Another busy year is coming to end; one that has bombarded FM with the possibilities of IoT, AI and digital transformation as a means to solve the increasing pressures of sustainability and budgetary constraints. These challenges have been at the top of our agenda too. Read on to see how we have been helping clients, developing our software and sharing insights with the FM and PPP markets.<\/p>\n
In November, QFM 5.3 for web and the QFM Mobile App was released. The release included significant enhancements including:<\/p>\n
A number of enhancements have been made, including new minimum and maximum usage columns for stocked parts and new Part characteristic fields have been added. Custom QFM Worksheets can now be configured to show Event Requisition Parts.<\/p>\n
QFM 5.3 now includes the ability to view and approve permits and events via the QFM Mobile App. It allows operatives on-site to review and approve permit requests without a data connection; this means work can continue without the disruption of lacking data connectivity.<\/p>\n
The introduction of Mobile Task Types in QFM 5.3 allows administrators to show\/hide specific aspects of visits per event type. Such as restricting visibility of Parts tab for specific visits.<\/p>\n
For full details of everything that was included in the latest QFM release, please visit the client portal to access the release notes, or contact your account manager for a demonstration.<\/p>\n
We are thrilled to have been awarded Best FM Partner<\/a> with Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust<\/a> at the UK\u2019s FM & Property Awards. We have been working with Kettering since 2017 and over that time a collaborative way of working has transformed the estate\u2019s compliance and efficiency. UK General Manager Nigel Robinson enthuses: \u201cA client partnership approach is at the core of our company ethos. Our expertise in delivering FM technology to meet the needs of healthcare estates and Kettering\u2019s passion to go beyond the status quo has led to great success, and we\u2019re pleased that\u2019s been recognised.\u201d<\/p>\n Last month we hosted a webinar with the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP), looking at how AI and IoT are reinventing the operational phase of PPPs. Over the course of an hour, CEO Mats Broman, International GM Samantha Fuller and Systems Consultant Liz Cummings shared insight and actionable advice on topics including how IoT can automate the building environment, using sensors and AI for preventative maintenance, how such tech can be integrated with a paymech to reduce the risk of underperformance and penalties, and crucially, how to bring these into an existing PPP framework. \u00a0If you missed it, you can watch it now on CCPPP\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve been on the UK FM circuit this autumn you\u2019ve probably bumped into one of our team. Marketing Director Hazel Bedson and CTO Paul McCarthy joined forces with our sister company Symetri\u2019s Principal Consultant Daryn Fitz at the Smart Buildings Show in November to discuss how converging technologies are shaping the user experience<\/a>. We exhibited at UHEI in Birmingham, and heard from other FM experts about digital transformation and sustainability in university and healthcare institutions. And, we just finished exhibiting at Anticipate (formerly known as Facilities Show) over three jam packed days where we loved the opportunity to chat to existing clients and get to know new faces with questions on everything from cleaning scheduling to building a digital twin.<\/p>\n We welcomed our UK QFM software clients to our annual User Group, this year held in London. In addition to a look at what\u2019s new and coming soon for QFM, we were joined by several special guest speakers. Guy Dowsett from BESA<\/a> discussed SFG20 for compliance management, Dr Rachel Hampson from healthcare infrastructure specialists Archus<\/a> introduced the benefits of data driven maintenance, and our own clients Brian Powell and Naima Fidow from Royal Brompton NHS Foundation Trust provided a case study of how they use QFM to solve their own FM and compliance challenges.<\/p>\n We partnered with UK journal FMJ a few months ago to ask the nation\u2019s FM professionals how recent innovations like digital twins, technology and digital information are refining and reshaping FM service delivery. The results point to an industry experiencing a significant transformation. Download our FM Technology Trends Survey Results 2024<\/a> to learn more, or read this short summary<\/a>, originally published on FMJ.<\/p>\n A complementary guide also accompanied our webinar with the CCPPP. How are AI and IoT Reinventing Operational P3s explains the challenges PPPs now face including financial constraints and sustainability pressures, and how increasingly accessible technology like AI and building information modelling (BIM) can help.<\/p>\n Two leading journals met with Mats this summer to learn more about his vision for SWG since he became CEO in May.<\/p>\n Read Smart Buildings Magazine\u2019s Q&A<\/a> to get to know Mats including what excites him about the smart building industry, what regulations businesses need to be aware of, the best (and worst) thing about his job, as well as a his desert island disc.<\/p>\n Then, Mats introduces the art of the possible to iFM<\/a>, presenting a vision of how FMs could be managing their sites using a connected digital twin. \u201cTake a moment to think about flying through your buildings, seeing and interrogating the assets you manage via accurate 3D visualisations and then using AI to assist with solutions that make the user experience better, at the same time as protecting profit and the planet. Imagine the difference it would make to your job and the industry we work in. It\u2019s no pipedream: Broman has shown us the future, and we might all want to share in the vision.\u201d<\/p>\n Our GM for North America, Kelly Widger, was featured in Canadian Facility Management & Design (CFM&D) magazine\u2019s winter edition, discussing how increasingly accessible technologies like IoT, sensors, AI and BIM and helping alleviate P3 contracts\u2019 increasing complexity. Read A Transparent Approach – Enhancing Accuracy in the P3 Model here<\/a>.<\/p>\n International General Manager Samantha Fuller was featured in Aged Health Magazine discussing facilities managers\u2019 essential role in compliance with aged care regulations<\/a> in Australia, and how CMMS can help through reporting and asset lifecycle management. UK General Manager Nigel Robinson spoke to Health Estates Journal to explain how to implement a digital strategy<\/a> and the resulting benefits, with examples from work carried out with Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust.<\/p>\n Hazel Bedson, Marketing Director spoke to Smart Buildings Magazine about the sustainability challenges<\/a> facing the construction and facilities management sectors and explored the technologies that can help deliver more sustainable, efficient estates.<\/p>\nLooking at the Future of PPPs with the CCPPP<\/strong><\/h4>\n
SWG on Stage<\/strong><\/h4>\n
QFM User Group<\/strong><\/h4>\n
FM, BIM and PPP Knowledge Share<\/strong><\/h3>\n
New Guides Now Available<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Meet SWG\u2019s CEO, Mats Broman<\/strong><\/h4>\n
AI and IoT in PPPs<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Heath and Care<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Sustainability<\/strong><\/h4>\n