Building Reliable Maintenance Systems: Gabe Little on Asset Management and Automation

Building Reliable Maintenance Systems: Gabe Little on Asset Management and Automation

What does it take to keep a large distribution center running while preparing for the future of automation?

In this episode of Maintenance Manufacturing Insights, Martin Engster sits down with Gabe Little, a maintenance leader with experience at Jacobson Logistics, Amazon, ThredUP, and Ross Stores. Gabe shares how his career evolved from HVAC technician to leading maintenance teams and transitioning into equipment engineering focused on asset management and lifecycle planning.

The conversation explores the importance of preventive maintenance, CMMS systems, vendor management, documentation, spare parts organization, and maintaining conveyor systems that keep distribution centers operating efficiently. Gabe also shares one of the biggest equipment failures of his career—a catastrophic carousel collapse—and explains how that experience led to better reliability practices and improved drive technology.

Martin and Gabe also discuss how AI is beginning to assist maintenance professionals through analytics and dashboard reporting while emphasizing that experience, reliability, and strong maintenance fundamentals remain the foundation of successful operations.

Whether you're a maintenance technician, supervisor, reliability engineer, or plant leader, this episode offers practical insights into building stronger maintenance programs and preparing facilities for the future.

------------------------- Are you responsible for keeping machines running and production on track? If you’re a maintenance manager, tool crib manager, or shop leader — we want to hear how you’re getting it done. Apply to be a guest on https://maintenancemanufacturinginsights.com/guest and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.