How does the GCC rely on technology in FM in order to reduce costs?
FM in the region is showing a dramatic growth due to the construction boom and big coming events like the 2020 Expo Dubai or the Qatar 2022 World Cup. All those new projects are increasingly incorporating smart technologies, providing real-time actionable data and enabling automated building control.
But cutting-edge technology is not necessarily only used to execute big projects. For example, Rosmiman’s technology is also used to improve the performance of any asset by enhancing communication both internally and externally between end users, facility managers, contractors and the client allowing a better data–analysis in order to make better decisions, reduce implementation, operative and maintenance expenses and, finally, improving efficiency.
Web based user interfaces now allow users to adjust and control lights, shades, audio video resources and displays all in one building on a single platform though PC or mobile devices. Is this an area you have seen a growth in demand in your own business? Talk about this trend and the tech available.
More and more clients in the region are requesting to integrate our IWMS system with different BMS existing systems as monitoring and controlling tool for their assets. Thanks to that, our clients have achieved significant savings in their energy consumption and energy efficiency. Therefore, their facility management is becoming smarter, more efficient and sustainable.
Furthermore, mobile technology in the FM sector has changed considerably over the past five years, previously considered a luxury, it is now almost mandatory for any FM company to provide a proper and effective service according to market demands.
Many FM companies started their process of becoming mobile, acquiring advanced PDAs with RIFD, QR and barcodes, clients’ interest about ROSMIMAN’s mobility solutions increased significantly and awareness of the importance and potential of such solutions was higher. Nowadays, mobile devices have become cheaper and a most of our clients are using tablets and Smartphones fully integrated with our IWMS system, automatic emails or SMS notifications and real-time reporting functionalities. They can also use cameras, GPS and other features to take advantage of their modern devices.
Today, requests can be processed at the time when a problem is found, some of them require images, so it is possible to take a photo and scan an asset’s barcode to identify it and thus create work orders and follow up their status easily.
Intelligent, connected systems are also saving energy – where do you see this side of the business moving in 2016 and further on? How will impact the environment?
Nowadays, there is a sustainability trend worldwide regarding to save energy and go “green” and this region is no exception; in fact, UAE ranks eighth in the world of top 10 LEED for green building applications, the world’s most widely used and recognised green building rating system.
On the other hand, the Middle East region is becoming smarter, so now the “green” and “smart” concepts have merged. It means that meanwhile main cities in the GCC are on their way to be smart cities, they are also looking to be global leaders in sustainable built environments… and that is really good news.
To achieve this, it is necessary to count on powerful and reliable tools not only to control the assets’ performance and consumptions but also to identify how to save costs by implementing proper preventive and corrective maintenance plans, saving up to 25% in maintenance and operative expenses and prolonging the useful life of the assets. These technologies, like Rosmiman®, should be able to correctly collect, analyse and process all obtained data, and therefore, execute appropriate actions and make better decisions.
The trend now is to save energy which not only benefits the business by saving costs, but also benefits the environment and contributes to overall industry.
How well is the market (clients) educated on the systems available and what they should be using? What challenges still face the industry in this area?
During our first experiences in the region, we could see that many companies preferred to use the same product that other similar companies were using instead of trying something new. It is understandable: they wanted to make a “safer” decision, but each company has its specific needs and characteristics and not necessarily the same product suits both companies, not to mention that this company could be in fact paying more than necessary. It has been gradually changing, and now, companies are more open to analysing different options in order to find the best choice according to their needs.
Moreover, several years ago, Facility Management came into the picture after the structure was built. Nowadays, there is more awareness of being involved in the design and construction process from a very early stage, companies has begun to bear in mind building life-cycle costs, and indeed FM plays a crucial role.
FM companies have also learned that “the cheapest” is not always the best choice; they know that it is necessary to invest to be at the forefront of technology and thus provide a better and more effective service according to market needs. Time is a key factor today and clients demand faster responses, availability anytime anywhere and more accurate reporting; all of this requires powerful and reliable tools. That’s why we have never stopped researching and developing new solutions, constantly learning, improving and developing our skills to maintain our products one step ahead of the trends. Technology is changing every minute and we must live up to what our clients might be looking for or expecting.
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