Page 25 - CIJ Nov 2024 Digital Edition

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strategies to reduce operational trained staff mean better
costs.” productivity, which in turn can
Manoj added: “This is where the reduce costs. It is a constant
Smart Washroom came in. Having endeavour to provide more training,
identified what can be done in a helping in career progression and
washroom to help reduce human skill enhancement. We have around
12,000 people across about 1,200
intervention in basic cleaning, site locations, offering a mix of soft
where every half hour a janitor services, technical services, and
would be required to clean the integrated FM services, including
washroom, IoT sensor based soap landscaping and pest control. Our
dispensers, napkins, or tissue rolls gross margins are around 11 per
came in to the picture. Measured by cent, and net profits are about three
the number of footfalls, the janitor per cent, which is better than the
would get an SMS alert to go to industry average.”
the washroom and do the cleaning.
IoT enabled sensors monitored Convincing clients to invest
CLIENTS DON’T the Air Quality in the washroom; in technology is a significant
challenge for companies in the FM
WANT TO REALLY These IoT sensors can measure 16 business. “The biggest challenge
parameters of Air Quality in the
INVEST IN CAPITAL washroom and also send alerts.” when we talk about automation,
EXPENDITURE robotics, and technology-based
INITIATIVES: THEY Investing in manpower investments is CapEx,” emphasizes
Manoj. “Clients don’t want to
PREFER A VENDOR and technology really invest in capital expenditure
PARTNER TO OFFER For Saurabh, raising the level initiatives: they prefer a vendor
A RENTAL MODEL of training for the workforce is partner to offer a rental model.
critical, as it is for other players in Keeping this client requirement in
Manoj Parekh the FM industry wishing to make mind OCS started a rental model,
an impact. “We are evolving as per and the question was how to build
client requirements, and service a four-to-five-year rental model
deliveries are much higher when and deliver that to the client.
After many permutations and
compared to three or four years
back. Clients are more impatient
now, and we are adapting,
Changes from the changing our training
service provider side process, and
upskilling
FM companies increased their our people
range and quality of services in because
keeping with client requirements. better-
Saurabh elaborated: “Technology
was one of the major drivers in
facility management; we worked
on IoT solutions, building
solutions around air quality and
power quality monitoring. Our
setup in Bengaluru helps run the
facility from the back end, from
conventional facility management
to robotics. Specific IoT solutions
we implemented include real-time
monitoring of HVAC systems,
predictive maintenance for critical
equipment, and energy optimization

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