Maintenance Maestros Podcast – Season 1: Ep 2
Hosted by: Melissa Teo, Senior Marketing Manager, Groundup.ai
Every successful maintenance leader has a unique origin story. Our guest, Muneeb Babar, Lead Condition Monitoring Engineer at Aljouf Cement KSA, had a start that proves expertise isn’t born from a textbook, it’s forged in the field. Muneeb’s journey over the last decade is a powerful lesson in initiative, self-direction, and practical experience winning over theoretical knowledge.
Nobody Will Give You Direction
When Muneeb first interviewed for his role, he freely admits he didn’t know what condition monitoring was. It took a leap of faith from his ex-boss, who saw a spark of potential, to give him a chance. Seven years later, Muneeb leads his department. A transformation driven by his own will.
He emphasizes a core truth for career advancement: you have to find the path yourself.
“Nobody will come to ask you, nobody will give you direction. Firstly, the basic structure you have to find yourself… I tried to find [my path], and I think I have found it, and daily I’m learning.”
This self-guided initiative propelled him from basic inspections to a leadership role in predictive maintenance (PdM). He was motivated by the continuous challenge of maintenance: even after solving ten different problems on one machine, a new problem will emerge the next month. This demands constant learning and experimentation.
The Power of Practical Experience
Muneeb’s approach to professional development was unique and highly effective. While many engineers pursue certification and then look for field experience, Muneeb flipped the script: he gained hands-on practical experience first, then went for his certification.
His practical knowledge provided a strong, relatable foundation, making the theoretical learning of the certification (which he earned through the well-reputed Mobius organization) much more valuable.
“When you have practical experience and you jump into the certification, then it’s very nice. When you are studying theoretically, you think, ‘Okay, I was doing this! Oh nice, it was like this, it was not like that.’ So you have many questions.”
This sequence of doing before certifying provided invaluable context, allowing him to challenge and deepen the theoretical concepts.
Building a Team from Scratch
When Muneeb first joined, the company had no set Condition Monitoring routes or program in place. He was the personal initiative that started it all:
- He built his team from being a solo engineer to a group of four
- He implemented the CM routes (daily, weekly, monthly checks) and the reporting structures
His superiors, recognizing his drive, supported him by encouraging and paying for his vibration analysis training. This early recognition gave him the confidence to fully commit to building his career in PdM.
Paying It Forward
Now as a leader, Muneeb is passionate about paying it forward. He gives his colleagues daily lectures and training, and he encourages them to get certified because it validates their skills and helps them in the future.
Looking ahead, Muneeb’s personal career goal is to build his own setup, a program and a team that can truly think out of the box by combining practical and theoretical knowledge.
He highlights a critical gap in the industry: relying too much on textbook theory. For instance, in vibration analysis, the presence of a 1X frequency peak is often attributed to unbalance. But based on his experience, he’s seen the same 1X peak when a bearing is broken or a coupling is damaged.
“It’s not about the theoretical knowledge only… it’s about your experience.”
Muneeb’s aim is to create literature about these practical behaviors, a knowledge library to share with others who are aspiring to lead.
Muneeb’s journey is a powerful reminder that you don’t need a fancy title or massive budget to start making a difference. Start where you are, track those small wins, help your colleagues, and don’t stop being curious. That’s how you go from wrench to lead.
👉 Groundup.ai helps engineers like Muneeb scale their expertise, from the plant floor to leadership. Learn more about how our Cognitive Maintence solution empowers learning-by-doing.
In Summary:
- A Leap of Faith – Muneeb’s career started in a field he didn’t even know, highlighting the importance of seizing potential.
- Learn by Doing – Gaining hands-on experience first made certification more valuable and easier to grasp.
- Building a Team From Scratch – Muneeb took the initiative to turn nothing into a fully functional CM department.
- Closing the Theory–Practice Gap – As a leader, he now teaches the critical difference between textbook theory and real-world experience.
- Paying It Forward – Start where you are. Nobody will show you the path. You have to find it, learn daily, and lift others up.
▶️ Watch the series here: https://groundup.ai/podcast/
