ASSET MANAGEMENT: THE CHANGING

LANDSCAPE OF PREDICTIVE
MAINTENANCE
March, 2014

 Reid Paquin, Senior Research Associate,

Manufacturing

Report Highlights
p3 p8 p10 p14
A Changing Establishing Technology Enablers Key Takeaways –
Manufacturing Predictive Business – Interoperability Shift from Reactive
Environment - Capabilities – Across the Enterprise to Proactive
Attrition in the Combining Data and
Workforce Analytics

This research report, based on responses from 149 executives,

will take a year-over-year (2012 to 2013) look at how leading
companies use data and analytics to manage the reliability and
maintenance of their asset base.
 Asset Management: The Changing Landscape of Predictive Maintenance

2
As seen in Aberdeen’s December 2012 report, Asset
“We need to predict Management: Building the Business Case for the Executive,
failure, not just lingering uncertainty around an economic recovery is keeping
respond to it. Our capital and operational budgets tight. Indeed, companies are
pressured more than usual to get the most out of their current
maintenance asset base. To overcome this, many companies use specific
program is expensive capabilities and technologies to predict equipment or asset
and it is set to failure so they can avoid costly downtime while reducing
maintenance costs. This research report, based on responses
standards based on from 149 executives, will take a year-over-year (2012 to 2013)
manufacturing look at how leading companies use data and analytics to
recommendations manage the reliability and maintenance of their asset base.
While the majority of respondents are manufacturing
versus actual companies, asset management, and the use of analytics for asset
experience.” management, is also a strategy and process for other industries,
including power generation, automotive, telecom, Government,
~ Production IT management, etc. The study also reinforces that predictive
Manager, Large asset management must also take into account not just the asset
itself, but the environment around the asset.
Utilities Company
Business Context

Given the current economic climate, complexity of business

processes, and unstable customer demand, executives in asset-
Top risks that have the largest intensive industries must make rapid and difficult business and
impact on the organization (2013 vs.
operational decisions. To remain competitive, companies seek
2012)
out new ways to get the most out of their assets, assure their
• Failure of Critical Assets: 40% assets stay online, and plan for unexpected failures. In fact,
vs. 40% when asked about which risks had the biggest impact on
• Non-Compliance: 39% vs. 34% operations, survey respondents from Aberdeen’s 2013 Asset
• Product Failures: 38% vs. 34% Management study indicated that failure of critical assets is
• Supplier Quality: 25% vs. 28%
• Failure to Acquire and Retain again the top concern (see sidebar). In fact the top three risks
Talent: 25% vs. 14% have not changed noticeably from 2012 to 2013. However there
• Logistic Risks: 14% vs. 22% is some movement as you move further down, with talent

www.aberdeen.com
 Asset Management: The Changing Landscape of Predictive Maintenance

3
acquisition and retention taking the place of logistic risks. This
talent issue is a growing concern and something manufacturers
cannot take lightly.

The challenges for managing asset lifecycle and maintenance

are different depending on the asset. For a company “The largest challenge by far has
commissioning a new piece of equipment, the challenge may be been cultural inertia in what has
been traditionally a highly reactive
bringing the asset online quickly after acceptance. For complex
approach. At sites that have done
asset-based industries, it may be related to tool and process the changes, we have increased
qualification. For a running facility, it is maximizing asset capacity utilization by about 20%,
effectiveness, availability, and reliability, while for other decreased maintenance costs 25%,
and reduced spare part inventory
enterprises it may be related to asset decommissioning. These
by 20%.”
are compounded by ongoing challenges coming with a retiring
workforce, an aging infrastructure, safety considerations, and ~ Raymond Castle, Manufacturing
compliance to regulations, among others. Manager, Global Reliability
Engineering
Given these complexities, companies need innovative ways to
keep their assets operating as intended. Predictive maintenance
is an approach that allows maintenance, quality, and
operational decision makers to predict when an asset needs
maintenance, which changes unplanned downtime into a
planned stop and avoids costly disruptions. Predictive
maintenance typically includes collecting information on things
like usage, wear, and other asset condition readings from many
disparate sources. The purpose of this study is to highlight the
capabilities of companies that successfully optimize operations
and maintenance processes. We will also look into the role
software plays in providing the right information to the
appropriate decision makers, which results in predicting asset
failures.

