The industry of the management and operation of buildings is in constant evolution, the arrival of new technologies, as well as the professionalization of the people linked to this work promote a continuous improvement of the processes necessary for an optimal performance of the buildings.
By Alejandra García Vélez
Knowing the trends, opportunities and difficulties that could arise in the future for service and Facility Management companies are a tool that will allow them to be prepared to face these realities. Through the study "Vision 2020", prepared by the service company ISS after conducting a worldwide survey among more than 600 experts in the sector, it is possible to know what industry professionals expect for the next 15 years.
Development scenarios
According to the study, the two aspects that will mark the future of the sector are new technologies and sustainability. In the case of new technologies, the convergence of nanotechnology, biotechnology and information and communication technologies are the issues that will have the greatest impact.
Similarly, the implementation of the Internet of Things and improved data collection will also help shape the development of the FM sector. On the sustainability side, this issue will continue to be of great importance for all kinds of industries and its challenges include the management of energy, water and waste.
In addition to the above, the Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies (CIFS) and ISS have identified four scenarios that outline possible futures for the global FM and services industry. These scenarios are "Reinvention of Capitalism"; "Great transformation"; "Sustainable business"; and "Fragmented World".
The first scenario, Reinvention of Capitalism, speaks of a world in which the market dominates and governments seek stability and free trade. Businesses are driven by the need to gain a competitive advantage in terms of price. In this scenario, there is also an increase in the opening of the market and in outsourcing contracting.
For its part, the Great Transformation poses a society where environmental, social and economic problems are solved through technological solutions and with efficiency in resources. The main focus is on optimizing resources through automation.
In the case of Sustainable Business, companies would be implementing sustainability initiatives and innovation will focus on the challenges arising from resource scarcity, including improving air and water quality, as well as preserving fossil fuel reserves.
Finally, in Fragmented World, local societies are in control of their spheres of influence and each works on its own. Business values emphasize productivity, volume, and measurement methods, yet many people still prefer the personal touch and are skeptical of technology solutions.
Although each of the scenarios is possible, the experts surveyed for the study consider that "Fragmented World" accurately reflects the current situation, while it is expected that the industry will continue to evolve until reaching what was proposed in "Great Transformation" for 2020. However, the issue of sustainability will also be a constant no matter what path the industry takes in other aspects.
Results and recommendations
It is a reality that the FM industry is still young, but it is becoming professionalized quickly. New technologies, management techniques, service requirements and approaches to the value chain will be transformed in the next decade, say the ISS researchers. With interviews with 300 industry professionals and 53 FM experts, ISS identified several key trends common among building managers.
These trends are:
- Flexibility and quality of service will become more important
- Innovation and differentiation will also be more important
- The centralization of procurement and contracts will lead to increased standardization in service delivery.
- Globalization will benefit large companies more than small ones.
- Speed and agility in service delivery will be more important to the FM industry.
- Outsourcing will increase and will be driven by the need to cut costs both within companies and in governments.
- The human resources area will become a key parameter when evaluating the competitiveness of companies.
- The importance of employee health and well-being will grow and be seen as a primary focus for companies.
- Fewer people will work within a traditional office environment.
- The flexibility and quality of the service will also become more relevant.
- Open book policies and transparency will become more important.
Taking into account the above, ISS also developed a series of recommendations for professionals and organizations belonging to the Facility Management and services industry. These recommendations are:
- Promote the convergence of regulations and seek avenues for the creation of voluntarily developed regulations and standards with relevant regional and global associations.
- Monitor the impact of technologies on the development of work processes, as new trends will impact the design and FM requirements of buildings.
- Look beyond corporate boundaries and assess how buyers and suppliers can improve their capacity for sustainability and innovation along the value chain.
- Encourage more sustainable business practices by motivating employees to live closer to their workplace and providing the ability to work remotely where applicable.
- Identify ways to improve the use of data to support sustainability goals by improving facility design and better use of workspace.
- Integrated service providers can use their position to identify partners who can share resources and find collaborative uses for their byproducts.
- Data collection, storage and analysis will become critical features of the FM industry and services, leading to new business models. Those companies that can better analyze their data will gain competitive advantages.
- FM suppliers must develop transition plans for the integration of renewable materials into the supply chain.
- Customers need common standards for making informed decisions. Coordinating the development of standards that ensure the development of consistent performance and a culture of sustainability across the industry will be the responsibility of Facility Managers.
Expert voices
The document with the results of the study published by ISS also included parts of the interviews conducted with different experts in the sector. For example, Stephen Ballesty of Rider Levett Bucknall and former director of the IFMA Foundation, explained that in his opinion the Facility Management industry will be polarized between large integrated service providers and small niche specialist companies.
"The development of the industry in the next decade will be determined by the forces of economic rationalism, sustainability, a focus on value and risk management, labor productivity and by the existence of increasingly sophisticated, individualistic and demanding customers. Sustainability will be the key factor for the next decade and beyond," says the interviewee.
Ballesty said: "Technology will also change the FM industry. New ways of working will be introduced, changes in design and construction requirements. Buildings will be easier to maintain. The Internet of Things and improvements in Building Information Modeling (BIM) will improve the design of buildings as well as their management."
Teena Shouse, president of the Global FM Association, noted that the two big trends will shape the global FM industry in the next decade are sustainability and cost reduction.
"Cost reduction as well as resource optimization and conservation will be a strategic issue in many organizations and a way to achieve their sustainability goals," Shouse said.
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