Maintenance is Becoming Increasingly Business-Critical

Rapid technological development, an uncertain world, and growing demands for resilience are changing the role of maintenance. As Svenskt Underhåll looks to the future, the direction is clear: maintenance needs to be viewed as a strategic investment, while closer partnerships between industry, suppliers, and other knowledge and expertise partners are becoming increasingly important.

It is easy to calculate the cost of maintenance. Far more difficult is putting a price on a machine that stops, a delivery that is delayed, or production capacity that is lost because an investment was never made.

This is where one of the most important shifts for industry in the coming years needs to take place, according to Silje Langhelle, the newly appointed Chair of Riksorganisationen Svenskt Underhåll.

“I think maintenance is viewed as a cost precisely because its cost is measurable. What is more difficult to see is the cost of inadequate or neglected maintenance. We need to link maintenance KPIs to what matters to company management and demonstrate how maintenance contributes to areas such as greater efficiency, cost savings, and higher output,” she says.

From efficient to resilient

This issue becomes even more relevant in a changing global environment. The disruptions of recent years have demonstrated how quickly the conditions for production can change. For industrial companies, resilience is therefore not only about their own production assets, but also about building strong relationships with partners that can provide the right technology, expertise, and solutions as needs evolve.

“Companies themselves also need to be resilient. When supply chains change, spare parts become difficult to source, or production needs to be rapidly adapted, the reliability of your own production assets becomes extremely important. Planned downtime is always costly, but when the entire system is already exposed to disruption, the consequences can be significantly greater,” says Silje Langhelle.

From this perspective, the relationship between industrial companies and their technology and solution partners becomes an important part of their preparedness. Knowing the business, understanding its needs, and being able to identify the right measures together create better conditions for availability and long-term resilience.

Maria Stockefors, CEO of Svenskt Underhåll AB, is also seeing signs that maintenance is moving higher up the agenda. More companies are beginning to regard maintenance as a strategic resource and are showing a greater willingness to invest in both technology and skills.

“We need to become even better at demonstrating, with figures, the value that investments in maintenance actually create. Maintenance contributes to sustainable efficiency, resilience, and profitability.”

AI is not enough without the right decisions

At the same time, technological development is rapidly changing the conditions for maintenance. Sensors, automation, AI, and ever-growing volumes of data are creating opportunities to detect deviations earlier and work more proactively. But technology alone will not solve the problem.

“Simply having large amounts of data does not create value. We need to learn how to use it to make better decisions,” says Silje Langhelle.

Maria Stockefors points to data quality as a fundamental requirement:

“AI gives us greater opportunities to sort information, identify trends, and understand how machines behave, but the right data needs to be in place from the outset.”

These developments are also changing the skills required. Traditional expertise in mechanics, vibration, and lubrication is not disappearing. On the contrary, it needs to be complemented by an understanding of sensors, data, and analytical tools.

“Maintenance organisations will need to understand both the machines and the data surrounding them. This also means that collaboration between maintenance, production, IT, and management will become even more important,” says Silje Langhelle.

The same applies to expertise outside the organisation. As technology becomes more advanced, collaboration with suppliers and other specialists becomes increasingly important in turning new opportunities into tangible value. It is not simply a matter of purchasing a technical solution, but of working together to understand the problem that needs to be solved and how the technology can best be applied in the business.

“The maintenance organisation of the future needs to be a learning organisation. When technology changes rapidly, skills development cannot be a one-off initiative – it needs to be continuous,” says Maria Stockefors.

“We need to work more closely together”

Technology is not the only area where Silje Langhelle sees potential for development. As the new Chair, she wants Svenskt Underhåll to become even better at bringing together the knowledge and expertise that already exist within industry, academia, and among suppliers.

She also sees a weakness in Sweden and the Nordic region: companies are not always good at sharing their experiences, particularly when something has gone wrong.

“We need to become better at sharing both what worked and what did not. Why should ten companies make the same mistake if one company has already made it and found a solution? We need to work more closely together and help one another,” says Silje Langhelle.

Silje Langhelle views knowledge-sharing between companies from two perspectives. Alongside her role as Chair, she is responsible for sales and marketing at Easy-Laser and has participated in Underhållsmässan as an exhibitor for many years.

From a supplier perspective, it becomes clear how similar problems recur across very different parts of industry. There is also significant potential in closer partnerships. Suppliers working with many different businesses can bring experience, technology, and solutions from one company or industry to another, while industrial companies contribute knowledge of their specific needs.

“As a supplier, you meet many companies and can identify patterns that an individual customer may not see. We can bring experience and solutions from one industry to another. At the same time, suppliers should not simply demonstrate what technology is available – they need to help companies understand the value it creates and what is actually worth investing in,” she says.

A meeting place for the next step

This is precisely why both Maria Stockefors and Silje Langhelle believe that shared meeting places will become increasingly important as the pace of change accelerates. No single stakeholder has the complete picture. Industrial companies understand their own operations and challenges, suppliers contribute technology, specialist expertise, and experience from other businesses, while academia brings research and new perspectives.

It is where these perspectives meet that new solutions can emerge. Looking ahead to Underhållsmässan 2028, Silje Langhelle therefore hopes that the discussion can move one step further – from why maintenance is strategically important to how industry and its partners can work together to build more reliable, efficient, and resilient operations.

“The faster development moves, the more important it becomes for us to learn from one another instead of solving the same problems separately. Underhållsmässan is a place where industry, academia, and suppliers can come together and discuss these issues,” she says.

As a long-standing exhibitor, she also highlights the value of meeting face to face. Digital channels can communicate a great deal, but they find it harder to replicate the conversation that takes place when a customer is standing in front of a technical solution and begins describing the real problem they are facing.

“The conversation often starts with a product and ends up being about a problem or a challenge. Those spontaneous conversations are difficult to recreate digitally. At the fair, you hear something new, see something new, and get to know someone new,” says Silje Langhelle.

At the same time, Maria Stockefors hopes that the industry will become even better at highlighting just how important maintenance really is – not only for individual companies, but for society as a whole.

“We take many things for granted in Sweden, such as trains running or having water when we turn on the tap. Maintenance is enormously important to both industry and the development of society. We need to continue highlighting that,” concludes Maria Stockefors.

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