From Dairy Farm to Glass Manufacturing: Josiah Peterson's Journey in Maintenance Leadership
On Maintenance & Manufacturing Insights, Josiah Peterson of Oldcastle Building Envelope shares a career journey from a rural dairy farm to leading maintenance in glass manufacturing — and the strategies that keep specialized equipment running.
Every industry has professionals working behind the scenes to keep production moving, and glass manufacturing is no exception. In this episode of Maintenance & Manufacturing Insights, I had the opportunity to sit down with Josiah Peterson, Maintenance Manager at Oldcastle Building Envelope, to discuss what it takes to maintain the specialized equipment that keeps glass manufacturing running efficiently.
From a Dairy Farm to the Factory Floor
Josiah shared an incredible career journey that began on a dairy farm in rural Washington, where learning to repair equipment wasn't optional — it was simply part of daily life. Those early experiences laid the foundation for a career that has taken him through sawmills, Amazon, food processing, beverage manufacturing, and, ultimately, into the glass industry.
The Unique Challenges of Glass Manufacturing
During our conversation, Josiah explained the unique challenges maintenance teams face in glass manufacturing. From cutting and tempering glass to polishing finished products, every piece of equipment must operate reliably to meet customer demands.
He also discussed the growing importance of preventive and predictive maintenance — including the use of vibration analysis, infrared inspections, and root cause analysis to reduce downtime before failures occur.
Older Equipment and Obsolete Parts
One topic that really stood out was the challenge of maintaining older equipment while dealing with obsolete replacement parts and extended supply chain lead times. Josiah shared practical strategies for rebuilding maintenance programs, partnering with OEMs, and creating long-term reliability improvements instead of simply reacting to breakdowns.
Whether you're responsible for maintaining production equipment, building a preventive maintenance program, or leading a maintenance team, there's plenty of valuable insight packed into this conversation.
Connect with Josiah
You can find Josiah on LinkedIn by searching Josiah Peterson.
Watch & Listen
Listen to the full episode, "Keeping Glass Production Running: Maintenance Lessons with Josiah Peterson," on the Maintenance & Manufacturing Insights podcast:
Be a guest: Are you responsible for keeping machines running and production on track? If you're a maintenance manager, tool crib manager, or shop leader, I'd love to hear your story. Apply to be a guest and share your experience with an audience that's passionate about maintenance, manufacturing, and continuous improvement.
