Ricky Smith was born in Charleston, South Carolina and began his maintenance career working on M551 Sheridan tanks in the US Army. He transitioned from a technical role to a leadership role in manufacturing and industrial maintenance and reliability and has been instrumental in resolving complex maintenance and reliability issues worldwide. Ricky has held most positions within the maintenance and reliability field, working for companies such as Exxon, Alumax Mt Holly, General Dynamics, and the US Army. Ricky retired from the US Army and Army Reserves in 2008; his last tour was at the Pentagon, in the role of Facility Investigator for Secretary of Defense Gates. Ricky's life has been committed to the maintenance and reliability field and the range of clients he has helped span multiple types of industries and facilities. He continues to serve the maintenance and reliability world today as a Senior Reliability Advisor for Allied Reliability Group, a global family of companies comprised of best-in-industry maintenance, reliability, and operational consulting and services, training, staffing, and integrated software solutions servicing the industrial and manufacturing sector.Ricky is the co-author of Rules of Thumb for Maintenance and Reliability Engineers; Lean Maintenance: Reduce Costs, Improve Quality, and Increase Market Share; Industrial Machinery Repair: Best Maintenance Practices Pocket Guide; and Planning and Scheduling Made Simple, among others. He has also been a frequent contributor and author for a variety of magazines over the past 25 years on technical, reliability, and maintenance subjects.Ricky holds the certifications of Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional (CMRP) and Certified Maintenance Reliability Technician (CMRT) from the Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP) and Certified Plant Maintenance Manager (CPMM) from the Association for Facilities Engineering (AFE).