The Digital Aftermarket: How AI is unlocking opportunity in the industrial aftermarket

The industrial aftermarket — spanning parts, service, and maintenance across aviation, automotive, marine, and heavy equipment — is undergoing a massive digital transformation. AI and connected systems are unlocking new revenue streams and operational efficiencies in a sector that's been operating on legacy processes for decades.

At the X, a series of industry insights from TechNexus Venture Collaborative, explores how innovation lives at the intersection of emerging technologies and legacy industries.

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The industrial world, from aviation, automotive, marine, heavy equipment and beyond, is undergoing a quiet but monumental shift. For decades, the aftermarket—the massive market for parts, service, and maintenance—has grown steadily, powered by traditional MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) services. But today, a new, more dynamic layer is emerging: the digital aftermarket, driven by AI-powered solutions.

Today, we are at a technological inflection point. The AI capabilities available in the MRO space finally allow us to deliver on the use cases the industry has known for years. Instant queries for information keep technicians from no longer sifting through 50,000-page manuals. Voice AI creates sending and receiving data more efficiently than ever. Smart scheduling delivers parts right as they’re needed, eliminating downtime and hours of back and forth scheduling.

AI: The Engine of Aftermarket Transformation

From maintenance backlogs, technician shortages, supply chain challenges and compliance complexities, the unique capabilities of AI address all of these current challenges while creating a more connected aftermarket.

The digital aftermarket is transforming customer relationships, keeping manufacturers and end users more connected than ever. By providing faster service, higher customer trust, and differentiated service levels in a competitive market, AI is offering a new way to drive competitive advantage.

These new aftermarket revenue opportunities are helping drive resiliency for large manufacturers, transforming business models with enhanced AI offerings.

The Opportunity: Selling Intelligence, Safety, and Efficiency

For companies that successfully pivot to this high-growth digital layer—a market expected to climb from billions to reach into the multiple billions over the next decade—the reward is more than just a larger slice of the pie.

Digital aftermarket solutions are selling a new standard of operational excellence:

• Higher Efficiency: Streamlined workflows and reduced administrative work.
• Enhanced Safety: Predictive maintenance spots failures before they happen.
• Operational Intelligence: Real-time data fosters deeply connected relationships between manufacturers and end-users.

At TechNexus, we’re witnessing this firsthand across our portfolio. Here are a few companies—some of our own—leading the charge.

MaintainX: Empowering the Frontline

MaintainX is a prime example of a company that has successfully captured a massive slice of the industrial maintenance market. Their mobile-first platform empowers frontline workers across a multitude of industries, from manufacturing to facilities management. By digitizing workflows and providing a seamless, intuitive tool for maintenance, the company demonstrably reduces costly operational downtime. This is not just a technology play—it’s about amplifying human capability with AI, and the market is responding. The company raised a $150 million Series D funding round that propelled its valuation to $2.5 billion.

Shopgenie: A CRM for Auto Shops

In the automotive repair space, the TechNexus portfolio company Shopgenie, which created a best-in-class CRM and marketing platform, was acquired by Tekmetric, a leading shop management system. This powerful combination created a comprehensive, all-in-one software solution, allowing thousands of shops to manage their entire business, from customer communication to workflow, all from a single, unified platform.

Kognitiv Spark: Connected Worker Solutions

Kognitiv Spark develops secure and reliable connected worker solutions that empower industrial workforces. RemoteSpark, the company's flagship product, is a hands-free connected worker support solution designed specifically for industrial use. It empowers teams by enabling low-bandwidth, secure high-quality video and audio calls with remote experts, enabling real-time guidance and assistance at the point of need. RemoteSpark provides workers with instant access to critical information and documents directly through smart glasses. Users can independently retrieve the resources they need to complete tasks efficiently and accurately.

Partium: An AI-Powered Parts Finder

Finding the right part in a complex industrial environment can be a monumental headache, leading to costly downtime. Partium solves this by using AI to create a “Search SDK for industrial spare parts.” Its platform allows technicians to instantly identify the correct part using visual search, even if it’s dirty or damaged. By bridging the gap between operators and manufacturers, Partium is massively reducing search times and helping to keep complex machinery running smoothly across diverse sectors. In addition to working with large industrial companies, Partium also partners with The Home Depot, powering a feature of The Home Depot app that allows users to snap a picture of a part and get instant information on how to replace it.

Trunk Tools: Generative AI for Construction

Trunk Tools is developing the “ChatGPT for construction sites,” converting unstructured construction data like drawings, blueprints, and specs into structured formats while supporting scheduling and tracking. Its TrunkText feature gives teams instant, actionable answers straight from project documents — no more digging through folders or waiting for replies.

WingWork: Cloud-based Aircraft Maintenance and Compliance Platform

WingWork’s AI-powered platform digitizes workflows for aircraft maintenance and compliance. By replacing outdated, manual processes, WingWork helps aviation teams not only streamline documentation and collaboration but also reduce downtime and ensure regulatory compliance in a fraction of the time.

Threekit: AI for Building Materials

Threekit recently launched the Threekit AI for Building Materials, an advanced AI-powered suite that transforms how professionals discover, configure and purchase complex building products. Its suite of AI tools make product selection faster, simpler and smarter and is used by brands such as Kohler, Sloan, Fortune Brand and Marvin Windows

There’s a significant opportunity in the digital aftermarket as AI is reshaping workflows. Technician co-pilots, digital twins, autonomous quality control, supply chain optimization and more AI-powered solutions are creating significant new opportunities in MRO. For investors and operators alike, the message is clear: the future of MRO is in the software layer, and the time to invest in it is now.

By Jim Dallke at TechNexus Venture Collaborative