Table of contents for October - November 2018 in Facility Management

Smart buildings just keep getting smarter. Every other day brings new changes, technologies and innovations, making these facilities in which we live and work ever more superior and efficient. Software company BuildingIQ has recently added to this frontier with the development of its Outcome-based Fault Detection (OFD) – an intelligent fault detection service for smart buildings. Essentially, with OFD, building operators and facility managers can autonomously detect, prioritise and validate building system faults using BuildingIQ’s cloud-based 5i Intelligent Energy Platform. This is a platform of technology-enabled services that learns and evolves with a building, or a portfolio of a building’s needs. Deployment occurs only once, when building owners and operators engage with BuildingIQ, giving them the ability to select the services that best solve current problems and then easily add…

For many leaders, the topic of ‘engagement’ is a biannual conversation – a retrospective snapshot of how effective their people and culture strategies have been in driving business outcomes. Smart leaders and facility managers, however, aren’t waiting two years to discover the need for change. They’re embracing proactive engagement measures to improve performance, including enhancing communication skills. In 2016 Gallup released its ‘Q12 Meta-Analysis’, a comprehensive study examining the impact of employee engagement on business performance. As well as discovering a strong correlation between high engagement and better business outcomes, including profitability, productivity and shareholder returns, the study detailed two methods of measuring engagement. The first of these methods is reflective measures. These include pride, loyalty, intent to stay with the company and, most importantly, discretionary effort. These are all…

A company’s culture is like a fingerprint – a unique identifier. It is a factor that is distinctive to every business and an attribute that can breed a winning team. While achieving an award-winning culture in your business can be a steep task, investing in it can deliver extraordinary outcomes. As Jim Collins, of Good to Great fame and a legend among business consultants, once said: “In determining the right people, the good-to-great companies placed greater weight on character attributes than on specific educational background, practical skills, specialised knowledge or work experience.” While many could read Collins’ wise words as being a key consideration in future recruitment, the management team of training and development provider PD Training (PDT) believes it should also be a key consideration for team development. This…

Several years ago, I did a work styles test and it revealed that one of my strongest skills was being a ‘time optimiser’. I wore this title like a badge, and for the following year it defined the way I worked. I would frequently switch tasks; for example, when I was working with suboptimal internet. If the page I needed was taking more than a second to load, I would ‘optimise’ my time by changing tasks so I wouldn’t waste five or 10 valuable page-loading seconds. I would then switch back 30 seconds later once I was sure the page would have loaded up. ‘Efficiency’ was my middle name. At the same time in my life, I worked very long hours. I’d often arrive at the office before 8am, and…

As most facility managers know, ‘energy efficiency’ has become a powerful catchphrase as companies strive to be more environmentally conscious. However, what many managers may not know is that creating a greener, more sustainable workspace has benefits that extend beyond simply limiting their negative impact on the environment. Positive effects created by simple updates to more energy efficient products can reach as far as improving the work atmosphere for employees, lowering the overhead cost for running the facility and, of course, serving as a marketable yet genuine step by the facility to help ease the negative effects of energy consumption on our planet. Here are five simple, affordable and actionable steps that can be taken by facility managers to improve their building’s energy efficiency: 1. CHECK YOUR BUILDING’S METERS Although…

Car parks are indispensable parts of the management of residential apartments. A car park area can be indicative of a facility’s efficiency, lifestyle, cleanliness and management discipline. Facility managers and building staff can encounter issues arising from the car park on a regular basis, for neglecting even just one seemingly minor problem can cause serious issues. CAR PARK ACCESS SYSTEMS The most obvious problem related to car parks is their accessibility. Car park access needs to be reliable, fast, secure and convenient. Nowadays there are various access systems implemented in apartment car parks. 1) Remote control access (fob/swipe) This is a common method to provide car park access for residents. To avoid the misuse of swipes, facility managers have the option of limiting the number of car park-activated fobs. Residents…

The importance of regular inspections of uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) equipment for mission-critical applications cannot be overstated. Mains power failure incidents are unpredictable and often it can be as long as a year between disruptions, and so it’s vital to be assured that the UPS is functioning correctly. In short, without check-ups on the state of health (SOH) of batteries and electronics, you may well find that when the mains power is interrupted, the UPS won’t take over the task of supplying essential power to the critical functions in your organisation. THE ARCHITECTURE OF A UPS The diagram in Figure 1 is helpful in comprehending the basics of operation. No specialist knowledge is required and it is beneficial in understanding the important areas of regular inspection, testing and, where indicated,…

For any type of property, renovation and maintenance are an oft-overlooked solution, but should certainly be considered before automatically going for the ‘knock down, rebuild’ option. While renovating does involve waste, it can be the more resourceful alternative, which will have benefits on cost and the environment if done correctly and efficiently. If you’re considering holding onto an asset and redeveloping later, you need to be confident that you possess an asset that has a rental uplift through the property location. This involves stipulating in the contract the terms for rental increases each year, even if it is a long lease. As the redevelopment cannot increase value, you will rely on capital growth and rises in rent to make the investment worthwhile. These types of assets must not be in…

