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Facility Management Articles

Welcome to the FM Innovations articles page. Here we will gather the most important and interesting FM articles from across Australia. Please check back here often as this page will be regularly updated. For case studies on FM Innovations click here, for News please click here.

Reflections on 2011

FMI would like to take the opportunity as we do at this time every year to thank all of our clients, suppliers and staff for their exceptional contribution to our continued success. Loyalty and dedication are two words that I can relate to you all and even though this year has had its ups and downs for us, we’ve come through it smiling and confident because of your unrelenting support.

Reflecting on the year 2011 and what has been happening in our world, I am once again surprised at how much we have achieved and would like to share some of the highlights.

"Smart" buildings cut energy costs

Information Technology facilitates exceptional efficiencies for businesses. Powerful analytics are helping firms better manage supply chains, improve resource allocation, detect fraud and optimise many core business functions. A report recently published and compiled by Microsoft, Accenture and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory examines how building owners, operators and occupants can achieve significant energy and cost savings through the use of smart building solutions. It is based on insights from a detailed case study of a smart building pilot program being conducted by Microsoft at its corporate headquarters’ campus.

Leadership and fairness the key to increasing productivity and profit

Comprehensive research presented at the Future Jobs Forum confirms that innovative, positive leaders and progressive management practices are central to increasing productivity in Australia’s workplaces. An 18 month study by the Society for Knowledge Economics, found that companies with strong leadership and a positive workplace culture are significantly more productive and profitable than their less progressive peers. The report found that High Performing Workplaces (HPWs) have 12 per cent higher productivity than Low Performing Workplaces (LPWs) when ranked in terms of their innovation, employee engagement, fairness, leadership and customer satisfaction.

Remembering Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs, the visionary behind the Macintosh computer, iPhone, iPod and iPad passed away last Wednesday aged 56. Steve Jobs has been credited with changing the way we live, the way we view technology, the way we listen to music, the way we communicate, the way we think about art, design and invention, and much, much more. The American entrepreneur’s genius consisted in being able to manipulate technology in order to implant it in everyday life. While many post-war computer manufacturers had launched into a race for power, performance and technical prowess, the Silicon Valley man’s sole ambition was to create simple and useful products.

Floored by flooring options

It can seem as though there are countless flooring options for your office space. You possibly thought that selecting something for the floor would be one of the simplest decisions you would need to make for the interior of your business. There are a considerable number of alternatives and here are some of the most popular and reputable choices.

Three major issues affecting a successful FM practice

Recently I posted a question on LinkedIn which sparked a fair amount of interest as it is a topic that brings out the passion in FM professionals. My interest in posting this particular question was to gather a global view from a range of companies and countries to see if their issues are similar wherever they live in the world. My question was: “If you were to name your top three major issues that hinder successful management of your FM practice, what would they be?”. I received feedback from professionals in Australia, UK, USA, India, Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago, Sweden, Kenya, Indonesia and Canada. And that’s so far. I want to thank all of those respondents who provided a very interesting insight into their market and their current roadblocks to ensuring they run their facilities as efficiently and professionally as possible.

Planning an asset portfolio audit program

Whatever the specific reasons may be for an asset audit program, one thing remains critical: the need for thorough pre-planning before anyone sets foot out on site to conduct the audit. The intended benefit of conducting large scale asset audit programs, particularly over a wide geographical area such as state-wide or national portfolios, can be extremely difficult if not impossible to salvage if the information reported at the end is not what you expected or required due to a lack of understanding or clarity at the beginning.

Innovative cleaning products arrive in Australia

Solucare is a new range of commercial grade cleaning products designed in a unique controlled dose concept. The products are produced as a correct dose of powder concentrate sealed in a soluble capsule. There are no more chemical drums, mixing, or mechanical dosing and the application process is simple to follow. The sachet dissolves completely due to its composition, polyvinyl alcohol. The trigger sprays are reusable and the distribution costs are reduced, therefore reducing transport and emissions to the environment. Solucare offers an immediate cost saving and sustainable solution to forecast usage and accurately input into a budgeting process.

IAG discovers success is on the inside

The nature of the facilities management industry often sees companies cycle the maintenance of buildings between professional outsourcers and running a dedicated team internally.
Like many others, Australia’s largest general insurer IAG has been through this cycle for its Direct Insurance operations, most recently bringing the function in-house in September 2010. They have built a team devoted to improving service delivery to internal customers and presenting a more professional image to the Group’s customers. IAG insures over 1.2 million homes and 3 million vehicles through brands that include NRMA, CGU, SGIO, SGIC, Swann Insurance and The Buzz.

