A new report from Limble finds that maintenance teams are struggling to complete preventive maintenance, preserve institutional knowledge and make full use of their digital tools, creating challenges for facility managers responsible for building reliability and uptime.
The State of Maintenance Report surveyed 686 U.S. maintenance and operations professionals about their maintenance practices, technology use and operational challenges. The findings suggest that organizations may need to focus on workforce practices and maintenance processes before investing in more advanced technology.
According to the report, maintenance leaders estimate their teams complete just 54 percent of scheduled preventive maintenance tasks. Meanwhile, 61 percent of respondents said their current maintenance approach creates moderate to very high risk related to unplanned downtime, costs and safety.
For commercial and institutional facilities, deferred maintenance can contribute to equipment failures, unexpected repair expenses and disruptions to building operations. The report also highlights how reactive work can put technicians in higher-risk situations, with 65 percent of respondents saying reactive maintenance creates elevated risks for technicians at least monthly.
Staffing constraints add to these challenges. Nearly half of maintenance leaders said open positions take more than three months to fill. Additionally, 74 percent of respondents reported having at least one critical asset that only one staff member knows how to repair, while 47 percent said their organization had lost maintenance knowledge that could not be recovered after an employee left.
Technology adoption presents another opportunity for improvement. Although 82 percent of respondents said their organizations use a computerized maintenance management system, only 39 percent reported consistent use across their entire team. Among respondents whose organizations struggled with adoption, 47 percent cited insufficient technician training.
The report also examined artificial intelligence (AI) adoption. While 55 percent of respondents said their teams use or are piloting AI, 92 percent agreed that AI requires complete, accurate maintenance data to be effective.
For facility managers, the findings emphasize the importance of protecting preventive maintenance schedules, documenting repairs and asset histories and ensuring technicians can consistently use maintenance systems. These foundational practices can help teams make better-informed decisions and build reliable data needed to support predictive maintenance and future AI applications.
Jeff Wardon, Jr., is the assistant editor for the facilities market. With more than three years of experience, he covers topics including technology, wellness, sustainability and emerging industry trends. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
