Kick off your MAINSTREAM experience at the Jumpstart at CENTREPIECE at Melbourne Park. Pick up your name badge, enjoy complimentary drinks and canapés, and connect with your fellow delegates and speakers before the keynote begins the next morning. It's the perfect way to ease into MAINSTREAM and start making meaningful connections — don’t miss it!

While 72% of Australian asset-intensive organisations are racing to implement AI in maintenance and reliability, only 23% are seeing meaningful returns. This isn't a technology problem—it's an organisational one, and it's not limited to this industry. The companies winning with AI aren't just deploying smarter algorithms; they're fundamentally restructuring how humans and machines collaborate, make decisions, and create value.

With practical examples, you'll discover why organisations are struggling with AI projects and how those that are thinking beyond the pilot are more rapidly able to unlock the potential that AI promises. Drawing from real-world case studies across a variety of industries, we'll explore:

• The gap between the promise and reality with AI
• What foundational elements are critical for success
• The key enablers for the human-AI workforce of the future
• Practical strategies to build AI readiness

Regardless of your role, this session will help you influence your organisational roadmap for turning AI potential into operational reality. Be the person who uses AI to your advantage, not the person who has the fear of being obsolete.

While time-based maintenance remains important, knowing exactly when to intervene on critical equipment can dramatically improve asset lifecycle and operational efficiency. This presentation explores how Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) serves as a powerful tool to maximise equipment performance through data-driven decision making.

I'll guide you through the strategic implementation of CBM across any industry, focusing on practical approaches to identify critical assets, select appropriate monitoring technologies, and develop implementation plans that deliver measurable results. You'll learn how to transition from calendar-based maintenance to a more sophisticated approach that responds to actual equipment conditions.

• CBM fundamentals, available sensor technologies, and critical measurement parameters
• Developing equipment criticality frameworks to prioritise instrumentation investments
• Creating implementation roadmaps that enhance equipment performance and machine health

Critical Takeaways:

• Systematic methods for defining equipment criticality and optimal instrumentation strategies
• Calculating true cost-benefit analysis for CBM implementation
• Techniques for integrating condition data with existing CMMS platforms to generate need-based rather than time-based work orders

Managing an $11 billion asset portfolio with Seqwater's uniquely diverse and geographically dispersed infrastructure presents exceptional challenges. This presentation explores how we developed a maintenance delivery model that satisfies multiple stakeholders while advancing our strategic objectives as a statutory authority.

We’ll share our journey in creating a maintenance framework specifically aligned with corporate strategy, designed to deliver measurable improvements in both maintenance and asset management maturity. You'll discover practical approaches for selecting between insourced and outsourced models, developing meaningful KPIs, and preparing your organisation for significant operational change.

• Evaluating insourcing versus outsourcing options through a strategic lens
• Measuring and benchmarking maintenance and asset management maturity
• Navigating stakeholder complexities and potential implementation pitfalls
• Structuring contract KPIs that drive maturity improvements
• Building organisational readiness for transformational change
• Securing executive buy-in for your maintenance strategy

Critical Takeaways:

• Proven strategies to gain executive leadership support for maintenance transformation
• Essential guidelines for designing effective maintenance delivery contracts
• Methods to establish meaningful performance measurement and benchmarking systems

Global listening sessions across our operations revealed the need for a more inclusive workplace where everyone thrives regardless of background. In response, we created a support system for those feeling marginalized through a new ERG called Employees Beyond Race, facilitating safe conversations where issues can be addressed without judgment.

• My role in growing this ERG across Australia, Brazil, Singapore and Canada
• How diversity enhances innovation and problem-solving excellence
• Creating support networks that recognize people as our greatest asset
• Increasing engagement by helping people bring their whole selves to work
• Embedding inclusion into organizational systems rather than treating it as an add-on
• Developing policies that embrace our globally diverse workforce
• Creating psychological safety that enables people to thrive in a global workplace

 This presentation will examine the key factors that cause maintenance training efforts to fall short of delivering sustained performance improvements and reliability excellence. While technical content is crucial, sources consistently reveal that the primary obstacle lies in the lack of integration, organisational support, and cultural embedding. Often, organisations are "data rich, but information poor," and this disconnect extends to training - valuable knowledge is delivered, yet the environment does not foster its practical application or retention.  

A major issue is the absence of post-training support - organisations frequently provide courses without ensuring ongoing mentorship, reinforcement, and goal setting to embed learned skills. Training is often treated as a one-off event, and despite fears of skill drain when employees leave, the greater risk is failing to equip them in the first place. The effectiveness of training is further hampered by a lack of psychological safety in learning environments, which may not accommodate diverse learning styles. Additionally, connecting training activities - such as quality data collection - to frontline workers and demonstrating tangible value remains a challenge.  

This session contends that the greatest barrier is not the content itself, but the failure to develop a supportive culture and systemic processes that ensure continuous learning, reinforcement, and the integration of training into daily operations. We will explore how to transition from classroom exercises to fostering a continuous learning environment that genuinely enhances performance and drives asset management success.

Asset-intensive industries operate in high-risk environments where every decision can impact human lives, operational costs and business reputation. These sectors often grapple with four pervasive challenges in maintenance workforce management that impact asset resilience: productivity loss, changing regulatory demands, safety risks and skills shortage.

This presentation will examine the underlying factors behind these asset reliability challenges and how to avoid the easily overlooked pitfalls. We will share the real-world case study of how Applus+, a worldwide leader in asset management services, has strengthened asset resilience for clients by harnessing innovative technology to increase critical controls, achieving tangible value in operational efficiency and safety outcomes.

• Tackling key challenges in competency and compliance management of asset maintenance personnel.
• How real-time assurance of having the right people with the right skills on site reduces operational risks and enhances asset integrity.
• How to unlock cost savings and productivity gains while improving safety performance.
• How to balance workforce safety, organisational compliance and business agility using technology.
• Case study: How Applus+ achieved tangible results in safety performance and operational excellence through digital transformation.

Across Nestlé USA's food and beverage division, our 20 factories faced a perfect storm: a shrinking workforce due to retirements coupled with declining interest in manufacturing careers. We needed tore imagine our approach to skilled trades development or risk operational sustainability.

Our solution was creating a comprehensive corporate upskilling program that transforms both existing employees and new hires into highly skilled technical talent. This innovative approach focuses on component-level training, machine centre expertise, and maintenance systems mastery—creating clear advancement pathways to SME and leadership roles.

The results have been transformative: operators with technical aptitude now provide a reliable pipeline for skilled trade positions, while program graduates regularly advance into hourly lead positions, supervisory roles, maintenance planning, and equipment subject matter expertise—solving our talent gap while creating compelling career opportunities.

• Current market challenges in skilled trades recruitment and retention
• Comprehensive upskilling program structure and implementation
• Career progression pathways for technical talent development

Critical Takeaways:

1. Strategies to expand and rethink your skilled trades candidate pool.
2. Proven methods for building advanced technical capabilities in existing workforce.
3. Retention techniques through defined career advancement opportunities

Our project faced a culture of blame, excuses and denial leading to reactive work. The engineering function was unorganized and tasked with non-value delivery activities. Engineers were frustrated and considering resignation, while the customer was unhappy with missed objectives. Asset performance had fallen below acceptable thresholds, and cashflow was negatively impacted by performance penalties.

