Table of contents for December 2015 - January 2016 in Facility Management

Never lose track of important packages with SendSuite Tracking Online This SaaS (Software as a Service)-based solution automates the process of logging, tracking and managing of packages and important mail coming into your organisation. This saves you time and money. Plus, SendSuite Tracking Online makes your entire receiving process more accurate and effi cient. This proven solution ensures you know the real-time status of any mail item and lets you report precisely on where it is in the delivery chain. Meet the expectations of both the recipient and the sender by ensuring that all mail is handled securely and with optimum effi ciency. www.pitneybowes.com/au/ssto Panasonic brings rugged handheld tablets to Toughbook line The new Panasonic fi ve-inch Toughpad can be used while wearing heavy gloves, in the rain or in…

As travellers, we want to know that we are in safe hands, from the minute we step foot into an airline terminal to the minute we reach our destination – in this day and age, safety should be a given. For many, the comfort comes in seeing and experiencing the various security checkpoints that are in place, and knowing there are numerous other measures that we aren’t privy too as we go about our business of getting from A to B. So when designing an airport terminal, how do you achieve the highest possible standard of security while ensuring minimal intervention and disruption of passengers? There is a worldwide vision for airport security checkpoints that focus on minimal intervention and disruption to passengers, with the ultimate goal of not being…

The facility manager spends the majority of his or her time putting out fi res. When I say fi res, I’m referring to hot topics in the day-to-day operation and maintenance of a building. It may be the air-conditioning has stopped working on a hot summer’s day, causing discomfort to the tenants. Call out the facility manager. Hot water is suddenly not available in the endof-trip facility in the basement; again call out the facility manager. Blocked toilet on level fi ve and currently overfl owing into the corridor. The phone never stops for the facility manager who is at the heart of the building’s operation. The most signifi cant item the facility manager is involved with, however, is literal fi re and life safety for the building and its…

Looking ahead to 2016, it’s going to be another year of employment uncertainty with market volatility, employers under cost pressure and a federal election thrown into the mix. The typical approach to this uncertainty is to conservatively keep your head down in your current role. The more successful approach, however, is to actively take charge of your career and make positive decisions to develop and progress. While we all hope that downsizing or redundancy will never happen to us, it’s such a common feature of the current employment landscape that we owe it to our careers to be on the front foot in terms of our own career management. Don’t wait for events to make decisions for you; develop your career on your own terms. Each year, our organisation supports…

Research shows that a sustainable approach to indoor environment quality (IEQ) can deliver a range of benefi ts for health, productivity and profi tability. So why do some businesses still baulk at the chance to boost their bottom line through green building solutions? Why are IEQ inclusions still among the fi rst to be ‘value managed’ out of scope? And how can we convince owners, users and investors that sustainability is a cost saver not a cost centre? The more we talk about the positive impacts of green design and building management the harder it is to write it off as ‘not worth it’ or ‘too expensive’, so the fi rst step is to measure and communicate our successes. The fact that almost all of Australia’s big fi nancial institutions…

The facilities management sector has had to cope with myriad threats to facilities. As facilities become more complex, and the needs of tenants become broader, more threats need to be considered. Air-conditioning units need preventative maintenance to protect air quality, pest control treatments are needed to ensure sanitation, and the list goes on. Security is yet another risk in the facilities manager’s portfolio. More importantly, security risks often compete poorly with other classes of risk for scarce budgetary resources. Security is a fundamentally human issue. It is perhaps this complexity that explains why security competes so poorly for resources. Insecurity is caused by humans, aff ects humans and can only be fully addressed by humans. In recent years there has been a real shift to rely more heavily on emergent…

The following pages feature the best and most relevant software products designed to improve the built environment, facilitate work and streamline processes. The guide is also an opportunity for software providers to present their corporate vision and custom services. Software solutions assist facilities managers in operating and maintaining their facilities more effi ciently and cost-effectively. The use of software in the fi elds of facilities management is now well-established and the benefi ts of using software are clear to all stakeholders. There remain few routine facilities management tasks that cannot be streamlined with the aid of software solutions. The challenge, however, is choosing the right software for facilities with specifi c needs. Successfully incorporating and integrating software into day-to-day processes is also crucial. Hence, it is important to understand your…

