When Data Meets the Factory Floor — Maintenance Becomes a Competitive Advantage

Maintenance Can be the Next Competitive Advantage in Industry

Underhåll in Gothenburg once again confirmed why maintenance has become one of the most strategically important themes in industrial development. As the Nordics’ largest trade fair for maintenance and industrial safety, the event brought together thousands of professionals from across industry, and one message stood out clearly in conversation after conversation: maintenance will always be a cost, but the companies that manage it with better data, better context and better visibility are increasingly able to turn it into a competitive advantage.

Maintenance Still Suffers from Fragmented Information

The industry speaks extensively about digitalisation, automation and efficiency, yet many plants still operate with a familiar set of challenges. Critical equipment documentation may be decades old. Shutdown preparation may still depend heavily on local experience and fragmented information. Safety planning may rely on drawings that no longer reflect the installed reality. These are not minor inconveniences. They directly affect safety, continuity and productivity.

When facility documentation and physical reality drift apart, safety risks increase. Maintenance teams may be forced to work with incomplete information, and isolation or shutdown procedures may be planned against drawings that no longer match the site. At the same time, continuity is put at risk. In heavy industry, unplanned downtime can cost tens of thousands of euros per hour, and the efficiency of maintenance depends greatly on how quickly accurate information is available. Productivity follows the same logic: when teams have access to an up-to-date, reality-based view of the facility and the relevant maintenance context, they are able to plan better and act faster.

Turning Data into Practical Action

This is precisely the challenge SolidComp addresses with Reality Twin. By combining laser-scanned as-built 3D models with CMMS and ERP data and safety-related workflows, Reality Twin helps industrial teams work with the current reality of the plant rather than assumptions, outdated files or disconnected systems. The result is not a static model, but a practical operational environment that supports safer planning, clearer communication and better day-to-day execution.

Interst Shows in Follow-up Discussions

At Underhåll, this message resonated strongly. We came away with dozens of agreed follow-up discussions with industrial companies looking for concrete solutions, as well as with potential collaboration partners. That level of interest reflects a broader shift in the market. Companies are not looking for technology for its own sake. They are looking for practical ways to improve maintenance performance, reduce uncertainty and make better use of the data they already have.

We also had the opportunity to demonstrate to representatives of the Swedish mining industry how Reality Twin has already delivered value for Finnish customers. These discussions showed a strong interest in approaches that combine operational realism, visual clarity and measurable maintenance benefits. It is one thing to talk in general terms about industrial digital twins, but another to show how the same approach has helped real industrial organisations improve planning, communication and maintenance execution in practice.

One interesting signal from the fair was how strongly the discussion centred on the usability of existing systems. Many organisations do not need another standalone system. They need a better way to bring together the information they already have and make it usable in the real operational context. That is exactly where Reality Twin and the Maintenance Module generated interest: not as replacements for SAP or existing maintenance systems, but as a practical visual layer that helps people use those systems more effectively.

Maintenance as a Source of Operational Performance

Underhåll 2026 reinforced our view that the future of maintenance will be shaped not only by automation or AI, but by the quality of the connection between data and the real plant environment. When that connection is strong, safety improves, shutdowns are better prepared, communication becomes clearer and maintenance becomes more than a necessary cost. It becomes a contributor to operational performance.

Read more about Reality Twin Safety module

Want to See It in Practice?

If you would like to hear more from a SolidComp expert and see Reality Twin and the Maintenance Module in practice, please get in touch. We would be happy to show how a reality-based digital twin can support maintenance planning, safer execution and stronger operational continuity in your facility.

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