Recently, EthAum Venture Partners hosted a virtual thought leadership panel on “Innovations Disrupting Services & MRO Industry”. The panel featured a diverse group of experts, including Indu Tolia, CEO of Telepresenz, who shared her valuable insights and trends observed globally in the maintenance, repair, and operations industry. The discussion primarily focused on the impact of disruptive innovations in Oil and Gas, Aerospace, and Defence.
Major Challenges in MRO Services
One of the most significant issues is the lack of dedicated budgets for new technology and hardware. Maintenance leaders seek predictability to reduce unplanned stops, but achieving this requires a shift in technical resources, knowledge, and work practices.
Another critical issue is the long lifecycle of systems, particularly in aerospace and defence, where systems can last 20-30 years. Ensuring these systems remain operational through obsolescence management and supply chain challenges is crucial. Grounded time directly impacts revenue, making the move from reactive to predictive—and eventually prescriptive—maintenance essential.
New Technology and Innovation in MRO
The MRO industry has seen significant advancements due to rapid digitalization. Digital formats have replaced paper-based checklists, offering better traceability. Specialized technologies like Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) allow for remote collaboration, real-time troubleshooting, and faster repairs from virtually anywhere.
Emerging concepts like residual life extension involve re-engineering aging components using predictive analytics and high-fidelity simulation models, improving overall aircraft system reliability.
Forward-looking Disruptions
In the next 5-10 years, AI and machine learning will lead the wave of adoption, assisting in better decision-making and further reducing downtime. The growth of cloud-based storage, increased data security, and sustainability will continue to shape the industry's evolution.
Insights from the Panel
What is Telepresenz’s approach to providing support to customers in the Defence industry?
Telepresenz offers both on-site and virtual support, tailored to customer needs and SLAs. We offer on-site support during deployment to ensure everything runs smoothly and conduct deep discovery sessions to propose solutions that add genuine value.
How do Telepresenz solutions accommodate specific IT infrastructure needs?
One of the key benefits is our modular structure. Users can pick and choose features suited to their use cases. Deployment is flexible; customers can host on their own cloud (AWS/Azure) or opt for on-premises deployment within their facility and network.
Is Telepresenz designed exclusively for a specific wearable device?
No, Telepresenz is device-agnostic. We support a variety of wearable devices, each undergoing a certification process. It is also compatible with handheld devices like regular phones or tablets, with no variation in functionality.
How can legacy systems like ERP be integrated with newer technologies?
Integration often occurs through REST APIs. In cases where older systems lack modern interfaces, data can be exported and imported manually. With Telepresenz, workflows, checklists, and asset data can be updated instantaneously, pushing data back into external systems for real-time performance reporting.
Overall, Telepresenz provides valuable data insights, allowing customers to make more informed decisions and take appropriate corrective actions to prevent future failures.
Learn how Telepresenz® can modernize your MRO operations with device-agnostic remote collaboration.