• Created an engineering vision and strategy with clear role definition
• Reorganized team structure leading to internal promotions and improved diversity
• Increased job satisfaction and organizational citizenship through targeted changes
• Transformed culture from blame to ownership, accountability and responsibility
• Reversed negative performance trends and restored customer confidence

Managing rail shutdowns presents numerous challenges that required significant change management and stakeholder engagement. Initially, we faced team disconnection around business priorities, lack of customer focus, and change resistance. There was a perception of poor closure performance within sufficient data to verify reality.

Over the last 12 months, we have:

• Developed a performance reporting framework identifying trends, gaps and opportunities
• Shifted team culture toward continuous improvement and customer impact
• Enhanced transparency with timely updates to external stakeholders
• Refined recovery planning for real-time decisions balancing reliability and throughput
• Implemented proactive measures in a reactive environment
• Established a team mindset that maximizes decision-making under time pressure
• Used data and communications to support both planned and unplanned situations

Achieving world-class reliability begins with mastering work management fundamentals. At Fortescue, pursuing excellence in planning, scheduling, and execution is a key strategic pillar driving operational efficiency. While our journey continues, we've made significant progress toward building a robust and sustainable framework.

This session shares Fortescue's key focus areas:

• Empowering the frontline by streamlining access to critical information and materials
• Ensuring technicians have what they need—when they need it—for efficient, safe work
• Aligning roles and responsibilities across the value chain for consistent execution
• Developing feedback systems that drive incremental gains and sustain performance
• Real-world examples of building resilient, high-performing work management practices

Introducing change in any organisation is challenging—especially in a large, recently merged electricity distribution utility with different people, processes, and systems. Doing this alongside your regular responsibilities might seem impossible, yet we successfully implemented new systems and thinking to systematise asset management and risk management.

• Leading strategic change in engineering-focused organizations
• Understanding personality types and change tolerance in technical environments
• Thinking like your customer and asking the right questions
• Finding the optimal pace of change for your organization
• Defining and measuring success throughout the transformation
• Embedding change while pushing boundaries for continuous improvement
• Keeping implementation simple and avoiding perfectionism
• Surrounding yourself with the right people to drive change

Execution is where the rubber meets the road as we strive to improve the performance of our physical assets. The transition from reactive to proactive and precision maintenance is crucial for enhancing equipment reliability and performance.

This session explores Proactive and Precision Maintenance, emphasizing Fasteners, Lubrication, Alignment, and Balance. By focusing on these key areas, you can reduce downtime, extend machinery life, ensure operational efficiency, and improve the safety and sustainability of physical assets.

• The Business Case for Proactive and Precision Maintenance
• Fasteners - proper techniques for threaded and welded fasteners, belt tensioning, and Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR).
• Lubrication - lubricant selection, application methods, and contamination and condition control.
• Alignment - mechanical alignment techniques and managing electrical power quality and harmonics.
• Balance - dynamic and static mechanical balancing of machinery and phase-to-phase electrical balance.
• Inspections and Condition Monitoring – the feedback loop to ensure that all FLAB management practices are under control and achieve set targets.
• Executing Proactive and Precision Maintenance

These are first principles for managing the reliability of physical assets. Failure to get these basics places all other investments to improve asset performance at risk.

Artificial Intelligence has transformed every aspect of modern work - and maintenance reliability represents one of its most powerful applications. This presentation explores practical, ethical approaches to integrating AI into your maintenance operations for immediate productivity gains.

I'll demonstrate how AI dramatically accelerates data analysis and equipment analytics, freeing valuable time for critical maintenance activities while improving decision quality. From developing more effective preventive maintenance programs to creating compelling management presentations, AI offers maintenance professionals unprecedented tools to enhance their impact.

Whether you're AI-curious or already experimenting with these technologies, you'll discover ethical implementation strategies that complement rather than replace human expertise—ensuring you stay ahead of the curve in the maintenance evolution.

Key Focus Areas:

• Practical AI applications that simplify daily maintenance tasks
• Effective prompt engineering to get precise, useful results quickly
• Essential AI tools specifically valuable for maintenance professionals
• Ethical considerations when implementing AI in maintenance contexts
• Real-world case studies of successful AI implementation

Critical Takeaways:

1. Specific techniques to leverage AI for streamlining routine maintenance tasks
2. Expert prompt writing strategies to get optimal results from AI tools
3. The most valuable AI applications and tools for maintenance reliability professionals 

With 30+ years of engineering and maintenance expertise across two major U.S. corporations, Kevin pioneered reliability excellence as Anheuser-Busch's first Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional(CMRP). His leadership culminated in overseeing production and maintenance for Anheuser-Busch's Canadian Breweries.

For 19 years, I worked as a diesel mechanic but always felt stuck. Despite my leadership skills and ability to think outside the box, I kept getting overlooked. At 35, I was diagnosed with ADHD it explained so much. But medication wasn’t the magic fix I expected, I realized I had to work differently as a neurodivergent person.

A friend pushed me out of the workshop into asset health, which led to a game-changing secondment in risk and assurance. Suddenly, I was supported and trusted. Attending the Mainstream Conference confirmed it. I wanted to be a reliability engineer. Now, I’ve found my place and I love it!

Like many manufacturers, we struggled to agree on our biggest efficiency issues. We implemented a reliability measurement process and formed a team to prioritize and solve problems collaboratively. The results have been significant: MTBF increased by 65%, breakdown hours down 20%, breakdowns dropped 14%, and production output up 11%—all without major investment.

• How we evolved from disagreement over inefficiency causes to a focused approach
• Our process: targeting repeat breakdowns and conducting RCA for incidents exceeding 4 hours
• Strategic team assembly to ensure critical buy-in across functions
• Case example: upskilling team and eliminating contractor dependency, saving $50k annually
• How simple tools drove significant impact through the right collaborative minds
• Actionable strategies that delivered immediate progress with minimal investment

In a world saturated with data but starved of meaningful progress, organisations must ask: are we truly transforming our people, or merely informing our people?

A fundamental misunderstanding persists; information is not transformation. Asset-intensive sectors have seen digital initiatives rapidly expanded to boost effectiveness and efficiency across all enabling asset management functions, thus the vast availability of data and information. However, a critical distinction remains overlooked: the delivery of information is not equivalent to the transformation of people, as people are the ones who are ultimately the ones who will drive the technology.

Chris investigates the consequences of prioritising system upgrades and data visibility over cultural and behavioural change within asset management practices. We as an industry community need to challenge the fact that sustainable improvement hinges not on the volume of available information, but on how effectively people engage with it, interpret it, and act upon it. This then raises the question if current education models (that many businesses adopt) are indeed effective enough when a transformation is needed.

The other question is do modern digital tools align with human capabilities - emphasising leadership, collaboration, and frontline empowerment to drive real transformation. Ultimately without purposeful investment in people, digital progress risks becoming an illusion of change rather than its catalyst.

