Maintec 2026, part of Smart Manufacturing Week, will host a series of new product previews and industry discussions from Ultimo, as the company sets out its vision for accelerating maintenance maturity through benchmarking and AI-driven automation.
Taking place at the NEC Birmingham on 3–4 June, the event will see Ultimo unveil an “instant” enterprise asset management (EAM) maturity assessment designed to help industrial organisations evaluate their current capabilities in minutes.
Instant benchmarking to address maturity gaps
At the centre of Ultimo’s presence is a new rapid assessment tool that places organisations across five stages of maintenance maturity: Reactive, In Control, Proactive, Smart, and Ultimate. The company says the tool is designed to tackle a common disconnect between perceived and actual maturity levels.
Mark Harris, Sales Director for UK & Ireland at Ultimo, said understanding an organisation’s true position is critical to improving performance and asset value. He noted that many businesses overestimate their progress, with the new tool offering a more evidence-based view alongside guidance on next steps.
The assessment is also linked to benchmarking data drawn from hundreds of implementations, allowing users to compare performance against peers and translate strategy into a prioritised roadmap.
AI agents target maintenance and safety workflows
Alongside the assessment tool, Ultimo will use the event to showcase a new generation of AI-enabled “digital workers” aimed at automating routine maintenance and safety processes.
Initial use cases include automated asset registration, where equipment data is extracted from photographs to populate asset registers, as well as daily maintenance briefings delivered through platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Slack. A maintenance planner agent is also being introduced to generate work orders based on asset history, with the aim of improving planning speed and consistency.
Further developments in the pipeline include enhanced planning support through automated searches of equipment manuals, and health, safety and environment (HSE) agents capable of flagging risks in work requests or identifying safety issues from shift logs.
Industry panel to explore EAM challenges
Ultimo’s stand will also host a panel discussion featuring industry figures from across the asset management sector, focusing on the practical challenges of implementing EAM strategies in industrial environments.
The company said the combination of live demonstrations, benchmarking tools and peer discussion is intended to help organisations better understand how emerging AI capabilities can be integrated into existing maintenance strategies.
Ultimo works with a range of UK-based industrial organisations, including Bristol Port Company, London Gatwick Airport, Freiberger, Renewi and Recticel. Attendees at Maintec 2026 will be able to see its latest technologies in action and discuss potential applications directly with the company’s team.
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