Buzz Words and Fashion
Industry thrives on buzz words and fashion, and maintenance management is no stranger to this world. RCM, RCA, TPM and other 3 -letter acronyms have all been rolled out as the holy grail, yet to find true industry success in the long term is rare. You can ask check this yourself by going back to the glossy power point presentation from 10 years ago and ask the hard questions of the site in the study. You may be surprised.
The Internet of Things
When the breathless commentary began about how the internet of things (IOT 4.0) was going to change computerised maintenance management systems with machine suppliers touting their web connected assets as the next best thing in reliability I asked the big question, “Show me where it is truly making a difference?” I asked the audience of reliability experts at the 2023 VANZ (Vibration Assoc of NZ) conference this question and the replies centred around the machines connecting through the Cloud to advise of machine state.
So ok, you can now get feedback from your plant without leaving your desk.
Sorry team, that is reactive maintenance, no different to me looking at the odometer or warning light on my VW Amarok.
Industry Reality Check
As the providers of the latest Cloud based cmms in the market, our team was intrigued by the topic. Yes, there are magnificent advantages to Cloud applications, but is anyone ACTUALLY using feedback from their machines to directly modify and IMPROVE their reliability and what is the experience? I posed this to the 2024 VANZ conference and could not get a reply. Believe me, these VANZ guys know their stuff and the answer was a resounding “No-one”. Crickets.
The problem is there is more to all this automation than direct or fuzzy logic. This is why we demand that the pilot lands the Airbus. Why the turbine feedback cannot automatically shut down power generation in in the middle of a winter brown out. Why AI can analyse potential melanoma but only advise on diagnosis. IOT 4.0 and AI require a humanising step.
AI
The AI conversation is growing rapidly, and the followers of fashion are thronging to join the rush. Again, don’t trip over your boots in the rush to climb in board. Apply some critical thought about what and how the benefits can improve your outcomes. Our team have embedded AI functionality into sections of the maintenance planners world in our systems, but again, the outputs steer well away from allowing any robotic hands on the steering wheel.
Where to From Here?
There are green shoots of high-level technologies on the fringes and I am sure in due course great advancements will be made. What we must remember, using the smart phone analogy, is that we are at the age of the original 1990’s “brick” cell phone. Everyone wanted one, everyone had excuses why they needed one, but no-one truly understood the true potential that is now everyday life in 2025.
The biggest advancements will be in understanding how to humanise the AI inputs. What is (if any) the human intervention point? How do we keep our hands on the steering wheel? Good luck out there.