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  • 1.  Robotics and AI in Maintenance – Practical Adoption and Future Outlook

    Posted 03-30-2026 08:19 AM

    Hello everyone,

    I would like to hear from the community about your experience and perspective regarding the integration of robotics and artificial intelligence into maintenance processes.

    • How are these technologies currently being applied in your operations (e.g., inspections, predictive maintenance, autonomous interventions)?
    • What challenges have you faced during implementation (technical, cultural, financial)?
    • Do you see this as a gradual evolution or a disruptive transformation in the next 3–5 years?

    From your perspective, what level of adoption should we realistically expect in industrial environments over the coming years?

    Looking forward to hearing your insights and real-world experiences.

    Are robotics and AI truly transforming maintenance, or are we still seeing more hype than real value in industrial applications?

    What are the most successful use cases of AI and robotics in maintenance today, and how are you measuring ROI in these implementations?

    How should maintenance leaders prepare their organizations for the integration of AI and robotics without overinvesting in immature technologies?

    Best regards,



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    Adilan Bittar
    Commercial Director
    RAL Manutenção e Montagens LTDA
    ARACRUZ
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  • 2.  RE: Robotics and AI in Maintenance – Practical Adoption and Future Outlook

    Posted 04-03-2026 02:42 PM

    I think a lot of teams get stuck trying to make a big bet on AI instead of just starting small.

    The ones I've seen get value quickest are usually testing focused use cases, learning what actually works on their site, then building from there.

    Less about transformation, more about what actually helps day to day.

    In a previous role we supplied project systems, and being smaller meant we could adapt quickly to what clients actually needed. More often than not, those changes ended up benefiting everyone.



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    Nick Bell
    Founder
    Duallo
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Robotics and AI in Maintenance – Practical Adoption and Future Outlook

    Posted 3 days ago

    Hi Adilan,

    I suspect the most successful use cases in the near term will be the ones tied to very concrete operational pain points rather than broad "AI transformation" initiatives.

    Things like inspections, repetitive field tasks, maintenance planning support, or reducing operational firefighting seem much more realistic than fully autonomous maintenance workflows in the short term.

    My experience is that the hardest part is often not the technology itself, but integrating these systems on real-world operations (with backlog, emergency work, resource constraints, shifting priorities, etc).

    From your side, are you already seeing organizations move beyond pilots into real operational adoption?



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    Andre Bertolace
    Researcher in Operational Reliability
    University of Oxford
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Robotics and AI in Maintenance – Practical Adoption and Future Outlook

    Posted 17 hours ago

    Hello Andre Bertolace,

    Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I fully agree with your point that the most successful short-term use cases will likely be linked to very concrete operational pain points, rather than broad "AI transformation" initiatives.

    From my perspective, working in the maintenance of large pulp and cellulose plants - especially in rotating equipment maintenance, which is my main area of expertise - I still do not see a significant level of adoption of robotics or AI-driven maintenance solutions among major industrial players such as Suzano, International Paper, Klabin, and others. There are certainly discussions, evaluations, and some pilots, but in my view the industry has not yet moved at scale into real operational adoption.

    Internally, however, I am currently exploring a very practical first step: identifying and training a robotic system to perform welding tasks. One of the main drivers is the increasing shortage of skilled welders and specialized maintenance labor. In this context, I believe robotics and AI can create real value when they are trained and guided by experienced human specialists to execute specific, well-defined maintenance activities.

    That said, I still see the current level of adoption by large industrial companies and maintenance service providers as quite timid. We are still far from fully autonomous maintenance workflows, but I do believe that semi-autonomous robotic systems applied to routine, repetitive, hazardous, or labor-constrained maintenance tasks represent a very promising path forward.

    In my opinion, the future of maintenance will not be about replacing human expertise, but about capturing that expertise and transferring part of it to intelligent tools and robotic systems. This could help improve safety, productivity, consistency, and workforce availability.

    So, to answer your question, I do not yet see many organizations moving far beyond pilots into large-scale operational adoption, at least not in the industrial environments I am closer to. However, I believe this transition is getting closer, especially for applications where the business case is clear, the labor gap is real, and the task can be standardized enough to be trained and repeated.

    I plan to share more in the near future about the progress I make in training robotic systems with AI supported by human maintenance expertise to execute specific field tasks.

    Best regards,
    Adilan



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    Adilan Bittar
    Financial Director
    RAL Manutenção e Montagens LTDA
    ARACRUZ
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    Original Message


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