Data driven AR preventive maintenance for higher uptime

The problem: limited visibility in maintenance execution

Preventive maintenance is the foundation of asset reliability. Done well, it prevents breakdowns, extends equipment life and reduces unplanned downtime. But in many organisations, maintenance execution is a black box. Technicians follow procedures differently, paper checklists capture only basic completion data and there is no way to link maintenance effort to actual reliability outcomes.

• Preventive maintenance procedures are executed differently by each technician, leading to inconsistent results and missed issues
• Paper checklists and manual logs do not capture timing, deviations, photos or proof of work
• It is difficult to link maintenance effort—time, cost, materials—to reliability improvements and uptime gains
• Continuous improvement of maintenance plans is largely based on assumptions rather than data
• Technicians may skip or shortcut steps without visibility or accountability
• Knowledge of best practices is siloed—when experienced technicians leave, quality drops

For maintenance and reliability leaders, this lack of visibility makes it hard to optimise schedules, justify investments or demonstrate the value of preventive programmes. The result is often over-maintenance (wasted effort) or under-maintenance (unexpected failures).

How AI and AR–guided work instructions solve this

AR-guided preventive maintenance brings standardised, visual procedures directly to the technician at the asset. Instead of interpreting paper checklists or relying on memory, technicians follow step-by-step AR work instructions that guide them through every inspection, check and adjustment. The system captures execution data automatically—timing, completion, deviations and evidence—building a rich data set for analysis and improvement.

1. The technician receives a planned maintenance work order from the CMMS or maintenance management system.
2. The technician starts the corresponding AR work instruction on smart glasses, tablet or smartphone.
3. The AR system guides the technician step by step with visual cues overlaid on the actual asset.
4. The system automatically records time spent per step, total task duration and sequence of actions.
5. For each step, the technician confirms completion, and the system logs whether it was done First Time Right or required rework.
6. At critical checkpoints, the system prompts for photos, sensor readings or video as evidence of correct execution.
7. Any deviations, anomalies or issues discovered during the inspection are logged with notes and images.
8. After completion, a detailed maintenance report is generated automatically and synced to the CMMS.

This approach ensures every technician follows the same best-practice procedure and creates a data trail that supports continuous improvement, compliance and accountability.

Who is this for?

AR-guided preventive maintenance is relevant for a wide range of roles focused on asset reliability and operational performance:

• Maintenance managers responsible for ensuring preventive tasks are completed correctly and on time
• Reliability engineers focused on improving Mean Time Between Failures and reducing unplanned downtime
• Operations managers who depend on equipment uptime to meet production targets
• HSE managers ensuring safety-critical inspections are performed consistently and documented
• Quality managers who need traceable evidence of maintenance execution for audits and compliance
• Plant managers and site directors looking to reduce maintenance costs while improving asset availability

Where is this used?

AR-guided preventive maintenance is deployed across industries where asset reliability, safety and compliance are critical:

• Energy and utilities, where critical infrastructure inspections and safety checks must be performed consistently and documented thoroughly
• Manufacturing and process industries, where equipment uptime directly impacts throughput, quality and cost
• Pharmaceutical and life sciences, where GMP compliance requires documented, validated maintenance procedures
• Transportation and logistics, where fleet and facility maintenance affects safety and service levels
• Oil and gas, where safety-critical assets require rigorous inspection routines and audit-ready records
• Building management and facilities, where scheduled maintenance ensures comfort, safety and regulatory compliance

Typical process and workflow

Implementing AR-guided preventive maintenance typically follows a structured workflow that integrates with your existing maintenance systems:

1. Identify priority assets and tasks: Work with maintenance, reliability and operations teams to list the preventive tasks where consistency, data capture or compliance are most important.
2. Document best-practice procedures: Capture the steps, checks, tolerances and tips used by experienced technicians. Involve subject matter experts in defining the standard.
3. Convert to AR format: Translate maintenance procedures into interactive AR content with visual cues, checkpoints and evidence capture prompts.
4. Integrate with CMMS: Connect the AR maintenance platform with your CMMS or EAM system to pull work orders, push results and enable traceability.
5. Pilot and validate: Roll out AR-guided preventive maintenance on selected assets or routes. Measure completion rates, timing, First Time Right and technician feedback. Refine content based on real-world use.
6. Scale and standardise: Expand AR-guided maintenance to additional assets, sites and maintenance types. Use templates and governance for consistent rollout.
7. Analyse and improve: Use data from AR-logged maintenance to identify trends, optimise intervals and drive continuous improvement.

