Curt Chamberlain, a seasoned consultant in the energy and utility sectors, shares his extensive knowledge on leveraging EMaint solutions at the Xcelerate 2025 conference. He reveals his project with a Northeast utility aiming to cut OPEX by a billion dollars using SAP. Curt also discusses an impressive five-month EMaint implementation for a pipeline company and the challenges of regulatory compliance. He emphasizes the potential of AI in maintenance while noting the importance of historical data for effective insights.
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Long Career In Utility Implementations
Curt Chamberlain has decades of utility experience, starting in the mid-1990s and focusing on maintenance and system implementations.
He led major SAP and process-improvement projects across electric and gas utilities.
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Billion-Dollar OPEX Reduction Project
Curt worked with a large Northeast utility to cut a billion dollars of OPEX using systems like SAP across billing and maintenance.
That project involved redesigning processes and consolidating systems to drive operating cost reductions.
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Five-Month eMaint Migration For Pipeline
Curt led a five-month eMaint implementation for a crude pipeline spinoff that handled 5% of U.S. crude movement.
They migrated 389,000 historical work orders and retained regulatory history during the transition.
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Industrial Talk is onsite at Xcelerate 2025 and talking to Curt Chamberlain, Managing Consultant at Utility Performance Consultants about "Leveraging the EMaint solution for the Utility Market".
Scott Mackenzie hosts an industrial podcast featuring Curt Chamberlain, a consultant with extensive experience in the energy and utility sectors. Chamberlain discusses his work with utilities like OG&E and a large Northeast utility, focusing on SAP implementations to cut OPEX by a billion dollars. He also details his projects with EMaint and Deep Blue, including a tight five-month implementation of EMaint for a pipeline company and a subsequent 18-month transition to EMaint's X5. Chamberlain highlights the challenges of regulatory compliance and the potential of AI in maintenance, emphasizing the need for substantial data to drive AI effectiveness.
Action Items
[ ] Connect with Curt Chamberlain on LinkedIn to continue the conversation.
Outline
Introduction and Welcome to the Podcast
Speaker 1 introduces Scott Mackenzie as the host of the industrial talk podcast, highlighting his dedication to industry innovations and trends.
Scott MacKenzie welcomes listeners to the podcast, emphasizing the importance of industry professionals and their contributions.
Scott mentions the early morning conversation at the Accelerate conference, sponsored by Fluke Reliability.
Scott promotes Fluke Reliability, encouraging listeners to visit their website for more information on asset management, maintenance, and reliability.
Discussion on Autonomous Vehicles and Personal Experiences
Scott and Curt discuss their experiences with autonomous vehicles, including taking one to a cigar shop and a short ride in another one.
They share their thoughts on the comfort and safety of autonomous vehicles, with Speaker 2 expressing a desire to take one to the airport.
Scott and Speaker 2 talk about the strange feeling of being in a car with no visible driver and the future of autonomous vehicles.
Background on Curt Chamberlain
Curt introduces himself as a consultant with extensive experience in the energy and utility business, particularly in maintenance and process improvement.
He shares his background in the utility industry, starting in the mid-90s, and his work with various utilities, including OG and E.
Curt describes his role in implementing SAP for OG and E, including payroll, maintenance, and other business systems.
He mentions his recent work with a large utility in the Northeast, focusing on cutting a billion dollars in operating costs through SAP implementation.
Implementation of E-Mate and Challenges
Curt discusses his work with EMaint, a crude pipeline company, and the implementation of their asset management system.
He describes the tight deadline and the challenges of transferring 389,000 historical work orders from the old system to E-Mate.
Curt explains the regulatory requirements for maintaining historical data and the complexity of the implementation process.
He shares the success of the implementation and the transition to E-Mate's new product, X5, which was pioneered by his team.
Transition to Deep Blue and Current Projects
Curt talks about his retirement and subsequent return to work with Deep Blue, a company in the water business.
He describes the company's operations in Midland, Texas, and their role in treating and disposing of water used in hydraulic fracking.
Curt explains the challenges of treating water to meet regulatory standards and the company's goal of using 100% treated water.
He mentions the potential for future acquisitions and the increase in work orders, currently running at 1500 per month.
Exploration of AI and Technology in Maintenance
Scott asks Curt about his thoughts on AI and its potential in the maintenance industry.
Curt expresses skepticism about the current hype around AI, emphasizing the need for a significant amount of data for AI to be effective.
He discusses the potential for AI in industries with established data collections, such as big refineries, but sees limited immediate use for AI in his current company.
Curt highlights the importance of operational excellence and the challenges of getting companies to invest in preventive maintenance.
Observations from the Reliability Lab Floor
Scott asks Speaker 2 about his impressions of the Reliability Lab Floor at the conference.
Curt praises the Fluke tools and the potential for vibration analysis and other maintenance technologies.
He discusses the challenges of getting companies to adopt new maintenance practices and the importance of data in improving reliability.
Curt shares his experiences with spin-off companies from large oil companies and the run-to-fail mentality that often prevails.
Conclusion and Contact Information
Scott thanks Curt for the conversation and asks how listeners can get in touch with him.
Curt provides his LinkedIn profile and expresses his willingness to connect and discuss industry topics.
Scott wraps up the podcast, promoting the Xcelerate 2026 conference and encouraging listeners to visit the Fluke Reliability website.
The podcast ends with a reminder to stay tuned for future episodes and to connect with Scott and other industry professionals.
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