Stuart O'Brien, Author at Facilities Management Forum | Forum Events Ltd - Page 73 of 87
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Stuart O'Brien

MPower UPS

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT: MPower UPS – Bringing power protection closer to you
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Leading provider of uninterruptible power supplies, MPower UPS, provides a complete solution for all your power protection needs.

Offering Centiel’s top of the range, energy efficient UPS systems designed to reduce total cost of ownership through high efficiency and industry leading availability of 99.9999999%.

Its service provision includes installation and commissioning as well as maintenance contracts on a wide range of manufacturers’ UPS.

With a nationwide network of engineers available 24/7, 365 days a year MPower UPS keeps your business operating when the power fails.

Contact MPower UPS today for power protection advice.

www.mpowerups.co.uk

Catering firm Compass returned £1.6 billion to shareholders in 2017
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A strong 2017 and growth of four per cent has seen catering company Compass improve operating margin by 20 points, returning £1.6 billion to shareholders, according to the company’s full-year results.

Revenue in Europe grew by 1.6 per cent, although it declined 2.5 per cent through the rest of the world.

Richard Cousins, group chief executive, said: “Compass had another strong year. North America continues to deliver excellent growth; we are continuing to make progress in Europe and in Rest of World, with trends in our commodity-related business improving.

“We continue to drive operating efficiencies around the business which, combined with the end of the restructuring in our Offshore and Remote business, resulted in margin improvement of 20bps in the period.

“Given our excellent cash generation and the strength of the business, this year we returned £1.6 billion to shareholders via ordinary and special dividends and share buybacks. This reflects our commitment to return surplus cash to shareholders whilst maintaining an efficient balance sheet. Our expectations for FY2018 are positive, with growth and margin improvement weighted to the second half.

“The pipeline of new contracts is encouraging and our focus on organic growth, efficiencies and cash gives us confidence in achieving another year of progress. In the longer term, we remain excited about the significant structural growth opportunities globally and the potential for further revenue growth, margin improvement, as well as continued returns to shareholders.”

FM Industry Christmas Party

IN PICTURES: The FM Industry Christmas Party!
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Over 200 of the FM industry’s leading professionals gathered at London’s stylish Grange St. Paul’s Hotel this week for a fun-filled, relaxed evening of networking.

The FM Industry Christmas Party was hosted by the team here at the Facilities Management Forum, along with our friends at FMJ and event sponsors Salisbury Group, ATEC Security FSI Global, CEF, Northland, and De-Ice.

Great fun was had by all – there were certainly a few sore heads in the FM Forum offices on Wednesday morning!

Luke Webster, FM Portfolio Sales Manager at Forum Events, said: “It was fantastic to see the FM industry come together for what was a tremendous evening of networking – there were lots of new contacts made and old friends reunited. Thanks to the FMJ for helping to make the FM Industry Christmas Party a reality and to all our sponsors for supporting us. We can’t wait to do it all over again in 2018!”

Here are some pictures from the night to keep you going until then!

 

 

 

AI in Construction

GUEST BLOG: How Artificial Intelligence will revolutionise the construction sector
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Artificial intelligence is making its way into the construction industry, helping to revolutionise the way we build and design.

By harnessing robotics, construction managers can utilise intelligent machines that can perform routine tasks that were once completed by humans, such as bricklaying.

Alternatively, AI systems can collate and organise information for engineers to use within project planning and design implementation.

AI utilisation

The way we use artificial intelligence is spread into four areas. Together with Oasys, specialists in building design software, we assess the way the construction industry is starting to use AI in order to complete projects that contain fewer errors, less omissions, safer working practices, improved workflows, and more on-time worksite completions.

The planning processes

At the beginning of any construction, it must be planned thoroughly, and artificial intelligence is helping achieve this. Autonomous equipment is considered AI, as it is aware of its surroundings and is capable of navigation without human input. In the planning stages, AI machinery can survey a proposed construction site and gather enough information to create 3D maps, blueprints and construction plans.

This was previously a process that took weeks, but through the use of AI it can now be completed within one day. This helps to save firms both time and money in the form of labour.

AI taking on a management role

Managing and controlling projects from an AI perspective is now being put into place when construction begins. For example, workers can input sick days, vacancies and sudden departures into a data system and it will adapt the project accordingly. The AI will understand that the task must be moved to another employee and will do so of its own accord.

