Nancy Maheu

Program Manager

Nancy graduated from Husson College with a Paralegal degree.  She worked for several years as an office manager and VP of a real estate title company in Bangor, Maine. She then turned her efforts to raise her two boys.  During this time, she would volunteer at her children’s school on an almost daily basis.  Nancy is very organized and detail oriented and always smiling, cheerful and helpful. Nancy lives in Maine with her husband, two boys and yellow lab, Tater.  During her free time, she enjoys gardening, traveling, and watching her kids sporting events. 

Darren Bittick

Instructor & Consultant

Darren joined The Snell Group in 2023, and is qualified to Snell Infrared Level 2 Thermography in accordance with ASNT SNT-TC-1A.

Predictive maintenance and peer education have been at the core of Darren’s reliability engineering career over the past 29 years.  He has worked both as a direct employee of Fortune 500 companies as well as a consultant.   Post- secondary education and previous qualifications include a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology, Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals CMRP, 6-Sigma Greenbelt, API Process Piping Inspector, Level 3 Vibration Analyst, RDI Level 1 Motion Amplification, ICML Level 2 Machinery Lubrication Analyst, and several certifications in Root Cause Analysis (RCA) methodologies.

In the course of his career Darren has been fortunate to work alongside many Reliability giants, such as Charles Latino (RCI), Neville Sachs, P.E. (SS&A), Christer Idhammar (IDCON), Ross MacKay (MacKay Associates, Ltd.), Jim Berry, P.E. (TA) and Davis Le (Vibratechnica).  Darren believes that knowledge and wisdom far exceed the value of any specific tool or technology.

Darren presents several courses, including Level 1—Thermographic Applications, Machinery Monitoring and Diagnostics, and Failure Analysis.

Darren enjoys spending his free time with his wife Shanda and granddaughter.  They can be found exploring the country in their RV, poking about waterways in a boat, or simply enjoying time in their church family and community.

The Condition “Wind-Forced Air Leakage”, How Does it Work?

One of the best things about Spring each year is the feeling of renewal. Dormant trees begin to bloom, the grass goes from sadly brown to fresh, healthy-looking green. The weather warms up, which is more of a blessing in some parts of the country than others. Along with that warming though we sometimes get conditions that are less than pleasant, like storms.

Motor Storage - An Aspect of Reliability to be Considered

Electric motors are some of the most efficient devices on the planet. Given 100% energy they can be upwards of 96% efficient.  Motors consume 60% - 90 % of the energy at industrial facilities and many facilities painstakingly conduct extensive precision maintenance practices  and testing to ensure maximum longevity of their motors. Some of the best programs that we have witnessed over the years share a common shortcoming, proper care of their spare motors.

Preston Maheu, P.E.

President

Preston is the company’s President.  Originally the Reliability Engineering Manager for The Snell Group’s parent company, Applied Technical Services, LLC (ATS).  He was instrumental with growing the ATS Reliability Services Division.  He is a licensed Professional Engineer for multiple states and holds a Certified Maintenance Reliability Certificate (CMRP) through the Society of Maintenance Reliability Professionals.

Preston is a graduate of the University of Maine, beginning his career in the pulp and paper industry. He has 26 years of experience holding various engineering and management positions with a focus on improving reliability.  Along with focusing on the firm’s business development and success, he continues to be the lead instructor for the Practical Plant Failure Analysis (PPFA) class originally developed by Mr. Neville W. Sachs, P.E.. Preston presents Machinery Monitoring and Diagnostics, Failure Analysis and tailored precision maintenance classes for our clients.

Preston and his family reside in Maine. He enjoys fishing, hunting, snowboarding, and watching his boys compete in athletics.

5 Tips for Managing Your Inspection Program

March 31, 2023
IR Talk

At The Snell Group, we enjoy meeting new people, talking about IR thermography and all of its various applications, and assisting students when they get back to their respective facilities after class. However, one of the more common things we see is the expectation that having attended a Level I, or even a Level II, IR course empowers the student to administer and manage a full inspection program. It will take more than that.

Que faut-il inclure dans un rapport final ?

Une des questions la plus fréquemment posée au Snell Group concerne la rédaction des rapports : quelles sont les données qu’il faut-il signaler et comment les formater ? Dans le manuel du cours de niveau 1, nous fournissons plusieurs extraits de normes pour la thermographie, y compris un résumé de l’ASTM E-1934; Standard Guide of Examining Electrical and Mechanical Equipment with Infrared Thermography. Parmi un des sujets traités concerne la rédaction des rapports.

Why is Insulation Temperature Correction Important

March 13, 2023
Motor Talk

One of the most widely known test methods applied to electric motors is the resistance to ground (RTG) test. It is commonly referred to as a “megger” test, because one of the meg-ohmmeter manufacturers, Biddle, named their product a “Megger,” and the name stuck. Biddle is now called Megger. Resistance to ground testing can be performed by standalone instruments and is incorporated in types of equipment that provide comprehensive motor testing as part of their suite of tests.