Beyond the Breakdown: My Conversation with Jay Olivo
On Maintenance & Manufacturing Insights, Jay Olivo — an engineering and reliability manager, leadership trainer, and author — shares how he cut reactive maintenance to under 20% and hit ~93% on-time preventive maintenance by pairing a CMMS with leadership his team actually bought into.
When equipment breaks down, production slows, costs rise, and maintenance teams are left scrambling. But what if there were a better way? On this episode of Maintenance & Manufacturing Insights, I sat down with Jay Olivo — an engineering and reliability manager, leadership trainer, and author who knows firsthand what it takes to turn a reactive maintenance operation into a proactive one.
From Constant Firefighting to Proactive Maintenance
When Jay first stepped into his role, his team spent most of its time reacting to equipment failures. Sound familiar? Rather than keep putting out fires, he introduced a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) to organize work, track activities, and improve planning.
But here's what stood out: implementing new technology wasn't enough. Jay needed his team to believe in his leadership and understand the vision behind the changes. The results speak for themselves — today, less than 20% of his team's maintenance work is reactive, and they've reached roughly 93% on-time preventive maintenance completion. That's what happens when good leadership meets smart maintenance planning.
A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Manufacturing
I also enjoyed learning about Jay's work at Oerlikon, where his facility manufactures specialized materials used in applications like jet engines and turbines. It's fascinating how much goes on behind the scenes to make the products we depend on every day. Jay also shared a real-world troubleshooting story involving a failed flow meter, and how his electrical and automation experience helped him solve it.
Leadership Goes Beyond the Factory Floor
Jay's passion for leadership doesn't stop at work. He's the author of Leadership Between the Lines and the founder of Leadership Team Builder, a nonprofit focused on helping young people develop leadership skills. You can learn more about his organization at leadershiptb.org.
Watch & Listen
Hear my full conversation with Jay Olivo:
