Who should lead your plant’s lubrication program? In this episode of Gear Talk, host Wes Cash sits down with Noria’s Travis Richardson to unpack what makes a true lube champion. From walking back down eight flights of stairs to grab the right grease, to creating a culture of reliability that lasts, Travis shares real-world stories from his work building lubrication programs on five continents. You’ll learn:
The key traits of an effective lube champion
Why culture and behavior matter as much as technical expertise
How frontline staff and management both play vital roles
Practical steps to gain buy-in and show visible success
Whether you’re just starting a lube program or aiming for world-class performance, this conversation will help you recognize (or become) the person who drives lasting reliability improvements.
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In this episode of Gear Talk, West Cash sits down with Trent McJunkin—an automotive maintenance pro who rose from technician to strategic leader. They dive into why being brilliant at the basics still matters, how to build trust with your team, and the real key to successful reliability initiatives. Whether you're new to the field or leading the charge, this one's packed with practical takeaways and industry wisdom.
🎧 Tune in, get inspired, and equip yourself for some quick maintenance wins.

In this episode recorded at Reliable Plant 2025, Steve Breeze from Tolko shares how engaging lube techs in the improvement process can transform a lubrication program. Hear practical ways to build ownership, encourage input from the floor, and drive meaningful change.

In this episode of Gear Talk, Wes sits down with Scott Fry, Director of Workforce Development at MidAmerica Industrial Park, to explore one of the biggest challenges facing industry today: workforce recruitment and development. Scott shares firsthand insights into the struggles employers face when attracting talent, and dives into real-world strategies that are helping close the skills gap. He also shares his perspective on the future of workforce development and how industrial parks like MidAmerica are uniquely positioned to drive change.
#geartalk #workforce #industrial #recruiting

On this episode of Gear Talk, Wes Cash sits down with Levi (last name) from KCF Technologies to discover more about remote monitoring technologies and how to successfully apply them as part of a well-rounded, world-class facility.
With a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State, Levi is using his insights to bring the human touch back to sensor technologies by helping KCF's users capitalize on their technicians' talents in maintenance and reliability. Levi talks with Wes about how, with KCF's technology, users can begin to utilize data to make thoughtful and impactful decisions that increase the efficiency of work and free up technician time for more big-picture projects.
He makes the case that by successfully using remote monitoring to understand how machines break down, facilities can not only prevent unnecessary downtime, but prevent lasting consequences by addressing issues quickly and properly.#geartalk #vibration #oilanalysis #conditionmonitoring #remotemonitoring

On this special episode of Gear Talk, Wes Cash chats with the most famous guest to visit the show - Santa Claus! With more than 1,500 years as the Worldwide Distribution Manager for the North Pole, Santa knows a thing or two about how crucial reliability is to keeping machines healthy and running during the busiest time of the year. From extreme temperatures to intense production demands, Santa explains how he took his elves renowned talents and amplified their results with new production and reliability systems, including perfecting their lubrication and contamination control processes. From a humble workshop powered by reindeer to a world-class manufacturing facility, Santa shows how we can take the great tools and people we have and evolve our processes to make sure our facilities stay on the Reliability Nice List!

On this episode of Gear Talk, Wes Cash sits down with special guest Mina Soliman, CEO of Prime Gear and Noria Regional Technical Consultant, to talk about the state of reliability in the Middle East and the crucial role failure analysis is playing in creating world-class facilities. Mina has decades of experience and multiple significant contributions to lubrication standards, such as ICML 55. In this podcast, Mina explains how reliability is becoming engrained in Middle Eastern manufacturing culture, especially as different industries and reliability standards are introduced.From Oil & Gas to Food & Beverage and Cement & Steel, join us as we dive into the unique nature of these industries in the Middle East. Learn about new strategies they are using to overcome challenging asset failures and establish a new status quo: using expert analysis to discover root causes.

On this episode of Gear Talk, Wes Cash chats with special guest Lisa Williams, Product Manager at Ametek Spectro Scientific and Sub-Committee Chair for ASTM, to talk about how on-site oil analysis can help catch failures faster in heavy industry and manufacturing. With nearly 20 years of experience working in oil analysis, Lisa reveals how on-site analysis provides rapid, reliable information on the machines that facilities rely on for uptime and profitability.
Join us as we learn why this data is critical, how to collect it, and how to apply it to our workflows to lower barriers and stop failures in their tracks - all on our own terms and time.#geartalk #oilanalysis #ametekspectro #onsite #conditionmonitoring #laboratory