Table of contents for December - January 2019 in Facility Management

Human invention – it can be a truly wondrous thing. Technology and its progression is something that has defined our lives for a long time, and every era is marked by the innovations of the time. When you say 1980s, I immediately think of John Cusack with a boombox outside Ione Skye’s window, or Kevin Bacon with his tape deck, Moving Pictures and a deserted warehouse, because this was the decade of the boombox and the cassette tape. Aside from showing my enthusiasm for 1980s films, this shows how eras can be marked and identified by their technology and innovations. The 90s ushered in the era of the compact disc, while the post-millennial years saw the rise of digital and shared music. The iPod brings to mind the noughties while…

QM Properties will use global enterprise company IFS to transform its business and property management. The IFS Applications solution will be deployed at more than 20 of QM’s sites to provide real-time data access, property life cycle management, CRM and mobility capabilities as part of a multimillion-dollar technology investment, and will transform its business with customer experience improvements. Key to the business transformation of QM Properties is the consolidation of business systems across finance, HR, sales and customer relationship management, project management and property management into a single unified system. This will streamline many business processes and provide access to integrated, real-time information and reporting. The addition of CRM and mobile functionality will drive customerexperience improvements, as will the deployment of mobile ready capabilities for property life cycle management, including…

Technology has been a part of our lives, and a major part at that, for a long time. It’s integrated itself into every minute of our every day with ease and, for the most part, we barely notice it anymore. In the early years of the technological revolution, people thought the same way about moving pictures as many of us feel today about robots and the automation revolution. That is to say, when they witnessed the very first recorded footage of a train steaming towards the camera, they panicked and fled, believing a real train was barrelling towards them. This footage, shot by the Lumière Brothers in 1896 and entitled Arrival of a Train, is one of the most enduring recollections from the earliest years of cinema, and it took…

Anyone who has ever been in charge of any sort of facility where storage cupboards or secure cabinets are part of the fabric will be familiar with the cam lock. Everything from the lockers at your gym or educational facility to the medicine cabinets in hospitals and clinics can be secured with them. A cam lock is simply a fastener often used in cabinet construction and many other types of furniture that is designed for the cabinet or cupboard to be held securely without having its outward appearance affected. At their core they are cylindrical fasteners – the cam is a shaped piece of metal or plastic fixed to a rotating shaft. A cam mechanism on the other hand comprises three main components – the cam, the slider and the…

Where technology is concerned, the simplest ideas are often the best. When that Eureka moment arrives… it can often happen when you least expect it, but does the actual location have anything to do with it? While buildings are becoming significantly smarter, the design of the reliable bath, basin, shower and WC (albeit far more water-efficient), has effectively remained timeless for a significant period. When we consider technology within plumbing, are we overlooking the key ingredients that could effectively improve and maintain our health and well-being? FLASH IN THE PAN Some of the best thoughts occur in the bathroom. Whether it’s while you’re singing in the shower, relaxing in the bath or sitting on the loo, we’ve all experienced that moment where a flash of inspiration strikes. History suggests this…

OUR INSPIRATION The FMJ is published by the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA), which exists to provide members with myriad offerings for learning, growth, community and professional success through publications, events, meetings, learning resources, accreditation and career resources. It is active across the globe, has in excess of 24,000 members and is therefore rich in facilities management knowledge and practice for practitioners, users and others in the industry. IFMA has a number of internal councils that serve respective communities within the Association, one of which is the Facilities Management Consultants Council or FMCC. This body of globally active members numbers 240 and comprises independent as well as organisationally employed consultants. FMCC members are recognised as go-to resources for expertise and support in the FM industry. The FMCC seeks to enhance…

A Facility Management content partner is an organisation with which we’ve entered into a partnership to collaborate on content for the magazine. In this issue, thought leaders from their respective organisations are: ASSA ABLOY’S STUART SMITH Stuart Smith is a product manager at ASSA ABLOY. BILLI’S GARETH WILLIAMS Gareth Williams is the national technician team leader at Billi. HUMANSCALE’S SARA PAZELL Sara Pazell is managing consultant, Humanscale Asia Pacific.…

There was a recent report in The Sydney Morning Herald that was very misleading in its representation of the discipline of ergonomics. Citing the testimony of an authority on back pain, Sydney University professor, Chris Maher, the piece fundamentally mischaracterised ergonomics and its place in the workspace, categorising it as a science of medical treatment. This is not at all what ergonomics is. Instead, at its most fundamental level, ergonomics is about work analysis and work design, used to inform structural designers and organisational strategists about the best practices for prosperity. It is very diverse and crosses multiple domains in physical, cognitive and organisational social science. But the underpinned philosophies are human-centred design – how do you design for people to be productive, efficient, healthful and certainly safe, as well…

