Reliability 4.0

Hosted by Sebastian Traeger, CEO of Reliability.com

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Jun 2026

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About the show

This podcast is your premier destination to unravel how cutting-edge technologies like AI, IoT, and Big Data are revolutionizing the way we approach reliability and maintenance in various industries. Our host, the CEO of Reliability.com, Sebastian Traeger, uses his extensive experience to illuminate the most pressing topics in the reliability engineering field today. The Reliability 4.0 Podcast is here to keep you informed and inspired, bringing you insightful discussions, interviews with leading experts, and real-world case studies. Subscribe now to never miss an episode!

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56 recent

June 16, 202617 min

E55: Go Back to the Basics: Reliability Lessons From Fresenius

Sometimes the perfect RCA becomes the enemy of solving the problem. In this episode of Reliability 4.0, Juan Mendoza from Fresenius Medical Care shares how his team uses Rapid Problem Solving (RPS) to respond to equipment failures faster, reduce repeat downtime, and build stronger problem-solving habits across manufacturing teams.Juan explains why most equipment issues don’t need weeks of investigation—and how setting clear rules around speed, ownership, and execution helps teams stay focused on solving problems instead of endlessly analyzing them.We discuss:🔸 Why every unplanned downtime over 45 minutes triggers an RPS.🔸 How “containment first” keeps production moving before investigation starts.🔸 Why rapid investigations must be completed within five days.🔸 The difference between rapid problem solving and deep RCA investigations.🔸 Why most reliability improvements still come from mastering the basics.If your organization struggles with recurring downtime or slow investigations, this episode offers a practical framework for building a faster reliability culture.This episode is available on:📺 YouTube: https://youtu.be/9CeZ3wcFjAU🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reliability-4-0/id1729943699Or wherever you get your podcasts!Want to explore how EasyRCA can help your team solve problems faster?👉 https://easyrca.com/engage#Reliability40 #RootCauseAnalysis #Manufacturing #Maintenance #ContinuousImprovement #ReliabilityEngineering

June 2, 202622 min

E54: How La-Z-Boy Is Standardizing Reliability Across Plants

Maintenance isn’t just technical. It’s emotional, political, and people-driven. On this episode of Reliability 4.0, Alejandro Nuñez from La-Z-Boy shares how his team is building a structured maintenance and reliability system across multiple plants, starting with simple metrics, RCA adoption, and consistent processes.Alejandro explains why reliability programs fail when companies wait for the “perfect system” instead of building consistency with the people and processes they already have.We dig into:🔸 Why structure improves reliability without killing creativity🔸 How La-Z-Boy rolled out RCA across plants🔸 Why maintenance transformation is a people challenge first🔸 The importance of starting small with metrics and processes🔸 Why inconsistency—not complexity—is what breaks reliability programsIf your organization is trying to move beyond reactive maintenance, this episode is packed with practical lessons on building systems that actually stick.This episode is available on:📺 YouTube: https://youtu.be/HW5_j_4Y6hQ🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reliability-4-0/id1729943699Or wherever you get your podcasts!Want to explore how EasyRCA can support your RCA program? Start here: https://easyrca.com/engage#Reliability40 #RootCauseAnalysis #Maintenance #AssetManagement #ReliabilityEngineering

May 19, 202625 min

E53: How United Utilities Built a Maintenance Excellence Culture Across 700+ Facilities

The best thing we ever did was just get started. In this episode of Reliability 4.0, Phil White, Chief Maintenance Officer at United Utilities, shares how his team transformed maintenance culture across one of the UK’s largest water and wastewater providers.Over the past six years, United Utilities rebuilt its maintenance strategy from the ground up—reworking hundreds of thousands of PM tasks, investing in technician capability, and creating a culture focused on continuous improvement instead of reactive work.We dig into:🔸 Why maintenance excellence is more about people and culture than tools 🔸 How United Utilities rebuilt its entire PM workbank using reliability principles 🔸 The role of PM compliance and PM yield in driving accountability 🔸 How “bad actor” dashboards help identify long-term reliability problems 🔸 Why Phil believes the hardest part of transformation is simply getting startedIf your organization is trying to move from reactive maintenance to a proactive reliability culture, this episode offers practical lessons from a large-scale transformation journey.This episode is available on: 📺 YouTube🎧 Apple Music Or wherever you get your podcasts!Want to improve your RCA and maintenance processes? 👉 https://easyrca.com/engage#Reliability40 #MaintenanceExcellence #RootCauseAnalysis #AssetManagement #PreventiveMaintenance #ContinuousImprovement

May 5, 202625 min

E52: Building a Reliability Program from the Ground Up at NTT Global Data Centers

