Improving Preventive Maintenance with AI

AI has become a staple in our everyday lives.

Whether we’re watching commercials on tv or using it to answer our burning questions, we interact with it frequently. But with the advancement of AI also comes the continual integration of its uses. For example, in 2026 alone, over 100 new models were released for various purposes (Best AI News, 2026). Some are meant for professional studies, and others for generating videos and images. With this explosion of new uses, AI has begun to make its way into the manufacturing world. This developing innovation has led to potential improvements in how we conduct maintenance.

In this blog we’ll discuss how this move into the manufacturing world can affect this industry. Both the advantages and disadvantages will be discussed in relation to preventive maintenance. The topic of workplace safety and job security will also be mentioned. AI has both the potential to be a great use to companies, but also one of their biggest detriments.

As mentioned before, the innovation AI has provided is expansive and broad. Several industries like healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and financial services have felt the impact of this change (Rowinski, 2026). But to see how this change has realistically affected an industry, our focus will only be directed towards manufacturing.

So, what innovations have these models provided in this segment? According to NVIDIA (2026), the alterations this has provided include:

• Quality control
• Improved automation
• Lower energy consumption
• Improve throughput
• Lower maintenance costs

These benefits apply to most industrial equipment used in this industry. But what does AI look like when applied to conveyor belts specifically? Do these same benefits apply, and what might be the drawbacks?

When it comes to conveyor systems, this new technology is mainly used in the process of preventive maintenance. The most prominent change for the system is the use of “Machine Vision” (Intelgic, 2025). Machine vision is the concept of taking an industrial high-grade camera and combining it with AI systems (Intelgic, 2025). This product has the goal of detecting damage, providing continuity, and decreasing energy costs (Intelgic, 2025). Of course, this sounds incredible! However, there are a few things that you need to consider before making this purchase.

The downsides that are included in machine vision are:

• Potential loss of expertise
• Additional expenses
• AI hallucinations
• Expertise of AI needed

This innovation does have its downsides, but it overall seems to be increasingly implemented in warehouses. With both the advantages and disadvantages listed, what are the actual outcomes of using this technology. Some of the realistic results include:

• Longer conveyor lifetime
• Reduced downtime
• Automated preventive maintenance inspections

This products details seem very helpful and effective, but warehousing affects more than just the equipment. The people involved in shipping, storing, and production are just as important as the performance of your systems. How can this new solution improve the safety of the warehouse? This product has a variety of features to improve the security of employees. Some of the notable few include: 

• Less physical interaction 

• Early problem detection 

• Potentially lower belt malfunctions 

It’s undeniable that our future will, in some way, include the use of AI. However, with this being the case, integrating such advanced features takes careful planning. That’s where companies like Russell Conveyor can step in and help your company advance. We offer fully customizable MDR conveyor systems that include pallet, crate, spiral, gravity, and sortation. You shouldn’t have to settle for mediocre performing machines. 

Call us today at (336) 526-3014 and let’s talk about improving your output. 

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Want to read about automations other uses? Look at our latest blog on how automation affects natural disaster recovery.