How IT has transformed the FM industry

Sixteen years ago when I first came to Australia and became involved in the FM industry, there were a limited number of true facilities management software systems available and indeed most of them were from European or American suppliers. They were mostly large, cumbersome and extremely expensive systems, not very endearing to a Facilities Manager who always seemed to have the smallest corporate budget. The responsibility of a Facilities Manager has come a very long way and with this growth of responsibility there has been an increase in the availability of systems and processes to assist.

Tools of the Telecommuter

True productivity at a remote distance requires much more than the basic connectivity and email. While most companies set up their telecommuters with technologies such as Virtual Private Network (VPN) access and blackberries/iPhones, there are some additional tools you personally need to seek out that will enhance your experience. It is in fact these additional tools that safeguard your home computing along with levelling the playing field with the co-workers who are located in the office.

New Disability Access Standards

In seeking to improve the accessibility of public buildings, under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 the Attorney-General last month tabled the Disability (Access to Premises – Buildings) Standards 2010 (the Premises Standards) in Federal Parliament.

Improving Building Energy Efficiency Through New Financing Arrangements

A new financing mechanism designed to assist building owners to gain access to commercial finance for environmental upgrade works on their buildings has been introduced by the Local Government Amendment (Environmental Upgrade Agreements) Act 2010 (LGEUA Act). The financing mechanism is intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by improving energy efficiency in the building sector through cost-effective loan financing.

Go Beyond The Hour

On Saturday March 26, people and businesses around the world participated in Earth Hour 2011, turning off their lights at 8:30 p.m. local time. The FM Innovations' office was shrouded in darkness, as was our entire building here at 455 Bourke St, Melbourne. CBRE did a fantastic job at getting all their tenants to switch off for Earth Hour 2011. We all helped CBRE break last year's record, switching off non-essential lights & power in over 38 million square metres of managed property globally. And it doesn’t stop when the lights come back on. This year, Earth Hour is asking people to take the next step and go beyond the hour, by committing to ongoing action for the planet.

Telecommuting: Transforming The Way We Work

Many managers struggle to embrace telecommuting, but it makes happier workers and has many benefits for the company as well. As technology evolves, many of the barriers that have traditionally limited telecommuting continue to disappear. The tedious standard of spending 40 hours a week sitting in a cubicle is fading as employers and workers both embrace the benefits associated with telecommuting.

FM Future For Younger Generation

Recently on LinkedIn, a question came up on an FM industry group discussion, posted by Muzamil, a young Facilities Assistant in the United Arab Emirates. His question ‘Do you think FM has a good future for the younger generation?’ really caught my eye. Why is this even a question?! Are we so engrossed in ourselves and the changes we are passionate to make today, that we have completely failed to inform the younger generation how exciting and critical FM is to our future?

Corporate Green Policies

Just 7 per cent of people believe company claims of action on climate change, a new survey commissioned by the Carbon Trust has revealed. The research, which quizzed 1,000 adults across the UK in February and March this year, also found that an overwhelming 90 per cent of people wanted firms to commit to the emissions cuts demanded of the UK in order to meet the EU’s 2050 climate change targets.

Tax Breaks for Green Buildings

The Tax Breaks for Green Buildings program will provide tax incentives to encourage energy efficient retrofits of commercial buildings. Businesses that invest in eligible assets or capital works to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings will be able to apply for a one-off bonus tax deduction. Approved projects will be able to claim a bonus tax deduction of 50 per cent of the eligible assets or capital works on proof of performance levels being met. The program is expected to provide a boost of up to $1 billion over its life to incentivise business to undertake major energy efficiency retrofits. The program is scheduled to commence from 1 July 2011.

Earth Hour 2011

Switch your lights out for Earth Hour 2011! Saturday 26 March at 8:30pm.

Employee Motivation

With holiday season well and truly over and a lacklustre summer to boot, many employees may be in need of some rejuvenation. No matter the size of your company, having a team of motivated, hard-working employees is crucial to your business success. When people lose their motivation, however, their job performance suffers -- they become less productive, less creative, less of an asset to the company. The bottom line: You pay a heavy price when employees have motivation issues. As their boss, what can you do to ensure that they are as productive as possible?

Greening Our Roofs

"Green roof" is not a Colorbond shade, but Australians could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. Growing plants on top of new office buildings is mandated in several cities in Europe, North America and Japan, but we have few examples of green roofs here and little understanding of their benefits and possibilities.

Information Security

Over the past few weeks we have seen in the news a number of articles about breaches in information and data security. At Vodafone customer records were leaked after a password to the telco's internet database was shared by a number of people. And at the University of Sydney the detailed records of thousands of students past and present were being stored online where they could be easily accessed by the general public.

