In this conversation, Automation Ladies host Nikki Gonzales welcomes Brit Bartolini from Maintain X for a candid exchange about making maintenance tech work for those turning the wrenches, creative strategies for inspiring new generations to pursue industrial careers, and linking better technology and culture to positive business outcomes. These points matter to readers looking to improve factory performance while strengthening their workplace and community.
Reimagining Maintenance Software: Designed for the End User
Maintenance tech often gets a bad name: complex, top-down platforms built more for corporate reporting than day-to-day practicality. As Brit Bartolini shares, “No CMMS are for corporate. It’s a bunch of fancy dashboards. But half of those dashboards are made up from Paul coming in on a Friday and punching in everything he could remember he did that week.” Traditional systems fail because they ignore the people who actually keep the factory running.
Maintain X started from a different approach—mobile first, user friendly, and built to be intuitive enough for longtime plant workers as well as new hires. Bartolini points out, “I didn’t teach Paul how to use Maintain X, but I can hand him my phone and he can create a work order.” By empowering maintenance techs with tools that match their actual flow, manufacturers can finally capture critical tribal knowledge—those little workarounds and hard-won fixes that don’t always make it into the manual. “That tribal knowledge is passed down in a digital way that can then be shared up and standardized,” she explains, making knowledge transfer and onboarding smoother across shifts, sites, and generations.
Bridging the Industrial Skills Gap: Inspiring and Retaining Talent
Bartolini brings both family experience (“manufacturing is in my blood… I’ve only ever seen, you know, hands that have worked at the dinner table”) and professional expertise in tech education to the urgent problems of labor shortages and skills transfer. She argues that the most consistent concern from business leaders isn’t simply adopting new tech: “The number one thing I hear from C Suite is actually that there’s a hiring problem, not that there’s a technology or automation problem.” As older workers plan retirement and fewer young people see a future in manufacturing, bridging the gap requires both vision and practical outreach.
Bartolini points to early, hands-on exposure as an overlooked solution: “Most kids are learning programming languages the way we used to learn Spanish and French…there’s an opportunity there in the third grade to say, show this video of our plant and show the lights going off to trigger something that’s pouring out.” Whether it’s tours, educational outreach, or sponsoring local school programs that use relatable technology like Arduino or Minecraft, getting young people to see the cool side of manufacturing is essential. She encourages companies to support STEM programs, offer mentorship, and show the community how rewarding technical work can be, helping to refresh the talent pool and keep regional industries vibrant.
Connecting Better Tools to Real Business Value
A modern maintenance strategy pays off both culturally and financially when executed well. Bartolini spells out how clear, easy-to-use systems improve asset utilization and reduce costs: “We impact asset utilization. The more you can utilize that asset, because we’ve been able to keep our PMs on schedule, we’ve been able to troubleshoot faster…that helps us keep down or reduce the cost of goods.” She also highlights stories where easier access to work procedures, checklists, and historical fixes mean fewer costly surprises—like overnighting a replacement or losing hours to unexpected downtime.
The human factor is just as important. With digital tools that actually get used, businesses make better decisions based on solid data while boosting morale and job satisfaction. “Adoption matters,” she says, stressing that successful implementation starts with the people closest to the work. And when maintenance, operations, and leadership are all speaking the same language—with reliable numbers and open communication—companies can move towards more advanced strategies like predictive maintenance and automation, staying competitive in an industry always facing new headwinds.
Key Quote From The Episode
“It’s your job to transfer why you care about this. You’re obviously passionate about this pain you’re seeing your people having… How do we help you transfer your enthusiasm, your passion for helping the people higher up in the org.” – Brit Bartolini
Key Takeaways
- 00:04:00 – Maintenance platforms designed for shop-floor usability bring out the best in skilled workers and make knowledge transfer easier.
- 00:14:11 – A shrinking industrial workforce isn’t just about automation—manufacturers need to excite, engage, and retain talent by reaching them early with hands-on programs.
- 00:32:29 – Connecting frontline experience to corporate goals (with accessible tools and strong support) directly improves asset performance and cost control.
Wrap Up
This discussion highlights that the future of manufacturing depends on meeting both operational and people goals. Technologies like Maintain X connect hard-won experience with today’s best practices, only when designed for workers on the ground. Outreach and creative educational efforts can spark student interest and ensure a fresh wave of skilled employees. Finally, real business value is built on a foundation where tech and culture strengthen each other—yielding gains in efficiency, engagement, and resilience.
For readers, now is the time to:
- Review whether your current tools truly help those on the shop floor, or just add paperwork.
- Reach out to local schools or community programs to offer tours, mentorship, or sponsor projects.
- Foster a culture that listens to workers’ insights and celebrates their expertise—especially as you bring in new technology.
About the Guest
Brit Bartolini is an Enterprise Account Director at Maintain X, helping Fortune 500 manufacturers manage assets, standardize operations, and make digital tools user-friendly for everyone from the front office to the plant floor. With a background in tech education and a deep personal connection to manufacturing, she’s passionate about building bridges between generations and ensuring that both people and technology succeed together.
