The management of the integrity of engineering assets such as production plants, facilities and equipment can be a challenging task due to their interrelationships with financial, information, human and intangible assets. To ensure effective utilisation and to improve the management of such assets, one must make balanced and effective decisions based on performance assessments.

Successful AIM programmes incorporate design, maintenance, inspection, process, operations, and management concepts, across people, plants, equipment, and other assets. Best practice operations have comprehensive, fully integrated systems and a culture directed at gaining greater lifetime effectiveness, value, safety, availability, profitability and return from production and manufacturing assets. It is recognised by industry professionals that investment in AIM has significant business impact over the longer term by mitigating the financial, environmental, and reputational risks that result from systems failures (by way of example, just think of the repercussions of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster, Ford Pinto Fuel Tank Controversy, Bhopal Gas Tragedy).