HP “Red” Slater has joined the company as a Senior Associate. Slater will use his extensive reliability, maintenance, and facility engineering expertise to help clients gain maximum efficiency from their maintenance and asset management operations.

Before joining PCA, Slater amassed 44 years of experience in Plant Engineering, Reliability and Maintenance Engineering. He has managed storerooms to peak efficiency and optimized inventory levels for pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturers, oil and gas operations, power generation plants, food processing businesses, mining entities and public utilities. During his career, Slater has served as a materials management executive for a major pharmaceutical company and a chemical manufacturing operation.

In addition, he helped industry-leading companies with legacy MRO materials management platforms convert to world class systems, such as Maximo and DataStream/Infor 10 EAM. Not only has he set up the materials in inventory with proper reorder criteria for strategic management and inventory optimization, Slater has linked MRO inventory data to equipment to provide craft-directed Bills of Materials. He also developed asset management processes for several industries, involving equipment master processes, equipment maintenance and condition-based monitoring designed to improve reliability.

Working as a Reliability and Maintenance engineer, Slater developed asset management processes for equipment master processes, equipment maintenance and the selection of condition-based monitoring practices for reliability management and process improvement. While serving in a facility and production maintenance role, Slater conducted multiple major pharmaceutical (sterile manufacturing) and utility shutdowns covering all major crafts and new equipment installations. His areas of expertise span equipment data development, planner BOM development; job plans; and safety plans for Lock-out Tag-out.

Previously, Slater acted as a subject matter expert for the Business and Management pillar of the Society of Maintenance & Reliability Professionals’ training series which prepares management and reliability executives to sit for the CMRP (Certified Management & Reliability Professional) exam. For 18 years, Slater has served as an instructor for the Materials Management Strategies seminar. Leveraging his extensive knowledge of different maintenance methodologies and applications, Slater has trained employees in a variety of industries to meet reliability and maintenance requirements.

Slater holds a BS in mechanical engineering from Western Michigan University. He has been certified as a Professional Engineer by the State of Michigan and has a Certified Materials & Reliability Professional (CMRP) credential from the Society of Maintenance & Reliability Professionals. He also maintains a License in Manufacturing Reliability from the University of Dayton.

“Red’s extensive knowledge of best practices and processes in pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturing will be invaluable to our clients who have complex asset management challenges to solve,” said PCA President and CEO Dick DeFazio. “Additionally, Red is one of the industry’s preferred training experts. We look forward to him helping us evangelize PCA’s proven approach to optimal asset management.”

A sought-after conference speaker and published author, Slater’s expert commentary has been featured at domestic and international conferences hosted by Society of Maintenance & Reliability Professionals, Relisoft and Emerson. He has taught materials management seminars at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Dayton and has led materials management seminars for Campbell Foods and Management Resources Group. Two of his most recent articles include “The Six Rights of Materials Management” and “The Proper Basis for a Predictive Maintenance Program.” Additionally, he authored a Best Practices Guide for materials managers in the pharmaceutical industry.

“Integrating proven best practices into training the next generation of industry leaders is essential if we are to keep expanding the competitive advantage that comes from highly efficient asset management,” Red explained. “I’m excited to join PCA where I can show compelling business results gained from the company’s innovative approach to asset management.”