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By Brian Casey.
Tripoli, 22 May 2013:
Facilities Management (FM) is a blend of engineering and management, which aims to maximise the return . . .[restrict]on investment (ROI) made by buildings owners.
Libya has some fine buildings, and in Tripoli itself, nobody can fail to spot the iconic “That El Emad Towers” the twin pillars of the Tripoli Towers, the Burj Bulayla and the Corinthia Hotel.
These buildings represent what the new Libya could become, a modern, cosmopolitan metropolis where people from all over the world will head to do business in a country known as the gateway to Africa.
Businesses and business people will seek out these and other buildings, which offer high profile, safe and comfortable places in which to work. They will, however, increasingly demand that these buildings offer the standards of comfort, convenience and value that is now common in the wider business environment.
Any building has a “core business”. This may be renting out office space, it could be a school where the core business is education, or a hospital where healing the sick is where the focus should remain.
Having an FM specialist on board allows building owners to concentrate their energies on their business, removing any worries of how the building can support them.
Modern buildings are packed with technology and engineering, known in FM as “Hard Services” and includes Data Centres, Plumbing, Electrical Power,Biometric Scanning, Security Cameras, Radio Frequency Identification, Fire Alarm and Fighting Systems, Wireless and Fibre Optic LAN, Elevators and Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning.
All of these systems are expensive to purchase and install, and if not maintained and fully utilised become not just an embarrassment, but also a financial drain.
There are also the “Soft Services” of FM, which includes; Cleaning, Catering, Porterage, Security Staff, Receptionists, Help Desk, Waste Management, Landscaping, Parking and Pest Control.
The combination of “Soft” and “Hard” services are together know as “Support Services” and can also include any other item related to the building that is not “core business’.
Facilities Management companies are a specialised division within the Built Environment industry. Their management is normally drawn from personnel with an engineering background that have sufficient technical knowledge and ability to make decisions regarding the maintenance and replacement of equipment, whilst also understanding the requirements of technicians and customers.
Support Services are most efficiently administered via a Computer Aided Facility Management system (CAFM). This system will normally hold all of the data related to any asset within the building and allows accurate programming of Planned Preventative Maintenance, Asset Management, Reactive Maintenance and Budgeting. All with the intended aim of fully utilising the buildings assets at the minimum cost, whilst providing the best support to the building users.
For Libya’s building owners this is a chance to show that they can offer facilities, buildings and spaces to compete with the other business hubs of the world. London, New York, Dubai and Beijing all have fabulous buildings, a glittering lifestyle and massive opportunity. They also have invested all heavily in Facilities Management (FM).
In brief, Facilities Management can make your asset work harder for you, ensures easily managed maintenance, allows you to concentrate on core interests andensures your building is a place businesses want to be.
If you would like to know more, please contact Brian Casey of IFM on 0919395819 or [email protected] [/restrict]
