12th FVI Expert Breakfast

Topic: "All pulling together?" – Association Summit and the Future of Maintenance.

This session was a summit meeting of the maintenance community. Marcel Hahn and Jens Reisenweber sat live in Dortmund with representatives from Fraunhofer (Thomas Heller), opmc (Andreas Weber), and Instand X (Dirk Beiersdorff) at one table.

• The resource shortage also affects associations: Andreas Weber (opmc) spoke plainly: The time of "luxury committees," where companies could send employees to committees for days to discuss screw heads, is over. Maintainers no longer have time for association work ("scarcity management"). Therefore, associations must pool their strengths instead of working in silos.
• Self-confidence instead of whining: A strong appeal from Andreas Weber: "Stop whining that the C-level doesn't understand you. The C-level knows exactly what you do. But you must stop only being celebrated as firefighters." Those who are only visible when there's a fire have failed. True heroes are those you don't hear about because everything runs smoothly.
• The "Brownfield" problem: Germany is "built" (Brownfield). We hardly build new factories; we have to keep the old ones alive. This is the core task of maintenance and the reason why it is economically system-relevant.
• Communication must become simpler: Max (Drive Technology) put it succinctly: When manufacturers come with "cloud monster solutions" and academic models, maintainers' toenails curl up ("Please not another project!"). Solutions must be as simple as a smartphone – usable without a manual.
• Concerns about young talent: Tobias (Young Professional) demanded that associations must go to universities. There is no "Maintenance" degree program. Those who study mechanical engineering want to become designers, not "repairers." We need to reinvent the job profile "maintainer" as "asset manager & data analyst" to be attractive.

Assessment: We are the technological glue between the associations

This discussion shows that the industry is organizationally fragmented but faces the same technological problems. ADAM is the answer to many of these problems:

• Simplicity as a USP: When the market screams "Please not another complex project," our slogan "Simplify your digital transformation" is exactly the right answer. ADAM is not a "cloud monster," but a pragmatic helper.

• Digitization of experiential knowledge: When employees no longer have time for committees, we must digitize the exchange. ADAM enables sharing best practices ("How do I repair pump X?") across companies without having to travel to Berlin.

• Brownfield optimization: ADAM is perfect for brownfield plants. We don't need new sensors; we use existing documents and employee knowledge to make old plants smart.

Conclusion: Associations must come together to gain effectiveness. And technology must become so simple that it relieves the overburdened maintainers instead of torturing them with new IT projects.