In this issue:
Andron
CEO Cheryl Stewart on the importance of staying family-owned and putting people first
Consensus Workplace
George Tilbury explains how workplaces can be designed for wellness
How tech is making workplaces more cost-efficient
Sponsored by
At Pioneer FM we provide cleaning, security, reception, waste and grounds maintenance services you can rely on. We work with our partners to create comfortable, enjoyable and secure workplaces.
That’s the Pioneer FM way.
Hello everyone, I’m delighted to be taking over from Dennis Flower as the new editor of FM Director
Let me tell you a little about myself – I’ve been a writer and editor for 17 years now and have written about a huge range of industries, sectors and topics. I have been fortunate enough to write for the FM sector many times during my career, and it’s an industry that I’ve always found interesting.
I’m excited to now be able to focus on FM much more within my new role, and am really looking forward to developing relationships with you, our readers and partners.
I’d like to start by inviting you to reach out to me if you have any ideas for future features or if you have anything you would like us to cover in an upcoming issue of FM Director.
This month we have, as always, lots of interesting and insightful features, stories and interviews to keep you updated with everything that’s been going on in the world of FM.
Cheryl Stewart tells us about the importance of keeping Andron family-owned and run as she embarks upon her new role of CEO.
We also talk to James Massey from MRI Software about how techonology can help create more sustainable and cost-effetive workplaces, and we look back at the fantastic MRI Software FM and Energy Leaders Forum that was held on July 3rd in London.
I hope you enjoy the latest edition and I look forward to getting to know you all soon.
Thanks,
claire.middleton@businessdailygroup.co.uk
MRI Software –passionate about harnessing the power of tech for good The FM industry is ever-changing, always adapting to changing trends, global events such as the pandemic, and of course technology
Andron – putting its people first
Andron Facilities Management is a family-owned and run soft facilities management service provider operating across the UK
As facilities managers navigate changes in modern workplaces, office refreshment reveals some rather intriguing cultural shifts, as David Llewellyn, Chief Executive of the Vending & Automated Retail Association (AVA), explains
Managing Editor
Claire Middleton
Chris Cassidy
by FM Business Daily, Linacre House, Dark Lane, Braunston NN11 7HU © 2024 FM Business Daily. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the contents of this magazine in any manner whatsoever is prohibited without prior consent from the publisher. For subscription enquiries and to make sure you get your copy of FM Director please ring 01482 782287 or email fmdirector@fmbusinessdaily.com The views expressed in the articles reflect the author’s opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher and editor. The published material, adverts, editorials, images and all other content is published in good faith.
Andron – putting its people first
Laing O’Rourke’s Supply Chain Success with SSIP
Pioneer
The FM industry is ever-changing, always adapting to changing trends, global events such as the pandemic, and of course technology
Technology touches almost every aspect of life, and it evolves at such a rapid pace that it can be hard to keep up. Tech is being used more in the FM industry for a wide range of solutions, and in particular, to help FM businesses provide a more effective and user-friendly experience to their customers.
MRI Software is at the forefront of this. Supporting the FM and energy marketplace by providing all-encompassing solutions designed to streamline operations, maximise efficiency and meet sustainability goals, MRI Software is passionate about harnessing the power of tech for good. They are making real waves in terms of developing new technologies and solutions that actively help facilities managers do their job more efficiently and their building users enjoy better experiences day-to-day.
FM Director caught up with James Massey, MRI Software’s Managing Director of Facilities, Energy and Retail Intelligence, to find out more.
Can you tell me about your journey to the position of Managing Director of Facilities, Energy and Retail Intelligence at MRI Software?
I’ve been in this role since 2020 and came into the company through the acquisition of Castleton Technology, where I was COO. Before I worked at Castleton, I was with Capita Software Services for 13 years in a variety of roles including consultancy, sales and account management.
After MRI Software acquired Castleton, we decided to combine a number of products together through this, and other, acquisitions, including FSI. We wanted to bring together the various constituent parts of them that made up the FM business.
Since then we have added energy and retail intelligence into my role, as well as FM, because we see energy and retail intelligence as being part of a wider FM solution.
Where energy traditionally used to sit in its own business area, it’s now evolved to be much more part of FM.
How has the Facilities Management sector changed since you started your role with MRI Software?
The biggest change is the continuing drive for far more efficiency, it’s never ending. We’re seeing more and more people pushing things to technology. They want tech to do more for them, and they want more readily available information.
The second biggest change is the digitalisation of services. Almost everyone now has an app on their phone for everything – from booking a plumber to planning maintenance work. The classic concept of phoning someone to come and do a job is gone.