“In data centers, you don’t have the luxury of downtime—but you do have redundancy.” In this episode of Reliability 4.0, Lee McClish, Director of Maintenance and Reliability at NTT Global Data Centers , shares how he built a reliability program from scratch for a fast-growing organization with 21 U.S. sites and hundreds of mission-critical assets.Lee discusses how he overcame the challenges of redundancy-driven complacency, built a proactive culture, and created measurable results by focusing on preventive maintenance (PMs), KPIs, and effective communication.We dig into: 🔸 How NTT's data centers balance redundancy with reliability 🔸 Why reliability and culture are the hardest aspects to change 🔸 How Lee built PMs and KPIs from scratch to track progress 🔸 The importance of educating operators and “preaching” proactive maintenance 🔸 How Lee uses scorecards to hold teams accountable and drive continuous improvementIf you’re building a reliability program in a growing, complex environment—or struggling with culture change—this episode has the lessons learned you can implement today.This episode is available on📺 YouTube 🎧 Apple MusicOr wherever you get your podcasts!Want to improve your reliability culture and program? 👉 https://easyrca.com/engage#Reliability40 #RootCauseAnalysis #DataCenters #PreventiveMaintenance #ReliabilityEngineering #ContinuousImprovement

April 21, 202617 min

E51: Why AI Fails Without Good Data—and How to Build a Reliability Foundation First

“AI will just get you to the wrong answer faster—if your data isn’t right.” In this episode of Reliability 4.0, Brian Heinsius from Eco Materials shares how they’re building a reliability program from the ground up—starting with data, systems, and remote monitoring across new sites. From setting up Maximo and asset hierarchies to deploying sensors and dashboards, Brian walks through what it takes to create a scalable reliability foundation before layering on advanced analytics.We dig into: 🔹Why building a clean, accurate data foundation comes before AI 🔹How remote monitoring enables small teams to manage multiple sites 🔹How AI can help analyze data—but still requires careful validation 🔹Why starting with simple RCA (like 5 Whys) is often enough early on 🔹How to use condition-based signals to trigger maintenance actionsIf you’re trying to scale reliability across sites—or exploring AI in maintenance—this episode is a practical look at what to build first.This episode is available on: 📺 YouTube 🎧 Apple MusicOr wherever you get your podcasts!Want to strengthen your RCA foundation? 👉 https://easyrca.com/engage#Reliability40 #RootCauseAnalysis #AssetManagement #PredictiveMaintenance #AI #ReliabilityEngineering #DigitalTransformation

April 7, 202624 min

E50: Building a Reliability Culture at Sabert with Glenn Simmonds

In this episode of Reliability 4.0, Glenn Simmonds from Sabert Corporation shares how they built a reliable culture from the ground up—starting with a reactive culture and transforming it into proactive, sustainable machine reliability.Glenn discusses how Sabert created a roadmap for success, introduced tools, and overcame obstacles in getting leadership and technicians aligned on the importance of machine reliability and root cause analysis.We dig into:🔸 The steps Sabert took to build a machine reliability program from scratch🔸 How Sabert faced resistance and used change management to turn culture around🔸 The role of documentation and institutionalizing processes for sustainability🔸 Why Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and preventive maintenance matter more than reactive repairs🔸 The key lessons Glenn learned about proceduralizing change in a growing organizationIf you’re struggling with change management or trying to build a reliability culture, this episode offers a clear blueprint for success.This episode is available on:📺 YouTube: https://youtu.be/MnK3LHfYhBU🎧 Apple Music: https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my-podcasts/show/reliability-4-0/6223fe96-8647-4a4e-856f-635785c0426c/episodesOr wherever you get your podcasts!Want to see how EasyRCA can help institutionalize reliability?👉 https://easyrca.com/engage#Reliability40 #RootCauseAnalysis #MachineReliability #ChangeManagement #Maintenance #ContinuousImprovement #ReliabilityCulture

March 24, 202620 min

E49: Why Most KPIs Fail—and How to Make Reliability Actually Drive Strategy

“The best KPI is one that actually achieves a strategy.”In this episode of Reliability 4.0, Kendra Moreno and Matt Vilardebo from JLL share how reliability programs work when metrics, data, and execution are aligned to real business goals.From supporting clients across facilities environments to building standardized reliability practices, they walk through what it takes to make reliability scalable and effective.We dig into:🔹 Why KPIs must connect to business strategy to be meaningful🔹 How centralized subject matter experts support reliability programs🔹 Why not every failure requires a full RCA🔹 How facilities reliability is evolving compared to industrial environments🔹 How AI is being used as a force multiplier in vibration analysisIf you’re building or refining a reliability program, this episode offers practical insight into how leading teams approach KPIs, RCA, and reliability execution.This episode is available on:📺 YouTube: https://youtu.be/4nQId0clERs🎧 Apple Music: https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my-podcasts/show/reliability-4-0/6223fe96-8647-4a4e-856f-635785c0426c/episodesOr wherever you get your podcasts!Want to connect RCA to your reliability strategy?👉 https://easyrca.com/engage#Reliability40 #RootCauseAnalysis #AssetManagement #FacilitiesManagement #KPIs #ReliabilityEngineering

