Firefighting to foresight

Jennifer Ritz of Timly Software AG draws on research including a Europe-wide trend analysis on maintenance and asset management which shows the reasons behind an uptake in smart maintenance

For many companies, implementing a successful maintenance strategy has quietly become a major lever for resilience, cost control, and sustainability. Yet many facilities and asset managers still struggle with ageing and failing equipment, labour shortages, and fragmented processes that keep them from smartly planning inspections and thereby limiting downtimes. The “firefighting” method of maintenance management is still the most common way to keep machines running, only fix what’s broken.

DIGITALISATION REDUCES ERRORS

Across Europe, organisations increasingly use digital tools to stabilise maintenance quality and reduce mistakes. A Timly survey has found 55 per cent of respondents reported that after implementing digital processes their equipment is rarely affected by maintenance errors.

Companies moving from paper, spreadsheets, and isolated tools to centralised digital asset and maintenance management also report the following:

• Fewer missed inspections and overdue tasks via automated reminders and standardised checklists.
• Better traceability of defects and repairs, enabling root-cause resolution.
• A shift from reactive repairs to preventive and condition-based work, as data becomes available across sites.

Where maintenance is digitised, error rates drop, freeing teams to focus on strategic improvements.

THE HIGH COST OF UNPLANNED DOWNTIME

For any company, unplanned downtime remains a costly challenge.

In addition, indirect costs, overtime, expedited logistics, quality issues, penalties, and reputational damage can be two to 10 times higher than direct maintenance costs. This underscores the importance of investing in planning, data, and digital tools, even under budget constraints. Shifting from a reactive ‘fix-what-breaks’ approach (also known as the “firefighting approach”) to planned maintenance can save companies significant costs.

STRUCTURAL CHALLENGES:

SKILLED-LABOUR SHORTAGES AND KNOWLEDGE GAPS: Demographic change is shrinking the pool of experienced technicians while at the same time, the complexity of technology is growing. A survey of European SMEs found 63 per cent lacked qualified maintenance personnel. Also, a lot of the existing knowledge remains with long-serving staff, risking the loss of safety-critical experience unless it’s properly documented and supported digitally.

AGEING ASSETS AND OVERSTRETCHED INFRASTRUCTURE: Many companies operate machinery, vehicles, and building systems well beyond their intended lifecycles, either knowingly or unknowingly. Limited insight into true condition forces teams to patch or postpone repairs, increasing unplanned downtime. High asset-intensity sectors such as manufacturing, logistics, energy, healthcare, and public infrastructure are particularly affected.

FRAGMENTED, ANALOGUE PROCESSES: Even though digitisation is a buzzword, many organisations still rely on paper, Excel, or siloed tools. The consequences of this include missing transparency, duplicated work, inconsistent documentation, and difficulty complying with regulations. Without centralised, real-time data, predictive or sustainable maintenance is out of reach.

DIGITAL INNOVATIONS RESHAPING MAINTENANCE

The Maintenance Report 2026 highlights a four-stage maturity model: reactive, preventive, condition-based, and predictive.

• Reactive: Fix equipment when it fails, causing long downtimes and unpredictable costs.
• Preventive: Schedule interventions by time or usage; reduces failures but may be inefficient.
• Condition-based: Use inspections and sensor readings to trigger work when thresholds are met.
• Predictive: Employ analytics and machine learning to forecast failures, optimise interventions, and stabilise costs. Facilities managers often combine approaches, using reactive strategies for low-criticality assets and data-driven methods for critical systems.

AI, IOT, AND SMART TOOLS

IoT sensors can capture data in areas like vibration, temperature, and power consumption. AI and analytics also detect anomalies, such as forecast failures, and optimise schedules. Smart tools like QR-coded equipment and mobile inspection apps bring data directly to technicians, improving resource allocation and prioritising high-risk assets.

SUSTAINABILITY, ESG, AND COMPLIANCE

EU initiatives such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), EU Taxonomy, and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) require documentation of energy, material use, and safety. Digital maintenance supports:

• Audit-proof inspection and repair records.
• Extended equipment lifecycles, reducing waste and embodied carbon.
• Compliance with ISO 55000, ISO 9001, and sector-specific standards.

Maintenance is now a visible contributor to ESG performance and corporate resilience, not just a technical function.

NEXT STEPS FOR FACILITY LEADERS

As leaders, the next steps are clear. The journey begins with creating a solid foundation:

• Create a central digital inventory of assets and maintenance histories.
• Standardise processes and responsibilities, allowing for site-specific adaptations.
• Deploy mobile, cloud-based tools to support technicians and reduce administrative overhead.
• Capture and share tacit knowledge from experienced staff through structured documentation and training.
• Define KPIs, planned vs. unplanned maintenance, downtime per asset, cost per asset to guide continuous improvement.

By becoming digital, predictive, and sustainable, maintenance can move from firefighting to foresight, positioning it as a strategic value driver rather than a background cost.