Asad Malik with Fluke Reliability

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

AI in maintenance, predictive maintenance, Fluke Reliability, industrial talk, SMRP conference, data analytics, hybrid system, vibration monitoring, maintenance strategies, AI tools, operational profitability, supply chain insights, industry innovations, asset management, reliability sales.

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Hey, industrial Talk is brought to you by CAP logistics. You want to minimize downtime, absolutely increase reliability, you bet, ensure operational profitability. Yes, you do. That means you need 24/7, 365, insights into your supply chain. Look no further cap logistics. Go to cap logistics.com or just call them. They're great people. 802 to 724, 71

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you're listening to the industrial talk Podcast Network Scott Mackenzie. Scott is a passionate industry professional dedicated to transferring cutting edge industry focused innovations and trends while highlighting the men and women who keep the world moving. So put on your hard hat, grab your work boots, and let's go all

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02:04

Probably this is my fourth or fifth time. Yeah, I have been participating in the past also, yeah,

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yeah, I gotta tell you, it's one of those things where the people are nice. I don't know how else, but everybody's nice, nobody's nobody's got pointy parts like, Oh no, everybody's nice, and everybody's, again, passionate about success.

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Absolutely, that's what is. It's not only about nice, it's their passion about success.

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Yeah, they are. That's just without a doubt. All right, before we get going and get rolling. Give us a little background on who Asad is.

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Right after graduating in mechanical engineering, I started my career as a maintenance engineer. Then I moved up to engineering and maintenance planning superintendent in a plant mainly in the Middle East. And then I did my MBA in addition to my engineering, and then I moved from plant into the vendors as a senior Application Engineer, into training manager, sales leader for all about reliability and predictive maintenance technologies. Almost four eight years ago, I relocated to United States, so this is my fourth country to live and work. Oh, cool, yeah. And David Emerson, and now I'm with Fluke reliability as a senior reliability Sales Manager for Fluke reliability, which includes laser alignment, shaft alignment, vibration monitoring, balancing, and part of email the CMS system is

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proof technique. Proof technique, yes,

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that's, that's my, my brand. I wouldn't

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say, Okay, I know those days, yeah, I have to ask the question, when you first started in industry, what? What were you doing? What industry were you in?

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I started with the cement and mining industry. That's cool, yes, and I was the maintenance engineer, and then I moved up to planning manager and predictive maintenance

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seeing. And that's a harsh environment. That's That's rough stuff on equipment.

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Rough it is. And you know, the pollution is very important part. But I can tell you the plants I have been working, we used to have lunch outside in front of the machine. It was so clean. No way, really, absolutely, no way. Yeah, and it's all because of the maintenance, best practices, predictive maintenance, 5s and so many other parts of TPM as well.

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See, that's, that's cool stuff. See, every time I always ask that question of where, where did you get your start? Where were you all of that? Because of that good stuff? I always want to take a tour. Just I want to see it. Yeah, take a tour.

04:48

It's fun to watch a cement processing plant. It's a heavy industry, so many different processes. And, yeah, absolutely.

04:57

And it's one of those things that we just take for granted. Yeah, and there's, there's a tremendous amount of engineering that goes you know, not, you know, not all concrete or cement is the same.

05:08

Absolutely not. There are so many, I don't know how many types of cement, yeah, depending on the resistance for the Korean Yes, so many things, Portland cement and all those things.

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All right, we I digress. All right, let's talk a little bit about what we want to talk about, and that is transforming maintenance and reliability using AI and predictive maintenance. So take us through what that means.

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So last year, there was a report published by Microsoft and LinkedIn together, and they call, they did more than 30,000 different people at work. They analyze, and they ask them specific question about AI usage, 30,000 is more than 30,000 globally? Yeah, good, substantial, absolutely. And the whole purpose of this was to understand the people how they are using AI what are the gaps, what are the trainings they need? And key finding was that 75% of the people who are using AI tools in their work.

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That was a year ago. It's a year ago, a year year

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ago. And another thing which was more interesting is 78% of the people were using their own AI tool. Company was not supporting because of so many barrier in this, but they were not stopping. They were using their own tools to get their job done. 78% four in five.

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Fast forward. You know, it's a bit more now,

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absolutely. I mean, I'm looking forward to any other report like this, but that's a very comprehensive report which gives so much details. Another interesting thing is they ask people the AI, is any change you have seen after implementing AI? And they say, yeah, absolutely, it increase our efficiency, boost focus and work enjoyment, very important for keeping retention work enjoyment. They started loving their work by implementing those AI tool which are basically enablers to make your life easy. And I have been using so many tools of AI for more than two years. And absolutely, those are such enablers. And I cannot imagine my, imagine my day to day without AI tools.