A Changing Manufacturing Environment

Economic uncertainty has forced companies to put the brakes

on spending, which is reflected in held-up capital expenditures

www.aberdeen.com
 Asset Management: The Changing Landscape of Predictive Maintenance

4
and lowered operational budgets in order to maintain operating
income (Figure 1). Although there has been a 10% drop from
2012 this is still the overwhelming top pressure. This can mean
delayed or altogether eliminated investments in new assets.
Such an environment puts additional pressure on maintenance
groups to get more out of their existing asset base and maximize
Return on Asset (RoA).

Figure 1: Year-over-Year Comparison of Pressures Driving

Focus on Asset Management

Reduced budgets (capital or 58%

operational) 68%
Need to maximize Return on 46%
Assets (RoA) 37%

Attrition in skilled workforce 36%

11%

Rising material cost 21%

25%

Aging assets 26%

17%

2013 2012 0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Percentage of Respondents, n=149

Source: Aberdeen Group, December 2013

Any increase on RoA will help alleviate the pressure of reduced

budgets. When companies can effectively manage their assets
and use their precious budgets to improve operations, they are
at a competitive advantage. Where the real differences show up
is in the attrition in skilled workforce and aging assets. Attrition
in the skilled workforce was identified by 36% of respondents,
when you consider that in 2012 it was only 11% of all
respondents that is shockingly high increase. This will only
increase as more and more Baby Boomers retire. Compounding
the issue is the fact that the asset infrastructure is aging as well,

www.aberdeen.com
 Asset Management: The Changing Landscape of Predictive Maintenance

5
making it more difficult to keep assets productive. A predictive
maintenance approach will help address all of those top
pressures by reducing costs, lowering the need for new
investments, limiting and optimizing labor demands, and
subsequently improving return on assets.

Maturity Class Framework

Aberdeen used four key performance criteria to distinguish Best-

in-Class performance. These metrics measure the success of an
organization’s asset management not only in terms of how it
improved plant efficiency, but also how successful these
programs are for achieving financial goals.

Respondents were divided into three categories based on their

aggregate performance in these five metrics: the top 20% of Metric Descriptions
performers (Best-in-Class), the middle 50% (Industry Average),
Unscheduled Downtime –Amount
and the bottom 30% of performers (Laggards) (Table 1).
of unscheduled time the asset is
offline against total availability
Table I: Top Performers Earn Best-in-Class Status

Definition of Mean Class Performance OEE – Multiplication of availability

times performance times quality
Maturity Class
Best-in-Class: 3.5% Unscheduled Asset Downtime
Maintenance Cost – Year-over-year
Top 20% 89% Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
change in total maintenance costs
of aggregate +24% Return on Assets (RoA) vs. Corporate Plan
performance scorers -13% Reduction in Maintenance Costs RoA – Percentage of return on asset
Industry Average: 8.3% Unscheduled Asset Downtime (new income/total asset) goal
Middle 50% 83% Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) achieved versus corporate goal
of aggregate +4% Return on Assets (RoA) vs. Corporate Plan
performance scorers -4% Reduction in Maintenance Costs

Laggard: 16.9% Unscheduled Asset Downtime

Bottom 30% 69% Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
of aggregate -7% Return on Assets (RoA) vs. Corporate Plan
performance scorers +1% Increase in Maintenance Costs
Source: Aberdeen Group, December 2013

www.aberdeen.com
 Asset Management: The Changing Landscape of Predictive Maintenance

6
These metrics show that even in the face of reduced operational
budgets the Best-in-Class save money by reducing maintenance
costs and improving productivity. The superior performance on
those three metrics is evident in the improved return on assets.
In fact, the Best-in-Class outperform their corporate return-on-
asset expectations by 20%.

Strategic Actions

To truly maximize return on assets, the Best-in-Class

Steps to Achieving implemented three strategic actions (Figure 2). First, they use
Best-in-Class analytics to improve visibility and decision making, which has
actually grown in adoption by the Best-in-Class, increasing from
 Use analytics 25% in 2012. This allows these companies to predict their
maintenance and safety, reduce the overall risk in their
 Close the talent operations, and even forecast the eventual replacement need of
gap an existing asset and plan the necessary budget well in advance.
As the asset moves through different phases, it is managed by
 Combine employees in different groups, which include project planners,
engineering teams, maintenance, operations, etc. To account for
sustainability and this, Best-in-Class companies establish strategies, as shown in
maintenance Figure 2, to provide visibility into information collected across
these different lifecycle stages to all employees, enabling them
to make intelligent decisions.

