These days, it seems that technology plays a role in almost every facet of our lives. From video doorbells to automated thermostats to voice-controlled devices that can order your groceries, the modern home looks quite different today than it did even five or ten years ago. It’s natural that the same thing would happen in the field of facility management.
Technological innovations have made great strides in facility management in recent years. Below are just some of facility management’s newest innovations.
Automation
It may seem more like a sci-fi movie than reality, but automated systems that use drones and robots have already entered the field of facilities management. Cleaning robots sweep, mop, and tidy up facilities, while drones explore hard-to-reach places, assess system damage, and report it to facility managers; automated security systems monitor the safety of buildings without the need for a human security guard.
Using these systems and technologies, facility managers can now increase not only facility performance, but human productivity, as well. Automatically generated work orders and smart environmental sensors that change temperature and lighting based on employee habits and preferences are just two examples of the many new applications of these technologies.
Smart Buildings
Smart buildings integrate a facility’s various systems and sensors to boost resource efficiency, lower energy costs and harmful emissions, augment worker environs to increase comfort, and improve productivity at almost every level.
How do Smart Buildings Work?
First, a facility’s major systems (HVAC, lighting, and various sensors that track such factors as temperature, motion, and air quality) collect data. Then, the relevant data is relayed back to a central hub. From here, using facility management software, the data is organized and the information can then be viewed, tracked, and system behavior modified—either by FMs and/or artificially intelligent systems.
Want to know more about the latest trends in facility maintenance? Call MaintenX today.
