the company straight out of high school in 1994 as a summer laborer. He instead stayed on, working his way through departments and up the ladder f...
Mar 12, 2025•32 min•Ep. 19
In this episode of The Maintainers , hosts David Lee and Jake Hall chat with Rafael Padilha Gama, AKA Rafa, the U.S. and Canada Maintenance and Reliability Director at Ingredion. Rafa shares his extensive background in the maintenance and reliability industry, including his roles at InBev and Unilever. He discusses his journey from electrical electronics in Brazil to handling global operations, bringing a wealth of insights into maintenance, reliability, and automation practices across diverse i...
Feb 26, 2025•43 min•Ep. 18
In this episode of The Maintainers , hosts David Lee and Jake Hall sit down with Jim Kozel, COO at World Emblem, the largest patch producer in the world, to delve into the intricacies of lean manufacturing and operational excellence. Jim is a seasoned pro when it comes to running high-efficiency manufacturing plants, and he has some stories to share! Throughout the conversation, Jim highlights how his team embraced lean principles with guidance from the True Lean Toyota-University of Kentucky pa...
Feb 12, 2025•40 min•Ep. 17
In this episode of The Maintainers, hosts David Lee and Jake Hall dive deep with Sam Hancock, the maintenance manager at Sumitomo Drive Technologies. Sam's journey, spanning decades in the industry, offers a wealth of insights into the world of maintenance and reliability. The discussion delves into practical advice for developing robust maintenance programs, leveraging advanced CMMS systems, and cultivating a safety-first culture inspired by Sam's time at DuPont. He emphasizes the critical need...
Jan 29, 2025•34 min•Ep. 16
On today’s episode of The Maintainers , hosts David and Jake welcome Jake Hall, the Facilities Maintenance Supervisor at O-I Glass, a prominent global manufacturer of glass containers. Chances are, you’ve enjoyed a drink from one of their bottles at some point in your life. Jake Rice shares a wealth of experiences, from his time as a Navy Interior Communication Specialist to his adventures as a deep-sea diver, ultimately leading him to a fulfilling career in industrial maintenance. Interestingly...
Jan 15, 2025•39 min•Ep. 15
Join hosts David Lee and Jake Hall on this episode of The Maintainers as they have an insightful and inspiring conversation with Vitória Régia Oliveira, Reliability Engineer with Abbott Laboratories and former Maintenance Lead at Magna International. This episode unravels the compelling story of Vitória's ascent from a favela in Salvador, Brazil, to a leadership role at a Fortune 500 company in Ireland. Discover her relentless pursuit of engineering excellence, driven by curiosity and a refusal ...
Oct 02, 2024•40 min•Ep. 14
Join David Lee and Jake Hall on this episode of The Maintainers as they speak with Larry Branch, a seasoned paint technologist at Nissan. Larry has been with Nissan for over twenty years and today you’ll hear how he leads within the organization, where his journey has taken him, and why he gives so much back to his local community. Larry began with Nissan from a college job fair and has continuously advanced his career , holding various roles from line technician to certified master trainer, and...
Sep 18, 2024•42 min•Ep. 13
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 mast...
Sep 04, 2024•52 min•Ep. 12
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 ...
Aug 21, 2024•41 min•Ep. 11
Last year, we launched The Maintainers: A Blue Cap Community Podcast. We sought out to connect with the maintenance professionals who ensure their entire organizations stay up and running, and to arm you with the resources you need to level up your career. After ten amazing episodes with guests from companies such as Boston Dynamics, American Wood Fibers, and CP Kelco, the response has been amazing. Thank you to the thousands of viewers who tuned in, and to the incredible guests who joined us fo...
Aug 07, 2024•3 min
Welcome to this week's episode of The Maintainers , where today’s special guest is John Davis, the Vice President at American Wood Fibers (AWF). John, boasting an impressive work history, started working on engines at the age of 10 and later managed an entire campus consisting of more than 40 buildings at Sun Microsystems. Today, he plays a significant role at AWF, the industry leader in wood shavings, wood flour, and pet bedding products. An important focus of the discussion is John's experienc...
Jan 03, 2024•38 min•Ep. 10
Today on The Maintainers , we have André Bezerra, a Maintenance Technician at Petersen Precision Engineering. André, who is a mechatronics engineer, shares his background and experiences in the field. He talks about his passion for robotics and emphasizes the importance of mechatronics in today's industry, where automation and IoT sensors are becoming more prevalent. He advises that having a combination of electronics and mechanical knowledge is crucial for understanding and improving maintenanc...
