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The evolution of asset management has entered a new phase where augmented reality (AR) is bridging the gap between the digital and physical worlds. By overlaying digital information on real assets, AR empowers technicians, facility managers, and maintenance teams with real-time data, enhanced visualization, and interactive training.
Combined with asset management systems, this technology ensures more efficient operations, reduced costs, and safer environments. As companies adopt AR technology, the integration of virtual reality (VR) and AR technologies into maintenance processes is changing how organizations handle equipment, facilities, and infrastructure.
What Is Augmented Reality (AR) in Asset Management?
Traditional tools like manuals or static dashboards often fail to provide the real-time information technicians need when working on critical equipment. By integrating asset data, maintenance history, and live IoT feeds into an interactive layer over the physical asset, AR creates a bridge between information and execution.
Definition
Augmented Reality in asset management refers to the use of AR systems, such as smart glasses, tablets, or mobile devices, to superimpose digital information like schematics, maintenance history, or operational data directly on assets. By doing so, users can view data instantly in the context of the equipment or facility they are working on.
Purpose
The purpose of augmented reality asset management is to improve visibility, reduce errors, and streamline maintenance processes. By equipping maintenance workers with real-time data, AR allows them to make informed decisions faster. This is especially valuable for facility managers, who must oversee complex infrastructure, schedule maintenance tasks, and ensure operational efficiency.
Key Features of AR-Driven Asset Management
AR doesn’t just add digital layers; it transforms how maintenance workers interact with assets. Listed below are the key features of AR-driven asset management.
Real-Time Data Visualization
AR applications overlay asset data, operational metrics, and maintenance history directly on equipment. For example, technicians can view sensor data in the field to anticipate potential hazards and perform predictive maintenance without guesswork.
Guided Repairs and Maintenance
Instead of consulting paper manuals, maintenance staff can access step-by-step visual instructions directly in their field of view. This reduces downtime, enhances efficiency, and boosts safety by ensuring technicians follow precise, context-aware processes.
Remote Expert Collaboration
One of the biggest advantages of AR applications is the ability to connect field technicians with remote experts. By sharing an AR view, remote assistance becomes possible, allowing specialists to guide maintenance teams through complex repairs and reduce travel costs.
Indoor Navigation and Spatial Mapping
In large campuses or industrial plants, AR systems help workers quickly locate equipment using spatial mapping and digital twin representations. This ability improves asset visibility and shortens the time spent finding machines or components.
Integrated Data Collection
AR-enabled devices also streamline data collection. Technicians can capture notes, videos, or inspection records directly within the AR interface, improving documentation quality and reducing delays in updating asset management processes.
Benefits of Augmented Reality in Asset Management
Organizations adopting AR are already realizing a range of benefits from efficient maintenance to enhanced safety at the workplace. Organizations can benefit from AR in the following ways:
- Increased maintenance speed and accuracy: By eliminating ambiguity, AR improves productivity and helps maintenance workersexecute tasks more accurately. This reduces downtime and ensures that operations continue smoothly.
- Reduced downtime and operational disruptions: AR technology minimizes unnecessary travel costs, accelerates training, and enhances decision-making processes. This allows organizations to reduce costs while maintaining equipment performance.
- Shortened technician training cycles: By enabling immersive training sessions, AR gives new employees and maintenance staffthe ability to practice skills virtually. This reduces onboarding time, ensures competence, and preserves expertise from retiring technicians.
- Enhanced safety through hazard overlays: AR provides hazard alerts, showing potential hazards or high-risk zones directly in a worker’s field of view. This improves safety for employees during critical operations.
- Real-time collaboration and support: Through AR, maintenance staff can connect instantly with remote experts, ensuring fast resolution of complex issues while improving collaboration across global teams.
Improved asset visibility and data quality: AR boosts transparency by giving facility managers the ability to view data in context and ensure accurate updates to asset management processes. This improves the overall quality of asset records.
Industries Using AR for Asset Management
Different industries apply AR uniquely to improve efficiency and safety. Here’s how asset management can be streamlined using AR in your industry.
Utilities & Infrastructure
AR makes assets like pipelines or buried infrastructure easier to locate by overlaying digital information on physical worlds. Workers can verify asset conditions and reduce errors during inspections.