Peter Drucker famously wrote the phrase “the best way to predict the future is to create it" - In the modern world success is enabled with value added data driven decision making. The people are the judges of what is value to them, and the technology and data available to them must provide insights so they can then make the right decisions to improve. As Asset Management professionals, we all have the responsibility of ensuring we enable our people to be part of a successful future.

Viva the revolution.

The war is upon us—not of steel and sword, but of data and code. The AI uprising is breaching the walls of every organisation, every system, every process we’ve built to protect the delicate balance of risk, cost and performance. For asset managers, the question is no longer if this force will change our craft—but whether we stand as the vanguard or fall as the vanquished.

AI has become the great disruptor of our age. From stealthy deployments in CMMS and EAM platforms to executive decrees echoing promises of “intelligent transformation,” artificial intelligence is now entangled with the very tools and systems we rely on. But this is not a battle we chose—it’s one we must now fight to control.

The battlefield is murky. Allies are unclear. And within our own walls, three factions move:

• The Revolutionaries, eager to tear down the old guard, installing chatbots and machine-driven logic in place of governance, human insight, and risk-based decision-making. They storm ahead, blind to the value of the processes they bypass.
• The Saboteurs, cloaked in tradition, quietly undermine progress. They trust only legacy knowledge, resist all change, and dismiss AI as a passing fad. In doing so, they weaken our defences from within—refusing to prepare, adapt, or evolve.
• The Guerrilla Actors, our vendors and suppliers, who slip AI into our platforms without warning. These shadow players reshape our practices in silence, embedding automation where oversight once lived.
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We—the asset managers—stand at the gate. Sometimes, AI is a resource: a tactical ally to bolster decisions, detect patterns, and support foresight. Other times, it is a strategic asset: one that must be governed, monitored, and maintained like any critical piece of infrastructure. Our challenge lies in knowing which role it plays, and commanding it accordingly.

To defend our discipline and reshape our future, we must:

1. Strategise – Forge frameworks that bind AI to our asset principles and lifecycle thinking.
2. Educate – Arm our teams with AI fluency, not just literacy.
3. Convene – Rally the field, share battle plans, and align under a banner of responsible AI use.
4. Lead – Take the high ground. Influence how AI is adopted and wielded before it’s weaponised by others.

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This presentation will equip the vanguard with the insight, clarity, and conviction to meet the AI era head-on. Drawing from field intelligence, emerging frameworks, and real-world scenarios, we will explore how to secure advantage—without sacrificing assurance.

This is not just a technology talk—it’s a call to arms.
AI has crossed the moat.
It’s time we raise the standard.
We are the asset managers.
We are the vanguard.
And this is our battlefield.

Transgrid manages and operates high voltage electricity network infrastructure in a highly regulated environment that requires it is compliant with asset management, electricity safety, work health and safety, and quality management systems.

The services provided by the assets must also deliver value to stakeholders, including the economic regulator, customers, and government. This is further complicated by the need to align the safety objectives set by government regulators with corporate risk and performance objectives, and broader stakeholder expectations.

Transgrid has developed processes and procedures that align these sometimes-conflicting objectives through the implementation of management systems that align these in a way that allows value to be delivered to stakeholders and achieve mandatory safety objectives.

While most maintenance professionals understand oil analysis fundamentals, few harness its full potential to prevent costly equipment shutdowns and maximise operational value. This session takes you beyond basics to master the science of lubricant degradation mechanisms and their early detection.

You'll discover how to interpret specialised test results that reveal warning signs before catastrophic failure occurs. Through practical examples, I'll demonstrate proven techniques for identifying real root causes of lubricant breakdown and how to use historical failure data to predict and prevent future issues—transforming your approach to equipment reliability.

• Comprehensive overview of diverse lubricant degradation mechanisms
• Laboratory testing methods that pinpoint specificd eterioration patterns
• Practical prevention strategies to eliminate root causes before they impact equipment
• Logic tree methodology for systematic degradation analysis and troubleshooting

Critical Takeaways:

1. Master the full spectrum of lubricant degradation mechanisms affecting industrial equipment.
2. Apply systematic root cause analysis techniques specifically tailored for lubrication failures.
3. Implement targeted solutions to prevent recurrence of common degradation mechanisms.

As Peter Drucker famously noted, "culture eats strategy for breakfast." Drawing from over 35 years of leadership in asset management and reliability engineering, I've discovered that technical prowess alone does not drive reliability excellence - it's the underlying behaviours that create transformative results.

This presentation reveals the critical behaviours that distinguish exceptional reliability engineers: those who cultivate high-reliability cultures, detect weak signals before they become failures, implement precision maintenance principles, and recognise design as the fundamental DNA of asset reliability. Beyond mere data analysis, these professionals engage directly at the Gemba, optimise value streams, and eliminate defects at their source.

I'll share a practical framework featuring ten essential behaviours that transform reactive maintenance cultures into proactive reliability excellence - ultimately delivering more profitable, safer, efficient, and sustainable operations.

• Cultivating reliability-focused organisational cultures
• Developing sensitivity to weak signals before failures occur
• Implementing precision maintenance methodologies
• Ensuring reliability through design excellence
• Engaging at the Gemba level to drive lasting improvements
• Optimising maintenance value streams
• Eliminating defects at their source

Critical Takeaways:

1. The specific behaviours that drive reliability transformation beyond technical skills
2. Practical methods to shift from reactive maintenance to proactive reliability
3. How behavioural excellence creates safer, more efficient, and more sustainable operations

Facing reliability challenges and cost pressures across Nestlé USA's food and beverage division, our corporate maintenance team needed to establish consistent foundational systems across 20 factories. We identified planning and scheduling as the critical umbrella system that would reveal and address gaps in other maintenance practices.

This presentation details our systematic approach to implementing maintenance standards that drive operational excellence. By focusing intensely on work order data accuracy, we created a decision-making environment based on reliable asset information rather than assumptions.

The results speak for themselves: in 2024, our factories achieved a remarkable 20% improvement in reliability while simultaneously reducing maintenance and improvement costs by 5%.

• Essential maintenance foundations and their impact on performance metrics
• Balancing short-term wins with long-term maintenance strategy development
• Implementing governance and assessment frameworks to measure implementation progress

Critical Takeaways:

1. The fundamental maintenance systems that deliver maximum performance impact
2. Strategic approach to developing integrated short and long-term improvement roadmaps
3. Practical methods for measuring implementation progress and maintaining momentum

Our Wholesale business unit faced a clear challenge—only 12%of our workforce were women, with even lower representation from diverse cultural backgrounds. This reflects broader industry issues, with women making up just 18% of New Zealand's energy sector despite future talent pools being 50% female and over 40% non-European.