AI advice

With this technology being more advanced, it’s beginning to advise engineers on how to complete specific tasks that they might face within the construction phase. For example, if engineers were working on a proposed new bridge, AI systems would be able to advise and present a case for how the bridge should be constructed. This is based on past projects over the last 50 years, as well as verifying pre-existing blueprints for the design and implementation stages of the project. By having this information to hand, engineers can make crucial decisions based on evidence that they may not have previously had at their disposal.

Autonomous equipment is becoming more popular and the construction industry is taking full advantage of this — allowing vehicles to operate independently when at certain heights. Using sensors and GPS, the vehicle can calculate the safest route.

AI inside

Don’t just think that AI is only used to make the building, it can actually be implemented inside, too. In the US alone, $1.5 billion was invested in 2016 by companies looking to capitalise on this growing market.

Wynn, a hotel chain, said that it wanted to introduce the Amazon Echo into every room of its Las Vegas hotel to improve customer experience by the end of 2017. These devices can be used for aspects of the room such as lighting, temperature and any audio-visual equipment contained in the room. These systems can also be used within domestic settings, allowing homeowners to control aspects of their home through voice commands and systems that control all electronic components from one device.

BIM — Building Information Modelling

Building Information Modelling is a feature that holds information about the entire building, from the construction to if it ever got demolished. From this, you will be able to see decisions about the building that were said by management that will be a good reference for any future work.

Virtual assistants (VAs) are good for creating conversation but also for gathering the information that you need. By combining VAs alongside NFC (near-field communication), VAs can receive additional information about the building in real-time from various sensors in the building. For example, if there were structural problems with a building, then VAs could inform engineers specifically where the problem is and how it can be fixed.

Making savings is essential for any business, and artificial intelligence and virtual assistants are helping to achieve this. As the future of AI becomes more of a reality within construction, only time will tell how reliant on intelligent machines we will have to be in order to construct innovative building designs.

Total Security Summit

Plan your upcoming projects at the Total Security Summit
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The Total Security Summit is your opportunity to secure the products and services of innovative suppliers who can help with your projects for 2018 and beyond.

Would you like to attend? This two-day event takes place on March 12th & 13th 2018 at the Radisson Blu Hotel, London Stansted.

Click here to register your place.

This is unlike a traditional expo or conference. As a VIP guest, you will be provided with a bespoke itinerary of meetings with suppliers who match your requirements – no time wasted and no hard sell.

Products and services covered by attending suppliers include:

– Access Control and Biometrics
– Business Continuity and Risk Management
– CCTV
– Fire Solutions
– IP / IT Security
– Lone Worker Security
– Loss Prevention Solutions
– Perimeter
– SIA Security Training
– Screening and Scanning
– Transit

In addition, you’ll get to attend inspirational seminars and network with like-minded senior security professionals.

And all hospitality, including all meals and refreshments, overnight accommodation and an invitation to a gala dinner is included.

Register today to secure you place!

Or for more information, contact Leanne Webster on 01992 374066 / email leanne.webster@forumevents.co.uk.

Alternatively, if you’re an security industry supplier and would like to showcase your products & services at the event, contact Haydn Boxall on 01992 374 084 / h.boxall.forumevents.co.uk.

Carillon shares plummet
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Troubled construction and services group Carillon experienced more woes as news emerged that shares in the group sunk by as much as 30 per cent as a result of a further profit warning.

In addition, the company revealed that it is now likely to breach the debt covenants, with an average debt for 2017 likely to be in the region of £925m.

The company’s share value has dropped to a tenth of its pre-2017 value.

“Constructive dialogue is continuing with our financial stakeholders and I am grateful for their support. I remain focused on addressing this issue before my success, Andrew Davies, takes up the role (of chief executive) on 2 April 2018,” commented interim chief executive Keith Cochran.

The Unite union, representing over 1,000 Carillon workers has called for urgent talks with the company to safeguard jobs.

“Unite has hundreds of members at Carillion all of whom will be highly concerned about the company’s financial situation,” commented Unite national officer fro construction, Bernard Mcauley.

“Aside from the directly employed workforce there are significantly more who are employed by subcontractors and agencies on Carillion sites throughout the country.

“It is vital that the senior management of the Carillion Group sits down with Unite and provides a warts and all prognosis of the company’s long-term future in order for our members to be properly informed of what the future holds. They need to know how Carillion intends to deal with its current financial crisis.”

Atlas acquires Emprise
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Atlas FM has acquired the business and assets of Emprise for an undisclosed amount.