Additionally, because the Best-in-Class are able to accurately

predict when maintenance is needed, they are also more likely
to outsource parts of their maintenance activities to a third
party. While this is still a Best-in-Class action, as it was in 2012,
the initiative to close the talent gap has risen to the top, which is
the second action that the Best-in-Class undertake. The talent
gap was not an issue identified in 2012 (only 11% of
respondents), but now that over a third of manufacturers are
seeing the effect it has on their operations, various steps are
being undertaken. Actions like cross-training, standard

www.aberdeen.com
 Asset Management: The Changing Landscape of Predictive Maintenance

7
operating procedure (SOP), and knowledge management
systems are being implemented. Predictive Maintenance is
another effective plan to address this issue, since maintenance is
only performed when warranted; the demand from maintenance
personnel is limited.

Figure 2: Strategic Actions

“Culturally, a
Establish a company-wide 46% majority of the
initiatives to close the talent gap 23% workforce has only
operated through the
Create / Improve asset visibility
and decision making through
40% growth period. Now
analytics 25%
they have to adapt to
Best-in-Class extracting value from
Manage energy and emissions as 12%
part of maintenance strategy 4%
All Others the previous capital
investment.”
0% 20% 40% 60%
Percentage of Respondents, n = 149
~ General Manager,
Large Global
Source: Aberdeen Group, December 2013
Resources Company
Aberdeen’s Asset Management: Building the Business Case for
the Executive report revealed that the Best-in-Class are much
more likely to incorporate sustainability into their maintenance
strategy that still holds true for 2013, and is the third and final
step for the Best-in-Class. By managing their energy and
emissions, the Best-in-Class not only reduce their operational
costs but also put themselves in a better position to comply with
future regulations. Another benefit with including sustainability
in the maintenance strategy is that it can be leveraged as
additional asset-performance monitoring. If an asset consumes
energy or emits emissions outside its normal range, managers
can use this information to perform needed maintenance.

www.aberdeen.com
 Asset Management: The Changing Landscape of Predictive Maintenance

8
Establishing Predictive Business Capabilities

One of the main goals of asset-intensive companies is to

minimize unscheduled asset downtime. A strategy to achieve
this goal is by managing assets and maintenance predictively.
Predictive maintenance and asset decisions require that the
right decision maker have timely access to information in the
right form. Best-in-Class companies use the data they collect
more effectively, and turn the data into actionable intelligence
2012 Best-in-Class adoption rate (Figure 3). Figure 3 also highlights that the capabilities needed
of predictive capabilities for a Best-in-Class asset management process also hinge not just
on predictive analytics, but a business intelligence process as
• Historical asset data and well.
real-time data used as
actionable intelligence for Instead of collecting critical asset data and storing it in siloed
optimized decision making: systems (like spreadsheets and isolated databases), Best-in-
76%
Class companies collect and store the data in a centralized
• Centralized knowledge
warehouse to store asset location, which lets them ensure the quality and consistency of
performance data from asset data across their enterprise. In order to make the best
different plants: 65% decisions, the Best-in-Class provide real-time as well as
• Budget allocated for
historical data to key decision makers for predictive decisions. In
technology and personnel
to support reliability doing so, the Best-in-Class are able to detect any anomalies and
centered maintenance failure patterns to identify the assets that are at the greatest risk.
activities: 62% Predictive analytics uses statistical and data mining techniques
to derive forward looking intelligence from vast amounts of
historical data. Predictive analytics, in combination with
business intelligence, is a more proactive approach, and relies
on determining correlations between variables from past events
and then using that information to predict future results. The use
of predictive analytics and business intelligence is essential for a
company to be successful in their predictive maintenance
endeavors.

www.aberdeen.com
 Asset Management: The Changing Landscape of Predictive Maintenance