Key challenges and accomplishments:

• Limited visibility due to gaps in gender and ethnicity data
• Aging workforce with valuable knowledge but limited diversity
• Future workforce with different needs, values, and expectations
• Competitive talent market with major infrastructure projects on the horizon
• Implementation of a DEI plan that increased female participation by 6% within 12 months
• Improved ethnic representation through targeted initiatives
• Demonstrated that inclusion delivers stronger ideas, decisions, and business results
• Recognition that future talent looks different and expects better from employers

Most asset management processes and deliverables can be traced back to five fundamental corporate datasets. The scope and quality of these datasets act as a limiting factor—predetermining how far up the asset management maturity curve an organisation can progress. Unlike other limitations, dataset constraints often require large investments in time, capital, and organizational change management to address. Asset-intensive organizations share the same fundamental datasets:

• Fixed Asset Register (FAR) for portfolio management
• General Ledger (GL) for financial performance
• Delay Accounting System (DAS) for equipment performance
• Centralised Maintenance Management System (CMMS) for work orders
• Human Resources Information System (HRIS) for workforce management
• How absence or impairments of each dataset directly limit asset management maturity
• Strategies for building dataset management into your organization's asset management journey

The majority in this room work for companies operating in inherently hazardous conditions, but preventable incidents must no longer be accepted as inevitable. With the right partners and technologies, companies can dramatically reduce risks and improve both safety and operational outcomes.

Many companies continue to resist change with maintenance and operations processes managed on paper or single point solutions that lead to a lack of information and human errors. By embracing innovation and prioritizing resilience, leaders within high hazardous industries can turn today’s safety challenges into tomorrow’s competitive advantage.

A leading example comes from one of the world’s largest mining companies right here in Australia, who recently implemented a digital integrated permitting and energy isolation management system with Sphera.

Objective: Eliminate isolation breaches and enhance the accuracy of work permits, risk assessments, and safety controls.

By replacing paper-based permitting processes with digital workflows, they achieved significant improvements:

• Increased Efficiency: Permit creation time was reduced from hours to minutes, expediting authorization for high-risk work.
• Fewer Isolation Breaches: Built-in approval protocols ensured safety measures were verified before work began.
• Enhanced Risk Visibility: A mobile-enabled system connected teams in real-time, improving oversight of high-risk operations.
• Improved Knowledge Retention: Risk profiles, isolation records, and lessons learned were digitized for future reference and training.

This companies results demonstrate that digitization is not just a tool for efficiency, it is a vital enabler of safety, risk management, and long-term performance in hazardous operations.

When Seqwater formed in 2013 through the merger of three state-owned water businesses, we inherited a fragmented maintenance approach with inconsistent safety practices. Multiple supplier panels operated with varying degrees of safety management, creating an immature safety culture with high incident potential.

This presentation explores how our maintenance team became instrumental in developing a unified safety culture across the organisation. Working collaboratively with HSW, we implemented strategic contracting methods, developed simplified yet effective risk management processes, and established critical controls that dramatically improved safety outcomes.

I'll share our journey of transforming safety from a compliance exercise to a core organisational value - making safety genuinely everyone's responsibility through practical empowerment and decision-making authority at all levels.

• Addressing immature safety cultures following organisational merger
• Selecting maintenance contracting methods that enhance safety outcomes
• Building collaborative approaches to safety between maintenance and HSW teams
• Implementing critical controls and simplified risk management processes
• Developing strong safety culture through empowered decision-making

Critical Takeaways:

1. Benefits of empowering employees to select appropriate risk management tools for their activities
2. Framework for assessing organisational safety culture and identifying improvement opportunities.
3. Strategic role maintenance teams can play in driving organisation-wide safety transformation.

Drawing from extensive experience as Senior Strategic Asset & Maintenance Manager at Rijkswaterstaat, Founder of SSAMM, Chair of the EFNMS European Training Committee, and advisor to the European Commission's EU-COP on Industry 5.0, Jan presents a compelling vision of asset management's future.

This presentation explores the crucial intersection of Industry 5.0 principles and modern asset management frameworks, including the newly updated ISO550XX:2024, the innovative Asset Management BowTie, the integrative Asset & Maintenance Management Lemniscate, and the comprehensive Maintenance Landscape Model. Jan demonstrates how these tools enable organisations to build resilient, sustainable, and human-centric maintenance strategies that address emerging challenges from technological disruption, demographic shifts, and evolving societal expectations.

• Connecting government practice, EU policy influence, and academic thought leadership
• Industry 5.0's impact on maintenance amid AI advancement, demographic changes, and geopolitical shifts
• Critical updates in ISO550XX:2024 and their implications for organisational alignment
• Bridging strategic asset management plans with tactical maintenance execution
• The Maintenance Landscape Model for structuring functions, technologies, and roles
• The Asset & Maintenance Lemniscate framework for organisational learning and continuous improvement

Critical Takeaways:

1. Industry 5.0's transformative influence on asset management through technology adoption, demographic transitions, and changing societal expectations.
2. How the Asset & Maintenance Management Lemniscate creates an integrated, interdependent system
3. AI's opportunities and challenges for maintenance professionals across generations
4. Key ISO550XX:2024 updates and their impact on maintenance strategy
5. Using the Maintenance Landscape Model to align maintenance practices with strategic organisational goals

Newly ISO-certified Southern Ports is the first port authority in the country to apply a certified Asset Management System to an expansive and complex asset base of more than 8,700 owned and maintained assets, across 14 diverse asset classes, worth approximately $1.6 billion.

Hear from the WA port authority on how its leading the way in digital asset management, bringing along its entire organisation to deliver a digital window into its asset health with an integrated asset management system manual.

This presentation will cover the definition, design, development, and deployment of an online asset management system that is certified as an ISO 55001 AMS in asset intensive port environment.

Learn how they;

• Developed accredited AMS in a complex and asset intensive organisation
• Gained buy-in across the organisation at all levels and setting clear roles
• Implemented an AMS in an organisational-wide digital transformation
• Have already realised benefits from stakeholder satisfaction to data-driven investment decisions

Prioritising maintenance work is crucial with limited resources, time, and budget. At Woodside, traditional A/B/C equipment classification proved insufficient for managing failure risk across our global fleet of over half a million assets, lacking precision to identify truly critical equipment.

Our solution was developing a dynamic, data-driven Equipment Criticality Analysis (ECA) program that:

• Evaluates equipment based on 14 key parameters, assigning a score out of 100
• Integrates with real-time data sources to automatically adjust criticality as conditions change
• Has successfully analyzed over 200,000 pieces of equipment
• Transitioned from static to dynamic analysis, ensuring ongoing relevance
• Reduced overall maintenance hours while maintaining operational safety
• Optimised resource allocation through improved prioritization
• Generated cost savings amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars

The largest producer of beverage cans in Australia needed to rapidly ramp up to 24/7 production during COVID. Continuous operation placed unprecedented stress on the plant’s assets, with reduced opportunities for maintenance leading to sharp increases in downtime.

A Waites Wireless Vibration and Temperature monitoring system was implemented on the most critical and high-risk assets. The sensors provided near-continuous diagnostic data, improving on the visibility of asset condition and developing problems. The improved monitoring program helped plant reliability engineers avoid over $500k in downtime and maintenance costs across multiple events.

