Latin America. Coordinating and managing buildings or production centers and the activities carried out in them, allows for cost savings and the establishment of continuous improvement processes, contributing to operational efficiency in the management of these infrastructures. This is the goal of the Facility Management (FM) service.
The model includes the tasks, planning and control of aspects such as the use and management of spaces, quality audits, property management, property administration, project management and management, sustainability and energy efficiency, strategic and technical consulting optimizing the quality and general costs of outsourced service operations, demanded by companies.
Facility Management can increase the productivity of companies by around 30% and the resulting savings can be considerable. Its application can be carried out in any type of sector: industrial, education and science, tourism, health, transport, banking and others, being carried out at any scale, from very basic assistance to fundamental or more complex procedures.
In addition to increasing productivity, the FM incorporates sustainable practices to create a balance between the management of buildings and their role as a center of human coexistence, promoting sustainable environments. For example, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal "Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure", inclusive and sustainable industrialization, together with innovation and infrastructure, can enhance economic and competitive development that generates employment and income. Another SDG that aligns is "Climate Action", as many companies are transforming their operations, or part of them, to reduce their environmental footprint, through sustainable investments. Finally, there is a need for a shared vision and objectives between the service provider and the customer, hence the SDG "Partnerships to achieve the goals".
Both the property manager and the supplier must understand the business need and establish strategies that respond to financial and human resources, fixed assets, and information and knowledge, with indicators that are kept under constant review to make the corresponding adjustments.
Antonio Pérez, general manager of Grupo EULEN Panama, explains that "integrating facility services supports simplifies communication, taking it to a single administrator who provides all the services designed and directed from the Facility Management, achieving efficient processes and better results, thus organizations measure the productivity and costs of each procedure that their operation demands".
In addition, the expert adds that to ensure customer satisfaction, it is necessary to work hand in hand with the administration, for a joint vision of what is demanded and to define where the supplier operates. "Planning is essential in facilities management, which is why long-term strategies for the maintenance, updating and continuous improvement of buildings are planned through facility services management systems."
Business evolution forces facility management services, as well as facility services, to be much more professional, requiring more reports, greater communication and coordination, and more integration between the actors in the process. Taking into account the scope, more and more technological platforms are used for activity management and software integration, so we want to establish an operations center.
The general manager of Grupo EULEN Panama points out that Facility Management has evolved towards the concept of people centric, and adds that "FM teams must be flexible and be able to adapt to the changing circumstances of the moment and the environment; and they must act with the rigor and professionalism that each situation requires."
