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Facilities management grows up

Facilities management has grown up. Whether the facility is leased, owned or sublet, organisations are finding that FM that is integrated into the business - supporting not just business critical operations and processes but the organisation's strategy - delivers greater benefits. In South Africa, however, organisations are only just becoming aware of these potential benefits.

Bundling and out-tasking general services such as security and general maintenance can offer cost savings and efficiencies. However, integrated FM that is tailored to meet the specific needs of the business can optimise the performance of that business on a number of fronts.

Depending on the type of business and the needs of that business, this may translate to more efficient delivery of products and services or increased staff productivity, improved attraction and retention of personnel, better management of assets, meeting financial targets, increasing energy efficiency or managing down costs.

This can be achieved by understanding the organisation's primary goals, then incorporating services like real estate portfolio management, workplace design, technologically enhanced building management and energy efficiency strategies into the FM solution.

Johnson Controls' Global WorkPlace Solutions provides possibly one of the best examples of how FM has evolved to add value to business at multiple levels, namely in terms of optimising assets, operations, management decisions and the business' bottom line, and advancing eco-sustainability.

Global WorkPlace Solutions aggregates the intellectual property, solutions and services within Johnson Controls' global businesses and leverages the experience gained, and industry specific best practices developed in servicing a global client base across numerous industry verticals.

Johnson Controls' business interests encompass integrated heating ventilation air-conditioning (HVAC) Systems, building management systems (BMS), security and fire safety solutions, technical building services, commercial and industrial refrigeration and Global WorkPlace Solutions.

Global WorkPlace Solutions currently manages over 1,5 billion square feet of corporate real estate in more than 75 countries, including the global business of pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline.

Locally, Global WorkPlace Solutions has a number of FM clients, including a recently won multiyear, multimillion rand deal that sees the company take on the majority of the FM functions of Absa, one of the largest financial organisations in South Africa. Our international FM business continues to grow and in South Africa our business has also scaled up significantly with the Absa win.

It is not just the breadth of Johnson Controls' FM offering that makes it attractive; it is the capability of the organisation to offer strategic services on multiple levels on a global scale - affordably and with guaranteed results. Whether it is a manufacturing or a hi-tech facility, a retailer or corporate headquarters, we have the equipment, know-how and expertise to develop a solution that is tailored to meet business needs and deliver desired outcomes and our zero-risk financial model ensures our customers are not exposed to risk and require no initial capital outlay.

A key Global WorkPlace Solutions driver is identifying sustainable solutions that lower the carbon footprint of a facility over its lifecycle - thus lowering energy consumption and costs for the organisation. With the backing of the international Johnson Controls organisation, we are able to offer companies wishing to enhance their eco rating by achieving greater energy efficiencies (and thus cost savings) a capex and risk free solution. Our managed service model allows us to upgrade and enhance equipment, infrastructure and technologies to meet required service levels and energy usage, earning back our fee from the savings achieved.

A prime example of this model is a five-year agreement struck between SABC and Johnson Controls in November 2005. The solution, which included the refurbishment of plant equipment, the modernisation of approaches to energy usage and the adaptation of control processes, was fully implemented within 12 months. Johnson Controls recouped its initial investment from energy savings within three years. For the balance of the contract, which runs until 2010, Johnson Controls will receive a portion of the energy savings it achieves at the SABC.

In terms of FM, Johnson Controls' consolidation of Barclays' London and Southern property portfolio, which entailed moving the financial organisation from 15 sites to a single site (now its flagship global headquarters), provides an apt example.

The new one million square feet 32 storey building, 1 Churchill Place in Canary Wharf, London, presented Barclays with a blank canvas for creating a workplace to meet its vision. It wanted the workspace to improve business uptime, achieve better space utilisation and ensure a healthier work life balance for the 5000 Barclays employees and potential 3000 tenants who would inhabit the building.

The internal design embraced these goals incorporating five internal landscaped atrium gardens, four receptions, a staff restaurant and 242 meeting rooms. Johnson Controls developed and mobilised a single facilities management solution to balance the needs of prospective tenants with those of the Barclays Group. The solution included full facilities management offerings as well as customer focused services such as concierge services, events management, building intranet and resource booking management, and other speciality services such as a fine dining facility, customer conference suites and a health and wellbeing centre.

In South Africa, organisations with vision should consider the returns a strategically integrated FM solution can offer. While FM is non-core, it can play a critical part in enabling an organisation to participate successfully - and sustainably - in an increasingly competitive business environment.

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