1. Changes in asset operating modes require a complete rethink of asset maintenance strategy and practice
2. Novel tools such as Wireless sensing and AI aided data analytics provide new possibilities for Asset monitoring and maintenance strategies
3. Accurately tracking the financial impact of improvement programs provides a strong credibility for the next improvement investment

Transitioning from a skilled technician to an effective maintenance supervisor requires mastering a distinct set of capabilities that extend well beyond technical expertise. It involves the "art" of leadership and people management. Peter will highlight the vital role of maintenance supervisors, and the unique challenges involved in this transition.  

Research consistently emphasises the importance of equipping engineers and technicians with strong people management skills – leadership, motivation, and team development. Effective supervisors are pivotal in shaping organisational culture, fostering ownership and pride, and driving buy-in for strategic reliability initiatives. They serve as a crucial link in translating complex asset management concepts into language that resonates across the organisation, including communicating risk and value to senior leadership and CFOs. Furthermore, they are essential in bridging the gap between maintenance and operations, aligning goals, and cultivating a reliability-driven mindset.  

Developing capabilities such as emotional intelligence (EQ), clear communication, and change management is fundamental. This session will outline the necessary transformation from excelling at asset fixing to excelling at leading people, driving performance, and influencing positive change throughout the business.

The persistent underrepresentation of women in engineering and asset management isn't just a diversity issue - it's a talent crisis. Our research reveals that women frequently leave these fields or never enter them due to inadequate workplace support, systemic undervaluation of their contributions, and limited advancement opportunities despite having equivalent qualifications.

This presentation provides a data-driven examination of gender imbalance in technical fields and explores practical strategies for creating more inclusive environments. Through industry statistics, personal insights, and evidence-based approaches, I'll demonstrate how organisations can transform their culture and practices to attract, retain, and advance women in engineering and asset management roles.

• Current industry statistics revealing the scope of gender imbalance
• Root causes driving women away from engineering and assetmanagement careers
• Actionable solutions for retention and advancement of women in technical fields
• Effective mentorship, allyship, and sponsorship models
• Organisational policies that foster genuine inclusion

Critical Takeaways:

1. Understand the true barriers preventing women from entering or remaining in technical fields.
2. Discover specific actions that individuals and organisations can take to create balance.
3. Learn about evidence-based policies that effectively increase workforce diversity and inclusion.

People insights surveys and leadership discussions revealed critical gaps in our organisation: insufficient succession pipelines, lack of role clarity, and limited development pathways. With our existing mentoring program serving only a small fraction of employees, we needed a comprehensive solution to address these fundamental talent challenges.

This presentation shares our journey from high turnover to team stability through the creation of targeted role frameworks, clearly defined expectations across all levels, formalised succession pathways, and an expanded internal mentoring program. I'll demonstrate how these initiatives transformed our Business Unit by providing the structure and support employees needed to thrive.

• Our transformation from high turnover to team stability
• Building capability frameworks that drive accountability and performance
• Developing role clarity that differentiates expectations across positions
• Creating transparent succession pathways with structured application processes
• Implementing an accessible mentoring program that extends development opportunities to all levels

Critical Takeaways:

1. People-centred investment strategies that make development a leadership priority.
2. Setting clear expectations and accountabilities that drive high performance.
3. Building psychological safety through structured development and genuine care—focusing not just on what you say to your people, but how you make them feel.

Water Corporation WA is developing an investment program for a significant water supply scheme. To effectively facilitate this process, we required greater understanding of asset risk, performance risks, equipment availability and water capacity. In partnership with Petrofac, we conducted a RAM Study with a focus on project sustainability.

The presentation will showcase how Water Corporation and Petrofac:

• Identified and utilized data from various sources, assessing availability and quality
• Split the scope into manageable sections with clear methodology
• Sourced required data despite challenges
• Generated outputs that provided statistical basis for investment decisions
• Ensured internal customers agreed to pre-defined study scope details
• Maintained flexibility while staying within agreed boundaries
• Worked collaboratively to align data inputs and outcomes with original requirements

Toyota is assertively transforming its operations and workforce to lead in a highly competitive market. This transformation support sits metamorphosis from a top automotive company to a leading innovator in mobility futures while maintaining customer-centered focus. Learn how Toyota is using workforce transformation as a key element in this journey.

• Toyota's integrated approach to building a reliable future through workforce development
• The FAME Bridge program: building capability, fostering relentless learning, and developing leadership
• Toyota's seamless plan to transform manufacturing to the Plant of the Future
• Benchmarking insights from Toyota's in-progress transformation
• Practical ideas for envisioning your organisation's future workforce needs

Hydro Tasmania's transformation journey began in late 2022 with fundamental questions: What should a modern PPM toolset look like? How does it fit our unique environment? How can it improve both strategic planning and project delivery? Backed by executive direction, this became an enterprise-wide initiative to "Uplift Hydro Tasmania's Portfolio and Project Management practice and implement a contemporary toolset."

• Framing the opportunity to evolve planning, management and value delivery
• Engaging widely to define scope and ensure solutions serve the entire organization
• Deep-diving into current processes, identifying gaps, and shaping a fit-for-purpose future state
• Investigating leading industry tools to understand best-in-class approaches
• Building a strong business case around efficiency gains, transparency and improved decision-making
• Implementing comprehensive change management beyond technology alone
• Developing streamlined, future-ready processes with tangible benefits

This presentation will focus on defining the CBM architecture and connectivity from the sensor to the cloud and into the maintenance management system. How to determine which sensors to utilise, what to measure, and how often to collect the data. This presentation will describe an end to end path for starting any CBM program.

Imagine stepping into an Uber and sharing a moment of reflection. Over 1,000 passengers—CEOs, nurses, tradies, office workers—have done just that, offering raw insights into how they tackle life’s ups and downs. Why does this matter?

Because every one of us—you, your team, your family—face challenges and triumphs. How you respond shapes everything—your workplace culture, your performance, and your personal resilience.

This session unpacks real-world strategies from everyday people, revealing surprising trends in how we cope. Discover the five core mindsets that define our approach and refine your own maintenance toolkit.

What you’ll take away:

• What people actually say—the 5 main coping strategies that surfaced
• How to weave resilience into work environments, creating stronger teams
• Developing balance—staying mentally steady through life’s rollercoaster

Walk away with a fresh perspective—and a sharper toolkit to navigate life’s highs and lows with clarity, balance, and confidence.

In this practical and engaging session, we explore how maintenance and reliability leaders can build high-performing teams through strategic empathy. Asset-intensive organisations face unique challenges that require leaders who can both support their teams and push them toward operational excellence. We'll demonstrate how strategic empathy builds the trust and commitment needed to transform team members from passive participants into active drivers of reliability and performance.

• Identifying the critical factors that differentiate destructive cultures from high-performance environments in maintenance operations.
• Addressing toxic avoidance behaviours and implementing kind, effective feedback mechanisms to improve asset reliability
• Equipping teams to navigate change and uncertainty in industrial settings
• Applying strategic empathy to enhance decision-making for better maintenance outcomes and asset performance

MAINSTREAM does not end with the final keynote. Or even the networking cocktail party! From 6.50 onwards, join us at St. Andrew's Beach Brewery (located on the ground floor of the CENTREPIECE complex) and enjoy great food and drinks at a special MAINSTREAM price. Don't miss this chance to network in a cozy, local craft brewery setting. Your most important meeting might happen over a bite and a drink!