The Coalition Government’s establishment of the Australian Space Agency has been commended recently in a resolution introduced into the US House of Representatives. Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews welcomes the resolution and says the Space Agency will help drive the growth of Australia’s space industry and create new opportunities for businesses, as well as creating jobs. “The resolution introduced to the US House of Representatives recognises the long history and partnership Australia and the United States share in space,” says Andrews. “It recognises both this history and the value of ongoing cooperation between our two countries.” The resolution: • “commends the Australian Government in constituting the Australian Space Agency recognises the value in US-Australia cooperation on space research, exploration and utilisation, including terrestrial research, commercial activities and…

Kamberra Indigenous Cleaning gaining momentum Kamberra Indigenous Cleaning has had a successful 12 months in its first year as a Supply Nation registered Indigenous Business, securing multiple government buildings in the ACT and further expanding its Indigenous engagement through employment and business interaction. Contact Kamberra Indigenous Cleaning for your cleaning needs! Tel: +612 6239 1993 www.kamberraic.com.au Pressalit Who would have thought that a person’s experience with a toilet seat could dramatically impact your facility? Always select a Pressalit product, as we give a 10-year warranty and offer multiple seat designs with various stainless steel hinge options. Available all around Australia from Samios Plumbing Supplies. Contact Tim Knowles on: Tel: + 614 1542 5461 Email: tkn@pressalit.com Livi Basics multi-pack toilet tissue Simplified washroom economy… New from Livi, the Basics 7009 toilet…

Anyone who pretends that emotional intelligence is a ‘soft’ skill has never managed a bullying claim, told an employee that their position is redundant or been involved in an industrial negotiation. Many management tasks that are essential in today’s workplace require understanding of the emotional issues that employees and teams face. Resolving them takes strength, decisiveness, compassion, strategic thinking and integrity – and the importance of these skills shouldn’t be underestimated. Emotional intelligence can be understood as the ability to recognise and understand your own feelings and the feelings of others, and to choose how to respond to them. In 1998 Rutgers University psychologist Daniel Goleman named five elements of emotional intelligence. These are: • self-awareness • self-regulation – the ability to constructively manage your own emotions, in order to…

Shoalhaven is located on the south coast of New South Wales, approximately 160 kilometres south of the Sydney CBD, with a population of almost 103,000. Shoalhaven City Council is looking towards a safe and sustainable future, and its stated vision for the year 2023 is to “work together in Shoalhaven to foster a safe, attractive place for people to live, work, stay and play, where sustainable growth, development and environmental protection are managed to provide a unique and relaxed lifestyle”. As it serves the current and future needs of its community, the Council is rolling out new surveillance systems that protect its key assets. With this goal in mind, Shoalhaven City Council has worked with Panasonic to install video surveillance across 10 sites, including community centres, animal shelters, aquatic and…

Building fires can have a catastrophic impact. Not only do they present a serious threat to people’s lives, but they can also have devastating consequences for a business if property loss and damage take place. Expensive equipment and important data may be permanently destroyed and the business may need to close down or may experience lengthy downtime if repairs or rebuilding are required. Fire safety is an ongoing responsibility for facility managers and should be high on their priority list. Keeping buildings and occupants safe doesn’t start when a fire is detected; it requires constant vigilance to ensure the building’s mandatory fire protection systems comply with Australian Standards and state-based legislation. While fire protection considerations and responsibilities can be overwhelming for facility managers, having the right processes in place, including…

INTERNATIONAL FACILITY MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE 2018 WHERE: Marina Bay Sands, Singapore WHEN: 2 October www.ifame.com.sg SMART CITIES WEEK CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION WHERE: Washington DC WHEN: 2-4 October www.smartcitiesweek.com IFMA’S WORLD WORKPLACE WHERE: Charlotte Convention Centre, North Carolina, US WHEN: 3-5 October worldworkplace.ifma.org INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF HOSPITAL ENGINEERING (IFHE) INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF HOSPITAL ENGINEERING (IFHE) LIVING FUTURE SYMPOSIUM 2018 WHERE: Abbotsford Convent, Victoria WHEN: 10-11 October living-future.org.au/symposium-17/ LECTURE: A NEW AGE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT WHERE: Plaza Ballroom, Collins Street, Melbourne Victoria WHEN: 15 October www.eventbrite.com.au CORROSION AND PREVENTION CONFERENCE WHERE: Adelaide Convention Centre, Adelaide SA WHEN: 11-14 November conference.corrosion.com.au AUSTRALIAN DATA SUMMIT WHERE: Novotel Sydney Central, Sydney NSW WHEN: 19 November akolade.com.au/events/australian-data-summit-2018 NATIONAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY CONFERENCE WHERE: Sofitel Wentworth, Sydney WHEN: 19-20 November www.eec.org.au AUSTRALIAN FUTURE OF AGED CARE SUMMIT WHERE: Mecure…