The Future of Asset-Intensive Supply Chains
The future of asset-intensive supply chains was a central theme at Hexagon LIVE’s recent global conference for digital reality technology, where 3,000 industry leaders from 59 countries gathered to discuss a critical question: How will AI, digital twins, and robotics reshape industrial operations? The conversations I had there—particularly with Bas Beemsterboer, Director of Sales Strategy for Hexagon’s Asset Lifecycle Intelligence division, revealed that we’re at a pivotal moment for asset-intensive industries.
The reality is stark: Even billion-dollar enterprises with massive tech budgets are struggling with supply chain complexity. As Bas put it bluntly, “The biggest companies in the world are still out there buying the wrong stuff. They’re not just uncertain—some are guessing.”
This isn’t just inefficiency—it’s a symptom of a deeper problem that’s reached an inflection point.
The Old Playbook Is Broken
For industrial decision makers managing asset-intensive supply chains, today’s environment is unforgiving. Labor shortages, aging infrastructure, and rising costs create a perfect storm, yet many organizations still chase silver-bullet solutions that don’t exist.
The fundamental issue? Most enterprises aren’t effectively monitoring assets through their Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) activities. Without proper maintenance, operations, and strategic planning aligned to maximize asset performance, reduce costs, and ensure compliance, even sophisticated organizations find themselves with disconnected systems and mounting risks.
Consider this: 72% of U.S. manufacturers say outdated technology prevents them from attracting and retaining workers, while facing 500,000 open jobs and spiraling operational costs. The message to potential talent is clear—if the technology isn’t modern, neither is the career opportunity.
The Maintenance Revolution
Perhaps the most significant shift I’m observing is maintenance teams evolving from solely uptime-focused operations to financially responsible strategic partners. Today’s maintenance leaders understand that factory floor decisions directly impact OPEX, working capital, and shareholder value, and can be balanced from a working capital and risk perspective.
This transformation requires more than new tools—it demands trust. As Bas noted, “Maintenance doesn’t have to be in the system, but it needs to trust the system. You can’t optimize what you don’t understand, and you can’t transform without trust.”
The challenge lies in bridging departmental silos. When maintenance, procurement, and finance operate independently, assets sit idle, maintenance teams overbuy inventory “just in case,” and millions get locked up in unused stock.
Purpose-Built Intelligence Over One-Size-Fits-All
The AI fatigue plaguing many enterprises stems from a fundamental misunderstanding: investing in systems they don’t comprehend or utilize effectively. “Companies are investing millions in CAPEX on tools they don’t understand—and worse, don’t use,” Bas observed.
The solution isn’t more data—it’s the right data delivered to the right person at the right time. Purpose-built AI systems that work across complex environments can align stakeholders, improve visibility, and deliver measurable ROI.
This is where strategic partnerships prove invaluable. The collaboration between Hexagon’s Asset Lifecycle Intelligence division and companies like mine demonstrates how combining expertise in data-driven asset management with AI-powered platforms can reduce working capital spending while improving operational efficiency.
The Path Forward: Three Key Principles
Based on these industry conversations, three principles emerge for successful transformation:
Human-Machine Collaboration: AI and robotics enhance human capabilities rather than replace them, creating opportunities for reskilling and role redefinition.
Interoperability: Systems must work together across platforms, fostering collaborative ecosystems rather than creating new silos.
Financial Alignment: Real transformation happens when finance, maintenance, and procurement examine the same trusted data and make aligned decisions, balancing working capital and risk.
ROI Over Eye Candy
In an era of demo-driven technology sales, pragmatic leaders focus on specific, valuable, and measurable use cases. Whether it’s deduplicating spare parts or reducing overstock, the goal is demonstrable business value in months, not years.
As Bas wisely noted, tools might look impressive in demonstrations, but “if it doesn’t produce ROI in the real world, what’s the point?”
The Competitive Advantage Is Now
AI in MRO isn’t the future—it’s the advantage industry leaders are already leveraging. The combination of real-time insights and reduced waste creates proven cost savings, but only for organizations willing to embrace purpose-built, trusted, and collaborative systems.
The companies that recognize this inflection point and act decisively will separate themselves from those still guessing their way through supply chain complexity. The question isn’t whether this transformation will happen—it’s whether your organization will lead it or struggle to catch up.
The future belongs to those who build trust in their systems, align their stakeholders, and choose pragmatic intelligence over flashy features. In asset-intensive industries, that future is arriving faster than many realize.
The real future of asset-intensive supply chains lies in applying purpose-built AI to Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) and Asset Performance Management (APM): tools that improve visibility, align departments, and connect planning to execution. But more importantly, these systems must be trusted by the teams that use them—from maintenance and procurement to finance and operations.
Paul Noble,
Founder & CSO of Verusen