Australia is facing a looming crisis—with 25,000 maintenance roles could go unfilled by 2027, while critical know-how walks out the door daily.

As technology evolves, so must our leaders. This panel cuts through the noise to spotlight what really drives Maintenance and Reliability (M&R) success: people and the skills they bring.

Join industry leaders for a fast-paced conversation on building the next wave of M&R talent—leaders who blend technical mastery, sharp analytics, and strong people skills to boost performance, safety, and sustainability.

Competence in Action
Preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance only succeed when skills match strategy. Discover how data-savvy, well-trained teams drive real operational impact.

Leading with People, Not Just Process
With nearly 40% of knowledge undocumented, leadership must focus on knowledge transfer, communication, and team development to avoid critical gaps.

The Future Is Human
Explore the Digital tools which help—but people make the difference. Learn how to shape agile, capable leaders who thrive in change and power long-term growth.

Maintenance and reliability leaders face the challenge of extracting value from overwhelming volumes of data generated by ERP systems, condition monitoring technologies, sensors, and advanced equipment. While organisations have unprecedented data collection capabilities, they struggle to transform this information into actionable insights. This XChange session explores practical approaches to data prioritisation, visualisation techniques that highlight critical information, and implementation of analytics frameworks that connect data to decision-making. Join us to discuss tools and methodologies that help cut through the noise and turn your sea of data into strategic advantage.

Despite industry focus on strategic asset management principles, a persistent gap remains between enterprise objectives and day-to-day execution. This misalignment frequently results in conflicting priorities, inefficient resource allocation, and suboptimal decisions. This session examines practical frameworks for translating organisational goals into meaningful asset management activities. We'll explore communication strategies that ensure asset teams understand their role in delivering business outcomes, governance structures that maintain strategic alignment, and performance indicators that validate progress. Share your experiences in creating seamless connectivity between corporate strategy and frontline asset management work.

Over the next decade, our industry faces one of its most significant workforce transformations as automation, AI and decarbonisation reshape future job roles and required skillsets. This session facilitates open discussion about upskilling and reskilling maintenance and reliability teams. We'll examine emerging technologies most likely to impact our field, identify critical future competencies, and share successful approaches to workforce development. Join colleagues to explore practical training methodologies, knowledge transfer techniques, and change management strategies that help create a culture of continuous learning essential for future success.

Despite significant investments in work management systems, many organisations still struggle with process execution. This session focuses on returning to fundamentals: ensuring the right work is done the right way at the right time. We'll examine how successful organisations balance digital systems with human workflow management, establish clear accountabilities, and implement effective governance. Participants will share practical experiences in overcoming common obstacles, streamlining approval processes, and maintaining discipline in work execution. Join us to discover actionable approaches for embedding work management excellence into your organisation's DNA.

While there's growing acceptance that diversity, equity and inclusion are crucial for future success, significant questions remain about practical implementation. This session explores actionable strategies for attracting, retaining and developing diverse talent in maintenance and reliability roles. We'll discuss initiatives that create truly inclusive workplaces, overcome unconscious bias, and leverage diverse perspectives to drive innovation. Participants will share successful approaches to measuring progress, addressing resistance, and embedding DEI principles into everyday operations. Join colleagues to develop pragmatic steps for making DEI a reality in your organisation.

Companies report that workforce mental health challenges are greater than ever and worsening due to relentless organisational change, high job demands, performance pressure, and leadership empathy gaps. This session examines practical approaches to supporting maintenance team wellbeing. We'll discuss early intervention strategies, leadership practices that promote psychological safety, and organisational policies that genuinely support work-life balance. Participants will share successful initiatives for reducing stigma, building resilience, and creating cultures where mental health is prioritised alongside physical safety and productivity.

While the need for reliability engineering in high-risk industries is clear, other sectors struggle to determine appropriate investment levels and organisational models. This session explores how to get the best return from reliability engineering resources. We'll discuss successful organisational structures, clarity of roles and responsibilities, and integration with maintenance and operations teams. Participants will share approaches for demonstrating reliability engineering value, developing engineering talent, and establishing effective metrics. Join peers to discover practical strategies for maximising the impact of your reliability engineering function.

Many organisations face significant business risk as institutional maintenance and reliability knowledge resides with an aging workforce. This session examines effective strategies for knowledge retention before this expertise is lost. We'll explore systematic approaches to documentation, mentoring programs, digital knowledge capture tools, and succession planning. Participants will share successful methodologies for identifying critical knowledge, making tacit knowledge explicit, and creating systems that ensure continuity. Join colleagues to develop practical approaches for preserving the valuable expertise that drives operational excellence.

AI has evolved from theoretical concept to practical tool with real maintenance applications, yet implementation challenges remain significant. This session focuses on realistic strategies for integrating AI into existing maintenance operations. We'll explore use cases delivering measurable value, approaches to building workforce AI capabilities, and methods for effective integration with existing systems. Participants will share experiences with various AI technologies, discuss lessons learned from early implementations, and identify practical next steps. Join peers to separate AI hype from reality and develop actionable implementation roadmaps.

Despite significant investments, many organisations struggle to realise the promised benefits of asset performance management implementations. This session examines common barriers and practical solutions for successful APM adoption. We'll explore approaches to connecting disparate data sets, establishing meaningful performance indicators, and embedding APM practices into everyday operations. Participants will share experiences in building business cases, managing implementation challenges, and driving sustainable performance improvements. Join colleagues to identify practical strategies for achieving asset performance improvement at scale.

Reliability and asset engineers play an increasingly critical role in successful digital transformation initiatives. This session explores how these professionals can most effectively drive and support technological change. We'll discuss the evolving skillsets needed, practical approaches to pilot program implementation, and methods for demonstrating value through business outcomes. Participants will share experiences with emerging technologies like AI, predictive maintenance, digital twins, and real-time monitoring. Join peers to examine success stories, implementation challenges, and strategies for building organisational digital capabilities.

Beyond regulatory compliance, asset managers have a unique opportunity to drive both decarbonisation and profit improvement. This session explores practical approaches to reducing parasitic friction and fugitive emissions while improving the bottom line. We'll examine how efficiency improvements simultaneously reduce greenhouse gas contributions, extend asset life, and lower ownership costs. Participants will share successful initiatives, measurement approaches, and implementation strategies. Join colleagues to discover how asset management can play a leading role in achieving organisational sustainability goals while delivering tangible financial benefits.

Organisations frequently face a disconnect between short-term decisions (like deferring maintenance) and ongoing performance expectations. This session explores strategies for effectively communicating the long-term consequences of asset management decisions. We'll examine approaches to quantifying risk, developing compelling business cases, and establishing governance that balances short and long-term considerations. Participants will share experiences in educating leadership, building effective decision frameworks, and maintaining program momentum through organisational changes. Join peers to develop practical approaches for playing the long game in asset management.

