Dave Gerl — Operational Improvement, Asset Management & Practical AI

Dave Gerl helps small and midsize manufacturers improve how work moves across their operations. With nearly two decades spanning industrial operations, operational technology, workflow automation, SaaS and business development, he works between frontline teams, technical specialists, business leaders and the systems they rely on. His approach starts with how work actually happens — finding where information, ownership and decisions become disconnected, then introducing practical processes, automation, AI assistance and lightweight tools that improve execution.

Ideal Clients

Small and midsize manufacturers experiencing:

Excessive reactive maintenance and unexpected downtime
Critical knowledge held by only a few employees
Work managed through email, spreadsheets, texts and side conversations
Inconsistent processes between people, shifts or facilities
Limited visibility into asset condition, work status and operational risk
Manual reporting, data entry and administrative follow-up
Difficulty turning operational data into useful decisions
Interest in AI without a clear, practical starting point

Areas of Support

Asset Management & Reliability

Asset registers and equipment hierarchies
Asset criticality assessments
Maintenance strategy development
Preventive and condition-based planning
Failure and downtime analysis
Critical spare-parts reviews
Operator and technician knowledge capture
Capital replacement prioritization
CMMS and technology readiness

Workflow Improvement

End-to-end workflow diagnostics
Process mapping and future-state design
Roles, responsibilities and handoffs
Work-request and approval processes
Operational dashboards and visibility
Reduction of rework, delays and manual coordination

Practical AI & Automation

AI-assisted knowledge capture
Voice-to-form and voice-to-workflow tools
Document and maintenance-record analysis
AI-supported inspections and assessments
Automated reporting and follow-up
Decision-support tools
Lightweight internal applications
Integration of existing operational systems

Featured Seminar

Flagship Session

Managing the Assets That Run Your Business

A practical seminar for small and midsize manufacturers seeking to reduce downtime, control maintenance costs and extend equipment life.

Identify and organize operational assets
Determine which equipment is truly critical
Select the right maintenance strategy per asset
Capture key operator and technician knowledge
Improve maintenance requests and work management
Use operational data to prioritize action
Identify practical uses for AI
Build a focused 90-day asset-management plan

Delivery formats: public industry seminar · private leadership session · interactive company workshop · first stage of an asset-management improvement program

Engagement Options

Seminar

A focused educational session introducing practical methods, examples and improvement opportunities.

Diagnostic

A short assessment of one workflow or challenge: friction points, risks and a recommended next step.

Design Sprint

A practical future-state process — roles, information, decision points, automation and a roadmap.

Pilot

A focused implementation using real operational work to prove value before expanding.

Implement

Deployment through process change, automation, connected information, AI assistance and lightweight software.

Working Philosophy

Start with the work, not the software
Improve one consequential workflow at a time
Use existing systems wherever practical
Introduce AI only where it improves the outcome
Keep people involved where judgment and accountability matter
Build working improvements, not recommendation decks
Measure cycle time, lost work, visibility, rework and adoption

Introductions Welcome

Manufacturing owners and presidents
Plant and operations managers
Maintenance and reliability leaders
Engineering managers
Continuous-improvement / operational-excellence leaders
Industry associations and manufacturing networks
Economic-development organizations
Technology and service providers supporting manufacturers

Recommended Introduction

Dave helps manufacturers improve asset management and operational workflows using practical process design, automation and AI. He offers seminars, focused operational diagnostics and hands-on improvement programs for organizations that want better reliability and execution — without beginning with a major software project.