As a maintenance and asset manager, you can sometimes feel like you’ve ended up in a “perfect storm”.

The defence and military sector has always been a pioneer in technology adoption. From the jet engine to satellite communications, innovations often take shape in the armed forces before finding their way into civilian industries. Maintenance is no exception. The battlefield of the 21st century is no longer defined only by firepower and strategy, but also by the capacity to keep complex, mission-critical assets in constant readiness.

Aker Solutions has installed an autonomous drone system on Aker BP’s Edvard Grieg platform in the North Sea, enabling frequent, remote inspections from shore. Using autonomous drones can reduce inspection costs by up to 70 percent.

As artificial intelligence reshapes maintenance operations, the greatest challenge for leaders isn’t technological, but cultural. INSEAD Professor Gianpiero Petriglieri reveals how maintenance leaders can preserve humanity while embracing automation.

A decade ago, the key question in a maintenance shop was simple: How fast can we fix the breakdown? Today, the most competitive plants flip that question around: How rarely do we experience an unexpected breakdown?