Essential Role of Maintenance Experts: Pivotal Link to Industrial AI Prosperity
Chris Turlica, the head honcho at MaintainX, is leading the charge for maintenance and reliability teams with their top-notch CMMS and EAM platform. These teams are the real deal, the unsung heroes who keep our industrial operations running smoothly, even when things go awry.
They step in when things fall apart, often doing some serious on-the-spot problem-solving. Their experiences add up, teaching them about the limits and potential of systems. These individuals are no less than knowledge workers, constantly generating and utilizing insights from their unique experiences.
However, we're underutilizing this valuable resource by not recognizing them as such. By treating maintenance professionals with the respect they deserve, we can simultaneously build resilience, boost industrial performance, and harness the power of emerging technologies to support these professionals and amplify the impact of their insights.
The Knowledge Gap
Industrial employees tend to stick around for longer than their counterparts in the private sector. For maintenance professionals, this means a wealth of accumulated experience. The issue lies in passing this knowledge forward. When these knowledgeable veterans retire without passing down their wisdom, their insights disappear with them. Companies then have to start from scratch, wasting precious time and resources.
Accessing this knowledge is crucial, especially in industries like aviation. When we fail to do so, the consequences can be dire. Take the offshore oil leaks linked to errors during maintenance or incidents like the tragic Georgia poultry plant accident. The cause? Lack of proper training and knowledge.
The Solution
It's time for industrial organizations to embrace the future by embracing technology. Instead of clinging to outdated systems and binders full of paper work orders, companies should leverage mobile devices and AI to capture insights directly from maintenance workers.
By providing AI copilots that present work orders, checklists, and technical documentation, we empower maintenance workers to complete tasks more safely and efficiently. With the help of AI and natural language processing, these tools can be intuitive and accessible, making it easy for technicians to ask questions and receive the information they need in plain English.
This integration of human insights and AI not only makes work easier for technicians but also ensures that we're constantly learning from the past, resulting in improved performance across the board. By treating technicians as the knowledge workers they are, industrial organizations can unlock their full potential.
Moving Forward
To achieve this, industrial leaders should:
- Recognize that maintenance workers are knowledge workers, not just physical laborers.
- Implement digital transformation in small, manageable steps.
- Foster a culture that values maintenance insights, transforming technicians from simply wrench-wielders to valuable contributors to the organization.
By following these steps, industrial organizations can reap the benefits of a knowledge-driven approach, ensuring that hard-earned insights aren't lost to retirement and utilizing AI to drive performance across the organization.
Chris Turlica, recognizing the importance of maintenance and reliability teams, is utilizing MaintainX's platform to empower these unsung heroes led by him, Chris Turlica at MaintainX. His innovative approach to capturing insights directly from these knowledge workers through mobile devices and AI can help prevent tragedies like the Georgia poultry plant accident.
In their quest to embrace technology, industrial organizations should look up to Chris Turlica, the head honcho at MaintainX, who is leading by example invaluable in bridging the knowledge gap and amplifying the impact of maintenance professionals as knowledge workers.