Green Star Rating Tool

For eight years now, the presence of Green Star in the Australian market has driven innovative design and construction of buildings and generated strong demand for new green products, services and technologies. But what happens once the Green Star rating is achieved, the builders down tools and the tenants move in? Is a building still 'green' if it is not managed and maintained to the intended performance standards?

Disaster Planning and Recovery

As the flood waters recede, businesses in Queensland and Victoria are starting to walk the lengthy road to recovery. In the wake of the overwhelming tragedy, business advisers are urging businesses to have a plan in place so that they are ready in the event of a disaster. Many businesses face an ever present risk of disaster. Not just floods but fires, computer theft, damage from internal sprinklers and denial of service attacks.

Empire State Building Goes Green

The Empire State Building has become New York's largest commercial purchaser of green energy after signing a new contract with a renewable energy supplier.

Reflections on 2010

As 2010 draws to a close we reflect on the past year and all whom have supported us. FM Innovations would like to thank all of our clients, suppliers and staff for their hard work and dedication. 2010 has been a successful year for the company and we look forward to further collaboration and growth in the coming years.

SWAHS Project Completion

FM Innovations would like to thank and congratulate Sydney West Area Health Service (SWAHS) for completing their spatial management project. The project took place over two years and involved the hard work of SWAHS’ Rosie Bonham, FMI’s Ray Lodge and Suzanne Gormley.

Corporate Governance

Last week at a casual drinks get together in our office we started talking about the possibility of getting an FM Innovations team together for the Oxfam charity walk next year. After hearing just how gruelling this expedition can be, one of our team members asked ‘Why? What would we do such a punishing walk for?’ Apart from the obvious fundraising which we could do with much less pain! It’s all related to Corporate Governance and that’s how the next topic got started. Exactly what is Corporate Governance?

WSMenterprise 4.6.4 Release

The newest upgrade to the WSMenterprise software has just been finished and will be deployed to our clients over the coming months.

Green Purchasing

The market for environmental goods and services has expanded considerably in Australia in recent years and a number of studies have highlighted growing consumer interest in the area of more sustainable products and services. Environmental impacts such as climate change, loss of natural habitats and production of waste and pollution, combined with the current financial climate, emphasize the importance of the key green purchasing tenets of buying more efficiently and sustainably.

Green ICT in Tertiary Education

With more and more Universities and TAFEs looking to slash greenhouse emissions and become more sustainable, the focus is now turning to information technology. At the recent TEMC 2010 conference in Melbourne, there was immense interest in sustainability proven by the number of information sessions centred on this concern. The importance of basic energy conservation is nothing new but the awareness that the ever-growing presence of technology in our lives has a substantial environmental effect is new.

Crisis Management

Unexpected events can have a devastating effect on businesses. Crises such as illness of key staff, theft, fire, damage to stock, restricted access to premises or IT system failure could all make it difficult or even impossible to carry out your normal day-to-day activities. At worst, this could see you losing important customers - and even going out of business altogether. But with good planning you can take steps to minimise the potential impact of a disaster - and ideally prevent it happening in the first place.

FMA Australia Launch Diploma of Facilities Management

The Facility Management Association of Australia (FMA Australia) and Holmesglen are pleased to provide members of the Facilities Management industry with a customised Diploma specifically designed to meet the occupational outcome required by a professional working in this industry.

Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Licensing

Refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) equipment is often a fundamental component of facilities infrastructure and when not installed, serviced or decommissioned correctly it has the potential to contribute to global warming. Fluorocarbon refrigerant used in RAC equipment can be extremely harmful to the environment. In fact 1kg of fluorocarbon refrigerant (typically used in split system air conditioners), if emitted into the atmosphere, has the same greenhouse gas impact as two tonnes of carbon dioxide. This is the equivalent of running your car for six months.

Certified Facility Management Scholarships

The FMA are now seeking expressions of interest from eligible FMA Australia members who wish to be considered for a scholarship to attain the Certified Facility Manager (CFM®) designation. While up to five (5) scholarship are available each year over a five year period, 2009 saw only 2 (two) scholarships awarded to Trish Ferrier Royal Freemasons and Paul Akhurst Queensland Performing Arts Centre who were both very worthy recipients.

Agile Software Development

Agile software development generally promotes a disciplined project management process that encourages frequent inspection and adaptation, a leadership philosophy that encourages teamwork, self-organisation and accountability and a set of engineering best practices intended to allow for rapid delivery of high-quality software. FM Innovations has started utilising this process to align our software development with customer needs and company goals.

