On this episode of Reliability 4.0, we chat with Kyle Grygotis, Hub Maintenance Manager at Imerys, a global leader in specialty minerals. Kyle shares his role overseeing maintenance activities at the Chesapeake, Virginia, plant and his expanded responsibilities supporting additional plants along the East Coast. He explains how his team tracks key performance indicators such as schedule compliance, equipment availability, and preventative maintenance compliance to ensure plant reliability, and how they use monthly downtime reviews to identify quality improvements.

Kyle discusses their use of root cause analysis (RCA) for downtime events lasting more than 8 hours, focusing on quality assurance and preventing rework. He also dives into how emerging technologies like AI and IoT are enhancing equipment monitoring and predictive maintenance, while noting the importance of selecting solutions that fit each plant’s unique needs. Kyle shares practical advice for fellow maintenance managers, emphasizing the value of starting with cost-effective, reliable tools and building from there to create a roadmap for continuous improvement.