Steve O'Brien

Instructor & Consultant

Steve has been a part of The Snell Group Team since July of 2023.

Steve began his career as a Pneumatic and Hydraulics technician. He also was a backup welder and machinist. He pursued and completed both a BS in Mechanical Engineering from University of Notre Dame and a BA in Liberal Arts from Stonehill College. He also holds a MBA from Babson College. As an engineer he designed test and production equipment for the Automotive industry. He then moved to a startup company involved in explosive and drug detection where he held many roles ranging from design to product management and ending in Field service where he created and delivered training to hundreds of technicians from around the world. He also holds a patent in explosive and drug detection.

Steve started his Reliability engineering training in the Bio- pharmaceutical industry with Sanofi Genzyme where he created and received funding to create a Reliability Engineering group where he instituted a Predictive maintenance program that had over $500 million in asset saves. Steve has held Level 1 certifications in Infrared Thermography, Vibration, Airborne Ultrasound, Machinery Lubrication ML1, and is a federally licensed drone pilot holding a FAA part 107 license. Steve has deployed building envelope inspection programs at multiple buildings using drone and handheld IR cameras. Steve is familiar with motor circuit analysis and has used his knowledge of failure analysis gained from the Practical Plant failure class on many occasions. Steve has also successfully used motion amplification for the analysis of complex mechanical issues. He supported primarily infrastructure assets but was often consulted for drug production equipment issues.

Steve left Sanofi Genzyme and joined Pfizer as a Principal Reliability Engineer where he managed the site's predictive maintenance program. He managed all aspects of this program and progressed it to a best in network program. This program protected hundreds of millions of dollars of assets. Steve also was sought after as a mentor for asset management and replacement programs. During Steve's career he traveled to over a dozen countries.

Steve and his wife live on Cape Cod in Massachusetts where they both enjoy the ocean. Steve has taught surfcasting lessons and is a member of the Falmouth Fishermen's association and the Mass Beach Buggy Association. Steve enjoys fishing, upland bird hunting, creating nautical and marine art and woodworking. Steve and his wife have 3 grown children and enjoy leisurely travel.

Steve currently teaches Level 1 infrared thermography courses for The Snell Group.