Aura APM: Elomatic’s vision for the future of Asset Performance Management

A major milestone in Elomatic’s recent product development was the release of the Aura APM system. Launched in 2024, Aura provides a future-proofed 360-degree Asset Performance Management (APM) system that aims to significantly enhance the industry’s approach to harnessing the power of data insight. Aura establishes a modern approach to asset management, that enables shipowners to accurately monitor and predict the condition of their vessel, that supports more targeted decision making, whilst improving operational efficiencies and safety onboard.

The maritime industry creates a vast amount of operational, commercial, and environmental data. However, the industry has been largely left behind by the digital transition, leaving it failing to reap many of its benefits; continuing to rely heavily on early phase digital solutions, outdated operating systems, and scattered documents that fail to deliver the full potential of the digital era when it comes to accessing, utilising, and sharing this data.

Computerized maintenance management systems (CMMIS) are a regulatory requirement, representing the current industry standards for accessing and sharing data. However, these systems are often seen as unhelpful obligations, frequently reduced to basic 'tick box' exercises for compliance. Moving forward, we envisage them evolving into essential tools that can – with little intervention – inform and enhance operational efficiency: for example, combining good quality data and insights from the crew with sensor data from sophisticated equipment could significantly improve vessel operations.

These current processes often rely on outdated inventories and scattered documents, which can compound already busy workloads, as well as potentially result in costly breakdowns at sea that add up to tens of thousands of dollars in downtime.

Through Aura, Elomatic has developed a collaborative platform where our engineering services and client operations converge to drive effective asset performance management.

This includes:

• Asset condition monitoring: A holistic view of equipment health, combining real-time system data, human input, and predictive analytics
• Document control: Structured data and documentation management to ensure reactivity to investment pressures, whilst maintaining high safety standards, and optimizing workflows
• Engineering support: Elomatic acts as a trusted technical partner, providing ongoing expertise and backbone support throughout the asset’s lifecycle.
• Project and retrofit support: Strategic guidance and simulation capabilities to assess green tech investments, especially during complex retrofits, ensuring measurable impact and return on investment.
• Platform-enabled collaboration: Aura serves as a shared digital environment to connect stakeholders, streamline communication, and share valuable information.

Redefining Asset Performance Management in shipping

Traditional asset performance management in shipping has primarily focussed on reactive maintenance and siloed data systems, often failing to capture the full operational context needed for effective decision making. At Elomatic, we see the need to shift this approach, as effective APM must be rooted in comprehensive, real-time, and actionable data that allows ship operators and owners to make accurate decisions, especially in light of the current regulatory pressures that the industry faces.

As the 2030 IMO greenhouse gas reduction checkpoint approaches, the challenge for ship owners and operators is clear. With alternative fuels unlikely to scale widely in the near term, the immediate path to emissions reduction lies in optimizing existing operations through smarter energy efficiency measures. In order to be prepared and ready to invest in new technology onboard, there's a huge demand for up-to-date documentation, an understanding of the current technical operation of equipment, and interdisciplinary processes, well before even entering the project planning phase and addressing constraints. Yet, many legacy systems fall short of providing the integrated insights required to unlock these efficiencies.

Our approach with Aura reflects this movement. We see an APM ecosystem where 80% of the focus is on refining operations and processes, supported by 20% enabling technology. Aura is designed to break down traditional data silos by integrating live operational data, facilitating transparent communication across engineering and operational teams, and delivering consistent methodologies for measurement and analysis.

This holistic integration transforms APM from a reactive, compliance function into a proactive, strategic enabler of operational efficiency. With accurate real-time information and advanced analytics, even marginal gains in performance can be identified and scaled across fleets with confidence.

In this ever-evolving landscape, the shipping industry must look to move on from outdated digital practices and embrace intelligent, integrated systems that provide clarity amid complexity. Aura represents a step toward that future, establishing a platform that transforms data into decisive, sustainable action.