PATH TO PRODUCTIVITY
Digitisation isn’t always the path to greater productivity, but Winter Gritting and Grounds Maintenance
specialists GRITIT argue that keeping things human-centric is the key to successful evolution
Ultimately, the key to successful
evolution isn’t technology, but
technology that is appropriately
applied. In the FM world, we’re
actually well placed to consider
these lessons from the corporate
sphere given that our industry
is really only at the start of
what is touted as a major digital
transformation. Ushered in by
sophisticated yet affordable data
and analytics tools and the wide
ecosystem of connected sensors
and devices known as the Internet
of Things (IoT), new practices such
as Building Information Modelling
(BIM) are starting to gain traction.
And despite the hype, vast amounts of
the FM industry remain as yet relatively
untouched by technology – especially
when you step outside. There are
diverse challenges in FM and hence it is
understandable that the main focus has
to be those areas where there is greatest
strategic need. And while outdoor FM is
important, it often falls lower down the
list of priorities, and can be managed
less carefully. The exception has always
been where risk management or health
and safety come into play.
MANAGING RISK IN WINTER
GRITTING AND GROUNDS
MAINTENANCE
At GRITIT, we offer services in two
areas – Winter Gritting and Grounds
Maintenance – and these are both, to
varying degrees, still markets dominated
6 FACILITIES SHOW DAILY JUNE 2018
by traditional processes and manual
labour. As a result, there is still a
significant scope to be gained from
exploiting technology. The key is to
understand how and where investments
can truly add value.
While outdoor FM is often lagging
behind in its adoption of technology,
safety critical areas are an important
exception. In winter maintenance, the
potential liabilities arising from trips
and falls on ice have proved a significant
driver for the adoption of digital
technologies. Today, the entire process
of when and how to grit has become far
more efficient thanks to the ability to
offer proactive real-time service delivery
on the basis of highly accurate real-time
weather data.
For example, the sector has adopted
technology and location intelligence
to automate service activation and
scheduling whenever zero road surface
temperatures are forecast. This ensures
a consistent and accurate response to
unexpected bad weather, as well as
better scheduling and vehicle route
planning (i.e. to avoid gritting sites just
before heavy precipitation). This also
reduces wasteful gritting on days when
it isn’t needed – a real-world example of
technology delivering cost savings.
As conditions become more extreme
this level of flexibility really proves its
value. Indeed, the incredibly harsh
winter we have just experienced was an
important test for our own investments
in technology, and the ability to manage
and automate the operational aspects of
scheduling and communication enabled
us to continue to deliver a very efficient
and effective service even when demand
soared. As climate change forces more
unpredictable weather events, the agility
provided by technology will matter more
and more.
These considerations are also
supporting investments in the Internet
of Things. For example, GRITIT is
developing a next generation service
that uses sensors to provide a live feed
of actual road surface temperatures for
even better accuracy. In safety critical
contexts, we also see a clear role for
robotics and are developing and piloting
self-driving Winter Gritting machines
that can work to support and enhance
the productivity of human operators.
ENHANCING VISIBILITY
Across FM, technology can help to
increasing accountability and this is
true in both winter maintenance and
landscaping. Our teams use PDAs to
log activity in real time, which makes
reporting and tracking activity simpler
– cutting admin rather than adding
layers of extra work. This adds value
to managers or clients – particularly
those managing multiple properties – as
they can draw on the information they
need more quickly and conveniently,
whether through desktop software or
on the move via smartphone apps. This
also simplifies tracking delivery against
agreed service levels.
This sort of data could prove to be a
micro-manager’s paradise but if used
appropriately, automated reporting can
help cut out middlemen and actually
empower your operatives. Indeed, with
grounds maintenance we see technology
as being the key to helping our clients
place more trust in teams on the ground
so they can build better relationships
and work more collaboratively.
In winter maintenance, accountability
also goes hand in hand with risk
management. For example, employers
have a Duty of Care to provide a safe
working environment and to document
the reasonable steps taken to ensure
this. With snow and ice clearance,
technology has made it possible to build
in this requirement for evidence at every
stage – from vehicle tracking to logging
service delivery by scanning onsite QR
codes.
KEEPING IT HUMAN CENTRIC
The use of technology can solve the
productivity conundrum. It is already
reducing needless labour through
data-driven decision making and service
delivery and cutting down on admin
to track and monitor deliverables. Just
like in manufacturing, robotics will soon
be used a force multiplier to let fewer
employees achieve more when working
on site. Ultimately, technology will prove
invaluable in delivering productivity
gains across FM, but only where care is
taken to build services that closely align
to human needs.
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