Digital dilemma

INTEGRATION

Many of the common challenges in the FM industry, such as minimising cost, increasing productivity and becoming more sustainable, can be dramatically helped by integrated technology solutions. But with so many solutions now available, where do you begin to integrate tech solutions to work together?

Gorman at Anders+Kern recommends looking for technologies that have already provided integration with other technologies, and asking for examples and references.

He says: “There are quite a few service providers now in the arena that partner with different technologies. These service providers have experienced the problems of integrating the technologies and they may have already tested solutions and found what works well.”

He recommends that users avoid trying to integrate several technologies in one step and, if one thing goes wrong it will bring everything down.

Core data integration is another critical consideration according to MRI’s Massey: “Be that the creation of an asset in a single system and it being available in any subsequent ones. It’s about being able to call other technology platforms from within another (single sign-on being key to keep a good user experience), and giving the right user the right data.”

Witter of BigChange also recommends talking to other companies that have been through the process and get recommendations before choosing a system.

He says: “It is important to involve everyone from administration to accounts and field service engineers to customer service teams. A phased implementation (in one service area or regional location, for example) will help smooth out the pitfalls that may well arise.”

SOFTWARE FUTURES

The software developments McCarthy sees as most useful for FM in terms of building performance and asset management include CAFM Software which is integrated with other technology for a best-in-breed solution, IoT and Smart Building Technology, BIM & Digital Twins and AI for predictive maintenance.

“Ultimately, all the above converging together will create an optimal building management system. As buildings and building requirements continue to grow and develop, having a succinct and established building management system to assist with performance and asset management is transitioning from a desirable arrangement to a necessary one.”

Massey says the latest IoT and not basic sensors that we used to have 10 years ago, but ultra-smart sensors that can give early indication to a wide-ranging set of issues will deliver huge digital benefits.

These enables the compilation of: “A ‘building health’ indicator, built up of a vast amount of data, feeding into a core FM platform. By this I mean the ability for a sensor to raise an alert (for example CO2 level is too high in a room), send that ‘task’ to the CAFM system and in-turn that CAFM system could (where possible) tell the BMS system to open the fresh air-vents or increase the AC unit or tell the facilities team to go and visit that room – all from a single sensor.”

Using IoT tools in this way could deliver smart energy management he says, working as “a digitally attentive landlord who offers a feature-rich self-service portal or integrated access control on your phone. All of these are the foundations for ‘digitally driven maintenance’ which in my view is the most useful set of developments we are working on.”

ABAX’s Craig Allan agrees asset management is an area of focus for FMs, and while some developments within buildings can often be expensive, introducing an effective asset management system can be a smaller, but rewarding and cost effective, investment.

He explains: “As part of strong asset management, it can be possible to increase the life of some assets. We have a ‘one year longer’ commitment whereby we aim to share insights to help customers use their assets in a way that means they last at least a year longer than anticipated.

“This could mean offering data-led insights on driving behaviours to reduce idling or sharing insights on how to limit wear and tear on machinery. Achieving this ‘additional year’ requires that the location of the asset is easily identifiable, and if it is lost/mislaid it can be recovered.”

However, he adds, with all these developments we should never forget the user’s role: “Data is what software uses and processes, but humans need information (processed data) to make more informed decisions. By using this information FMs can implement new ways of working, reduce energy spending or remove the need to unnecessarily replace assets – thus providing a more efficient, sustainable and profitable business.”