9
Figure 3: Business Capabilities

Best-in-Class Industry Average Laggards

70% 66%
Percentage of Respondents, n = 149

60% 56%
52%
50%
39%
40% 34% 34% 34%
31%
30% 27%
22% 20%
20% 14%
10%
0%
Historical asset data Centralized Budget allocated for Analytics are used to
and real-time data knowledge technology and provide predictive
used as actionable warehouse to store personel to support insights based on
intelligence for asset performance reliability centered captured information
optimized decision data from different maintenance
making plants activities

Source: Aberdeen Group, December 2013

To ensure that issues are addressed in a timely manner, the

Best-in-Class have also established roles and responsibilities for “Asset management programs are
all levels of the organization in the case of an adverse event. This often supported by inadequate
tools used by people without the
step helps companies adopt a predictive maintenance culture correct culture and approach. As a
and deploy teams to continually improve processes for reliability result, it often happens that we
and condition-based maintenance programs. don’t know the boat we’re sitting
on.”
Leveraging Sustainability Data
~ Stefano Papini, Large Industrial
The previous section discussed how the Best-in-Class are Equipment Manufacturer
managing their energy and emissions as part of their
maintenance strategy. In this section we will uncover the
supporting business capabilities needed to ensure the success of
this initiative (Table 2).

Best-in-Class companies integrate their energy management

program with their overall asset management program. This
means that they implement strategies and technology to collect

www.aberdeen.com
 Asset Management: The Changing Landscape of Predictive Maintenance

10
energy, emissions, and asset data in a single repository and
provide this information to key decision makers for these types
of decisions. The gap between the Best-in-Class and their peers
in having this integration has actually grown, going from 31%
more likely in 2012 to 92% more likely in 2013.This gives the
Best-in-Class visibility into any anomalies within their asset base
and alerts them if the asset is running at unacceptable
performance thresholds.

Table 2: Sustainability Capabilities

Capability Best-in- Industry Laggards

Class Average
Visibility into anomalies when assets exceed 58% 43% 31%
acceptable performance thresholds
Asset data utilized to minimize energy 54% 28% 21%
consumption
Benchmark the performance of each asset to 51% 34% 15%
determine the cost of maintaining it at its
current energy consumption levels versus
replacing it with a newer, more energy efficient
asset.
Energy management integrated with overall 46% 28% 15%
asset management strategy
Source: Aberdeen Group, December 2013

Best-in-Class companies are also more likely to benchmark the

performance of each asset to determine the cost of maintaining
versus replacing it. For example, if a motor uses more energy
than expected, with the available data, maintenance managers
can schedule maintenance to diagnose and fix the problem. This
capability will allow companies not only to reduce energy
consumption but also to improve operational metrics.

Technology Enablers

The Best-in-Class invest in technology solutions to automate

their business processes as well as their capabilities. They are

www.aberdeen.com
 Asset Management: The Changing Landscape of Predictive Maintenance

11
also more likely than their competitors to invest in an Enterprise
Asset Management (EAM) solution. An EAM system provides a
single platform for connecting workers, assets, processes,
knowledge, and decision-making capabilities based on collected
information. Predictive analytics builds on these investments in
EAM systems by merging historical data from controllers, sub-
meters, data historians, and paper-based systems with real-time
data to predict potential asset failures. All of which aids the
move from reactive to proactive maintenance.

By integrating their EAM system with other high-level business

systems, such as ERP (Figure 4), the Best-in-Class receive vital
information faster and as a result make maintenance and asset-
related decisions quicker. An integrated solution offers
enterprise-wide visibility into the complete asset lifecycle, from
the design phase to final asset decommissioning.

Figure 4: Interoperability between Enterprise Systems

EAM and Remote Monitoring 53%

20%
EAM and ERP 46%
46%
EAM and MOC (Management of 38%
Change) 20%
EAM and EHS 37%
18%
EAM and Mobility Systems 29% Best-in-Class
17%
EAM and Energy Management 28% All Others
13%

0% 20% 40% 60%

Percentage of Respondents, n = 149
Remote monitoring solutions enables
Source: Aberdeen Group, December 2013
visibility into equipment that may be in
One area of interoperability that has grown rapidly from 2012 to an unsafe operating environment with
extreme temperatures, such as drilling
2013 is in remote monitoring (39% of Best-in-Class in 2012, 53% in the mining industry or the
in 2013). This solution provides functionalities that enable exploration and production sector in
employees with critical capabilities such as the ability to the upstream oil industry.

