Facility management is a far-reaching field that includes the operation, maintenance, sustainability, and resilience of the built environment. According to the folk at All Pro Cleaning Systems, it encompasses the management of a wide range of assets and systems, including real estate, infrastructure, equipment, furniture, cleaning, waste management, security, and more. With the rapid advancement of technology in recent decades, facility management companies now have a vast array of tools at their disposal to substantially increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve sustainability across facilities. When facility managers strategically implement the right technologies, they can optimize assets, reduce risks, gather data, and provide significant value to organizations.
Building Automation Systems Drive Efficiency
One major area where technology is revolutionizing facility management is building automation systems (BAS). These networks integrate hardware and software to monitor and control multiple building systems, including HVAC, lighting, power, security and more from a centralized dashboard. For facility management companies overseeing multiple locations, BAS enables remote control and oversight of various sites from one platform. Managers can gain critical visibility into how assets are performing in real time and make data-driven adjustments to settings to optimize efficiency.
Mobile-Enabled Field Service Drives Productivity
Another technology shaping modern facility management is mobile-enabled field service solutions. Equipping on-site facility staff with smartphones and tablets allows them to access critical information and tools at the point of activity rather than having to travel to a desk. Technicians can view 3D models, schematics, operating procedures, safety data sheets, and work orders right on their mobile device. This allows faster dispatching to issues and improved productivity.
Mobile technology also enables field service teams to track inventory, record meter readings, update maintenance checklists, take photos of equipment issues and more while on the go. This eliminates lag time between activity and logging the data. It also facilitates real-time communication and collaboration between the field and management through chat, annotations, and more. Facility managers benefit from being able to deploy staff more efficiently based on location, required skills and workload. Mobile technology allows for a more dynamic, responsive approach to field service.
Data Analytics Optimize Operations
The data generated from facility management technologies creates immense opportunities for valuable analytics. Advanced analytics software helps facility managers identify patterns and trends around usage, systems performance, sustainability metrics and more. Data crunching can detect inefficient or abnormal equipment operations to prevent problems down the line. It also aids enormously in sustainability initiatives by pinpointing opportunities for greater energy efficiency and waste reduction. When facility managers apply analytics across their property portfolio, they can benchmark sites and replicate best practices.
Predictive maintenance programs can also be implemented using analytics to forecast where issues will arise. This enables proactive repairs and replacements which reduces downtime. Analytics further helps managers understand occupancy usage and human traffic patterns. This allows for better space planning, adjusted HVAC and lighting schedules, right-sized security staffing, and proper waste management. The result is lower overhead costs. For facility management companies overseeing multiple locations of the same property type, benchmarking performance is highly impactful.
Conclusion
Technological innovation is rapidly changing facility management for the better. Solutions for automation, mobile-enabled field service and data analytics allow for more efficient, predictive, and sustainable management of buildings and infrastructure. When facility management companies leverage these technologies cohesively, they gain greater visibility over assets, which leads to lowered risks, costs and resource consumption. Organizations that fail to take advantage of the latest facility management technologies will miss out on major performance and efficiency gains across their real estate and physical assets. The future success of facility management lies in embracing technological capabilities to maximize productivity, resilience, and sustainability across the built environment.