A Glimpse into Trends and Functions in Current Facility Management Industry
Integrated Facility Management (IFM) is a concept that has been gaining popularity in the last few years. As a growing trend in facility management, integrated facility management has become the focus of many companies' strategic initiatives in improving profitability, integrating processes, improving service levels, reducing energy use and enhancing sustainability.
Some of the most common examples of facilities management services provided by an integrated FM service provider of the current era includes:
- Consulting - Integrated facility management consultants help businesses to manage their current facilities in terms of space planning, methodology and implementation. Typically they will look at the entire facility, not just one part.
- Space planning - Space planning is often only considered when a business is expanding or when they are considering leaving their current premises. It can however be helpful to do this regularly, even when you are on the same premises.
- Building control systems - These systems help the various components of a building to function properly and constantly monitor the various equipment to find and rectify the faults at the earliest. This will help to run the business without any hitch.
Apart from these functions, the key trends in the IFM industry are
- Optimizing the deployment of FM functions and processes to improve performance while reducing costs.
- The use of Cloud-based software to improve efficiencies, reduce costs and enhance the user experience.
- The move towards more efficient, agile and cost-effective FM outsourcing models, which can be matched to individual clients' needs.
- Looking for new ways to gain competitive advantage through new technology innovation.
Internet of Things (IoT) applications that bring together data from different sources for better management of assets, facilities and operations.
But with the increasing focus on IFMs, challenges are also becoming more apparent. Challenges in implementing IFM can include resistance from vendors who don't want to share information with their competitors, inefficient management, and the difficulty in integrating two different cultures under one roof. However, these challenges are not impossible to overcome. They are just waiting for innovative solutions that will overcome these challenges.
Outsourcing as a trend
With the rise of outsourcing, companies are hiring integrated facility management companies to help them make decisions about how to run their facilities. That process is known as building optimization, and it involves taking a holistic look at what you need in your facilities, and how you can optimize the space, energy, and resources that you have available. The integrated facility management model can be applied to any type of business or institution, from schools to factories to hospitals.
