Most amusement parks already generate valuable ride data every day. The harder question is whether they’re using it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That was the starting point of a recent conversation with David Bromilow, ICAE<\/strong> – Mobaro’s Global Director, Parks & Attractions, and a long-standing voice in ride safety and maintenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The conversation, part of Mobaro’s collaboration with DMT RideGuard<\/a><\/strong>, focused on a clear opportunity for the attractions industry: turning existing ride data and early warning signals into safer, more structured maintenance workflows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As David explains, the gap is rarely access to information. It’s how that information is captured, understood and acted on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Preventive maintenance isn’t broken – but it can be strengthened<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Scheduled inspections, time-based replacements and routine interventions have served the industry well. They remain essential parts of a strong maintenance strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But they come with a familiar trade-off. Parts may be replaced before they need to be, while other issues can still appear between scheduled checks. Either way, maintenance teams can end up spending time and resources where they didn’t plan to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Predictive maintenance doesn’t replace existing inspection routines. It adds a smarter layer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By bringing real-time performance data into the maintenance picture, teams can identify early warning signs, plan interventions within operational windows, and reduce the need for reactive firefighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Predictive maintenance represents a fundamental shift from reactive firefighting to proactive optimisation,”<\/em> David explains. “Parks that embrace it will not only improve efficiency but also elevate their safety standards.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n What sensor data can actually tell you<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Modern sensor systems can monitor critical ride parameters continuously – including vibration, acceleration, speed, temperature and pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The value isn’t in the raw readings alone. It’s in the patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Subtle changes in performance can indicate wear, fatigue or potential failure long before the issue becomes visible through a manual check. That gives maintenance teams more time to plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And much of it can be monitored remotely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A safer way to get a reading<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Remote monitoring also has a very practical safety benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Traditionally, when a maintenance team needs a reading during operation, that may involve entering a restricted area while the ride is running, following strict safety procedures. It’s a controlled process, and teams have managed it safely for decades. But it’s still a process that requires care, coordination and exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continuous remote monitoring changes that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The data comes to the maintenance team, instead of the technician having to go to the data. Manual readings during operation can become the exception rather than the routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Going back into a ride enclosure during operation just to take a reading is becoming a thing of the past,”<\/em> one experienced technician told David during a recent visit. “And that’s a positive development for everyone involved.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s the kind of change that may not make headlines, but can make a meaningful difference across thousands of checks and inspections over a season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The missing link: from alert to action<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sensor data on its own is information. It only becomes operationally valuable when it leads to action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An alert needs to be routed to the right team. A follow-up needs to be assigned. A work order may need to be created. The decision and action need to be documented. And the wider maintenance team needs visibility into what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That’s where Mobaro fits alongside systems like RideGuard.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n RideGuard helps detect early warning signals. Mobaro helps maintenance teams turn those signals into structured workflows, work orders, follow-up actions and documentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In other words: the sensor generates the signal. The maintenance platform helps teams act on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What it changes day to day<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The shift David describes isn’t dramatic from the outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It looks like fewer surprises. Less firefighting. Fewer unnecessary manual readings. Clearer follow-up. And a more connected view of what’s happening across rides, teams and maintenance routines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For operators, that means knowing what’s happening across the park without chasing it. For maintenance teams, it means a clearer picture of what to handle first. For the wider organisation, it means safety decisions and documentation that hold up to scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The data is already at your fingertips,”<\/em> David says. “The real question is whether you’re using it to its full potential.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n That’s a useful question for any park reviewing its maintenance strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n See it in practice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re exploring how predictive maintenance could fit into your park’s operations – or how sensor data could connect with your existing maintenance workflows – we’d be happy to show you what that looks like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Book a 30-minute walkthrough<\/a> Or get in touch<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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