Software Hosting Made Easy

FM Innovations have introduced a hosted solution for new clients wishing to utilise our state of the art software. This solution meets the needs of many businesses, small and large, who don’t want the hassle of hosting software on their premises and who are looking for lower upfront risk when it comes to expenditure. By using a hosted software solution clients gain greater cost control and flexibility.

Space in Health

Over the past 10 years FMI has been continuously developing and enhancing a space and data management software system suitable for both the Health and Education industries. Smart Facilities Managers in the health industry understand the importance of this data and the systems needed to manage the operational complexities of large and diverse facilities. In this industry, with the high cost of construction and the politicising of service delivery and performance, a more effective infrastructure control mechanism which provides better long term planning and operational optimisation is welcome.

Bullying in the Workplace

My mother has always said to me “Treat people the way you would expect to be treated yourself”. That phrase has been my mantra over the years and I remind my children of it if they forget their manners or have a disagreement with their friends. Instead of retaliating when confronted by an unnecessarily disrespectful person, my first reaction is to write their name on a piece of paper, screw it up and throw it into the back of the freezer. Effectively, leaving that person to ‘chill’. In fact, sometimes we even have a little ceremony which is a great way to get rid of any frustration and make it a laughable matter. It makes me feel better, but unfortunately it doesn’t always end there!

Intelligent Key Management with Traka and FM Innovations

FM Innovations has been working with Traka to integrate their intelligent key management cabinets with our Vehicle and Fleet Management Software for some of our tertiary education providers. We look forward to a long and beneficial partnership with Traka as we seek to improve, simplify and streamline our clients business processes for managing their assets. As the Traka key cabinets can be used for vehicle keys, room keys, equipment keys and any other key you can think of, they are ideal to integrate with FM Innovation's WSMenterprise suite.

Driving Effective FM at Wodonga TAFE

Accurate and effective facilities management is of key importance to Wodonga TAFE and the facilities team. Ensuring Wodonga TAFE remains at the forefront of the facilities world is Damien Crawley, Manager of Shared Services. Damien is currently seeing a ‘Green’ transformation across the TAFE. Water saving strategies, solar panels and a lighting retrofit will see the TAFE save thousands of dollars in costs and emissions.

Risk Management

A quick Google search on the work ‘risk’ identifies many variations of what it means. References to hazard, exposure and gambling were the consistent themes - no where did I find reference to the fact that Risk can also be the source of immense opportunity for an individual or enterprise. For a business to manage its risks, it must first know what they are. It is easy to list the risks you know about, but what about the ones that haven’t happened yet or of which you are unaware?

Hepatitis B Vaccinations

As part of GJK’s commitment to the safety of its staff, and ongoing OH&S focus, a number of cleaning staff from the Department of Human Services, Office of Housing have completed their third and final round of Hepatitis B Vaccinations. GJK provides all their staff that work across the Office of Housing sites an opportunity to receive free vaccinations, serving as a preventative safeguard against some of the risks encountered on site.

Manual Handling

One constant risk which management must ensure cleaning staff are addressing effectively is Manual Handling – any activity requiring the use of force exerted by a person to lift, lower, push, pull, carry or otherwise move, hold or restrain any animate or inanimate object. It includes repetitive tasks such as packing, typing, assembling, cleaning and sorting, using hand tools, and operating machinery and equipment.

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Green Team Update

GJK Facility Services has been actively working towards the development of a sustainable environmental plan, both at a management level and at the ground level in our Head Office. Staff from each department have been put into Green Teams focusing on minimising our carbon footprint across a number of key areas including: transport, water, energy, paper, waste management, and green procurement.

FM and Procurement

With so much focus on cutting costs procurement departments in many organisations become more powerful. But moves to enforce existing contracts and drive expenditure reductions can put them at odds with FM departments. The global recession, and its subsequent focus on cutting costs, has seen procurement departments in many organisations become more powerful. Boosted by the greater attention paid to the profession by senior management, procurement has been only too keen to take advantage of the opportunity to get more spend categories under management, as well as enforcing existing contracts and driving further cost reductions wherever possible, often putting them at odds with FM departments.

Commercial Office Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Obligations

In December 2008, the Australian Government’s Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) issued a Consultation Regulation Impact Statement and Consultation Regulation Document (Consultation Documents) regarding the proposed Mandatory Disclosure of Commercial Office Building Energy Efficiency scheme. Such a scheme was considered necessary after finding that commercial buildings account for at least 10% of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, having risen 87% between 1990 and 2006, and that office buildings contribute the most significant proportion of emissions for the commercial sector.

Data Capture - Filling The Gaps in Information

Data collection projects can be quite risky in terms of time, cost and quality. Unfortunately, too often, these projects have produced disappointing outcomes. If the sourced data is of a high quality, the information management systems can drive great value for the organisation.

