# Small Problems, Big Profits: Lessons in Maintenance and Leadership with James Harris

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/maintenance-manufacturing-insights-7818475/small-problems-big-profits-lessons-in-maintenance-and-leadership-with-james-harris
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/maintenance-manufacturing-insights-7818475/small-problems-big-profits-lessons-in-maintenance-and-leadership-with-james-harris.md
Podcast: [Maintenance & Manufacturing Insights](https://stenobird.com/podcast/maintenance-manufacturing-insights-7818475)
Published: 2026-06-25T10:52:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.maintenancemanufacturinginsights.com/e/small-problems-big-profits-lessons-in-maintenance-and-leadership-with-james-harris/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/4yhmdx27nega7gds/James_Harris7my7m.mp3
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Duration seconds: 2388

## Resource

Small problems often create the biggest losses. In this episode, James Harris shares how focusing on defects, root causes, and reliability transformed struggling operations and delivered major improvements. Martin Engster sits down with James Harris, a U.S. Army Reserve officer and experienced maintenance and engineering professional. James discusses his journey through manufacturing, process improvement, and military leadership. During the conversation, James explains how maintenance teams can move beyond reactive repairs and create lasting reliability. He shares stories from high-speed beverage production lines, discusses the importance of defect elimination, and explains why troubleshooting skills are more valuable than simply being the hero who fixes equipment after it breaks. James also reveals how one project produced a 60% increase in profit by focusing on the small issues that others overlooked. He discusses root cause analysis, preventive maintenance, reliability-centered maintenance, and why quality should sometimes outweigh the lowest price. ------------------------- 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.

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## Transcript

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