Emerging technology and AI can help maintenance managers streamline their processes, access critical facility data, predict behaviour, and save money, but is there a downside? While technology continues to evolve and helps managers become more efficient, it’s important to consider any possible negative effects on your business.
Energy use
As we move collectively closer toward our sustainability goals, finding greener cleaning and maintenance practices and products that lower our carbon footprint, using AI may actually offset these environmental efforts. Studies show that data centres use about one to 1.5 per cent of the energy used globally, but that could increase up to ten times by 2030. While data-driven technology allows facility maintenance managers to better manage their maintenance, it may well cancel out efforts being made to lower energy use and increase greener initiatives.
Security risks
With more and more information online, with mobile apps and server storage, technological failure, hacking, and cybersecurity become a real threat. Until we get a handle on all the ins and outs of AI, we have to trust that it will not harm our business, performing “for good.” Because one of its features includes getting to our maintenance protocols, predicting issues, and protecting us from failure, it gives the technology unrestricted access to critical business data.
Along with refining AI and its limitations, relying so much on technology could open businesses up to hackers and security breaches. Cyberterrorism is on the rise, and can result in financial repercussions, data loss, stopped work, damage to your reputation, and more. Protect your data with security measures that makes sense for your business.
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Predictive maintenance
While predictive maintenance allows technology to assess equipment and processes and determine potential risks, essentially allowing repairs to be complete before failure occurs, it can be unreliable and slow moving. This type of technology relies on the assumption that the data is accurate, failing to make allowances for things like disconnected sensors, failed batteries, full storage, ad more. Furthermore, the process of gathering enough data for the technology to be able to recognize patterns and accurately predict failure can be lengthy, taking years to show a return on your investment.
As technology continues to evolve, it’s important to recognize its value in helping to improve maintenance, along with the potential challenges it poses. Technology is not infallible, often relying on humans to monitor and update. Staying on top of the trends will allow you to make the best decisions for your maintenance plan and for your business.