Disease Prevention in the Workplace

Whether the cause is H1N1 flu or another potential pandemic illness, facility managers (fms) need to prepare for—and be aware of—a possible worst case scenario. This is particularly true when faced with the prospect of more than 25% to 30% of their workforce absent due to illness (or symptoms of illness), yet still having to run and supervise the main functions of their facility.

10 Ways to Workplace Management

To achieve the above you will need certain management capabilities. But does that involve facilities management or workplace management? Whereas FM is focused on the delivery of technical services, workplace management is focused on the balancing of supply and demand and the sustainable delivery of workplace experiences, embracing all services, technologies and facilities that contribute to it.

Top 10 Benefits of an All-In-One Works Management System

Cost is always a factor when it comes to choosing facilities management software but return of investment is possible within 6 months with the purchase of WSMworks. For example, there is a substantial fine for building managers should any ESM task be missed and with an automated system such as WSM, these cannot be missed. Saving you money, your reputation and the ensuring the safety of your employees.

Creating Another Tier in the Property Market with Sustainable Property

A two-tier property market based on energy performance could be less than two years away, an environmental management and compliance firm has said. Sustainable buildings could see their rental yield reduced by up to 3 per cent and value by up to 16 per cent as a result of changes by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) to its Red Book.

CoStar Study Finds Green Buildings Outperform Peers

In America a new study by CoStar Group has found that sustainable "green" buildings outperform their peer non-green assets in key areas such as occupancy, sale price and rental rates, sometimes by wide margins. The results indicate a broader demand by property investors and tenants for buildings that have earned either LEED® certification or the Energy Star® label (similar to a NABERS classification in Australia) and strengthen the "business case" for green buildings, which proponents have increasingly cast as financially sound investments.

ESD Green Building Design and Delivery

The incorporation of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) principles into modern developments is one of the most important considerations that must be implemented in their design. Whilst the environmental benefits from designing for ESD are clear, the most overwhelming benefit is seen in the value provided to the occupants in terms of physical and mental health.

Exit and Emergency Light Maintenance

Emergency / exit lighting systems in buildings are required (under Part 11.1 of the Building Code of Australia and Part 11 of the Building Regulations 1994) to be adequately maintained. The standard recognised for such maintenance is AS/NZS 2293.2. The standard prescribes, that the installation be tested at six-monthly intervals by a discharge test to see that the fittings operate for the required duration of not less than 90 minutes. In addition, at twelve-monthly intervals the fitting diffusers and reflecting surfaces are required to be cleaned.

Innovation with Integration

Innovation leading to increase productivity is the fundamental source of increasing wealth in an economy. In today's economic environment, innovation has never been more important and acceptance of it more critical. Economists tend to focus on the process itself, from the origination of an idea to its transformation into something useful and finally to its implementation. Since innovation is seen as a major driver of the economy, especially when it leads to increasing productivity, the factors that lead to innovation are also considered to be critical to decision makers.

Aligning FM objectives with your corporate governance strategy

Corporate governance is not just a case of processes, customs, polices and laws affecting the way a corporation is directed, administered or controlled. Corporate governance also includes the relationships among the many stakeholders involved and the goals for which the corporation is governed. So how does this affect the Facilities Management team within an organisation?

Green Stars for Indoor Plants

From home to car to office and back again - we acknowledge that most office workers spend up to 90% of their lives or in enclosed spaces while commuting. But do buildings create a healthy environment for the people who work in them? The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development suggest that illness - such as asthma and respiratory problems, headaches and allergies - from indoor air pollution are now one of the most acute problems related to building activities around the world.

Quick Resource Guide; The Handling of Sharps

Keeping staff updated with OHS developments is an integral part of risk management and ensuring employee safety. One constant risk which management must ensure cleaning staff are addressing effectively is the handling of sharps; hypodermic needles, lancets, razor/scalpel blades or any other instrument which could result in puncture injuries or damage to skin.

Ins and Outs of the Disability Discrimination Act

Universal Access means equitable access for all, including people with disabilities, to any aspect of the built environment, services and facilities. The Federal Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (D.D.A.) provides information to people who design, build, own, manage, lease, operate, regulate and use premises about their responsibilities and rights under section 23. Section 23 makes it unlawful to discriminate against people with a disability, or their associates, in relation to access to, and the use of, premises that the public enter or use.

WSM 4.5 Release

WSM 4.5 is ready for release with some fantastic new features. The installation and upgrade process has been made simpler with the WSM setup guide. Enhancements have been made throughout WSMenterprise and WSMindustrial, a new reports management section has been designed, the web portal WSMplanNet has been upgraded, a new Vehicle Management Module designed and much more.

