FOCUS CAFM
spaces says Bullard, as the way other industries
work, such as healthcare or leisure facilities,
can adopt a digital audit trail that tracks what
has been done and when.
“Adaptability has become a key focus and
teams need to move quickly should
working scenarios change again,”
he advises. “And of course,
facilities managers
themselves are now
able to do much of
their management
remotely too.
They can
interrogate
their Building
Management
System from
their device
at home,
immediately
understand what’s
going on – heating
levels, liª operation, asset
issues – and get them resolved
whilst retaining reduced capacity.
“The entire facilities management operation
has become more accessible to the entire
business, and the priority of these teams
and technology in providing a continued
experience for employees has increased
exponentially.”
Whitwham believes the benefits of a CAFM
system’s reports are in not only reflecting
key performance indicators and productivity
levels but in producing financial reports that
demonstrate a department’s output.
34 MARCH 2022
“From buildings and services to equipment
and personnel, CAFM soª ware connects all
aspects of facilities management. It provides
organisations with the key information
needed to make better informed and more
cost-eœ ective operational decisions.”
From buildings and services
to equipment and personnel,
CAFM software connects all aspects
of facilities management. It provides
organisations with the key
information needed to make better
informed and more cost-effective
operational decisions.”
Bryan points out that when it comes to
asset life cycles, certain assets will
require more servicing attention
than others to maintain
optimum performance.
He believes Planned
Preventative Maintenance
(PPM) via a CAFM system
can support this analysis,
identifying which assets
are working smoothly
and don’t require
servicing (and those that
do), thereby helping to
reduce the level of reactive
maintenance jobs and freeing
up FMs for more valuable tasks.
In addition, as jobs can be logged
faster with real-time status updates,
eœ iciency can be significantly increased.
Benchmarking of performance can also
track the results and impact of changes to
continually evolve and improve processes.
THE FUTURE
“The pandemic proved to be a catalyst for
technology investment, but in many ways
this rollout of technology was overdue,”
says Bryan. “Although restrictions may
be easing, government guidance and the
business landscape can change rapidly –
organisations must be prepared for the next
challenge. In order to future-proof businesses
as much as possible, investment into the right
technology, tools and skills is critical to foster
resilience, agility and continuity.”
Miller sees the future in two parts. “First,
more businesses require simple, easy-to-use
CAFM, starting their digital transformation,
enabling them to manage maintenance
and compliance while reducing operational
costs of each location. Then as their digital
transformation journey progresses businesses
will start to capture rich data on their building
usage now and in the future to support
strategic decision making.
“The second will be the adoption of IoT
and sensor technology to improve the user
experience in the workplace. By monitoring
areas like air quality, energy usage, occupancy
levels and M&E equipment, a business is able
to provide the best working environment for
its employees enabling them to attract and
retain the very best talent.”
Looking ahead, Bullard says the next
big positive disruption is set to come from
AI, bringing an even deeper level of data
insight and understanding. “The relationship
between facilities management and
technology is only set to intertwine further,
making the future of the industry an exciting
prospect for us all.”
www.fsifm.com/en-gb
www.bellrockgroup.co.uk
www.idoxgroup.com
www.asckey.com
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