07:30

I I'm gonna, I'm gonna go off on a tangent. Here's, here's the challenge. So AI, what makes AI a success? There's this plethora of large data sets, large they're large language models, right? They're out there. What makes it a success is to be able to draw from that and draw conclusions. Do you I think there's going to be an information starvation for AI, because everybody's using AI and not contributing, you know, other thought, like, like, what we're having here and in and transcribing this, we're contributing to that. It's great. It's good. That's what we're doing. But a lot of people don't, and eventually the quality will be, oh, I know what they I know what they're gonna say. You're right. I don't know,

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but still, the industrial research and papers and all those things will continue. I don't think they're going to stop, because even to develop that AI tools, you need to have a research which is not related to that AI. So we cannot ignore AI. No, so AI is absolutely going to transform the way we work, the way we react, the way we do maintenance, as well as our daily life.

08:49

Okay, let's talk about maintenance. Give us that background on I know, but I want you to tell the listeners about AI and maintenance

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if I talk about maintenance, evolution, evolution, we started from reactive, then goes to the preventive. Me

09:06

told I have to accept it. You know, people are still reactive, just FYI. I know that not evolved from reactive. So yeah, and

09:15

that's really a great point, because not all the companies have been successful in that but, but there is, there is a, you know, 25% of the companies, and this was analysis done by some consultant, they are considered in the top quartile. Top quartile means they are the best performing companies. Yeah, they have a high availability, high reliability, and low downtown time. So those are the companies which are basically moving from reactive, preventive, predictive, condition based, to proactive. Now, these four or five different maintenance strategies do have play in the industry. We cannot say you can take reactive totally out for these bulbs. I'm not going to monitor with exactly so you need. The reactive well failed. Change

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the light, no problem, right? Run to failure, yeah, so

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there is, there were always will be some percentage of machines will be there now, because we are getting so much data now with this IoT, wireless sensors every one minute, every five minutes, talk about vibration, oil analysis or any other ultrasound technology, the question comes, who gonna analyze this

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huge data? It's a tsunami, absolutely.

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And that's where AI gonna help, and it's already helping in one of our cases, in azema vibration monitoring. We have aI

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diagram plus of vibration. Data,

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and, and it directs you to the here, it's right. You don't have to look at it's, it's right here. The AI says it's right there. And then you can look at it that human interaction, and that you bring up a good point. It's, I don't see, I look at AI as a tool for the human to be able to make them more efficient. So in the case of Azima, in the case of that hybrid, that that vibration tech is like, that's, yeah, that's a problem. Now, let's, let's, let's go to the next step that I

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agree. I mean, you have really explained and very well, that's the objective of this. AI tools,

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yeah, and I, and when we start talking about data and and yes, now with the technology I can, I can collect all that data, I can slap it into the cloud. I can then have my AI be able to say that you get rid of that data, that's no big deal. It's no big deal. It's It's just big deal. Well, there it is, and be able to hone in on that and so it even have helps with that, that data analytics and that data capturing too. It's, it's, I love it.

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processes, don't you think too in the in this world, it creates a richness in the profession. So now I'm now what I've learned on a vibration tech, what category four, whatever I am. I am, I'm elevating my position even higher. I am a I'm truly a doctor of vibration, and I'm using the tools, the that are available to make my job better, the delivery of answers,

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yes, and you see, you talk about level four analyst, yeah, the AI is gonna change this analyst into consultant, yes, vibration consultant. That's that's a big change. That's huge. Yeah, absolutely,

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it is so disruptive, in a sense, like you're just thinking. So I'll give you the case in point. So I'm old school. Thinking is that I'm gonna go Google something to get some information, to get a bunch of web links, right, go to Google. It was like a switch overnight. Well, I'm just going to go to copilot and ask the question, and then it gives me the answer that I'm looking for. Oh, I'm never going to Google again.

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I mean, you see the statistics people going to Google, it has been absolutely dropped. People on, I don't remember, probably Google map I have used, yeah, nothing else for any type of research or something informative. I use

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it's because when you do it in Google, it gives you too many options. And then I have to click again, and then I have to look and read and search, and that's not it. Go to the Next link. No, oh no. Ai, oh no. Okay, good. I got it.

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And then there is a SEO search engine optimization you who are gonna pay more will be on the top. So that's what I don't need. I need the real data see.

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And this is just you're getting. All this is something that was just like an aha moment. It's like, okay. So when we have conversations like this, and we transcribe this conversation, which we will, it goes out there. Now, AI is going to look for that. If somebody says, Give me something that that's associated with maintenance. And AI, well, oh, there it is. It's right there absolutely, it's transformative.

