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Ben Lauderdale, Reliability Engineer on Notable Men

FOUNDER TO THE PROFILE

Ben Lauderdale

Reliability Engineer, Entrepreneur

“I attribute a lot of my success to persistence, curiosity, and building strong relationships. Throughout my career, I've gained an absolute wealth of knowledge from two of my biggest mentors: my late friend David Killgore, and Matt White, a retired expert who has probably forgotten more information than I'll ever learn. Their guidance taught me that while technical knowledge and data are important in reliability engineering, relationships with the people closest to the equipment are key. When people trust you, you get better feedback and better results. I carry that mindset into application development too, continuously seeking feedback from users to identify problems and improve.”

BASED IN
Killen, AL 35645
INDUSTRY
Reliability Engineering and Predictive Maintenance in Manufacturing

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About

Ben Lauderdale serves as a Reliability Engineer with 14 years of experience in reliability engineering and predictive maintenance for manufacturing environments. After graduating from the University of North Alabama with a degree in Computer Information Systems, he initially worked in sales of salon hair care products for five years before transitioning into his current field, encouraged by a friend already in reliability engineering. He obtained the necessary certifications, including those in vibration analysis and infrared testing, and emphasizes building strong relationships with clients to gather quality feedback alongside data collection for better equipment decisions. Lauderdale monitors wireless sensor systems remotely and also develops applications to help harness underutilized data. He attributes his success to persistence, curiosity, and strong relationships, and he volunteers his time coaching youth sports and mentoring students at a private school.

Key Areas Of Focus

  • 01. Reliability Manager
  • 02. Condition Monitoring & Predictive Maintenance
  • 03. ISO Category III Vibration Analyst
  • 04. Vibration Analysis
  • 05. Infrared Testing
  • 06. Application Development
  • 07. Rotating Equipment SME

IN HIS OWN WORDS

The Q and A

  1. 01

    What do you attribute your success to?

    I attribute a lot of my success to persistence, curiosity, and building strong relationships. Throughout my career, I've gained an absolute wealth of knowledge from two of my biggest mentors: my late friend David Killgore, and Matt White, a retired expert who has probably forgotten more information than I'll ever learn. Their guidance taught me that while technical knowledge and data are important in reliability engineering, relationships with the people closest to the equipment are key. When people trust you, you get better feedback and better results. I carry that mindset into application development too, continuously seeking feedback from users to identify problems and improve.

  2. 02

    What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

    Be curious and persistent while building strong relationships with clients and colleagues. Additionally, do not assume that the first solution is the right solution. You have to listen, look at the data, and be willing to change direction when the information tells you something different.

  3. 03

    What advice would you give to young men entering your industry?

    Learn how to solve problems rather than just perform tasks. Technology and equipment change, but the ability to analyze problems, ask the right questions, use data, and work effectively with people remains valuable. Do not underestimate relationships, as useful information comes from people doing the work every day.

  4. 04

    What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

    The biggest challenge is the overload of data available in reliability engineering. We can collect more information than ever, but turning that data into usable information for better decisions is difficult. This is why I got into application development, to harness the 75% of information not being utilized and close that gap.

  5. 05

    What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

    Trust and building strong relationships are most important, both in work and personal life. Trust enables better feedback and decisions, and I apply this in mentoring kids through coaching.

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