Maintenance Break
Bite-sized lessons on asset management, maintenance strategies, and reliability, delivered in under 10 minutes. Hosts Pete and Drew offer jargon-free tips and real-world examples for maintenance professionals and engineers. New episodes every fortnight.
Episodes
Still Standing Isn't Integrity: Why Structures Belong in the Plan
Fixed plant flaking with corrosion, and the site says it's meeting the intent of maintaining integrity. It's still standing, so it's fine.Except standing isn't the required outcome. Pete and Drewbreak down what structural integrity actually means: keeping the asset in a non-degraded state so it can do its job. A structure that's lost material to corrosion but is still holding u
Three Flags, No Fix: The RCA That Missed a Second Failure
A 785C A-frame bearing failed. Two days of unscheduled downtime, a line bore, a proper RCA.The RCA was genuinely good. The site found the bearing hadbeen installed wrong six months earlier, rewrote the install procedure, added QA checkpoints. Textbook root cause work.Pete and Drew walk through what that RCA missed: an existing 1000-hour PM check had already flagged that same bearing out of spec, t
The 5,000 Hours You Lose When Nobody's Watching
Same site. Same fleet. Same final drives, same duty. Oneera: final drives ran to 20,000 hours before rebuild. A few years later: 15,000.Nobody decided to stop watching the oil. It just stopped being anyone's daily job.Pete and Drew break down FLAC (Fuel, Lubricant, Air, Coolant) as the full chain, not just an occasional oil sample: receiving and storing it clean, dispensing it right, monitorin
Design for Maintainability: Ten Centimeters to the Left
A grease point on a conveyor drive, tucked behind the guarding. To reach it: isolate the whole conveyor, pull the guard, grease it, put the guard back, re-verify. Half an hour, gone, every single week - for the life of the asset. It could have sat ten centimeters to the left and never needed any of it. That's design for maintainability in one image. Not a poster slogan - a specific check run d
Workshop Capacity: Same Bay Count, a Fraction of the Work
Pete ran the same fleet through two completely different ways to work out how many workshop bays a site actually needs for their mobile fleet and landed on the same number both times. The catch: one method took weeks longer than the other, and it wasn't the accuracy that changed.Pete and Drew break down zero-base (build it up task by taskfrom the full maintenance strategy) versus top-down (sta
Equipment Readiness: The 80% You Can Build at a Desk, and the 20% You Can't
The first 797F haul truck fleet built on site relocated its filter mounting points for a good reason: ground level, not wedged on a ladder in the chassis. Nobody wrote it into the documentation. When the crew walked all forty service procedures against the real machine, eleven needed something changed.In this episode, Pete and Drew close the four-part Operational Readiness series with the Equipmen
Systems Readiness: A Populated-But-Wrong System Tells You a Lie With Confidence
Monday morning. The electric-drive haul fleet's landed, the crew's through handover, and it's time for the first scheduled service. The planner opens the CMMS - and there's nothing in the system to plan against. The functional location doesn't even exist yet.In this episode, Pete and Drew go deep on the Systems lens of Operational Readiness. Running it through the JEBS PCR Tria
People Readiness: Same Job Title, Different Machine
A large open cut operation replaces its aging diesel haul truck fleet with electric-drive machines — and twelve months later, the experienced crew that knew those old trucks inside out is staring at a completely different animal. Training isn't the fix. The decision that shapes everything else should have been made before the purchase order was even raised.In this episode, Pete and Drew go dee
Operational Readiness: Why the Work Before the Work Determines Everything
Most sites focus on maintaining assets once they're running. Operational Readiness is everything that has to happen before the first shift starts — and when it's skipped, the performance gap costs more than most businesses realise. In this episode, Pete and Drew break down the three lenses of Operational Readiness — People, Systems, and Equipment — and make the case for why the 80% of stra
Asset Management Plans: The Ultimate Operational Handshake
In this episode, Pete and Drew demystify the Asset Management Plan (AMP), to reveal why it is the ultimate alignment tool between operations and maintenance. They break down how combining your Operating Context, Maintenance Strategy, and Scheduled Downtime Strategy creates a powerful roadmap to balance Performance, Cost, and Risk. Learn why treating your AMP as a living, breathing document is the
When the Plan Unravels: Swinging Loads & Missing Procedures
The JHA was done. The OEM procedure was on the table. The crew were trying to do the right thing. And a worker still ended up on the ground with a serious leg laceration. In this episode, Pete and Drew break down Safety Alert SA24-04 from NSW Resources Regulator — a haul truck rear strut replacement that went wrong the moment the plan changed and there was no documented fallback to catch the team.