Become a Home Sustainable Assessor

The Federal Government recently announced the launch of the Home Sustainability Assessment Scheme (HSAS) and the Green Loans Program. Sustainable Footprint has recently been appointed as a training organisation for the Federal Governments HSAS. More than 1,000 people have undertaken the Home Sustainability Assessor training to become accredited by the Association of the Building Sustainability.

Essential Safety Measures (ESM) Explained and FM Innovations ESM Software

No matter what you call them; Essential Safety Measures, ESM, Essential Services, Fire Protection Services, etc. by law they must be maintained. When the construction of a commercial building is complete the building owner is responsible for its upkeep and maintenance, particularly its safety measures. FM Innovations has designed the WSM software to establish, track and manage all your essential safety measures once they have been established by a registered building surveyor or on the occupancy permit.

Here we talk about what are Essential Safety Measures and how we can help.

Growing Up: Rooftop Gardens

A group of young Melbournians is attempting to take climate change through a new program called 'Growing Up', designed to promote rooftop gardens atop inner-urban buildings. As you look out to a vista of concrete-topped roofs of multistory buildings, a number of young business people want to imagine a sea of green, with every available roof space covered in plants.

Mandatory Disclosure of Commercial Office Building Efficiency

The Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments have recently established the 'National Framework for Energy Efficiency (NFEE), which has proposed the Mandatory Disclosure of Commercial Office Building Energy Efficiency. Basically these regulations proposed would mean that by 2010 the energy efficiency (NABERS energy ratings) of commercial office buildings or tenancy equal to or over 2,000m2 to be disclosed at the point of sale or lease so that buyers and tenants can compare energy efficiency on a 'like for like' basis.

The Pitfalls of Slipshop Risk Management

Recently I met a facilities manager who was in the midst of a stressful legal battle which stemmed from an oversight which could have easily been avoided. It wasn't altogether his fault, in fact it is fair to say it was his boss channeled vision which bought them to strife. Perhaps the facilities manager wasn't firm enough in what he believed, but for whatever reasons, corporation X had decided to cut their facilities management budget as a knee-jerk reaction to the economic downturn. As a result maintenance schedules have not been kept up to date and an injury has occurred.

Complete Education and Tertiary Guide and the Role of Vocational Education and Training in Facilities

From its largely trade based beginnings, the facility management industry has grown progressively towards a business management focus. Critical to the accommodation of this result has been the number and scope of educational opportunities available for those looking to enter the industry as a career of choice. Since the range of responsibilities and demands being placed on facility managers has also increased during this time, facility managers already in the industry increasingly need opportunities available to upskill and meet the evolving needs of the industry.

Achieving Sustainability Ratings and Asset Value in Hotels

Sustainability has already become one of the quickest and most effective commercial initiatives that can be undertaken by any organisation individually, and the country as a whole. Many hotels are now taking steps to improve their sustainability outcomes. At the same time, guests are seeking evidence of environmental responsibility when they choose to stay.

FM Innovations Launch the Evergreen Software Rental Option

In response to the recent economic downturn and the current financial crisis, FM Innovations (FMI) is looking to provide solutions for our potential clients to take the pain out of the budget approval process. We understand that the legal and corporate governance requirements of managing infrastructure are still as critical as ever, however many companies are struggling to allocate the finances needed to implement the tools to manage their property effectively. As a solution, FMI is putting together an Evergreen software rental option which will allow companies to implement and run our Property Works management software solution for as little as $650 per month. However, we are only offering this to a limited number of exclusive companies who have a tight budget.

Essential Safety Measures - Are you compliant?

With the release of the Building Regulations 2006 it is now a requirement for all public buildings to have an annual essential safety measures report prepared before 13 June 2009.There is also an additional requirement for buildings constructed prior to 1994 to be issued with an essential safety measures schedule. After this date, all new buildings will have an essential safety measures list as a schedule to their Occupancy Permit.

Essential Safety Measures - Which ESM certificate is required?

A maintenance certification is not required in all states, nor is this required to be certified by a building surveyor/certifier, however under each of the states legislation the premises may be inspected by a member of the local council or fire brigade. Upon this inspection all maintenance documentation for the essential safety measures is reviewed and areas of non compliance may result in fines of $10,000 for individuals or $50,000 for companies. Even higher penalties apply, including jail terms in some states, if there is an incident and failure to maintain an essential safety measure results in a fatality.

Essential Safety Measures - What maintenance standard is required?

