At the 2025 Electrical Apparatus Service Association (EASA) Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, a group of industry leaders introduced a concept called closed loop asset management. Paul Rossiter, international chairman of EASA for 2024 and 2025, and Justin Hatfield, president of HECO, led the discussion on a vision that could reshape how motors, pumps, generators and power systems are managed.
This is not just about tools or tech upgrades. It represents a shift toward a future of operational resilience, tighter collaboration and high-efficiency outcomes.
Breaking Away From the Open Loop Model
In today’s industrial landscape, nearly every facility is being asked to do more with less. Fewer staff, tighter budgets and stricter performance targets mean maintenance and operations teams are under constant pressure to increase uptime, improve energy efficiency and extend equipment life, all while keeping costs (and their personal lives) in check.
Faced with this reality, even with the deployment of top shelf tools such as computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software, today’s industrial facilities are often caught in reactive or disconnected operating practices even when best-in-class CMMS systems are implemented.
This problem is rooted in what is called open loop asset management. Data is gathered but not acted on. Alerts go unanswered. Failures are addressed without the benefit of insight. Everyone is doing their job, but no one is closing the loop.
The result is wasted resources, missed opportunities and growing operational risk. This reality makes a compelling argument to consider evolving away from traditional maintenance models to systems that are more adaptive and effective.
A Smarter, Connected Future
Imagine a worker walking into their plant on a Monday, not to triage a surprise failure or scramble for parts, but to fine-tune a system that is already whispering what it needs. Pumps, motors, drives, generators and power systems are all working together like a coordinated organism. There are no fire drills. No silos. No excuses. That is the promise of closed loop asset management: a new way of thinking.
It is not about doing maintenance better; it is about running assets smarter. Imagine a world where:
- A pump does not just trigger an alarm. It explains why it is struggling and what to do about it.
- A generator does not just run when utility power is out. It predicts and coordinates operation during peak power times to reduce energy consumption costs.
- Teams do not drown in dashboards. They respond to clear, prioritized maintenance actions while communicating what they are seeing in the field.
Nothing counts as finished until the issue is fixed, and the fix improves the system’s overall performance.
This is not just about improving maintenance. It is about running an entire asset base in a smarter and more adaptive way.
Why the Current Model Falls Short
Data is everywhere, but that data having an effect on maintenance action is rare. Third-party systems gather mountains of information that often sits unused. Maintenance teams are expected to respond without the full picture, while vendors insist they have delivered on their contract. Everyone is doing what they are supposed to do, yet no one owns the outcome.
The real issue is not the data itself but the lack of actionable insight. There is no system that ensures someone takes that data, solves the problem and confirms that the solution works. That is what keeps the loop open and the problems recurring.
Rossiter put it bluntly: “We’re drowning in data but starving for action.”
The Missing Link Is Often Human
One of the most undervalued sources of insight in any facility is the information coming from the edge, from the people closest to the assets.
Maintenance technicians, operators and shift leads see what the sensors cannot. They notice subtle changes in sound, vibration, smell or process behavior. They catch patterns that do not show up in dashboards. They experience the friction of restarting a stuck motor or bypassing a tripped breaker when no one else is around.
A truly closed loop system must value these edge observations as much as it values sensor data. When these human insights are captured in real time, tagged with context and looped into the decision-making process, the system becomes far more intelligent and effective.
This is what separates a smart system from a wise one. Technology alone is not enough. The people on the front lines complete the picture.
Hatfield summed it up well: “The loop closes by actually doing the work. Boots on the ground is important. It’s not just about notifying and analyzing. You have to make sure it actually gets fixed (close the loop).”
A closed loop facility operates like an intelligent organism. Assets sense, adapt and respond in real time. Power systems optimize energy use. Machines learn from past issues. People and tools are aligned.
Even the broader community participates. Residents report issues like water leaks. Partners share performance insights. Everyone benefits when the system works better.
How the System Works
This is more than a concept. It is already taking shape in forward-thinking facilities.
- Smart assets use AI sensors to monitor vibration, power quality and temperature. These sensors enable equipment to self-adjust in real time, like a pump correcting flow or a power system stabilizing voltage. They also confirm whether corrective actions are working, closing the feedback loop.
- Shared insights across facilities allow continuous improvement. Lessons learned in one operation can inspire innovation in another. What works in a food processing line may inform new strategies in a water treatment plant. When insights are shared, performance gains accelerate across industries.
- Human feedback loops are essential. Maintenance technicians and operators notice things no sensor can, like a subtle vibration away from any sensor, a strange smell during operation or a recurring manual override. Capturing these observations and integrating them into digital systems makes the entire asset management approach more intelligent, responsive and trustworthy.
- Closed loop asset management is what the Internet of Things (IoT) was meant to become. It connects systems, sensors and people in a way that generates clarity, not noise. It translates years of research and development into practical, measurable improvements on the plant floor.
It starts with intelligent assets—AI-enabled devices that detect issues early, act in real time and report on results. These tools reduce friction for teams, eliminate guesswork and ensure action leads to improvement.
It builds toward shared accountability. This occurs not through technology alone but by aligning everyone in the loop, from technicians to engineers to local communities, with a clear path to resolution. This is how the loop closes and how operations move from reactive to resilient.
Real-World Results
These ideas may sound advanced, but they are not abstract or theoretical. Facilities that embrace closed loop asset management see measurable returns.
Here is what is already happening:
- A manufacturing plant cut downtime by 30% after AI detected early signs of motor failure. Technicians responded proactively, avoiding unplanned outages and saving over $1 million in lost production.
- A municipal power grid reduced energy costs by 15% through smarter load management. Connected generators and power monitors optimized flow in real time, freeing up budget for infrastructure upgrades.
- An irrigation network saved 25% on water consumption as farmers collaborated with smart pump controls. This built trust, improved resource sustainability and enhanced local grid resilience.
These are real benefits where closed loop asset management turns operational chaos into clarity and control. It is not about installing more sensors for the sake of it. It is about enabling reliability teams to act early and decisively with the right context and the right tools.
Vendors that embrace this approach do not just deliver data. They reduce noise and simplify the workflow. They empower teams by delivering information in plain language with clear next steps.
Rather than pouring gasoline on a fire by flooding systems with unread alerts, this model helps teams prevent the fire altogether. It removes friction and makes the right thing to do also the easiest thing to do. That is how the loop stays closed, and that is how facilities go from reactive firefighting to continuous performance gains.
The Risk of Doing Nothing
Every open loop is a silent risk. Power fluctuations chip away at margins. Unseen equipment failures bring production to a halt. In today’s world, ignoring the problem is no longer a neutral choice. It is an expensive one.
The entire facility does not need to be overhauled, start with one asset. Pick a generator, pump or power monitor. Partner with a vendor who understands this approach. Run the test. See the results.
The path forward is ready. The tools exist. The benefits are real. The only question is whether the industry is ready to close the loop.
For more on asset management, visit pumpsandsystems.com/tags/asset-management.
