The meat industry is traditionally reactive. In most cases we’ve given up on proper reliability strategy because of the assumption it’s not sustainable due to nightly tear downs followed by high pressure and temperature washdowns with chemicals.

But this is simply not true, and the Smithfield Foods Maintenance and Reliability team made it their mission to change this mindset. It all came to LANGUAGE.

• Why we don't get our reliability initiatives funded.
• Why we don't get access to the equipment we need to work on.
• Aligning the asset strategy with the company strategy.
• A satisfied maintenance workforce, with work clarity and accountability.
• Processes that were easy to understand and train on.
• Building a culture that brought operations and maintenance together.
• Ability to choose the right strategy [predictive or preventive or RTF, etc.].
• Simple ways to get back-to-work management fundamentals.
• A tangible 7% gain in operations capacity throughout the company.

Steve is the Director of the Asset Reliability across 42 manufacturing plants for Smithfield Foods, the largest pork producer in the world, employing more than 50 000 people. Together, Steve and his plant teams jointly created the Smithfield Standard Reliability Process which became a gamechanger in the companies' respect and understanding of Reliability.

During this session Steve will explain the journey he undertook when taking on the role of Director of Asset Reliability for Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer with over 40,000 employees in the United States. In short the situation he inherited was chaotic. What he found were many IOCs that were coming together, with a lack of clear processes and workflows that made maintenance work haphazard at best, and chaotic at worst. In this practical session Steve will explain how the team built a strategic plan, built and implemented clear processes to align leadership, plant teams with external resources and created work aids, documents, and metrics to ensure they achieved successful outcomes.

In this session learn how Steve:

• Created and aligned on a clear mission
• Built out a future world better than the previous
• Introduced gamification into the execution

The current landscape demands that Maintenance and Reliability leaders possess a unique blend of technical, analytical, and interpersonal skills. This panel discussion will highlight the critical role of people and competencies in shaping effective M&R leadership. By focusing on the development and integration of these competencies, M&R leaders can drive operational excellence, enhance safety, and ensure sustainable practices within their organizations.

Operational Efficiency Through Competence - implementing effective maintenance strategies such as preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance. This session will explore how advanced technical skills and data-driven decision-making improve maintenance processes and operational efficiency.

Leadership and Team Development – our people are at the heart of maintenance and reliability success. How can excel in building and leading high-performing teams, build strong communication, conflict resolution, and mentoring skills. This session will delve into strategies for developing these crucial leadership skills. People and competencies are the cornerstone of effective Maintenance and Reliability leadership. By developing a comprehensive skill set and fostering a strong team culture, to significantly enhance operational efficiency, safety, and sustainability.

This panel will provide insights from industry experts on how to cultivate these competencies, offering practical advice and best practices for current and aspiring leaders. Join this discussion highlighting the critical importance of people and competencies in the maintenance and reliability field and learn how to lead your team to success in an ever-evolving industrial environment.