However, in modern facility management, it is a pretty "sexy" field in terms of new technologies in recent years. The boom of IoT and robotics, all the technological innovations that were already there in some cases, but especially with the energy crisis have started to make even more sense, gives it a lot of credence.
Technology can not only save money, but it serves as a great tool in the decision-making process of corporate management. Having a clear view of what is happening at any given moment in individual locations, buildings or sites and being able to make decisions based on relevant data on what should happen. This is the best that corporate management can ask for. Having visibility and the ability to proactively influence the efficiency of individual sites is often priceless.
Connecting systems and sensors in one IoT system is very helpful in both savings and efficiency. You don't have to send staff out to take readings and only have data once a month or year. With IoT and remote readings, you have real-time data and can have a clear trend even at times when readings would not otherwise be taken. For example, this is how OKIN Facility has detected equipment running in production for some clients even when it was not in production. Of course, with adjustments and in some cases automation of processes, much can then be done that saves both money and time. In some cases, for example, the system will alert you to an elevated value and the worker will decide what to do next. Other times, the system can be set to automate and if a value is exceeded, a message (alarm) is generated or a predefined scenario occurs.
The advantage that OKIN Facility has is its own system, which can be connected to the client's system, so there is no need to purchase a system for the client side. But what is the biggest advantage of the system is that it links different types of sensors into one system. Normally, sensors have their own applications and they usually can't be linked together. That is not the case here.
The use of IoT in practice can be documented by the following business case from the retail environment. The customer manages a large network of branches and was looking for an efficient and comprehensive solution for monitoring and controlling its operations. The main challenges were to monitor the quality of stock, track energy consumption in individual branches, measure temperatures in the space to optimize heating/reduce costs, and centralized control of signage to eliminate unnecessary waste while increasing user experience. The aim is to ensure that all branches are managed centrally and in real time, leading to better control of operations, cost savings and increased overall efficiency.
OKIN Facility and its partners delivered a complete solution to the client. From the initial analysis and mapping of the branches' condition, to the appropriate hardware for fitting existing energy meters, temperature sensors for the fridges and stores and equipment for switching on and off the illuminated signage, to its physical installation on site. These devices run on battery power with multi-year lifetimes, thanks also to advanced LP WANs such as CRA's LoRaWAN.
The brains of the entire solution is SARAhub's own cloud-based platform that collects data from all devices and sensors, displays detailed information, history, trends, and most importantly, enables timely and automated response to situations that arise using user-defined scenarios. The advantage is the combination of different agendas in one environment and further expansion possibilities.
The next logical step is to use the collected data for ESG reporting, to extend the functionality by counting people in the store, footfall analysis, or monitoring the filling of waste bins at selected locations to optimize waste collection.
But it is not only energy efficiency, but also cleaning efficiency, where robots are now entering the cleaning process. Sometimes they may also be called cobots, as they still need some kind of cooperation with humans. But even they can take care of much more efficient cleaning today. Precisely by being able to clean for many hours with the same quality without fatigue. Just like, for example, cleaning in warehouses and halls, where they need neither heat nor light. There, there is a further streamlining just by saving energy, the lights would otherwise be on all night at cleaning time. The most efficient combination of working and charging time, the right robot, for the specific environment and surface, it's not just about choosing the brand of robot, it's about really knowing both the technology and its capabilities (each manufacturer and model has it differently) and the cleaning process on specific client sites.
Today's robots can learn, their software is constantly being improved and their flexibility for even more perfect cleaning and assistance. They may not be able to do everything yet, but they can already do a lot. In the same way, then, the human forces (on which Facility Management relies) can spend more time on jobs that are more complicated and robots can't do yet. At OKIN Facility, these technologies and innovations are handled by a dedicated department with people who understand both technology and facility management and bring additional efficiencies and added value to clients.
Technology is an important enabler in this industry and beyond. It's just a matter of how best to use them and streamline the whole process so that it actually brings efficiency and thus can service more locations at once and with a more significant use of man power and skill, because technology will help others with that.
The author of the text is Ing. Tomáš Polák, CEE Sales Director at OKIN Facility.