Artificial Intelligence combined with deep compressor expertise is enabling new predictive maintenance capabilities. Michal Pierzchalski, Head of Product Management for Digital Products & Services, explains Burckhardt Compression’s digital strategy and discusses the future direction of compressor diagnostics.
What role do digital solutions play in our evolution and overall strategy?
Digital solutions are central to Burckhardt Compression’s ongoing transformation. Our PROGNOST monitoring and protection systems have been industry benchmarks for over 20 years. With our new cloud-based solutions, we are building on our legacy while setting a clear focus on the future. These advanced monitoring and diagnostic systems are designed to help customers maximize compressor availability and reliability, ensuring they get the most value from their assets.
How does UP! Insight support this transformation?
UP! Insight marked a key step in our digital transformation. We began by building essential infrastructure, cybersecurity, cloud architecture, and an Industrial IoT (IIoT) management system. This groundwork enabled the launch of UP! Insight, our entry-level solution. The system collects a large amount of process data directly from the compressor’s control unit, analyzes it, and visualizes the results in real-time. It also delivers automated service action recommendations based on our OEM expertise.
How are the digital offerings evolving beyond UP! Insight?
Building on UP! Insight as the foundation, we have expanded our digital portfolio toward more advanced monitoring and predictive capabilities. In 2025, UP! Detect was successfully introduced to the market and is now operating at multiple customer sites across industries and regions. The solution combines vibration monitoring with cloud‑based data analysis to provide early warnings of potential failures and support maintenance decisions based on real‑time data insights. In parallel, Burckhardt Compression launched the Predictive Intelligence module for the PROGNOST®‑NT condition monitoring system, enabling operators to predict the remaining useful lifetime of key components. Together, these solutions support the shift from fixed maintenance intervals toward more predictive, insight‑driven asset management.
How is predictive maintenance transforming the experience for customers and the industry?
Predictive maintenance fundamentally changes the approach to asset care, moving from reactive repairs to proactive and data-driven planning. Historically, maintenance was often scheduled too early, at fixed intervals, or too late, after problems arose or performance dropped. Now, with AI capabilities, we use mathematical modeling and statistical methods to predict potential failures in advance. This foresight enables customers to proactively resolve problems before they escalate – reducing unplanned downtime, cutting maintenance costs, improving productivity, and meeting sustainability goals.
What is the role of AI?
Our AI-driven approach enables us to acquire and analyze up to 25’000 data points per second from each compressor. With modern computational power, we process this high-resolution data to identify subtle changes and anomalies in compressor behavior that were previously difficult or impossible to detect. AI also helps scale and democratize access to advanced and semi-automated diagnostic solutions. However, AI is just an acceleration tool, and the key competence resides with Burckhardt Compression’s teams that carry years of machine design and operational experience. In the near future, our software will autonomously issue maintenance alerts, recommend spare parts orders, and produce condition reports, simplifying maintenance workflows for our customers.
Now, with AI capabilities, we use mathematical modeling and statistical methods to predict potential failures in advance.
What tangible benefits do your digital solutions deliver to customers?
Our digital solutions directly improve asset availability and productivity. Continuous real-time monitoring allows us to detect up to 90% of potential component failures at a very early stage. Instant alerts regarding anomalies, alarms, and predictions help maintenance teams reduce their response and solution times by roughly 75%. Additionally, we ensure 100% reliability in functional protection against catastrophic failures when the system is operated according to factory guidelines. The cumulative effect of these solutions translates into increased reliability, lower maintenance costs, and greater operational predictability for our customers.
Why develop a solution in-house?
Developing our hardware, software, and analytics capabilities entirely in-house creates a powerful synergy between our mechanical expertise and digital innovation. This integrated approach ensures consistent quality, complete control over the solution, and a unified service experience for our customers. Coupled with strict cybersecurity measures, our approach minimizes risks and safeguards critical information. Handling every aspect internally gives our customers confidence and peace of mind, knowing that their entire compression solution is managed by a single trusted partner.