AIOH2015 (ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION) WHEN: 5 – 9 December 2015 WHERE: Crown Perth, Western Australia CONTACT: www.aioh.org.au ___ SYDNEY BUILD EXPO WHEN: 10 – 11 March 2016 WHERE: Australian Technology Park Sydney CONTACT: www.sydneybuildexpo.com ___ NFMT BALTIMORE 2016 WHEN: 22 – 24 March 2016 WHERE: Baltimore Convention Center, Maryland US CONTACT: www.nfmt.com/baltimore ___ TOTAL FACILITIES WHEN: 6 – 7 April 2016 WHERE: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre CONTACT: www.totalfacilities.com.au ___ WORKPLACE STRATEGY EXPO WHEN: 12 – 13 April 2016 WHERE: Zurich, Switzerland CONTACT: www.workplace-strategy-expo.com SMART FACILITIES MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS EXPO WHEN: 26 – 28 April 2016 WHERE: Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Hall A, Singapore CONTACT: www.fmse.com.sg ___ FM EXPO WHEN: 23 – 25 May 2016 WHERE: Dubai world Trade Centre, UAE CONTACT: www.fm-expo.com ___ FIRE AUSTRALIA…

LIGHTWEIGHT PLASTERBOARD FROM USG BORAL SAVES CONSTRUCTION TIME USG Boral’s newest engineered lightweight plasterboard, Sheetrock has increased productivity on-site during the construction of 480 Queen Street in Brisbane. It is 15 percent lighter than standard 13-millimetre plasterboard, allowing for faster delivery, distribution and installation of materials. “As head contractor, Grocon considers a number of factors when specifying materials for use on-site, including safety, cost, time, speed of installation, availability of product, ease of handling and transporting materials, and environmental benefi ts,” says Cameron Starkey, assistant project manager at Grocon. “As a lighter alternative to regular plasterboard, Sheetrock increases productivity on-site, enabling delivery of the product to various locations within the building. The use of Sheetrock also reduces installation time and time spent distributing material loads,” adds Starkey. Approximately 30,000 square…

Facilities are increasingly moving to a security model where multiple access control tools and identities can be supported on one card, token or smartphone. This eliminates the need for users to remember and carry separate cards or other devices for opening doors, logging onto computers and accessing cloud-based applications. It also enables the inclusion of other high-value applications, including cashless vending, time and attendance and secure print management, as well as allowing other security systems to be amalgamated with access control and centrally managed from the one location. There is growing demand from employees for provisioning IT and physical access control system (PACS) credentials to a single card or smartphone, using a single set of processes. In today’s busy world, employees tend to demand seamless access to buildings and systems,…

Hospitals need to be able to rely on products that do more than just clean, but also help improve infection prevention by providing superior performance and improved productivity. BACKGROUND Monash Health, the leading and largest integrated health service facility in Victoria, Australia, was searching for an optimal infection prevention solution that would streamline the steps involved in the cleaning process, decrease health and safety risks, and reduce environmental impact. After reviewing third-party lab testing and technical specifi cations, Monash Health chose Rubbermaid Commercial Products’ (RCP) HYGEN Disposable Microfi bre System to test within the Monash Children’s Hospital Clayton. OBJECTIVES Designed for use with or without chemicals, the disposable microfi bre cloths (D-MFCs) is the only line in the healthcare industry proven to remove 99.9 percent of microbes, including C. diff,…

A multi-generational workplace is now the norm across industries and having so many generations operating together in one workplace brings new challenges to managers and leaders. Gone are the days of the ‘one size fi ts all’ leadership style. Managers are now recognising that old leadership styles from the past really don’t work anymore across this generational diversity. Workplace research indicates that communication styles are strongly infl uenced by generational backgrounds. As a result, learning how to communicate with the diff erent generations is a key challenge that leaders must understand in order to encourage high performance and avoid inevitable misunderstandings and confl icts. Let’s take a look into what leadership styles have typically worked well in the past for the diff erent generations: Let’s start with the Baby Boomers…

The recycling rate fi gure is a key benchmark and the fundamental tool used to measure sustainability performance and manage ongoing waste operations. The concept of the recycling rate is an easily digestible fi gure that is understood by all stakeholders. Many people have the same notion of what a recycling rate is. This notion is generally understood as the amount of material diverted from landfi ll for the purpose of recycling and the recovery of resources. This fi gure represents the percentage of all materials recycled and provides us with a snapshot of our recovery performance over a specifi ed period of time. Unfortunately, the process of calculating the recycling rate may differ dramatically from property to property based on the stakeholders involved and the systems on-site. Although the…