Protects supply chains

According to the International Society of Automation, factories worldwide lose 5–20% of their production capacity due to unplanned downtime. With supply chain disruptions increasing, Mitsubishi Electric's predictive maintenance solutions help manufacturers identify equipment failures before they occur, ensuring business continuity.

Studies by Arimo show that the average factory loses 15 hours per week due to downtime. Production lines experience approximately 20,000 interruptions annually. According to Resilinc, production interruptions increased by 30% in the first half of 2024 compared to the previous year, with factory-specific issues increasing by 40%. First published: July 2, 2025, Ref. ME-EMEA-20250702_EN, Page 1/7
Higher transportation costs and labor shortages have amplified the impact of any outage. In this environment, predicting maintenance needs offers companies a significant advantage. This is primarily due to the early detection of a fault that can be rectified during the next maintenance interval, leading to longer machine availability.

AI Maintenance in Numbers

"If we can detect equipment failures weeks in advance, the entire supply chain benefits," explains Daniel Sperlich, Strategic Product Manager Controllers at Mitsubishi Electric Europe. "We can order spare parts for repairs that can be stored until the next scheduled maintenance phase. And we enable continuous, uninterrupted production operations – even if spare parts that are needed immediately are missing. Rafi Ezra, Managing Partner US Industrial Market at IBM Services, explains: AI-assisted maintenance solutions can reduce downtime by up to 50%, breakdowns by 70%, and overall costs by 25%.

Industry Response to Demand

Mitsubishi Electric has developed several predictive maintenance systems. The MELFA FR series robots with Smart Plus cards monitor performance and detect potential problems early on. The company's Melservo-J5 servo amplifiers use AI to detect wear on critical mechanical parts by analyzing vibration patterns, voltage changes, or backlash. The FR-E800 series inverters also feature a corrosion warning system and a lifetime diagnostic function for monitoring component health. "Today, implementing predictive maintenance tools is no longer just an advantage, but a necessity for companies that want to remain competitive," emphasizes Daniel Sperlich, Strategic Product Manager Controllers at Mitsubishi Electric. "Our solutions help manufacturers solve problems before they impact their production lines. We bring intelligence where it's needed most: directly into our equipment, close to the mechanics."