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It is, it is,

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where do you see it going? Like, what? What's I mean, all of this is exciting. Don't get me wrong. It's exciting times. Where do you see it going?

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I see a lot more improvements in the maintenance as well as reliability specifically. But if you ask me, globally, it's gonna totally change the lives of the people in every aspect I see in the next 10 years. 10 years, we will be really talking about very different problems which we are talking Yes, today, and we will be the problem which we have today. Maybe we have a easy solution in next four to five years with this AI, and then we will be discussing some, maybe another level of problem. So I see a huge opportunity, and I see it's really the companies have to leverage us, rather than just having being skeptic, skeptical about that. They need to have a proactively look into these technologies and implement in their in their sites.

16:30

See, I think we're just scratching the surface. It's so funny. I was at a conference seven years ago, and we were talking about AI, but it was a conversation that was around, okay? If, if AI was AI, we need sort of guard wells. And what are the, what's the moral implication of AI, right? And, But fast forward, one day we didn't have it. The next day we had there it is, it's chat, GPT. And then all of a sudden, it just on fire. Changes the way we look at the world. I think we're just still just scratching the surface.

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Yeah, I'll share something. We think that that sometimes old school people think that maybe it's only for millennials or Gen Z, but it's not that service said that 73% of the boomers are using Yeah, 73% like three out of four, yeah. And the one which were with the highest one was 85 Yeah, that's the Gen Z. So there is not much difference. So it is across all generations. And if people are not gonna use that or not being involved in that, I believe they will be losing a lot in the next few years.

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Yeah, and if you're not actively engaged in trying to figure this out, and, and, and don't I understand, you can stand you can. You can find yourself saying, Well, I just have an aversion to it. Well, you can have an aversion to it, but it's here and, and it's available. And you can learn and something about it to be able to benefit you from an operational perspective, especially how it's going to just categorically change the way we do maintenance,

18:16

absolutely without any doubt, without any doubt. And you know what's

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interesting, too, and we've been many years ago, I deployed a system, and it was one of the first neural nets to be able to sort of use data we were we were pulling data from a transformer, right, pulling the dissolved gasses. You know what the problem was? I had no way, no way of storing the data. No way. It was just too much. It was just collapse on itself. We were just not there, right? I gotta, I gotta ask a question about you. You know what the next, next domino to fall? This is what I think. This is just me, Scott, sitting around having conversations with people. Is quantum computing. I think everybody's talking about it, right? They're trying to figure out what that thing is. So we're, we're at the point where, yeah, quantum computing is going to do XYZ. I think it's going to be like, chat GBT, somebody's going to crack that code. And there it is, quantum computing now, with AI, with all of the stuff, I don't know what that means.

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It's it's already building. I have seen some of the laptops now they are saying AI built in. Yes, yet you can tell the computer. Can you arrange my files into these folders? And that's gonna be absolutely I mean, it's the sky is the limit in this whole Come on,

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buckle in. It's fun. Come in. It's it's going to be a roller coaster ride. Put your hands up. It's all good. Asad, how do people get a hold of you?

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They can contact me on LinkedIn, just Asad Malik, they can write and they will find me on the LinkedIn.

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How about that for a conversation? But. Was a great conversation, Asad, you need to reach out to Asad. I love these conversations. I'm all I'm all winded from it. All right, we're once again broadcasting from SMRP. We're right on the floor. And you need to be here. You get people like Asad, come on, come on. The water is nice. Jump On In. Be a part of this community. You will not be disappointed. They're always, always pushing the envelope. You will be current, and you will just enjoy these, these interactions. It's all collaborative. Come to SMRP. It's exciting. All right, we're gonna broadcast. Sorry, I've already said that. We're gonna wrap it up on the other side. Stay tuned. We will be right back.

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You're listening to the industrial talk Podcast Network.

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Yeah, that that's Asad Malik, Fluke reliability. We were on site at SMRP 33 right there on the floor, right in the middle of the hubbub. It was absolutely it was just an exciting time, and I'm telling you, it is an industry that you need to be involved in. It is focused on on solutions that optimize your operations, Fluke reliability leading the way. Asad, love the conversation around AI and how to manage assets you're in that world. Are you looking into getting into reliability, asset management, maintenance, whatever it might be that is the event for you. It is a no brainer. Premiere. Put that on your calendar for next year. All right again, I'm going to tell you. We're going to have more conversations coming from this event. So you need you need to stay tuned. So be bold, be brave. Derek, greatly hang out with Asad, and you're going to change the world. We're going to have another great conversation shortly. So stay tuned.