Form the introduction of the maintenance standard AS1851-2005 building owners have been unsure of their responsibilities in relation to the acceptance to the new maintenance requirements. In some instances building owners/managers have chosen to adopt some elements of this standard for convenience and also the water saving benefits but not enthusiastic in adopting other features. Click the link for a table that indicates the building owners requirements in relation to this issue.

Catch 22 of Facilities Management - A business case for Facility Management Software

In today's financial crisis, budgets are being slashed and panic seems to be ruling over reason in many cases. Regardless of any financial crisis, the facilities management of buildings is still of utmost importance with fines and mismanagement consequences firmly in place. Here we discuss a business case for implementing a sophisticated software solution that is easy to use.

The case for learning business acumen

In today's difficult economy it becomes more important than ever that each and every person in your organisation understands exactly how your business makes money, how and what they do on a daily basis, contributes to the bottom line and how the decisions they make impacts the profitability of the company, keeping the company strong enough to weather difficult times.

The Australian Government 'Green Building Fund' provides funding for retro-fitting existing commercial buildings

A new initiative from the Australian Government provides funding to assist with the green retro-fitting of existing commercial buildings. The Green Building Fund provides $90 million over four years to help encourage green-retro fitting initiatives, particularly those aimed at improving energy efficiency. Under Stream A of the funding, owners of existing commercial buildings can apply for grants ranging from $50,000 to $500,000. Grants are available for up to 50% of project costs and must be matched by private funds.

Facing the Financial Crisis, What you should know - DLA Phillips Fox Lawyers

Rapid and unprecedented changes in the global financial markets are affecting businesses around the world. The sub-prime mortgage crises that began in the USA over a year ago has drastically affected the global credit system, with the severe impacts on the stability of financial institutions, financial services providers and on global and domestic economic activity. Several economies are already in or on the brink of recession, with others likely to follow. Here DLA Phillips Fox keep you informed on what you should know about the current market conditions.

Eco Bright - Energy Savings Solutions

ecoBright currently delivers sustainable and dependable technology to reduce energy consumption by magnetically ballasted fluorescent lamps - offering two methods to reduce energy;

1. upgrade to T5 fluorescent lamp technology through the use of patented Save-It-Easy electronic ballast. This small device enables T5 fluorescent lamps to fit directly into T8 luminaries. In many cases savings greater than 30% can be achieved through the direct swapping of the old T8 lamps

2. Voltage reduction through the use of Light Eco Plus an Australian designed and tested energy saving unit, which when wired into the circuits controlling fluorescent lighting, will reduce energy consumption by up to 27%.

Conducting an environmental assessment of sustainability

Sustainable Footprint is an energy assessment provider delivering energy, water and transport assessments. They provide advice to assist organisations to create effective sustainable business outcomes. Sustainable Footprint guides organisations to develop a more sustainable footprint for their business operations. A business will benefit in many ways by conducting an Environmental Assessment of sustainability including: reduced operating costs, improved environmental Performance; targeted sustainable efficiency strategies; Sustainable Marketing and importantly creating an informed and Motivated Workforce.

Essential Safety Measures - DLA Philips Fox Lawyers, ESM reports are now mandatory

Owners of multiple occupancy buildings and places of public entertainment in Victoria have long been familiar with their obligations to monitor, maintain and produce annual compliance reports under the building regulations. However up until now, those regulations only applied to buildings constructed on or after 1 June 1994. As aconsequence of the amended Building Regulations 2006 (Vic), there is now an obligation on all owners of multiple occupancy buildings to prepare an Annual Essential Safety Measures Report. To find out more about this new obligation and how to comply with it read the attached article by lawyers, DLA Phillips Fox.

Sidney Myer Music Bowl turns 50

Melbourne's much loved open air concert venue, the Sidney Myer Music bowl, celebrated its 50th anniversary in February 2009. It has been the place for music lovers and fans of the arts to gather an enjoy the 'free music for the people' concerts established by Sidney Myer in 1929. The design overcame the problem of deflecting noise from nearby traffic with the canopy clad with plywood and lined both sides with sheets of aluminium and excavating 'the bowl' to a depth of 35ft with mounds of excavated earth built up around it.

Sustainable Footprint

EcoGlo

ecoglo is the "Leading Edge" in the emerging market known as supplemental (or passive) emergency lighting. ecoglo has relied on its innovation and technology to help establish its products in markets around the world. From winning the rights to develop world leading technology for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Buildings to installing blackout beaters in high rise buildings in North Americas East, ecoglo has been consistantly ahead of the competition in product specification and innovation.