www.aberdeen.com
 Asset Management: The Changing Landscape of Predictive Maintenance

12
remotely turn the assets on or off, forecast future failures,
monitor asset usage information, and regulate power usage.
This increased integration between systems is most likely tied to
“The knowledge and resources
needed for creating or maintaining two reasons, the limited workforce that is available for most
a mechanical integrity / reliability manufacturers and increased use of remote assets. Integrating
program is significant. Starting these two solutions allows Best-in-Class companies to more
“small” helps build the knowledge,
easily collect and monitor asset data at the equipment level and
but resources seem to always be a
constraint.” use that data to make predictive maintenance decisions with
limited employee involvement.
~ Production Staff, Medium Bulk
Chemicals Manufacturer In addition to enterprise solutions, Aberdeen also analyzed
specific modules or technology enablers that differentiate Best-
in-Class performance (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Technology Enablers

Workflows 76%
40%

Analytics 65%
44%

Master Data Management 64%

43%

Dashboards 60%
44% Best-in-Class
Spare Parts Inventory 55%
34% All Others
Optimization

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Percentage of Respondents, n = 149

Source: Aberdeen Group, December 2013

Asset information can be collected in multiple formats and types

of data, from structured to unstructured or semi-structured data,
in combination. This plethora of information means that
organization end up analyzing a mix of data (i.e., information
coming from spreadsheets, data historians, valves, control
systems, enterprise systems), which could prove to be a waste of
time and resources. To overcome this challenge, the Best-in-

www.aberdeen.com
 Asset Management: The Changing Landscape of Predictive Maintenance

13
Class use Master Data Management (MDM) to scrub out incorrect
or duplicated data, and make sure that information is
standardized. This ensures the data they collect is accurate and
reliable, which is vital for proper decision-making.

The Best-in-Class supplement this solution with an analytics

platform. Once a company has standardized the way 2012 Best-in-Class adoption rate of
enablers
information is collected, the next piece is wrapping intelligence
around the information with the use of analytics. Analytics
• Master Data Management:
provide decision makers with intelligence around when and 72%
where a problem may occur, but more importantly, how to • Analytics: 65%
resolve the issue. While the top overall enablers have not • Workflows: 63%
• Dashboards: 58%
changed from 2012 to 2013, the order of highest use has. The use
• Spare Parts Inventory
of workflows is now the top enabler, which again can be tied into Optimization: 42%
the attrition of skilled workers manufacturers are dealing with.
The combination of asset analytics, workflows, and
dashboarding modules automates data collection, analyzes and
monitors data, and escalates events to the appropriate decision
makers at the right time, in the right format, to prevent or reduce
the impact of equipment failure. These applications summarize
data from multiple business units and enable organizations to
plan out their maintenance (workers and/or spare parts) more
efficiently, which is critical when you are dealing with
understaffed or inexperienced maintenance team.

In addition, the Best-in-Class have grown in their use spare parts

inventory optimization applications in 2013. Automating this
inventory can help companies effectively manage spare parts,
resulting in lower inventory cost and ensuring that the right
parts are available during asset breakdown, thus minimizing
asset downtime. Providing maintenance personnel with visibility
into spare parts lets them know when inventory is low and when
new parts should be ordered. All it takes is for one critical asset
to fail for an entire assembly line to come to a halt. It could take

www.aberdeen.com
 Asset Management: The Changing Landscape of Predictive Maintenance

14
days, or even weeks, for a replacement to be shipped to get the
operation back online. The Best-in-Class avoid such a scenario
by gaining real-time access into their fill-rates, stock out rates,
inventory accuracy, and shelf turns.

All of the enablers combine to help provide a platform to

improve not only asset uptime, but also improve the quality of
the product or service delivered. Being able to predict asset
performance related to maintenance also provides the same
platform for predicting an asset’s overall ability to produce a
quality part or level of service.