Manufacturing & Heavy Equipment
In manufacturing, AR provides visual overlays of equipment schematics, helping maintenance teams carry out diagnostics and guided part replacements without confusion.
Facilities Management
For facility maintenance, AR supports facility managers by showing equipment status, room layouts, and maintenance history in real time. This allows them to optimize space use, schedule maintenance tasks, and improve performance.
Energy & Oil and Gas
Field technicians in energy sectors use AR for predictive maintenance, live monitoring of environmental conditions, and guided inspections in hazardous environments.
Transportation & Fleet
In fleet operations, AR enables workers to check maintenance history, perform guided repairs, and quickly troubleshoot vehicles, ensuring uptime and efficiency.
Implementation Strategy for AR in Asset Management
Implementing AR is one of the most crucial steps that creates a big difference in asset management results. It requires a structured approach to maximize value. You can follow the following steps to implement AR.
1. Select a High-Impact Pilot Use Case
Start with areas where AR can clearly improve outcomes, such as facility maintenance or safety-critical repairs.
2. Choose the Right AR Devices (glasses/tablets)
Selecting user-friendly smart glasses or tablets ensures technicians can adapt quickly without disrupting workflows.
3. Integrate with EAM, GIS, and IoT systems
AR’s full potential comes when integrated with enterprise asset management systems like IBM Maximo®, as well as GIS mapping and IoT sensors for real-time information.
4. Build Accurate AR Content & Digital Twins
Create reliable digital twins of assets to provide maintenance teams with accurate overlays of system data and layouts.
5. Train Technicians and Gather Feedback
Train employees not only on devices but also on interpreting AR overlays. Feedback helps refine processes.
6. Monitor KPIs (downtime, MTTR, errors)
Track measurable outcomes such as mean time to repair (MTTR), downtime, and error reduction to evaluate ROI.
7. Scale Gradually Across Teams and Sites
After pilot success, scale AR adoption across additional facilities and processes, ensuring seamless integration.
Future Trends in AR for Asset Management
The next generation of AR promises even greater impact. Below listed are some trends that are expected to take over for AR in asset management.
- AI-Powered Visual Recognition and Guidance: AI will enable AR systems to automatically identify equipment, parts, or potential issues, offering instant repair instructions.
- Deeper Integration with Digital Twins and IoT: Digital twins connected to IoT will allow continuous synchronization of real time data, providing holistic visibility of assets.
- Edge Computing for Real-Time AR Performance: By processing data closer to devices, edge computing will reduce latency, ensuring smooth delivery of AR overlays in critical maintenance processes.
- Hands-Free Wearable Adoption (AR Glasses): The rise of lightweight AR glasses will make hands-free operation standard for maintenance staff, enhancing safety and productivity.
- Spatial Computing for Full-Facility Asset Mapping: Spatial computing will create interactive 3D maps of entire facilities, helping facility managers optimize layouts and improve decision-making processes.
Challenges to Consider
Despite many benefits, organizations must address several challenges. Here are some challenges that you might face in asset management using AR.
- Hardware and Connectivity Requirements: Reliable networks and lightweight AR devices are necessary to ensure consistent real-time information delivery in the field.
- Precise Calibration and Model Alignment: For overlays to be effective, AR systems must be calibrated accurately, ensuring digital and physical worlds align correctly.
- User Adoption and Training Needs: Some employees may resist new technologies. Structured training ensures smooth adoption and builds new skills among teams.
- Integration Complexity with Legacy Systems: Combining AR with older asset management systems can be complex and may require phased rollouts or consulting expertise.
- Upfront Investment vs ROI Timeline: While AR reduces costs long-term, the initial investment in hardware, software, and training can be a barrier for some organizations.
Conclusion
Augmented reality is redefining asset management processes by connecting digital information with real assets. From facility maintenance to predictive maintenance, AR empowers maintenance teams with the tools to make informed decisions, improve safety, and deliver higher operational efficiency.
For organizations looking to unlock the full value of AR, integration with IBM Maximo® is essential. This is where Banetti, a trusted EAM consulting platform, adds unmatched value. With deep expertise in IBM Maximo® implementation, Banetti helps businesses integrate AR seamlessly into their asset management systems, maximizing productivity, reducing costs, and future-proofing operations.