Renewable Energy - Commercial Green

DIAMOND ENERGY'S electricity retail arm "Commercial Green" delivers a range of green power options to the commercial sector. Diamond Energy is an Australian renewable energy and low carbon generation company. It specialises in building, owning, operating and retailing electricity. It is a holder of Australian electricity market registrations and licences. Diamond Energy'e recent project is the development and operation of a 1.1MWh biogas generation plant in Tatura, Northern Victoria. A second generation plant at Shepparton is also on target for commissioning in December 2008.

The cost of Green

The analysis of returns that FM Innovations software allows is critical to evaluating and improving the returns you get from your property assets. It'll be increasingly important to know the payoff from measures to implement sustainability improvements... Bond University researchers are planning a new study that will aim to determine whether sustainable buildings are worth the extra time, effort and cost by examining the performance of Green Star buildings around Australia

GBCA launches new rating tool

FM Innovations strongly believes that Sustainability issues will grow rapidly in importance and play a major role in commercial differentiation and the viability of facilities and the companies that operate them or operate in them... The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has launched an updated version of its world-leading green star rating tools. The new versions are now called Green Star-Office Design and Green Star-As Built.

Resolving Conflicts in the Workplace

Edie Hester from Training Connection talks about identifying and resolving conflicts in the workplace. Conflict at work often results in low morale, decrease productivity and bitterness between employees. Client relationships are also affected when staff are at odds with one another. Part of the managers role encompasses the ability to help staff members resolve their conflicts in a non threatening way, so that staff can effectively solve problems, improve relationships and achieve goals.

FM Innovations Launch WSM 4.2

The first customer to take up the 4.2 install is one of FMI's longest serving clients Rio Tinto, now housed at 120 Collins Street in Melbourne. The installation was planned by FMI in conjunction with Rio Tinto's Andrew Steffanatti and their IT group. There were a number of aspects to the installation process but it was down in less than 4 hours and then over the next 24 hours it was monitored and tested by Andrew and the IT team at Rio. FM Innovations is proud to announce one of the most important releases of new FM and property management software in Australia for the last 2 years. This release of WSMenterprise 4.2 is significant because of its breadth, scope and the incorporation of a fundamental change in FM software deliverables

CIC Group

CIC Group are leaders in the field of high grade electronic key security systems in Australia and Asia. CIC Secure supplies security systems and maintenance services to government departments and large corporations. CIC Secure markets a range of key security systems which provide improved security, accountability and prevent stock and equipment theft.

FM Innovations is always looking for more Innovative and exciting products to link in with, just like the CIC Secure key system.

Hobsons Bay Named the 2009 Victorian Sustainable City

Hobsons Bay City Council was named as Victoria's 2009 Sustainable City at the Keep Australia Beautiful Victoria (KABV) Sustainable Cities Awards on 29th May 2009. The council submitted 14 nominations in the KABV Sustainable Cities and Clean Beaches Awards for a selection of Council and Community projects. Seven of these project were finalists and three projects won in their respective categories.

World Sustainable Building Conference 2008 (SB08) - FM Innovations Wrap Up

FM Innovations launched WSM Sustainability Management at the Word Sustainable Building Conference 2008 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre between Sunday September 21st - Thursday September 25th to a resounding success. The conference focused not just on the topic of new buildings and their construction but on the retro fitting and refurbishments of existing building stock that will not only add significantly to Australia's sustainable building credentials, but will prove that building refurbishments to world leading levels provide commercial returns worthy of attracting large scale investment from private enterprises and from all levels of government.

Towards the end of the conference people were looking at ways they could analyse their current levels of energy/waste/water usage and plan for the future. Around the FM Innovations exhibition booth there were many discussions about how the FM Innovations software will allow you to map your current environmental conditions against current industry benchmarks.

December 2011 / January 2012

FMI donates to charity, Reflection on 2011, FMI newsletter.

October 2011 / November 2011

FMI newsletter, FMI participates in Movember, FMI attends the FMA Awards Night and is runner up in Customer Service award category, FMI welcomes a new client.

August 2011 / September 2011

FMI newsletter, FMI attends the TEMC 2011, FMI welcomes a new staff member.

June 2011 / July 2011

FMI congratulates Marcus and Rebecca on their new arrival, FMI welcomes 4 new clients, FMI announces upcoming 4.6.6 release, FMI newsletter.

April 2011 / May 2011

FMI offices expand, FMI welcomes a new client, FMI attends Ideaction11.

February 2011 / March 2011

FMI welcomes another new client, new staff members join the team, FMI newsletter.

New events coming in 2012

Limited Budget:

FM Innovations Evergreen Software Rental Option

Essential Safety Measures

With the release of the Building Regulations 2006 it is now a requirement for all public buildings to have an annual essential safety measures report prepared. Click here for the latest ESM updates.