While predictive analytics offers compelling benefits, many organisations struggle to realise its potential value. This session explores practical approaches to implementing analytics tools that deliver measurable results. We'll discuss strategies for managing data quality challenges, scoping projects appropriately, and demonstrating early wins. Participants will share experiences in building effective business cases, developing necessary team capabilities, and establishing the foundational elements required for success. Join colleagues to identify pragmatic steps for moving from analytics promise to documented value.

Effective operational readiness is often treated as an afterthought rather than a core project requirement. This session examines how to integrate readiness into project fundamentals from inception through handover. We'll explore approaches to accurate budget development, stakeholder alignment, and comprehensive planning. Participants will share experiences in overcoming common barriers, implementing effective change management, and establishing governance that maintains focus on readiness. Join peers to develop practical strategies for embedding operational readiness into your organisation's project methodology.

Water utilities face the dual challenge of maintaining critical aging infrastructure while adapting to climate change impacts and evolving regulatory requirements. This session examines strategies for prioritising renewal investments, implementing condition-based maintenance programs, and developing resilience against extreme weather events. We'll explore approaches to managing distributed assets with limited resources, balancing preventive and reactive maintenance, and implementing effective risk management frameworks. Participants will share experiences in deploying remote monitoring technologies, addressing workforce transition challenges, and developing stakeholder support for necessary investments. Join utility colleagues to develop practical approaches for enhancing service reliability.

Port operators face unique challenges maintaining diverse assets from cranes to berths while minimising operational disruptions in a 24/7 environment where downtime carries significant financial implications. This session explores strategies for implementing effective maintenance in a marine setting with complex environmental factors. We'll discuss approaches to corrosion management, equipment reliability in harsh conditions, and maintenance planning that accommodates vessel schedules. Participants will share experiences in managing contractor relationships, implementing condition monitoring for critical equipment, and developing effective inspection programs. Join port colleagues to identify solutions that enhance reliability while supporting throughput requirements.

Asset Management is often misunderstood as a technical or operational activity. In reality, it is a strategic process that should be embedded into the highest level of organizational decision-making.

This session explores how leadership endorsement fundamentally changes the impact and maturity of Asset Management practices.

Despite collecting massive amounts of operational data, organisations often struggle to extract meaningful insights or translate this information into financial returns. This presentation unveils a proven framework that transforms raw data into verified value - converting untapped information assets into tangible dollars.

I'll demonstrate how to progress systematically from data collection to actionable insights, informed decision-making, and targeted interventions that deliver measurable financial impact. By ensuring data integrity, leveraging predictive analytics, and implementing precision maintenance strategies, your organisation can pivot from reactive fire fighting to proactive asset optimisation.

This methodology does not just improve asset reliability - it creates a comprehensive value chain that reduces costs, enhances safety, improves sustainability metrics, and protects organisational reputation through evidence-based decision-making that drives both immediate profitability and long-term business resilience.

• Building the data-to-dollars value chain
• Ensuring data integrity for confident decision-making
• Leveraging predictive analytics for early intervention
• Implementing precision maintenance strategies
• Shifting from reactive to proactive asset management
• Measuring and verifying financial returns from data initiatives

Critical Takeaways:

1. Systematic approach to transform data collection into verified financial value.
2. Methods to align data strategy with business objectives for measurable returns.
3. Practical techniques to embed data-driven decision making throughout the organisation.

Asset Management is at a critical inflection point. Traditionally fragmented across functions like condition monitoring, integrity management, strategy development, and logistics, the field is being reshaped by converging technological and cultural forces. The rapid maturation of analytics, generative AI, and prescriptive maintenance platforms—combined with an oversaturated technology marketplace—has created both immense opportunity and overwhelming complexity.

This presentation cuts through the noise to project what asset management could—and should—look like by 2030:

• How to harmonize disparate disciplines and leverage emerging technologies without losing sight of people and purpose
• Critical capabilities organizations must build now: from integrated data ecosystems to inclusive leadership
• Why the human dimension—leadership, emotional intelligence, and diversity—is central to successful transformation
• How the future of asset management isn't just digital but intelligent, strategic, and deeply human

In asset-intensive industries, maintenance and reliability leaders occupy a critical yet challenging position - navigating technical complexity while bridging operational realities with executive priorities. This unique position requires exceptional leadership capabilities that differ significantly from those in other domains. 

The masterclass draws on research revealing that organisations with strong middle-leadership in maintenance functions experience 32% higher asset performance and 41% fewer safety incidents, yet 67% of these leaders report feeling inadequately prepared for their complex role.

Organisational psychologist, Justina Stromnes, brings her extensive experience coaching leaders in asset-intensive environments to help you navigate the distinct challenges of maintenance leadership. Drawing from evidence-based practices and real-world examples, this masterclass provides practical strategies for excelling in environments where mistakes can cost lives and millions of dollars, while effectively managing both up and down the organisational hierarchy.

• Practical frameworks for translating technical requirements into business language that resonates with executive leadership 
• Strategies for balancing short-term operational demands with long-term asset health in high-pressure environments 
• Techniques for building psychological safety and resilience in high-consequence work environments 
• Methods for leading effective organisational change while maintaining operational excellence 
• Tools for managing the unique stress of decisions with significant safety, financial, and environmental implications 
• Actionable tactics for breaking down silos between maintenance, operations, and other functions

Industry 4.0 technologies are cool, but today, more than 50% of asset-intensive companies are still more than 50% reactive when maintaining their production assets.

As stated in the Mainstream’s State of Asset management 2024 report: “Before any new tech or continuous improvement programs are even considered, good work management fundamentals need understanding and adherence”. This presentation is about getting back to the basics by establishing a sustainable planned work culture in today’s Industry 4.0 Era.

This presentation covers the fundamental elements required establish a sustainable planned work culture, centered around an efficient multi-week rolling schedule process using Industry 4.0 Digital Technologies, which must be explicitly designed to ensure that the People are playing their role flawlessly to get full value from best practices Processes in place.

• Asset data and reliability strategy
• IPSPEC Planned maintenance work execution cycle.
• Implementing an effective multi-week scheduling process using Industry 4.0 technologies with a dedicated focus on minimizing equipment failure risks
• Resolving the ‘Everything is Urgent’ production syndrome and having Maintenance and Operations work as a single team with the common goal of maximizing production output.
• Implementing a change management and long-term sustainment program to provide permanent value.
• Measuring and sustaining the value across the organization.

Some of the key take-aways include;

• Back to the Basics: The asset reliability fundamentals must be in place to get the expected value from Industry 4.0 Predictive Analytics Technologies investment.
• Efficient Scheduling will provide asset intensive organizations with the highest and quickest ROI of any asset management investment. It is the first and most important element to address to improve work management.
• Success depends primarily on People and Processes. Change management is of utmost importance.
• For large organizations to overcome the challenges of standardizing processes across the organization, Industry 4.0 Digital Technologies, must be explicitly designed to ensure that People are performing their task flawlessly in order to get the Processes expected value.

