MONTH IN FM
MARCH 2020 45
FMJ.CO.UK
RESPONDING TO THE DIVERSITY
AND DIFFERENT MODELS WITHIN
THE FM SECTOR
Since its inception, Ostara Systems has pursued
the ideology of creating an FM system who’s
underlying strength is its flexibility. Ostara
now boasts a wide-ranging portfolio of clients,
from Hawthorn Leisure Ltd and Whitbread in
the hospitality sector, to Santander and YBS
in banking and Primark and Lloyds Pharmacy
within retail. This article explains the challenges
that were faced in each sector, and how Ostara’s
CAFM so ware evolved to meet those challenges.
Due to the competitive nature of the hospitality
industry, clients find themselves in need of strict
financial controls. Taking Hawthorn Leisure, a year
into the partnership Hawthorn elected to bring its
maintenance management in-house. The Ostara
CAFM so ware enabled Hawthorn to move their
maintenance processes to a fully electronic and
more automated platform, eliminating the need for
paper filing as invoices are submitted and verified
electronically. The Ostara Mobile App, with its
o line functionality, meant that the client was only
charged for the amount of time that a contractor
was on site. Coupled with Ostara’s ability to set
bespoke authorisation rules, Hawthorn have been
able to maintain control of their maintenance
spend.
Following sustained growth and profitability,
Hawthorn Leisure was purchased by NewRiver
REIT plc, bringing the total number of pubs to
approximately 600.
In terms of the banking sector, Santander
have provided a number of challenges. To allow
Ostara to work with Santander, it first needed to
become FSQS certified, requiring compliance with
stringent safety and financial requirements. While
entering into a five-year partnership, Santander
also reviewed its single source contractor model,
to allow them to retain its benefits, as well as the
control and the benefits of the Ostara CAFM system.
These benefits were: independence, transparency,
cost control and asset management. Ostara
established a dedicated helpdesk to coordinate
all workplace services and maintenance across
Santander, including retail, data centres and head
o ice buildings. The system facilitates Santander’s
monitoring of their comprehensive contract, with
its elements of volume, cost limit, inclusions and
exclusions. Working alongside Santander and their
contractor, ISS, Ostara have been able to provide
visibility and a platform for them to evolve to a full
asset management solution.
In the retail sector, Primark has partnered with
Ostara to create a system and processes that will
allow them to control maintenance activities
across 12 di erent countries. Beginning with stores
in the UK, the system was rolled out initially to
only manage maintenance, but is now used by
other departments such as security and visual
merchandising to facilitate their activities. Primark
have been keen to continue to roll out the Ostara
System to further stores throughout Europe and the
USA, where the system now works in 12 di erent
countries, in nine di erent languages, with multiple
currencies and time zones. In addition, the so ware
also allows Primark to manage their varying models
by country, which includes single source and
multiple trade specific sub- contractor models.
Ostara have developed a system which automates
asset management and legislative compliance.
Ostara’s CAFM solution allows a client to upload
its asset database into the system, or to asset tag
their estate by using the Ostara Mobile App. The
detail captured in Ostara provides data on asset
performance, and the ability to predict future
replacement based on age, spend and condition.
These experiences are examples of the challenges
faced by CAFM providers in today’s economy.
The ever-growing importance of financial control
and the flexibility needed to keep up with the
diverse demands of today’s market, the growing
globalisation of corporations, asset management
and legal compliance must all be integrated and at
the forefront of CAFM so ware if providers wish to
continue to be relevant within the industry.
www.ostarasystems.com (0)844 880 2582 info@ostarasystems.com
/www.ostarasystems.com
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