Key Takeaways

Predictive maintenance affects the entire organization. If an

asset is malfunctioning it can lead to poor quality parts, which in
turn, can increase warranty returns and reduce customer
satisfaction. Also, by predicting asset failure, Finance can be
informed ahead of time to improve their planning and budgeting
or S&OP processes. Additionally, spare parts inventory and
employee or operator workload can be optimized, which as was
shown, is a growing concern. All of these actions affect the
bottom line of the company. Aberdeen’s Asset Management:
Building the Business Case for the Executive research shows how
companies move beyond just monitoring assets and have
started embedding analytics and intelligence into the decision
making process. Organizations looking to go from break-fix
maintenance to a predictive maintenance strategy should
incorporate the following recommendations:

 Provide centralized, real-time data. Adopting

predictive maintenance can be a complicated task. The
key to success is access to the right data at the right time
in the right form. The Best-in-Class do so by collecting all
the key information into a centralized database and

www.aberdeen.com
 Asset Management: The Changing Landscape of Predictive Maintenance

15
providing it to key decision makers in an on-demand
fashion. This enables managers to avoid unplanned
downtime, plan maintenance before an asset breaks
down and increase overall plant availability.

 Utilize predictive analytics to make educated

decisions about future events. The amount of asset-
related data that is generated and collected is only
increasing. Maintenance and reliability personnel need
an easy way to drill down into this information to find any
abnormal operating conditions so they can predict asset
failure. Predictive analytics will help reduce the
overwhelming load of real-time events and automate the
monitoring and analysis of critical indicators that impact
performance.

 Provide integration between business systems. Having

a holistic view is vital to effectively manage asset
maintenance. Integration allows organizations to
connect maintenance applications with plant
applications and higher-level business systems more
easily. This results in faster reaction to adverse events
and the ability to make quick and intelligent asset
management and maintenance decisions. This enables
companies to move from a reactive maintenance to a
predictive maintenance strategy.

 Prepare for the shortage of skilled workers – it is a

legitimate concern and only going to get worse. Skilled
Baby Boomers are reaching retirement age every day.
Companies that act now will position themselves to least
affected by their departure. Implementing initiatives like
cross-training, S&OP and knowledge management
systems will go a long way to closing the talent gap that is
growing in asset management.

www.aberdeen.com
 Asset Management: The Changing Landscape of Predictive Maintenance

16
 Consider sustainability as a critical part of a
maintenance strategy. The most successful companies
integrate their energy management initiative with their
maintenance strategy. Not only does factoring energy
and emissions into maintenance help reduce operational
costs, but it can also shed light on potential asset issues.

Best-in-Class companies not only use predictive maintenance to

improve overall asset performance, they also use analytical tools
to cut through all the data and get to the predictive answers
better and faster. This leads to better overall company
performance through reduced operating costs, reduced scrap,
improved customer satisfaction, and then increased revenue. As
the data shows, Best-in-Class companies have the edge on
performance compared to everyone else. That means that if
everyone else fails in the transition to predictive-based asset
maintenance, they just might fail altogether as a company.

For more information on this or other research topics, please visit www.aberdeen.com.

Related Research
Engineering Shortages? How Industrial Equipment Asset Management: Using Analytics to Drive Predictive
Manufacturers Can Cope; October 2013 Maintenance; March 2013
The Engineering Workforce Problem: Doing More with Asset Management: Building the Business Case for the
No More; April 2013 Executive; December 2012
Author: Reid Paquin, Senior Research Associate, Manufacturing (reid.paquin@aberdeen.com)

www.aberdeen.com
 Asset Management: The Changing Landscape of Predictive Maintenance

17
About Aberdeen Group

Aberdeen Group conducts research focused on helping business leaders across sixteen different B2B technology
disciplines improve their performance.

Our process is simple – we conduct thousands of surveys every year to identify top performing organizations and
uncover what makes them different. We share these insights back with the market in the form of in-depth research
reports and content assets to help our readers build business plans capable of driving better results with the right
set of tools to help them get there.

This document is the result of primary research performed by Aberdeen Group. Aberdeen Group’s methodologies
provide for objective fact-based research and represent the best analysis available at the time of publication. Unless
otherwise noted, the entire contents of this publication are copyrighted by Aberdeen Group, Inc. and may not be
reproduced, distributed, archived, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written consent by
Aberdeen Group, Inc.

www.aberdeen.com