In January 2025, industry analyst firm Verdantix published its 2025 Global Corporate Survey. It shows where industrial organizations are directing their tech budgets and what their key priorities are over the next 12 months.
Let’s look at the five key buyer priorities and tech preferences:
Verdantix suggests that production optimization, quality management and safer operations will witness the highest spend increases among all operational excellence initiatives
While planned and preventive maintenance still dominate, firms are steadily shifting to predictive and reliability-centred approaches, leveraging analytics and sensors to better anticipate potential issues
The availability of new technologies is a major driver of digital transformation. Some 86 percent of the survey respondents believe that artificial intelligence (AI)-based analytics will have a ‘very significant’ or ‘significant’ impact in transforming their firm’s operations
Despite enthusiasm for AI, fully integrated data ecosystems are rare. Most firms have yet to harmonize operational, information and engineering technology
Businesses are rapidly adopting plant simulation tools, asset performance management (APM) software, and maintenance software such as enterprise asset management (EAM) solutions and computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS). Generative AI and connected worker technologies, such as augmented reality (AR) glasses and wearables are helping to fill skills gaps and improve efficiency.
The survey findings go on to explain that through 2025, firms are investing more in digital tools for asset maintenance, performance analysis and data integration. Those that blend strong digital foundations with strategic tech adoption will enjoy greater efficiency, safety and resilience.
Insights from the frontline
The Verdantix findings align well with the industry predictions we made a few weeks ago for sectors such as manufacturing and logistics. One universal truth from the frontline of maintenance maturity is that these advancements need a managing system to make them work. In the case of assets in industrial businesses, this takes the form of a hub and spoke EAM system.
When it comes to APM software, the reality is that industrial organizations realize the most value when it is connected to an EAM system. Because the EAM serves as a hub of the most extensive and relevant data for critical assets, the insights derived from APM complement it perfectly. Using them together advances an organization’s understanding of what is required to effectively support assets throughout the entire lifecycle. EAM will focus on managing the entire lifecycle, from procurement to disposal. APM adds real-time data insights that can support decision making to get the most mileage out of every asset. In short, it allows more proactive management of your assets and moves away from asset management being a guessing game.
Innovations and tools such as AI should be marshaled to solve today’s real-world maintenance issues. This philosophy drives our approach to AI-driven asset maintenance - particularly in industrial businesses where downtime is a six-figure problem. In these settings, uptime is more than just a metric, it’s the foundation of operations. The greater an asset’s availability, the more value it delivers. AI-infused maintenance keeps assets running longer, reducing disruptions and boosting productivity. A well-maintained asset doesn’t just operate; it performs at peak efficiency.
Organizations exploring AI should be wary of heavy upfront financial investments. The first task on the journey towards prescriptive maintenance is to assure data quality. It needs to be fine-tuned extensively, considering all inputs – APM, and business intelligence (BI) for example to unlock any real value from AI. The underlying infrastructure must be right to yield any meaningful value from AI innovation. It is therefore wise to look for solutions that bring tangible benefits to the actual end users from day one.
Get your assessment
No matter where a company is in its digital transformation journey, success comes from optimizing both your assets and your EAM technology - without the prohibitive costs of professional services that some systems require.
Contact us today for a walkthrough of the EAM Maturity Model to assess your starting point, identify key areas for progress, and receive a tailored blueprint for future success.
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