In the first quarter of 2026, in addition to delivering enhancements to QFM and Archibus, we’ve been concentrating on digital transformation and helping facilities management teams understand how technologies like BIM and digital twins could aid them. This work has flowed through our software updates, user groups and into the wider FM community though collaboration with national conferences and magazines.
We’ve also been busy working on something new to share with you next month – watch this space for the big reveal…
Software updates
QFM
QFM 6.1 for web and mobile is now available, offering teams better use of sensor data, more accessible improved access to BIM models and even more secure user access.
This release improves upon existing sensor integration capabilities, allowing users to view sensor dashboards within the QFM interface. QFM’s Monitored Values and Triggered Events functionality has also been extended to support triggered events from sensor alarms. An alarm raised in QFM BIMi, for example when a fault is detected on an activated asset or a threshold breached on a sensor, is also automatically raised in QFM.
BIM models can now be more easily manipulated in QFM’s asset viewer to see required information, by showing and hiding layers (like the architectural and HVAC layer) for a clearer view.
QFM web and mobile now offer enhanced SSO (single sign-on), easily integrating authentication and authorisation into the QFM while offering customisable login flows, role-based access control, and support for multi-factor authentication.
BIM modelling
This year we launched our new Plan to BIM service – a fast, low-cost method of creating BIM models. Powered by AI, we can deliver 3D models from your drawings and floor plans at up to 90% faster than traditional methods. This enables organisations to use BIM models to inform their daily facilities and maintenance management operations, at significantly accelerated timelines. Try Plan to BIM now – we’re offering to model up to 1,000m2 for just £450. See more here.
Plan to BIM complements our existing Scan to BIM service, for those without accurate floorplans. Via Scan to BIM, we use laser scanning can create an accurate point cloud of a building and obtain exact measurements to build a three-dimensional model. See this process in action on our project with Lejonfastigheter at the Linkoping Sports Centre in Sweden.
Archibus
Archibus 2025.02 was released in late December last year, with refreshed interface that reflects the updated Archibus branding. The platform core has also been upgraded for a faster, more secure performance – please note the new release is upgraded to Tomcat 10, with Tomcat 9 no longer being supported.
Space optimisation functionality within Archibus introduced the concept of neighbourhoods in the space occupancy app, enabling grouping of spaces for teams and flexible seating strategies. This is supported in Workplace, the self-service portal for building users, where it’s now easier for team leads to book space for their entire team or neighbourhood in one step, as well as booking meeting spaces with alternative configurations and arrangements beyond the default setup.
For the service desk team, Archibus’s maintenance tools now display questionnaire responses displayed in work request details, and improvements have been made to bulk issuing and scheduling for large volumes of work requests.
Our team here at SWG has also created an API integration for one of our university clients and their Throrlux SmartScan lighting management system, giving the client detailed data for each luminaire including energy management and presence detection. This is the first integration of its kind with the SmartScan platform, enabling initiatives around energy optimisation, space utilisation, and sustainability reporting.
Knowledge share
Championing digital twins for FM
A digital twin of a site or building may seem futuristic for some FMs, but the industry is moving at pace and it’s on the horizon for many. Our international MD, Samantha Fuller and account manager, Roshan Jhoomuck were invited to the Facilities Management Association of Australia’s (FMA) FM National Summit in February to challenge the way FMs look at digital twins. “It’s not about visualisation,” Fuller opened with, “it’s about intelligence”.
Read our summary of the session, entitled ‘digital twins and enabling improved digital outcomes’, which explains what a digital twin is in the context of facilities management, how it works and why FMs can benefit from using them. You can also read our blog, ‘Is FM ready for digital twins’ which outlines five key benefits, including to saving money, improving performance and reducing emissions, as well as guidelines on how to get started.
Bridging the divide across the Pacific
Fuller was also featured in FM magazine, drawing on her experiences as MD for SWG in both Australia and Canada about what facilities managers in both regions can learn from each other. Inevitably, teams in different geographies face similar challenges, such as sustainability, new tech adoption and adapting to seasonal stress, but they are often addressed in very different ways. Fuller feels that progress accelerates when ideas, lessons and missteps are shared. Cross-pollinating approaches is not just valuable, it is essential for building more resilient, sustainable and future-ready FM outcomes on both sides of the Pacific.
User groups
SWG works hard to help our customers learn from one another and give them a platform to share their own experiences; a big part of our annual user events is networking and client interaction. Our event in Canada will be in Toronto on 6th May, and our UK event in London on 25th June – speak to your account manager for more details and secure your place. Further details with full registration will follow via email in the coming weeks.
Our Australian User Group took place this month, hosted at our client site, New South Wales Parliament House. Over the day attendees learnt what’s next for our software, were treated to a case study from one of our retail clients, gained valuable tips and tricks for getting more out of QFM, and took part in interactive breakout sessions and one-to-one guidance from the SWG team. It was great to have the opportunity to share ideas and have in-person interactions with our customers – thanks to all of you that came along.
Supporting future talent
As well as supporting our clients, as part of our social value commitment, we strive to give back to our local communities through fundraising and outreach. Last month our UK sales team joined up with Kingston College during National Apprenticeship week to give the students some real-world experience of the job market. We asked students to prepare presentations about themselves and their skills, then held mock interviews followed with feedback on how they conducted themselves. This is an essential career skill and we were proud to see how well the students did, and to be involved in contributing to their professional growth.
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