Concrete examples and mini-scenarios

AR-guided preventive maintenance delivers measurable results in a variety of real-world scenarios:

Scenario 1: Turbine inspection in an energy facility. A utility company struggles to ensure consistent turbine inspections across shifts and technicians. AR work instructions guide each technician through the same sequence of checks, prompting for photos at critical points. Inspection quality improves, and data analysis reveals a recurring issue that leads to a proactive repair—avoiding a costly unplanned outage.

Scenario 2: Cleanroom equipment maintenance in pharma. A pharmaceutical manufacturer must document preventive maintenance for GMP compliance. AR-guided procedures capture timestamps, technician confirmations and photos for each step. Auditors receive clear, traceable evidence of compliant execution, reducing audit preparation time and risk.

Scenario 3: Fleet preventive maintenance in logistics. A logistics company faces inconsistent vehicle inspections and missed issues. AR work instructions standardise the inspection routine for drivers and technicians. Data from AR-logged inspections identifies patterns—certain vehicles consistently show wear on specific components—enabling targeted, predictive interventions.

Getting started with AR-guided preventive maintenance

If you are considering AR-guided preventive maintenance, here is practical guidance to get started:

• Prerequisites: Identify the assets and tasks where consistent execution, data capture or compliance are most critical. Ensure you have access to subject matter experts who can define best-practice procedures.
• Pilot scope: Start with 5–10 preventive maintenance tasks or a group of related assets. Focus on tasks with clear steps and measurable outcomes.
• KPIs to track: Task completion rate, First Time Right rate, time per task, deviations logged, unplanned downtime, audit findings and technician feedback.
• Devices: AR-guided maintenance can run on smart glasses, tablets or smartphones. Smart glasses offer hands-free guidance for technicians working on equipment.
• Change management: Involve technicians, supervisors and planners early. Demonstrate quick wins and address concerns about pace and accountability transparently.

FAQ: AR-guided preventive maintenance

What types of preventive maintenance tasks benefit most from AR? Tasks that are complex, safety-critical, require evidence capture or are performed by multiple technicians with variable results benefit most.

How does AR maintenance integrate with our CMMS? Most AR maintenance platforms offer integrations with common CMMS and EAM systems. Work orders are pulled automatically, and results are synced back for reporting and analysis.

Can AR-guided maintenance capture sensor data or readings? Yes. Many AR platforms support integration with connected tools, sensors and IoT devices—allowing readings to be logged automatically alongside step completion.

How does this support compliance and audits? AR-guided maintenance creates a digital audit trail—timestamps, technician confirmations, photos and notes—that can be retrieved for audits, incident investigations and compliance reporting.

What if technicians resist new technology? Involve technicians early, focus on making their job easier (not adding surveillance) and demonstrate quick wins. Many technicians appreciate having clear guidance and documented evidence of their work.

Next steps

Ready to improve asset reliability, capture maintenance data and drive continuous improvement with AR-guided preventive maintenance? ActARion helps industrial organisations standardise maintenance execution and unlock insights from the shop floor.

Schedule a discovery call to discuss your maintenance challenges and see how AR-guided work instructions can fit your environment. No commitment—just a practical conversation about what is possible.

Further reading

Explore related articles to learn more about this use case:

• Preventive maintenance with AR work instructions: catching issues before they escalate
• Standardising inspections with AR SOPs: fewer surprises, better data
• How digital work instructions change the daily routine of maintenance technicians
• Connecting sensor data to AR-guided maintenance steps