February 19, 202622 min

E48: How Haleon Built a Technician-Led RCA Culture (Without Adding More Meetings)

The best RCAs don’t happen in meetings—they happen at the line. In this episode of Reliability 4.0, KayLeigh Glebe and Corey Tesmer from Haleon share how their Lincoln, Nebraska site made root cause analysis faster, simpler, and technician-owned—without adding more process or overhead.By replacing an aging paper-and-Access workflow, Haleon empowered technicians to capture failures in real time, document RCAs directly on the line, and push countermeasures straight into shift handovers through a standardized digital process.We dig into:🔹 Why technician-led RCA beats handoff investigations🔹 How ease of use drove rapid adoption across shifts🔹 How RCA actions flow into shift turnover without extra meetings🔹 How Power BI dashboards surface repeat offenders and trends🔹 Why “simple and usable” matters more than perfect methodologyIf your team believes in RCA but struggles with speed, follow-through, or adoption, this episode shows what a sustainable RCA culture actually looks like.This episode is available on:📺 YouTube: https://youtu.be/UOcnoicYFjU🎧 Apple Music: https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my-podcasts/show/reliability-4-0/6223fe96-8647-4a4e-856f-635785c0426c/episodesOr wherever you get your podcasts!Curious how Haleon standardized RCA across shifts?👉 https://easyrca.com/engage#Reliability40 #RootCauseAnalysis #ManufacturingReliability #Maintenance #ContinuousImprovement #ReliabilityCulture

February 3, 202620 min

E47: Turning Data into Better Asset Decisions with Ali Walsh

The hardest part of reliability isn’t collecting data—it’s making decisions you won’t regret later.Ali Walsh, Head of Asset Strategy & Insight at SA Power Networks, shares how her team makes asset decisions that stand the test of time on this episode of Reliability 4.0 .Ali explains how SA Power Networks balances safety, reliability, customer experience, and cost across one of the world’s longest and most geographically dispersed electricity distribution networks—while navigating high rooftop solar penetration and bushfire risk.We dig into:🔸 Why trusting your data matters more than having perfect data🔸 How data scientists complement (not replace) engineering judgment🔸 What “risk removed per dollar spent” means in real asset decisions🔸 How customer and regulator expectations shape asset strategy🔸 Why feedback from investigations must loop back into decision-makingIf you’re overwhelmed by data but still accountable for long-term outcomes, this episode is about decision confidence, not dashboards.This episode is available on:📺 YouTube: https://youtu.be/yimTPivJ_5U🎧 Apple Music: https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my-podcasts/show/reliability-4-0/6223fe96-8647-4a4e-856f-635785c0426c/episodes Or wherever you get your podcasts!Learn how structured RCA supports better asset decisions: https://easyrca.com/engage#Reliability40 #AssetStrategy #DataGovernance #PowerNetworks #ReliabilityEngineering #DecisionMaking

January 20, 202619 min

E46: Back to Basics – Reliability Lessons from Ego Pharmaceuticals with Reuben Walters

Most reliability improvements don’t come from new tech—they come from fixing what’s already broken. Reuben Walters from Ego Pharmaceuticals shares how focusing on fundamentals helped reduce repeat failures, cut maintenance costs, and build internal capability on this episode of Reliability 4.0.Reuben walks through real case studies—from recurring spray ball failures to purified water systems—where root cause analysis, challenging OEM assumptions, and upskilling maintenance teams delivered measurable results.We dig into: 🔸 How RCA uncovered the real cause of recurring failures 🔸 Why blindly trusting OEM assumptions can drive hidden costs 🔸 How insourcing maintenance reduced contractor reliance 🔸 Why AI should supplement learning—not shortcut it 🔸 How the 80/20 rule applies to reliability engineeringIf you’re overwhelmed by shiny tools but still fighting repeat failures, this episode brings reliability back to what actually works.This episode is available on: 📺 YouTube: https://youtu.be/LUyT4-Lbomw 🎧 Apple Music: https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my-podcasts/show/reliability-4-0/6223fe96-8647-4a4e-856f-635785c0426c/episodes Or wherever you get your podcasts!Curious how structured RCA can help your team solve problems faster? https://easyrca.com/engage#Reliability40 #RootCauseAnalysis #ManufacturingReliability #PharmaManufacturing #Maintenance #ContinuousImprovement