maintenance Archives | Industrial Talk

Dr. Karl Hoffower with Failure Prevention Associates

Industrial Talk is onsite at SMRP 2025 and talking to Dr. Karl Hoffower, Executive Director at Failure Prevention Associates about “Industrial Skills Gaps”.

Scott Mackenzie and Dr. Karl Hoffower discuss the importance of asset management and reliability in industrial settings. Dr. Hoffower, former Chief of Physical Medicine and Rehab, now leads Failure Prevention Associates, which provides diagnostic tools and services for asset condition monitoring. They highlight the parallels between healthcare diagnostics and asset monitoring, emphasizing the need for human expertise to interpret AI-generated data. Dr. Hoffower also addresses the skills gap in the labor force, noting a decline in labor participation rates to 63% from 80%. They stress the importance of education and training to inspire the next generation and ensure the success of IoT and wireless sensor technologies.

Will Ocean with Maintain Reliability

Industrial Talk is onsite at Xcelerate 2026 and talking to Will Ocean, Managing Director with Maintain Reliability about “Operational success starts with reliability”.

The conversation revolves around the Fluke Xcelerate 2026 event, which focused on reliability, predictive maintenance, and AI diagnostics. Scott MacKenzie, the host of the Industrial Talk Podcast, interviews Will Ocean, a Managing Director at Maintain Reliability, about the importance of culture and technology in industrial operations. They discuss the challenges of implementing reliability strategies, the need for mentorship and training, and the difficulty of measuring the ROI of preventive measures. Will emphasizes the importance of a cultural shift towards reliability and the role of thought leaders in inspiring and educating the next generation of industry professionals.

Julian Knabe with Fluke

Industrial Talk is onsite at Xcelerate 2026 and talking to Julian Knabe, Senior Director with Fluke about “Adapt and Evolve to Markets”.

The conversation features Scott Mackenzie from the Industrial Talk podcast discussing the Fluke Xcelerate event in Austin, Texas, with Julian Knabe, a finance professional at Fluke. Julian shares his experience transitioning from cost-cutting to strategic finance, focusing on growth and customer impact. He highlights Fluke’s extensive product portfolio, including over 50,000 SKUs, and identifies high-growth markets like data centers, distributed energy, renewables, and defense. The discussion emphasizes the importance of AI and technology in enhancing efficiency and customer workflows, and the need for companies to adapt and innovate to meet evolving market demands.

Chris Napier with Augury

Industrial Talk is onsite at SMRP 2025 and talking to Chris Napier, Reliability Success Manager at Augury about “Predictive maintenance with AI”.

Chris Napier, a predictive maintenance technician with Augury, discussed the evolution of maintenance and reliability practices over 25 years. Augury’s predictive maintenance platform uses advanced sensors and AI algorithms to monitor machine health, integrating with CMMS systems via APIs. Napier emphasized the importance of a solid foundation in reliability practices, such as building a comprehensive Bill of Materials (BOM) in CMMS systems, to effectively utilize new technology. He highlighted the role of human expertise in refining algorithms and ensuring effective preventative maintenance. Napier also stressed the importance of trust and collaboration in implementing and optimizing maintenance strategies.

Mark Pattison Finding Your Summit

Industrial Talk is onsite at Xcelerate 2026 and talking to Mark Pattison, NFL 2 Seven Summits about “Finding your summit”.

Mark Pattison, a former NFL player and keynote speaker at Fluke’s Xcelerate event, shared his journey of climbing Mount Everest and the Seven Summits. He discussed overcoming public speaking fears, dealing with snow blindness at 26,500 feet, and the challenges of high-altitude climbing. Pattison emphasized the importance of resilience, faith, and daily discipline. He also highlighted his new book, “Finding Your Summit,” and his involvement with Higher Ground, a nonprofit supporting military and first responders. Pattison’s story underscored the human spirit’s resilience and the transformative power of setting and achieving ambitious goals.

The world is changing fast! Industrial businesses are juggling every facet of business maintenance and growth, ranging from technological/digital media adaptations to cash flow management and operational efficiency challenges. How do industrial business leaders stay current while managing growth and casting vision for the future? The answers could be found in a learning environment, but never before has there been a place for continuing education in the industrial business arena. UNTIL NOW…

The INDUSTRIAL ACADEMY IS HERE. Finally there is a clearinghouse for all things industrial to assist the business leader. Course offerings provide up-to-date applicable information in business development, technology, finance, operations and leadership presented in an engaging, movement-oriented manner by those in the know. These professionals don’t just talk the talk. They walk the walk with purpose and passion for building not just the industrial business but also the people who make things happen.

The Industrial Talk Podcast family looks forward to learning and growing with you!

When I was in elementary school, our teacher would show us films of industrial professionals making our lives better. For me, these films instilled the passion for industry.

Today, industry has come along way from when I was a boy. It is innovative and focused on solving problems. In short, it’s really cool and exciting.

We need to teach children, around the world, and bring back the “Cool” and “Exciting” and why industry is a wonderful profession. That means we need industrial professionals to re-instill this industrial passion.

This is the Purpose of Industrial Pop. It is an online learning management platform (LMP) dedicated to educating our youth in the ever expanding and innovative world of industry. We also provide this LMP for our teachers to share with their class.

These are very exciting times for industry and we must begin educating our future and it starts with you. If you are interested, please contact me at: https://industrialtalk.com/contact/ and just let me know that you are interested in positively impacting our future industry leaders.