Still Running… But is it reliable?
Is your plant running because it's reliable — or because your team is holding it together with workarounds and tribal knowledge? In this episode, Pete and Drew tackle one of the most common misconceptions in maintenance: that reliability just means fewer breakdowns. They break down what reliability actually is, why availability and maintenance aren't the same thing, and how to tell the dif
No Visibility, No Control: Fixing the Off-Site Repair Process
You send a gearbox out the gate and it vanishes. No status update, no confirmed lead time, and an invoice that lands like a lead balloon much larger than you expect. Sound familiar? In this episode, Pete and Drew shine a light on the "Off-Site Black Hole" — the fragmented repair process quietly leaking millions from maintenance budgets across the industry.Running the problem through the
When Jumpstarts Become Normal: Chronic Failures & the Cost of Looking Away
Nobody questions the jump-start ute — until someone does. In this episode, Pete and Drew break down a chronic breakdown event where a dedicated vehicle and fitter were burning up to eight hours a shift just getting trucks to start, and the whole site had simply accepted it as normal.It took one reliability professional sacrificing a night's sleep, sitting in the ute on the go-line, to find the
Single Point of Failure: Guardrails, Modifications & the EX5600 Incident
Four metres. That's not a stumble — that's a life-changer. In this episode, Pete and Drew break down Safety Alert SA26-02 out of the Hunter Valley, where a worker fell from a Hitachi EX5600 excavator after a guardrail stanchion — weakened by an aftermarket modification and an undetected crack — simply snapped.Running the incident through the JEBS PCR Triad, Pete and Drew unpack how chasing
The 15-Year Crane Problem: When Chemistry Beat Mechanics
For fifteen years, a primary production rail crane was the site’s biggest headache. Availability sat at just 65%, improvement projects kept failing, and the team had started accepting the problem as “just the way it is.”In this episode, Pete and Drew unpack a fascinating case study submitted by Adam reviewing through the JEBS PCR (Performance, Cost, Risk) Triad. They reveal how environmental conta
The Stored Energy Debt: When the Line of Fire Hits Home
When heavy metal meets gravity, the results are life-changing. In this episode, we dissect the Resources Queensland safety notice regarding a 5-piece wheel assembly incident that injured a tyre fitter. Pete and Drew walk through the technical "Hold Points" identified in the safety notice that every tyre bay needs, touching on the different safe mounting options to the "Captain of th
Beyond Spare Parts: Why "Tick and Flick" is More Expensive Than Spare Parts
Is your maintenance team stuck in a "replace and restock" cycle that never actually stops the breakdowns?In this episode of Maintenance Break, Pete and Drew tear down a real-world case study: a Hitachi EH3500 haul truck with an HV cabinet door that failed mid-shift. While the site blamed a lack of spares, the root cause was a "tick and flick" culture that ignored a visible defe
JEBS Advisory Insights: The PCR Triad
Pete welcomes Drew from JEBS Advisory as his new co-host and to discuss the JEBS PCR Triad: a framework for balancing Performance, Cost, and Risk in heavy industry. Learn why every maintenance task must justify its existence through these three lenses or be cut from the schedule.💡 JEBS Break Tip: Use our "PCR Triad lens" to audit your next five maintenance jobs and determine their value
The Three Pillars: Stop Wasting Time on Unnecessary Maintenance Tasks
Is your PM schedule full of "task clutter" that adds cost but no reliability? In this episode of Maintenance Break, Pete and Sarah dive into the critical filter needed to make sure your team's wrench time is spent only on tasks that matter.They introduce the Three Pillars of a Solid Task: it must be Technically Feasible, Effective, and Cost-Justified. If a task fails this test, it
Closing the Loop: Turning 'We Should Fix That' into 'It's Fixed'
We've all been there: a fantastic Root Cause Analysis with a brilliant list of actions... that somehow vanish. In this episode of Maintenance Break, Pete and Sarah dive into the accountability problem that kills reliability and keeps recurring issues alive.Learn how to beat the "black hole of good intentions" by focusing on simple, visible tracking and the critical importance of the
Culture Shock: Why Discipline Beats Luck Every Time
Everyone talks about "proactive maintenance," but what actually makes it stick? In this episode, Pete and Sarah dive into the real engine of reliability: operational discipline and culture.We break down why routines—like a disciplined shift start meeting—are anything but boring, and why they are essential for protecting multi-million dollar mobile mining assets. Discover how small daily
