MRO – Challenge and Chance for Sustainable Enterprises

Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) is acquiring increasing commercial and socio-economic significance. For products and goods with high investment costs and a long lifespan, especially in the sectors of energy and transport, a considerable portion of commercial profits are generated by after-sales services. The field has a limited scientific background, despite a high potential in the business sector for technological and scientific optimization. This is also shown in the Market and Trend Study: Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul conducted by the Fraunhofer IPK in 2011. This study provides number-based and significant information about the market size, the competitive situation and future trends. This is where the Fraunhofer innovation cluster MRO in Energy and Transport were applied. Technologies and solutions for the optimization of MRO processes were developed in four different fields of innovation.