It does not go unnoticed that the manufacturing sector is continuing to face high levels of competition and regulation as we enter 2026.
Operating in incredibly volatile market conditions, companies must look to technology and advances in bespoke automation in order to build sustainability and future-proof business operations.
This is especially in light of Manufacturing Today, highlighting that manufacturers operating in the UK and Europe were predicted to lose approximately £80 billion in 2025 due to unexpected equipment failures.
£80 billion!
The answer?
Predictive maintenance.
A technological feature that allows manufacturers to spot and effectively fix problems and issues before they become costly.
Helping manufacturers maintain efficiency, sustainability, and profitability, in this post, we examine the importance of predictive maintenance in UK factories and the benefits that this specific type of technological automation brings.
UK Manufacturing
When machinery and equipment fail without warning, you may face significant challenges in getting things back up and running quickly, smoothly, and safely.
And when production becomes unreliable, quality is affected, delays are probable, and time and resources are wasted – all leading to high costs. Costs that most likely have not been accounted for.
Predictive maintenance, a form of technology that allows manufacturers to better manage costs and avoid costly downtime on production lines, therefore, moves from a nice-to-have to a must-have.
Where, traditionally, manufacturers have responded reactively to machine failure and downtime, addressing problems only as they arise (fuelling the £80 billion manufacturing losses), now, manufacturers must become more proactive in machine monitoring and management in order to:
- Build a competitive edge
- Keep production moving
- Keep employees safe
- Maintain high quality and standards, and
- Keep costly downtime to a minimum.
The solution?
Predictive maintenance.
Benefits of integrating predictive maintenance
The benefits of predictive maintenance for factories are significant, as predictive maintenance:
Prevents breakdowns and unplanned costly downtime, keeping throughput stable and production lines moving. Use automation to your advantage when looking to prevent bottlenecks and backlogs.
Identifies issues, sending alerts to manufacturers, allowing you to put in place the most appropriate repair, while minimising disruption.
Helps to reduce rising operating costs. Operating machinery that is not running at optimal performance levels consumes more energy and time.
Sustains your competitive edge. Providing you with operational visibility, boosting productivity, and opening up future opportunities.
Eliminates inefficiencies as over-maintenance of equipment and machinery is reduced, and parts aren’t replaced prematurely (reducing maintenance costs) or, indeed, too late.
Extends equipment life, enhancing machine reliability and optimising performance and output.
Enhances energy efficiency. Faulty or older machinery and equipment will use up more energy to continue to perform at high levels, which keeps costs high and puts strain on a business’s carbon footprint.
Improves workplace safety by enabling teams to operate high-performing equipment and machinery and to instantly identify safety issues, allowing the appropriate procedures and protocols to be put in place.
How predictive maintenance works
Predictive maintenance works by performing scheduled interventions on machinery and equipment based on time and actual usage.
Using IoT sensors to monitor vibrations, temperature, pressure, and energy consumption, these sensors collect and provide real-time data and analytics, which are then analysed using AI and machine learning to anticipate equipment and machinery failures, as well as production line faults, before they occur.
Baselines are put in place to support machine learning and to identify any anomalies that could signify failure or a fault that could trigger maintenance work.
If this happens, alerts are sent instantly (via wireless systems), the machinery’s condition is assessed, and recommendations are provided (data is kept safe through cloud storage solutions).
From here, repairs are made, downtime is avoided, teams are kept safe, and production lines continue without disruption.
Innomech
UK manufacturers face stringent, ever-changing safety regulations and ongoing skills shortages.
This, matched with the need to maintain high levels of quality and keep production moving as efficiently and as quickly as possible, means manufacturers must look to invest in bespoke automation.
Saving manufacturers thousands in unplanned downtime and costly repairs, automation-led approaches to machine monitoring and data capture are proving critical for those who want to create and build long-term success.
By integrating with existing systems, bespoke automation can provide the visibility and reliability needed to support predictive maintenance strategies, enabling manufacturers to monitor machines in real time, track performance, and make informed decisions.
At Innomech, we design, develop, and deliver bespoke automated solutions for manufacturers.
Innovative in our approach, we produce special-purpose automated solutions for the manufacturing sector.
Speak to our engineers about improving uptime today.
