Until recently, buying a new item was seen as a sign of progress, while repairing an old one was associated with the need to save money. If a toaster broke, it was easier to buy a modern model. If a phone started running slowly, it was time to replace it. However, advances in artificial intelligence, 3D printing, and robotics may change this familiar logic. In the future, the ability to keep equipment in working condition for decades may prove to be a more impressive achievement than buying yet another new product.

Futurist Thomas Frey believes that society’s perception of repair is already beginning to change. “I believe this symbolism will soon shift direction,” he says, referring to the former link between buying new things and the idea of progress. In his view, these changes will affect entire industries—from product design to the very understanding of which engineering solutions truly deserve admiration.

Spare Parts Will Be Made On Demand

One of the main reasons repair long lost out to buying a new product was economics. Manufacturers had to store spare parts for years, even if they were needed only rarely. And producing a separate part for a model that had long been discontinued could turn out to be too expensive.

Now the situation is changing thanks to digital manufacturing. Frey suggests imagining a ten-year-old refrigerator with a broken door hinge bracket. The mold for making this part is no longer in use, and restoring it for just a few orders is unprofitable. But if the manufacturer has kept a verified digital blueprint, the part can be produced on a 3D printer immediately after the order is placed.

“The spare-parts warehouse of the future may store almost nothing at all—only digital files waiting to be turned into exactly the part you need,” the futurist explains.

This approach makes it possible to abandon large production runs and years of component storage. Parts are produced as the need arises and then tested for compliance with technical requirements. Repair, which used to be a costly obligation, is becoming an on-demand service.

According to Frey, this also changes the interests of manufacturers themselves. When servicing older models becomes economically viable, companies are better off competing on the quality of repairs and the availability of necessary components than on creating obstacles to restoring equipment.

Artificial Intelligence Will Make Diagnostics More Accessible

The second part of these technological changes is connected with troubleshooting. Repairing complex devices has traditionally required high qualifications: a technician had to determine from an unusual noise, a leak, or an error code which specific component had failed. This knowledge was accumulated over years, which kept diagnostics expensive and slow.

Artificial intelligence can greatly simplify this process. Systems can analyze photos of a faulty appliance, take the specific model into account, compare symptoms with known failures, and suggest a sequence of repair steps along with the required parts.

“AI removes this bottleneck,” says Frey. He believes that expert diagnostics could become available almost instantly, while its cost will continue to fall.

How important this is for consumers is shown by a simple calculation. If a washing machine pump breaks, replacing it may cost $60, and the technician’s labor another $80. A new machine, meanwhile, would cost about $800, not including delivery and disposal of the old appliance.

When all the costs can be compared quickly, repair turns out to be obviously more выгоднее. According to Frey, a person who restores a machine for that amount “is not compromising—he comes out ahead.”

Why Repair May Become a Sign of Mastery

Social status is often linked to rare skills and craftsmanship. Manufacturing a new device requires capital and a developed supply chain, but as production becomes more automated, making standard products is turning into an increasingly routine process. Very different knowledge is needed to detect a complex fault in decades-old equipment, find or make a suitable part, and return the device to full working order.

“Buying new is easy. Bringing an old thing back to life may become the highest expression of skill, patience, and professionalism,” Frey believes.

A similar attitude already exists in the world of collectible items. A vintage watch that has been restored by hand by a craftsman and has worked reliably for sixty years can command more respect and a higher price than mass-market models. A classic car preserved for decades through careful maintenance and repair attracts attention at exhibitions in a different way than ordinary new cars.

Frey expects that this perception will gradually extend beyond collector communities and spread to ordinary household appliances, electronics, and industrial equipment. The value of an item will be determined not only by the fact that it is new, but also by the human ingenuity that keeps it working.

Manufacturers Will Start Competing on Durability

If repair becomes cheaper and legislation sets requirements for product servicing, repairability turns into a competitive advantage. Manufacturers will have to take into account how easy it is to disassemble a device, replace individual components, and obtain the necessary spare parts.

Frey points to the French system of repairability indexes, which are indicated for certain goods, including smartphones, laptops, and washing machines. Such ratings make a technical characteristic understandable to the buyer and allow different models to be compared before purchase.

According to his forecast, over the next decade industrial design will develop toward creating products that are convenient to service. The characteristic “designed for fifty years of use and easy to repair” may become a powerful argument when choosing a product.

“This is where the real engineering achievements that manufacturers can be proud of will be concentrated,” the futurist believes.

This could also change the familiar model of consumption. Cheap goods that are more profitable to replace than repair became widespread largely because servicing was expensive, slow, and dependent on a limited number of specialists. If AI simplifies diagnostics and digital manufacturing makes spare parts more accessible, the economic foundations of this model will begin to weaken.

Will a Product Built to Last Fifty Years Become the New Luxury?

Frey predicts that durability may turn into an independent status symbol. A refrigerator that continues to work after thirty years, a tractor that serves reliably for half a century, or a device whose history includes several owners and dozens of documented repairs will demonstrate the quality of engineering solutions and the potential for long-term use.

“I believe we are moving toward a world in which a truly well-designed product will become a status symbol precisely because of its durability,” says the futurist.

For the manufacturer, this could also become an advantage. A company that guarantees a long service life and confirms that its products can be repaired gains the opportunity to offer the buyer a compelling story of quality.

Of course, repair will not always be more advantageous than replacement: safety, energy efficiency, the availability of components, and the condition of the device itself all matter. However, technological progress can make equipment restoration accessible in cases where it used to be too expensive or too complicated.

Frey’s main prediction is that the very idea of progress may change. Newness will cease to be an unconditional advantage, and an item’s ability to last for decades will become proof that it truly deserves to be preserved.