Let’s face it, facilities management is quite the niche career. There’s no typical path into FM, just as there’s no typical facility manager and no typical role within the industry itself. Each job is as different, as varied and as unique as the individual who embodies that role. It’s what makes the industry and its participants’ foray into the world of FM so interesting and unconventional. There is no stock standard journey, no set of requirements, no beaten track into the FM universe – each member very much blazes their own trail. This is evident in the many diverse stories we tell within our FM profile feature, and perhaps none more so than our latest. Paul Schmeja may not be the most obvious choice when we think of facility management,…

Globalisation, technology and industries are developing so rapidly that what worked in the past won’t necessarily work tomorrow. This is particularly relevant in facilities management, which is at the forefront of workplace change. Love it or hate it, technology empowers organisations to grow faster through helping them to harness opportunities more quickly. Yet we all know that using new technology isn’t a smooth ride. Technical problems aside, underlying changes in technology demand that the way people interact and work together shifts dramatically – and this isn’t easy. Humans are still attached to old ways of working. The command and control structure of telling people what to do is still entrenched in organisations. New approaches are trying to break through, such as holacracy, a decentralised management structure that redistributes decision-making and…

QUESTION: As managers of their company’s second largest asset, FMs have the opportunity to be leaders in their organisation. Yet all too often FMs get caught up in the minutiae of the day-to-day FM activities that cannot be ignored. What tips do you have for FMs to transcend from being competent taskmasters to becoming strategic leaders? RESPONSE 1: Facility managers often possess a common trait of significant ‘ownership’ of their remit. That is to say they are keen to be perpetually aware that the occupants’ needs are met and operations are reliably provided. While this attention to detail is a positive trait, it can lead to micromanagement. Most members of the FM support team do not respond as well when they are given instruction to such detail. They may learn…

Australian energy storage company RedFlow Limited has signed an agreement to supply 32 zinc-bromine flow batteries for two new state-of-the-art children’s centres in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. The Knox Children and Family Centres at Wantirna South (scheduled to open in January 2019) and Bayswater (opening March 2019) will each include 100 kilowatts of photovoltaic solar panels and 16 RedFlow ZBM2 batteries, storing as much as 160 kilowatt-hours of energy. Renewable energy with RedFlow storage is expected to generate annual energy cost savings of $140,000 for each site. The advantages of RedFlow’s zinc-bromine flow batteries include: the ability to discharge 100 percent of their stored energy daily without damaging the battery sustained energy storage capacity for 10 years tolerance of warm temperatures, and inherent safety with a non-flammable electrolyte. RedFlow partner Torus…

While we’re quite blessed for liveable space in Australia, especially in comparison to other countries and cities the population numbers of which outweigh the balance of liveable space, it is becoming an increasingly debated and sought after asset. Australia’s population is one of the fastest growing in the world, and with its increase comes the need to make the most and best use of the space we have. That is to say, it’s vital for buildings and facilities to make use of as much of their space as physically possible. It’s this line of thought that has led global software solutions company Honeywell to develop the Vector Space Sense – “a smarter way to manage building spaces and make every square foot count”. A building’s value is based on what…

It’s a well-known fact that anything with moving parts will wear out. Eventually. It’s the nature of the beast. Whether it be your car, your vacuum cleaner or even your poor old skeleton – the bits that do the moving and operating will one day seize up, begin to malfunction or simply give up the ghost and stop working altogether. And the more often something is used, the sooner it’s going to need replacing or at the very least rejuvenating. Equipment or fixtures and fittings installed in a bustling workplace can be in use hundreds or even thousands of times a day. And how inconvenient would it be if that piece of equipment picked the busiest moment of the working day to break down? Imagine the line of weary workers…

This article discusses technology in a workplace project and the important role of the IT work stream. It details the journey the IT lead and change manager will take together and the many elements of user discovery, through to user training, that may be undertaken in your next workplace project. TECHNOLOGY AND THE WORKPLACE PROJECT Technology underpins the significant changes in the workplace and an agile project in particular is supported by technology. It’s almost certain though, that if there’s no technology, there’s no agility. It is important that all stakeholders in your business feel that the IT team really knows and understands the requirements and the tools available to the business. Detailed IT discovery, including business unit requirements gathering and diagnostic questions via the change leads network, will be…

Property and facilities management are data-rich operating worlds. This is becoming even more complex as the Internet of Things (IoT) provides the capability to imbed sensors and diagnostic tools to monitor the use and performance of everything in real time. The property and facilities management service industries have over the years made use of a host of applications to deliver various control and management functions, including property management accounting, various CAD (computer aided design) platforms, lease modelling systems and CMMS (comprehensive maintenance management systems), as well as a range of help-desk request and work order packages. Over the last decade the emergence of complex Integrated Workplace Management Systems (IWMSs) has promised to deliver one-stop shop solutions – the nirvana for property and facilities managers – both in-house and operating as…