Service Works Global (SWG) clients travelled across the UK last week to congregate in central London at the offices of Facilities Show organisers UBM, whose soaring premises provided postcard views of the city skyline. Despite this, all attention was focussed on the QFM User Group, where guest presenters joined SWG to discuss new functionality, future additions to the software and to share tips on getting the most from the software.
Following CIO Richard Newell’s look ahead into the QFM road map for the next 12 months, clients were presented with demonstrations to show off some of QFM’s newer CAFM functionality, including custom forms, asset barcoding through the QFM mobile app, and automated resource allocation to save time and reduce errors on the help desk.
Guest speakers also took to the stage to share how they are using QFM and the benefits they have experienced. First up was Edward Payne, Head of Operational Estates at Luton and Dunstable NHS Foundation Trust. The hospital boasts an impressive status as being the only organisation to meet the A&E target of 95% of patients to be admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hours of arrival.
This, Payne says, is partly due to their good use of space – helped by QFM’s space management software, which they have been using for a few years. The Trust has 56 buildings spread across the site, creating challenges in allocating space appropriately and meeting NHS guidelines which specify the target of just 2.5% unoccupied or unused space. Since deploying QFM Space, Payne has been able to map the entire hospital with colour-coded floor plans to show utilisation, as well as assets and jobs to improve maintenance efficiency. The graphical floor plan and move management tools helped the team place similar and complimentary processes together to improve the flow and speed of medical processes, and made light work of reporting, which all can be done at the click of a button.
Mike Campion, Financial Director at corporate office FM service provider specialist Anabas, agreed on the importance of reporting during his presentation, sharing that QFM’s dashboards are used extensively to share data with his clients.
“Dashboards have been a roaring success”, Campion enthuses, going on to explain how Anabas is able to meet the many different priorities of its client base, delivering insight tailored to each. QFM was chosen following a rigorous tender process, with criteria including an easy-to-use interface requiring minimum training, depth of functionality, the ability to run multiple databases to suit client requirements, and QFM fulfilled Anabas’ requirement with a top-end product for high-end use. Having chosen QFM, which was implemented in just four weeks, Anabas now works closely with SWG to continuously improve their offering to clients.
The event was rounded off with a presentation from Anders Moberg from Symetri, SWG’s sister company based in Sweden. Having surveyed the User Group audience, and finding that the majority knew a little about building information modelling (BIM) but few would consider themselves knowledgeable, Moberg explained the process of BIM from an FM viewpoint. This included how existing sites can be scanned using lasers, from which accurate floorplans can be developed – not only with room dimensions but also with asset information such as make, model, and parts. These can then be improved, to show 3D models and graphical orientations of equipment placement. BIM models can also be integrated with QFM to help engineers find and access assets more easily, as well as helping them understand what tools and skills will be needed for the job.
For more information about QFM Space, dashboards and reporting or FM BIM, contact your local SWG office or email info@swg.com.
User Groups for North America and Asia Pacific will be taking place over the next few days – register now and reserve your place.
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