Almost three-quarters (74%) of data centre operators in the UK are yet to adopt fully predictive maintenance strategies, highlighting the scale of the need to shift from reactive and preventative approaches to meet mounting expectations around resilience, efficiency and sustainability.
The figure has been revealed in a new report from Wilo, which surveyed 300 professionals to explore why, as the sector navigates a period of intense growth and transformation, data centres now demand infrastructure-grade asset management.
“From Reactive to Ready: Rethinking Operational Resilience in Today’s Data Centres” also outlines that operators have lost an average of six hours to unplanned downtime in the past year, which equates to significant financial losses.
While 91% of respondents recognised pumps as essential to cooling performance and facility resilience, only 31% are using condition-based monitoring (CBM), with a further 31% relying on periodic checks. Two-thirds (67%) do not continuously measure pump energy efficiency, which can hinder the ability to optimise power usage effectiveness (PUE) and water usage effectiveness (WUE) and meet sustainability targets.
CBM uses real-time data from critical assets such as pumps, motors and cooling systems to anticipate failures. Fully predictive strategies combine this insight with automated alerts, maintenance scheduling and intelligent spares planning to prevent outages, extend equipment lifespan and improve both energy efficiency and sustainability performance.
Alice Oakes, service and support manager at Wilo, said: “Behind the performance of a data centre sits a complex ecosystem of assets that must operate seamlessly to maintain uptime. With that in mind, and the sector’s recent recognition as critical national infrastructure, many facilities could benefit from upgrading their maintenance approach to meet the requirements of a more demanding era.
“Predictive maintenance is a fundamental requirement for resilience, efficiency and sustainability in modern data centres. It’s therefore crucial that solutions are in place to help operators overcome barriers to adoption and ensure their facilities are equipped for the future. For those keen to avoid unplanned downtime, reactive maintenance for critical assets is simply obsolete, and preventative approaches aren’t far behind.”
Unexpected asset breakdowns were cited as a key challenge by 45% of respondents, closely followed by a lack of actionable monitoring insights (44%). 41% also stated they do not stock critical spare parts, while supply chain delays and engineering shortages continue to stretch response times.
Skills shortages (55%), data integration challenges (54%) and uncertainty around return on investment (46%) were identified as the main barriers to adopting predictive maintenance strategies.
Appetite for change, however, is clear, as almost nine in ten operators (87%) without a predictive strategy said they intend to adopt one within the next six months, suggesting that maintenance maturity will soon align with the sector’s critical national infrastructure (CNI) status.
Alice said: “Operators are encouraged to begin with a free energy audit from a trusted partner like Wilo to find out the potential return on investment and sustainability gains brought about by long-term energy savings and carbon reduction. We’ll also advise on the optimum time to upgrade pumps and how this can have a positive impact on uptime.
“Beyond that, we can support with predictive maintenance strategies and implementing condition-based monitoring systems, as well as helping facilities to navigate the industry’s well-documented skills shortage through targeted training, data integration and supplier guidance.”
Download “From Reactive to Ready: Rethinking Operational Resilience in Today’s Data Centres”.
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