First, But Not the Last: Lisandra Cobu Named Reliability Champion
On Tuesday, June 3 at the 27th Annual Reliable Plant Conference & Exhibition, Lisandra Cobu was introduced as the first recipient of the Reliability Champion Award. The crowd, made up of maintenance and reliability professionals from all over the world, erupted with applause. This peer-nominated award sought to find an individual who has implemented meaningful change in maintenance and reliability while transforming team culture along the way.
Lisandra took the Reliability Stage and said, “I dedicate this award to my family… to the Vale Lubrication Committee, to the Vale team at Plant 8… and to all professionals passionate about lubrication and reliability.”
Some of her team members traveled all the way from Brazil to cheer her on — a testament to the leadership and loyalty Lisandra inspires.
Watch Lisandra Accept the Reliability Champion Award
Changing the Game at Vale
Lisandra’s path to this achievement began when she transitioned from a consultant role at Confialub (Noria Brazil) into managing lubrication efforts at Vale SA’s Pelletizing Plant 8.
Within just six months of joining Vale, she began transforming the plant’s maintenance culture:
- Certified 100% of her lubrication team
- Inaugurated a world-class lubrication room aligned with ICML 55 standards, featuring advanced filtration, storage, and contamination control
- Reduced oil changes and cut costs by over $50,000 using filtration instead of replacement
- Applied Optimal Reference State (ORS) principles — a set of best practices that define ideal conditions for equipment operation — to ensure long-term equipment health
Her former manager, Marcello Gracia, Director of Confialub, said it best: "Lisandra has made excellent use of what she learned over seven years at Confialub and is putting those lessons into practice, especially when it comes to saving resources. Vale's leadership is taking notice."
She was also the first woman in Brazil to achieve MLE certification and is now a member of Vale’s Corporate Lubrication Committee. Lisandra's success is a case study in how training and certification not only enhance technical knowledge but also unlock leadership roles, increase team buy-in, and accelerate impact.
“Without a doubt, certifications were extremely important because they strengthened my authority on the subject and opened many doors.”
A Lifelong Passion for Engineering
“I grew up in São Paulo, the largest city in Latin America, both in terms of population and economic importance to Brazil.”
Lisandra recalls her passion for engineering going back to childhood. “I wanted to understand how things worked, asking lots of questions, and taking things apart at home. My passion for the sea made me want to be a naval engineer, but I ended up going into mechanical engineering and fell in love with hydraulics.”
Lisandra studied at FATEC, the São Paulo School of Technology specializing in Business Management and more recently in Transpersonal Psychology. Post-university, she took lubrication courses through Noria which led her to earn a series of certifications through the International Council for Machinery Lubrication: MLT II, MLA II, and MLE.
Leading with Purpose and Consistency
Lisandra believes that reliability and continuous improvement are key to safer, more efficient, and more competitive operations.
Her ability to inspire teams is a direct reflection of her own determination. “I believe that my enthusiasm is contagious. Showing practical examples in the plant, implementing improvements, and measuring results together with the team complements the formal training that they all attended.”
A Vision for the Future
“I am proud of my career as a whole. Looking back on nearly 30 years of experience and seeing each step I have taken is very rewarding,” Lisandra said.
The drive she had as a child to keep asking questions never wavered. “I always invested in knowledge, nurtured my curiosity, and extensively researched topics I had questions about, and this built my self-confidence.”
Outside of work, Lisandra enjoys spending time with family, friends, and traveling around Brazil. “A fun fact about me. I really enjoy cooking, both traditional Brazilian recipes and international cuisine.”
When asked what excites her about the future of the industry, Lisandra responded, “Seeing more and more people enthusiastic and reaping results through a lubrication program that adds reliability — seeing machines working better, with lower temperatures, better energy efficiency and free from failures.”
For younger engineers entering the field Lisandra has this message: “Believe in your potential. Be persistent. Do not give up in the face of adversity. But most importantly, building trust depends on consistency — day after day, one step after another, with firm and sustainable steps. This is the recipe for success in trust.”
And lastly, she shared a message to her younger self. “Always continue to do everything with great dedication, study hard, and give your best; this way, life's challenges will become levers for success.”
A Champion for Reliability
From a consultant role at Confialub to leading a transformative reliability project at Vale’s Plant 8, Lisandra Cobu has proven herself not just a practitioner of reliability — but a champion of it. She embodies what the Reliability Champion Award stands for: measurable results, team empowerment, and a contagious passion for doing things the right way. Her story is an inspiration for anyone working to improve maintenance practices, elevate their team, and lead with integrity.