From wartime wisdom to smart manufacturing: the power of condition monitoring

Modern manufacturing faces relentless pressure to improve efficiency, reduce downtime, and maximise productivity. Amid labour shortages, supply chain disruptions, and rising operational costs, manufacturers are turning to smarter maintenance strategies — particularly condition monitoring — to stay competitive. When reading a recent article by my colleague Tom Knauer, ‘From WWII Bombers to Smart Factories: The Data-Driven Evolution of Maintenance’¹, I was a little surprised to learn that , the roots of this approach trace back to World War II, when the Royal Air Force (RAF) pioneered data-driven maintenance to keep bombers flying during the Battle of the Atlantic.

In 1942, the RAF’s Coastal Command faced an urgent challenge: German U-boats were sinking Allied ships faster than they could be protected. Long-range bombers were a key defence, but most were tied up in strategic bombing campaigns. To solve this, the RAF formed an Operational Research Section, to analyse both combat tactics and aircraft availability.

Their findings were perhaps counterintuitive: scheduled preventative maintenance — intended to increase reliability — was actually reducing aircraft availability. Maintenance bottlenecks, over-servicing of low-risk components, and delays caused by rigid procedures led to fewer planes ready for missions. Even more surprising, component failures often increased shortly after maintenance. The RAF responded by shifting to a data-driven approach: extending maintenance intervals when justified, focusing on critical components, and allowing non-critical parts to ‘run to fail’.

This wartime innovation laid the foundation for today’s condition-based maintenance. In modern factories, smart sensors and IIoT technologies enable real-time monitoring of machine health indicators like vibration, temperature, and humidity. Unlike traditional methods that rely on historical data or fixed schedules, condition monitoring provides immediate feedback, allowing operators to act before catastrophic failures occur.

Real-time data empowers manufacturers to make informed decisions rather than relying on guesswork. It reduces unplanned downtime, improves Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), and minimises waste from poor-quality production. For example, a sensor detecting abnormal vibration can trigger an alert, allowing maintenance during planned downtime — avoiding costly disruptions and ensuring product quality. With sensor and system capabilities advancing and costs reducing, the price of unplanned downtime and lost production now often far outweighs the investment in early warning technologies.

Moreover, condition monitoring supports strategic resource allocation. By identifying which assets truly need attention, manufacturers can optimise labour and inventory, avoiding unnecessary servicing and stockpiling of low-risk spare parts. This mirrors the RAF’s wartime insight: not all parts require equal attention, and over-maintenance can be as harmful as neglect.

In today’s industrial landscape, the shift from reactive to predictive maintenance is really a cultural transformation. Whether implemented in-house or outsourced, the key is ownership and control of data. Sensor-generated insights enable real-time action, often without the need for direct costly integration with control systems, however it is important to use data to identify and target key areas. Trying to cover everything at once often stalls progress. It's more effective to start small, focus on critical components, and expand gradually after early wins.

Securing a competitive advantage involves recognising and applying proven historical insights using today’s advanced technologies. The RAF’s data-driven approach helped win a war; today, it helps manufacturers win the battle for efficiency and productivity. By trusting real-time data over assumptions, companies can unlock smarter maintenance, better productivity — and a more sustainable future. 1. Knauer T 2025, From WWII Bombers to Smart Factories: The Data-Driven Evolution of Maintenance, Balluff, <<https://www.balluff.com/en-us/blog/from-wwii-bombers-to-smart-factories-the-data-driven-evolution-of-maintenance>> *Jim Wallace is Sales Director at Balluff AUNZ with over 30 years in the industry. He’s passionate about helping businesses improve with smart sensor tech, especially in condition monitoring and evaluation solutions.

Top image credit: iStock.com/coffeekai