When Things Go Wrong – Root Cause and Failure Response
Even the best maintenance programs face failures — what matters is how you respond. In this episode, Pete and Sarah explore how to uncover the real reasons behind breakdowns using tools like the 5-Whys. They unpack the Failure Response Model — from containment to learning — and share a real-world story of how a small oil leak turned into a costly shutdown.💡 Takeaway tip: Next time a failure occurs
Work Management – The Engine of Reliability
Reliability doesn’t just happen — it’s powered by effective work management. From planning and scheduling to execution and analysis, Pete and Sarah unpack the full life cycle of maintenance work and why each step matters. Discover common pitfalls, real-world examples, and simple ways to improve close-out and feedback.💡 Takeaway tip: Review the last three maintenance jobs — did the close-out captur
Building Reliability into Maintenance Strategies
Strong reliability starts with smart strategies. In this episode, Pete and Sarah break down the essentials: tailoring asset strategies to context, adopting an RCM mindset, and building a proactive maintenance culture. Hear how the right approach can keep assets humming — and why discipline beats drama every time. Plus, a practical Break Tip you can apply to your next maintenance plan.💡 Takeaway ti
Making Change Stick: The Asset Management Improvement Journey
Most asset management improvements fail not because the ideas are bad — but because execution falls flat. In this episode, Pete and Sarah explore how to design and deliver an improvement journey that actually works. Think fundamentals first, operational discipline, and building a culture that sticks long after the consultants are gone.We cover:The difference between “knowing” and “doing” in asset
From Knowing to Doing: The Asset Management Improvement Journey
Ever sat through an improvement project that sounded great in theory… then fizzled out on the shop floor? In this episode, Pete and Sarah break down how to turn asset management ideas into real, lasting results. From assessing your current state to spotting value gaps, prioritising what to fix first, and keeping discipline alive, this is your roadmap for making change stick.We cover:Why starting w
From Firefighting to Optimized: Your Asset Management Roadmap
You can’t optimise what you don’t control.In this episode of Maintenance Break, Pete and Sarah unpack the Asset Management Pyramid — your roadmap for building strong foundations before chasing optimisation. They break down how to take control of your assets, cut waste, think holistically, and stay agile as your business changes.We cover:Why effectiveness comes before efficiencyHow to identify and
What Does “Value” Actually Mean?
Everyone talks about “creating value” in asset management — but what does value really mean?In this episode of Maintenance Break, Pete and Sarah break down how performance, cost, and risk interact to create (or destroy) value. They unpack what “value” means to different parts of the business, why it often gets misunderstood, and how focusing on the wrong things can waste time and money.We cover:Th
The Blueprint: Turning Asset Strategy into Real-World Action
Your GM wants more production, less maintenance spend, and better reliability — all at once. Sound familiar?In this episode of Maintenance Break, Pete and Sarah walk through the six-part blueprint that helps you turn big asset goals into real-world results. From writing a Strategic Asset Management Plan (SAMP) to building a usable framework, setting focus areas, and applying life cycle thinking —
The Basics: What Asset Management Is and Why It Matters?
Your production line's down at 2 AM, your boss wants answers, and someone throws out, “What’s our asset management strategy?” Cue the silence. In this kickoff episode of our Asset Management 101 series, Pete and Sarah break down what asset management actually means—beyond the buzzwords and spreadsheets. We’re talking real-world examples, tough trade-offs, and why this isn’t just a maintenance
Maintenance Break Intro
Welcome to Maintenance Break — your go-to podcast for bite-sized lessons in asset management, maintenance, and reliability. In this short intro episode, meet your hosts Pete and Sarah as they share what the podcast is all about, who it’s for, and why a few minutes of focused insight can go a long way.Whether you're an engineer, a maintenance pro, or just curious about the systems that keep the
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