About RFE Consulting

David Tripp started in maintenance right out of high school as a maintenance technician for a small cold storage warehouse.  He learned the down and dirty business of reactive maintenance.  He operated and maintained an ammonia refrigeration system and a small fleet of forklifts.  It was here he started his journey into Reliability Maintenance by putting together paper binders to document PM tasks and reactive repairs.  Over time he started to implement a simple digital CMMS to start to track maintenance and parts better.  

In time, David took on a management role and became responsible for more sites.  The company he worked for implemented SAP along with its maintenance module.  This was rolled out with limited success.  Eventually, company leadership initiated a “reboot” of the SAP maintenance module.  David embraced Maintenance Excellence methodologies with this opportunity.  Under the leadership of others at first, David played a role in the implementation and training of these programs at a number of sites.  He also worked to streamline the reporting out of SAP to make it simpler and more actionable.  

This is where David started his continuing education in Maintenance & Reliability.  He enrolled in courses at UW Madison where he received his Maintenance Management Certificate and CMRP (Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional).  He then had the opportunity to enroll in the University of Tennessee RMC program earned his RMIC Certification (Reliability and Maintainability Implementation Certification).

During his role with the warehousing company, he led many Reliability implementations in sites that were acquired during mergers. He worked with facilities to implement Reliability Processes into their maintenance teams of various sizes.  

In 2021, David had an opportunity to change roles and work in a manufacturing facility making pet food.  There he was instrumental in transforming their maintenance team from a reactive to a proactive department.  He also supported the roll-out of the factories AM (Autonomous Maintenance) Improvements.  

David has a passion for problem solving and finding creative ways to implement reliability-based improvements.  He loves associate development, leadership training, and making complex processes simple and sustainable.  He made his career by focusing on targeted learning and personal development and works to share this method of career development with others.  

RFE Consulting is excited to meet with you to discuss the potential of supporting your efforts for manufacturing and maintenance excellence. 

Jessica Tripp has devoted herself to the best career possible, raising our three wonderful children.  As they have grown older and don’t need quite as much of her time, she has transitioned to managing the business side of RFE consulting.  She works tirelessly in the background making everything run smoothly, keeping the bills paid, and our partners supported.  She is also very active in a role as a volunteer helping others find answers to some of life’s big questions.