The 2024 survey indicates a trend of increasing workload and difficulty in equipment management and maintenance operations. This is exacerbated by a shortage of personnel. Measures such as utilizing DX and reviewing evaluation systems have shown some effectiveness in addressing this situation. This year, we are conducting the "Maintenance Status Survey" again. *Survey Period: Until July 31, 2026 *Survey Items and Response Method Details and purpose of the survey can be found here. Access the response page here. Participating companies and all members of our association will receive the latest "Report" summarizing the collected data and analysis free of charge. Below is an excerpt from the 2024 Maintenance Status Survey Report. ■ Challenges in Equipment Management and Maintenance Operations Revealed by Survey Results Figure 1: Items with Increasing Workload Figure 2: Increased Challenges Limits of Siloed Knowledge and Labor Shortages The item with the highest reported increase in maintenance workload was "Responding to individual capabilities" at 61.2% (Figure 1). Furthermore, "Methods for training and securing personnel" stood out as the most significant increased challenge at 70.5%, indicating that technical succession and personnel acquisition are the biggest bottlenecks (Figure 2). Addressing Aging Equipment The second highest increased challenge reported was "Addressing aging equipment" at 62.0%, highlighting the urgent need for countermeasures against deterioration (Figure 2). ■ Stagnation in Investment in IoT and AI Figure 3: Classification of Maintenance Costs by Nature Among maintenance cost breakdowns, "Preventive maintenance costs," corresponding to statutory inspections and time-based maintenance, showed a slight increase. On the other hand, "Predictive maintenance costs," which are expected from the utilization of IoT and AI, are on a downward trend (Figure 3). This glimpse into the struggles of the field suggests a hesitation to invest in proactive DX (