FOCUS MAINTENANCE
SMART ENGINEERING
The proliferation of new technologies has led to an explosion of data
in recent years. Here, Shane Betts, Head of Corporate, Integral UK
looks at maintenance for the digital age
Sixteen years since the British
mathematician and Tesco marketing
guru Clive Humby declared data to
be the “new oil”, many industries are
now harnessing digital information
to spur innovation and drive strategic
decision-making. This is true even for
building maintenance. The traditional
view is that the discipline is cold, staid,
and old-school. While maintenance has
always been a critical function in facilities
management, quantifying its value
beyond statutory compliance has also
been di icult, making it a prime candidate
for cost-cutting measures.
But that’s all changing. The emergence of
smart technologies to support existing BMS
and static data sources — such as internet
of things (IoT) sensors, artificial intelligence
(AI), machine learning (ML), and analytics
platforms — is transforming maintenance
into a data-led discipline that can help drive
both FM and broader business objectives,
especially in the post-pandemic ‘new
normal’.
34 MAY 2022
RISE OF ‘SMART ENGINEERING’
Historically, maintenance was based on
industry standards or the recommended
frequency of planned inspections. Engineers
attended customer sites on scheduled visits
to check the status of building assets. This
action allowed both the client organisation
and the service provider to tick a box under
the contract’s SLA or KPI agreement. While
on-site, engineers performed planned or
reactive maintenance, including statutory
works.
Frequency-based maintenance is an
e ective way of reducing downtime
and saving on the costs associated
with repairs and replacements.
But this method also has its
downsides. O en, for example,
it forces engineers to tend
to perfectly healthy assets
while increasing the risk of
unnecessary wear and tear
on equipment that is routinely
pulled apart and only carrying out
routine inspections on essential /
critical assets when they may require more
intrusive maintenance.
Now, the technologies that underpin smart
engineering are enabling a transformation
from frequency-based maintenance into
what can accurately be described as
“insights-based maintenance”. By combining
IoT sensors, AI- and ML-enabled analytics,
and remote monitoring, smart engineering
can significantly reduce operating and
energy costs and increase e iciency by
moving from routine frequency-based,
labour-intensive maintenance to flexible,
data-driven, predictive maintenance.
Once assets are equipped with sensors and
gateways, data is sent to a smart building
analytics platform. From here, technicians
can either resolve a problem remotely by
reviewing the report and liaising
with the relevant contract
manger or issue a work order
through an integrated
CAFM system for an
engineer to investigate
and resolve on-site.
By combining IoT sensors, AI- and
ML-enabled analytics, and remote
monitoring, smart engineering can
signifi cantly reduce operating and energy
costs and increase e ciency by moving
from routine frequency-based, labourintensive
This capability takes
away time-consuming,
repetitive tasks from
engineers so that
they can focus on more
technical or higher value
tasks and reduces the
number of necessary site visits
by engineers, saving money and
maintenance to fl exible,
data-driven, predictive
maintenance.”
carbon on travel in the long run.
THE FUTURE OF WORK
Myriad mega trends are now driving this
transformation. As the economy continues
to recover from COVID-19, businesses are
making changes to their property portfolios
and implementing new workplace models in
response to shi ing employee expectations.
Last year, a JLL survey of more than 2,000
o ice workers from di erent organisations
around the world found that 72 per cent
want to work from home from time to
time, while more than one in three (40
per cent) would like the option to work
from third-party places, such as co ee
shops and coworking spaces. As a result,
many are implementing long-term hybrid
working policies that give their people more
freedom, while some are considering a more
dispersed portfolio that incorporates a larger
share of regional sites or flex spaces.
Building occupancy is likely to become