Dec 13, 2023•29 min•Ep. 9
On this week’s episode, David & Jake sit down with John Weiler, Sales Manager at Boston Dynamics. John brings us a unique perspective to the show - he walks up and down factory floors daily solving maintenance problems - but he doesn’t actually work on the manufacturing side of the equation. That’s because he walks alongside Boston Dynamics’ robotic technology, specifically Spot, to enhance both safety and efficiency in maintenance and manufacturing processes. You may have heard of Spot as t...
Nov 29, 2023•37 min•Ep. 8
This week’s episode features Christian Olson, a mechanical engineer at Accuride Corporation, a manufacturer of wheels, wheel end, and braking components for commercial and passenger vehicles. Throughout his conversation with Jake & David, Christian shares his background and experiences as a young engineer entering the workforce amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. He discusses his passion for technology and constant learning, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and embracing new ideas in the...
Nov 15, 2023•32 min•Ep. 7
In this episode of "The Maintainers, a Bluecap Community Podcast," David Lee and Jake Hall host Gautam Sane, Senior Reliability Engineer at CP Kelco. CP Kelco, a nature-based ingredient solutions company, has been in the food and beverage industry for 90 years. With his background in chemical engineering, Gautam brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to his role. He shares his journey from the oil and gas industry to the food and beverage industry and discusses the similarities and differen...
Nov 01, 2023•36 min•Ep. 6
Today, David & Jake are joined by Walt Harrison, Controls & Automations Engineer at Swarco Reflex LLC. Swarco is an industry leading manufacturer of retro-reflective marking systems which guide traffic, keeping road users safe. You probably see their tiny glass beads embedded in road paint each night you drive home as they steer you in the right direction. Having been with the organization for almost two years, Walt is leading the charge on their predictive maintenance practices and comm...
Oct 18, 2023•41 min•Ep. 5
On this week’s episode of The Maintainers, join David & Jake as they have the pleasure of speaking with Nikki Gonzales, the Head of Partnerships at Quotebeam and Co-Host of the podcast, Automation Ladies. Quotebeam is a collaborative digital procurement platform for industrial automation and electrical components, partnering with industrial automation distributors and their customers to connect them with the parts they need. Nikki brings a slightly different perspective to the show, having a...
Oct 04, 2023•41 min•Ep. 4
Welcome to another episode of The Maintainers: A Blue Cap Community Podcast. Today Jake & David are sitting down with Russel Tatro, Maintenance Supervisor at Cadence Inc. Cadence Inc. is a leading full-service contract manufacturer of medical and drug delivery devices that employs over 700 people worldwide and has additional locations in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Costa Rica. Having been with Cadence Inc. for over a year, Russel offers great insights as he naviga...
Sep 20, 2023•32 min•Ep. 3
On this week's episode of The Maintainers: A Blue Cap Community Podcast , hosts Jake & David are joined by an outstanding guest, Anna Goodman. Anna is the Senior Mechanical Reliability Engineer at Celanese, a global chemical leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Anna is bringing in her extensive and diverse manufacturing background to the conversation today. Some topics that are covered ...
Sep 06, 2023•33 min•Ep. 2
Welcome to the very first episode of The Maintainers: A Blue Cap Community Podcast , Hosted by David Lee, Enterprise Account Director at Tractian, and Jake Hall, The Manufacturing Millennial. Joining Jake & David for Episode 01 is Longchi Foma, General Manager at Kalera, the global leader in vertical community farms. The trio cover a wide range of topics including: What maintenance technology Kalera implements in their day to day, how organizations can do a better job of implementing innovat...
Aug 23, 2023•29 min•Ep. 1
They’re involved in every industry you can imagine. Often overlooked, under-appreciated, and only remembered in the event something fails. They make HUGE impacts on everyone’s life daily. Who do you think we’re talking about? That’s right, maintenance workers. The unsung heroes of the manufacturing industry. We think it’s time to change the narrative around maintenance, which is why we’ve created The Maintainers: A Blue Cap Community Podcast. Join hosts Jake Hall and David Lee as they interview ...
Jun 07, 2023•1 min