Established for over 30 years, Atlas FM is one of the UK’s biggest privately owned providers of commercial cleaning and security services with a strong blue chip client base, a network of regional offices throughout the UK and a head office in Hanworth Greater London.

Discussing the acquisition, Ray Empson, co-owner of Atlas said: “The financial strength and resources of Atlas will enable us to maintain and develop our current range of services across a wider geographical area. All existing Emprise staff and management will transfer over to Atlas ensuring smooth continuity of service.”

Nick Earley, co-owner of Atlas added: “As with the best business combinations, this amalgamation will take place slowly and carefully as we learn from each other; ensuring both that customer service is maintained and enhanced and we support and develop our teams.”

Prime Minister initiates drive for workplace equality
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FM businesses take note: a new initiative has been announced by the Prime Minister Theresa May to improve equality within the workplace.

The PM is also calling on more companies to take action on the gender pay gap as latest figures reveal that the UK’s overall gender pay gap has risen marginally to 18.4%.

Through the initiative, the Prime Minister is urging companies to improve female representation at senior level, publish gender pay gap data – including companies with less than 250 staff – and make flexible working a reality.

Discussing the drive, May said: “Tackling injustices like the gender pay gap is part of building a country that works for everyone. Already many of the UK’s top companies are leading the way in making sure everyone’s contributions to the workplace are valued equally, and it is encouraging news that the gap has fallen this year for full-time workers.

“But the gender pay gap isn’t going to close on its own – we all need to be taking sustained action to make sure we address this.

“We need to see a real step change in the number of companies publishing their gender pay data and offering progression and flexibility for all employees. That’s why today I am calling on more businesses, both small and large, to take action to make sure the gender pay gap is eliminated once and for all.”

Minister for Women and Equalities Justine Greening said: “It is simply good business sense to recognise the enormous potential of women and to take action to nurture and progress female talent.

“Employers now need to get on with publishing their pay gap. By shining a light on where there are gaps, they can take action and make sure that we are harnessing the talents and skills of men and women. The gender pay gap in the UK has come down from 21.9 per cent in 2007 and 27.5 per cent of FTSE100 board members are now women, up from 12.5 per cent in 2011.”

Churchill extends Middlesbrough College contract
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Churchill has extended its current contract with Middlesbrough College for another two-year period, having originally been awarded the deal back in 2015.

Following a contract review by the college, the extension was granted after several site reviews were carried out, along with inspections on levels of cleanliness and customer service.

Discussing the renewal of the contract, Louise Rogers, key account manger for Churchill, said: “This is my flagship site, not far from my home town. I like to work closely with all our clients so that we can gauge exactly what they are looking for; this is reflected around the whole college as every department has a different need. From time to time, this can change as different events happen, but I think we have proven ourselves to be a flexible partner.”

“The cleaning team have a challenging task every day, we have a massive and very busy college to clean within a short time slot for the core clean. The team all put in their best efforts and always make the time to go above and beyond.”

Churchill is one of the UK’s largest independently owned service solutions organisations, with a team in excess of over 12,000 and turnover approaching £100m.

Europe FM

European FM market ‘moving toward service integration’
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Integrated facilities management (IFM) continues to represent the fastest-growing segment of the European FM industry, according to a new report from Frost & Sullivan.

It says the industry will continue to move toward service integration and sophisticated advisory services focussed on business productivity.

While European clients are demanding added value and innovative solutions, with areas such as workplace management, sustainability, data analytics, and energy management all growing in popularity, multinational companies are likely to be challenged by national FM vendors moving into IFM and heightened merger and acquisition activities.

“The European IFM market is yet to see full consolidation. However, this will change in the next few years as firms add to their service capabilities by building hard FM skills and moving towards more integrated offerings,” said John Raspin, Partner at Frost & Sullivan.

To survive and thrive in this highly competitive market, Frost & Sullivan says IFM companies need to embrace key market trends, including:

  • Cloud-hosted analytics to drive remote management for technical services and preventative maintenance;
  • New business models such as anything-as-a-Service (XaaS) models to utilise technology to shift from CAPEX to OPEX;
  • Social and demographics changes such as technology, labour force, and workforce change management to increase value creation;
  • Industry Mega Trends such as industrial internet of things, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and intelligent robots to transform IFM services across Europe in terms of service delivery options and customer behaviour.

“Commercial multinationals have long taken the lead in reaping the benefits of IFM,” added Raspin. “With lessons learnt from the commercial market, industrial multinationals are expected to increase their presence in this market whilst also bringing new, challenging demands for vendors.”