A phrase too common in modern leadership is that people need to "get on the bus". This desire to set rules and enforce compliance too often leads to apathy, disengagement and underperformance. In this session, the focus shifts to help managers and people leaders build and maintain teams that are aligned, committed and driven for success. We explore the importance of building clarity around expectations, identifying signs of tension and taking action to address the critical issues in your team. Giving hard feedback is one of the most feared and poorly performed skills in leadership, but it is also one of the most vital. We explore the mindset shift required and provide a clear framework for better feedback that supports people to perform.

Key Takeaways:

• Identify the key drivers of apathy and disengagement in teams
• Understand the impact of toxic avoidance on team culture
• Reframe the importance of shared commitment to the team’s success
• Learn how to give impactful feedback to support performance
• Discover how to preserve trust while addressing underperformance

This in-depth and interactive workshop is designed as a continuation of the keynote and focuses on the practical application of Asset & Maintenance Management principles in building a robust Asset Management System (AMS).

It offers participants a structured pathway to translate strategic ambitions into operational execution, drawing on the foundational insights shared in the keynote.

Participants will explore:

• How the human-centric, sustainable, and resilient perspective of Industry 5.0 transforms AMS design and implementation
• Ways to bridge strategy and execution using horizontal and vertical digital line-of-sight
• How digital readiness and Artificial Intelligence can enhance decision-making and performance assurance
• The relevance of integrating maintenance into asset management through the Maintenance Landscape Model
• How updated practices and frameworks support the next generation of Asset Management
• The role of professional certification as a means of reinforcing capability and organizational credibility
• The session combines short conceptual inputs, real-life examples, and facilitated discussion to stimulate active learning and reflection.

Toyota North America faced the same set of perineal workforce problems that beset almost every employer of technical talent across the globe: too few technical applicants, new-to-field technicians, and an aging incumbent workforce. Rather than hoping for the best or making marginal improvements, they reinvented the education system for new technicians and rebuilt it from the ground up. The result is FAME, a career pathway program that produces remarkable entry level technicians who grow into highly flexible, broadly competent maintenance experts, Lean performers, floor leaders, and Maintenance managers.

As asset-intensive organisations adopt increasingly sophisticated technologies—from ERP and APM systems to IoT sensors, drones, and mobile inspection tools—they face a growing challenge: data overload. While the capacity to collect information has grown exponentially, the ability to convert this data into actionable insights remains elusive. According to recent studies, 78% of organisations gather more maintenance and reliability data than they can analyse, and only 23% consistently turn that data into business value. This panel will explore how organisations can overcome the barriers of fragmented systems, poor data quality, and limited analytical capability to unlock the strategic potential of their asset data. Key challenges such as contextual intelligence gaps, system silos, skills shortages, and information lifecycle mismanagement will be discussed, alongside real-world examples of how leading organisations are tackling them.

Panelists will share proven strategies including implementing robust data governance, integrating contextual data with asset performance metrics, and building cross-functional teams that blend maintenance expertise with data science. Insights will be drawn from Australian and international benchmarks, highlighting the tangible performance and cost benefits achieved by organisations that adopt mature data practices—such as a 37% increase in asset performance and 29% reduction in maintenance costs. Attendees will gain practical guidance on building a data-to-decision pipeline, improving data literacy across teams, and selecting technology platforms that support long-term asset intelligence. This session will equip maintenance and reliability leaders with the knowledge to transform data from a burden into a strategic asset.

In maintenance and reliability environments, performance pressure is high, risks are real, and mental wellbeing can often be overlooked. But what if the key to safer, stronger, and more effective teams isn’t just technical skill—but the environment we create around it?

Psychological safety is the foundation of high-performing teams. It allows people to speak up, raise concerns, challenge assumptions, and admit mistakes without fear—essential in asset-intensive work where silence can cost more than just productivity.

In this interactive session, maintenance and reliability professionals will share real-world insights and reflections on the human side of high performance. Through a series of thought-provoking questions and practical discussion, we’ll explore how trust, openness, and connection are not soft skills—but strategic enablers of safety, resilience, and results.

• Why psychological safety matters in high-risk, high-consequence environments
• The link between mental wellbeing and long-term team performance
• How leaders and contributors alike can create safe spaces for open dialogue
• Practical ways to build trust and encourage speaking up—especially when it’s hard
• The power of connection rituals to strengthen team cohesion
• How psychological safety supports—not weakens—accountability and ownership
• Simple actions to embed safety, resilience, and connection into daily routines

As asset-intensive industries face accelerating retirements, evolving career expectations, and fast-paced technological change, the workforce landscape is undergoing major disruption. This session addresses the dual challenge of attracting talent and preserving knowledge to maintain operational performance in a volatile environment. With critical shortages already reported in maintenance and reliability roles, organisations are losing vital expertise faster than it can be replaced, especially in regional areas where recruitment is toughest.

We’ll examine this "perfect storm" of pressures: retiring experts, growing digital demands, and a new generation with different learning styles and motivations. Research shows 37% of technical knowledge remains undocumented, and younger workers are over three times more likely to leave when knowledge isn’t shared. The session will share proven strategies, including cross-generational mentoring, digital knowledge tools, flexible roles, and partnerships with educators. We’ll explore how top organisations are reducing time-to-competency and reshaping maintenance careers to attract next-gen talent.

AI is transforming asset management, but are we truly pushing its boundaries? This panel dives into the real-world applications of AI in the asset management domain today, beyond the well-worn paths of predictive analytics and digital twins. We’ll explore how organisations are leveraging AI for decision-making, insight generation, and knowledge retention, and ask what’s next. Is AI becoming a true partner in asset lifecycle management, or are we stuck in pilot purgatory? Join industry leaders as we dissect what’s working, what’s hype, and where the frontier of AI in asset management is heading next.

Effective communication is the hidden skill that separates average maintenance professionals from influential leaders. This presentation provides practical strategies to help maintenance specialists capture attention, maintain engagement, and secure commitment to action from diverse stakeholders.

I'll address the unique communication challenges maintenance professionals face—both when explaining technical concepts to non-technical audiences and when collaborating with fellow technical experts. You'll learn how to craft compelling messages, develop audience-specific communication styles, leverage visual tools that simplify complex concepts, and build the trust essential for effective workplace relationships.

• Attention-grabbing communication techniques overlooked by most professionals
• Advanced yet easily-learned influence strategies for maintenance contexts
• Adapting communication approaches for different organisational levels
• Building rapport and establishing credibility across technical boundaries
• Leveraging visual aids and analogies to simplify complex concepts
• Utilising modern communication tools for maximum effectiveness

Critical Takeaways:

1. Practical techniques to capture audience attention, maintain engagement, and secure commitment
2. Methods to tailor communication style based on audience (executives, managers, direct reports)
3. Advanced influence strategies specifically designed for maintenance professionals.

With 30+ years of engineering and maintenance expertise across two major U.S. corporations, Kevin pioneered reliability excellence as Anheuser-Busch's first Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional (CMRP). His leadership culminated in overseeing production and maintenance for Anheuser-Busch's Canadian Breweries.