MentorAPM, a leader in asset intelligence for water and wastewater utilities, will showcase how credible asset data can support better decision-making at WEFTEC 2026. As more water utilities adopt artificial intelligence (AI), MentorAPM will demonstrate practical and responsible applications through live demonstrations and customer stories, including a walkthrough of MentorLens, the company’s tool for high-quality, Level 2 rapid condition assessments. Attendees will also get a first look at Nelson, its asset-aware AI co-worker, currently in beta ahead of a wider launch in 2027.
“In this day and age, it seems like every time you turn around there’s a new, shiny AI tool promising to solve all of your biggest challenges,” said Tacoma Zach, co-founder and chief executive officer of MentorAPM. “But without what we call ‘asset data credibility’ — meaning accurate, quality data at the base — those tools aren’t going to be very useful. MentorLens was our first jump into the AI world, and after two years, we’ve seen first-hand how AI can help utilities use good asset information to get to decisions faster and with less room for human error. We want to share what we’ve learned with other leaders facing similar challenges and show how we’re applying those lessons as we continue to develop our approach to AI.”
MentorLens uses AI to help utilities build complete, current and reliable asset information. The tool reduces the time and cost of asset inventory and condition assessments while improving data quality. Across deployments, MentorLens has been shown to cut asset data collection time by up to 10 times and reduce costs by as much as 75%, with these benefits demonstrated at utilities including Santa Monica Water Resources, Genesee County Drain Commissioner Division of Water & Waste Services and Monterey One Water. The resulting data can flow into a utility’s existing CMMS or EAM system, providing a more reliable asset record to support condition, risk and reliability decisions. For MentorAPM customers, it also provides the context Nelson needs to work with that information.
Nelson understands how physical assets operate, deteriorate and affect service. It connects MentorAPM’s operational, condition, risk and reliability context to help users understand what is happening, determine what matters next and safely move decisions into action. Users can ask questions about their asset data in plain language and receive answers based on that context.