Looking to the future, AI is going to play a big part in how the industry continues to change
People want to be as headless now as possible. If you want something, you use an app and someone turns up at your door before you’ve even spoken to anybody. More and more companies are doing that now and it will only become more apparent as we go forward.
Number three – and probably the most important – is the speed to mobilisation. People no longer want to wait years for something to get done.
We’re seeing people now happily piloting things like internet of things (IoT), energy monitoring and lots of similar solutions, whereas in the past it would have involved a huge project that would’ve taken years. Those days are gone; people want to do things much quicker now. However, on the flip side of that, people now need value recognition and benefit realisation far quicker than they used to.
Looking to the future, AI is going to play a big part in how the industry continues to change. As it becomes even more sophisticated, it will give us more prediction and more ‘what if’ scenarios that can be used to strengthen FM services.
You spoke recently at the MRI FM & Energy Leaders Forum about how technology is helping to create more sustainable, cost effective and efficient workplaces. Could you tell me about this please? How exactly is tech helping?
We’re keen to push the boundaries of technology, but we’re also keen to make sure anything we do is feasible. So, we went on a journey in our London office looking at the deployment of our own kit.
If something fails in a room you’re in, you can report it to the facilities team on your app
We installed our own FM solution (MRI Evolution), energy monitoring software (MRI Energy), IoT framework (MRI IoT hub) and our footfall tracking solution (MRI OnLocation). We also installed our presence management system which gives us the ability to track which staff are on site. Deploying these core products together has given us a phenomenal data set; we’re now able to see who’s in the office and how many people are on what floor or in which meeting room.
We can also analyse the quality of assets: if something fails in a room you’re in, you can report it to the facilities team on your app.
We can also use these products to help us monitor energy usage. We can see whether the facilities in certain spaces are in good condition and how much energy a specific area is using.
Through this, we’re able to granularly learn how much energy is being used per area or floor. And through the use of IoT, we can also monitor air quality, temperature, humidity, luminosity and so on, giving us an overarching picture about how healthy the building is to be in.
We’re passionate about offering our staff healthy places to work and so our facilities team use our products to monitor that accordingly. We also have a ESG strategy and part of that is understanding and being responsible about how much energy we’re using.
We make sure that we’re as efficient as possible and as part of that we’re embarking on a programme to partially close down the office, based on demand.
For example, our office is underutilised on Mondays and Fridays and so on those days we’re going close certain zones in the building. We’ve done similar things in the past very successfully and so there’s lots of potential there to explore.
How is MRI Software harnessing FM and energy teams to drive change towards a more sustainable future?
We now see energy and FM as a combined solution set, because an energy efficient facility is what everyone wants to drive towards – a reduction in greenhouse gases, net zero carbon – all those sorts of things. We try to report the unreported. Our energy solution gives facility managers the ability to monitor down to an individual asset level – for example, a HPAC unit or fridge – and then be able to report on it and trend analyse it. It’s a phenomenal power to have, enabling you to expose a lot of waste. We’ve saved several organisations a lot of money by identifying risk and issues in this way.
This combined eco system of FM and energy is also able to report a potential asset failure before it occurs. As our energy solution monitors an asset, such as a HPAC unit, should it detect any erratic energy usage, our energy solution tells the FM solution that there’s a fault.
So, instead of the unit failing and the building users noticing that the room gets too hot, the two solutions work together to predict a failure before it happens. This is really powerful because we can start to get ahead of things before anything goes wrong and the users experience any inconvenience.
AI was one of the key discussion topics in the MRI FM & Energy Leaders Forum. In your opinion, how does AI help to deliver human-centric FM and enhance occupiers’ day-to-day experiences?
For me, it’s about looking at how we can make things headless, or as easy as possible, and how a system can start to make decisions for you. There are already lots of situations where AI is automating processes – chatbots for example.
Just a couple of examples of this at MRI Software, are some apps that can guide people on self-appointed repairs, and solutions that help inform tenants of a problem in a building before it affects them. To explain, imagine there’s a block of flats with 30 stories. Should the lift fail, it will automatically tell the FM system, which then informs the residents.
Then, once the engineer has fixed the problem, they close the task in the system which then notifies the tenants that the lift is working again.
This end-to-end ecosystem combines human interaction and humancentric FM to make people’s day-to-day lives better.
What more can be done to highlight sustainability issues in the FM industry? Are we doing enough in your opinion?
The industry’s doing its best and it is very conscious of sustainability issues because ultimately, FM providers’ customers demand green credentials. Of course there’s always more that everyone could do, and moving forward as the new Labour Government tells us more about what they want to put in place in terms of green policies, it will be interesting to see what happens over the next few months.
Personally, I think if we can make businesses more efficient –dynamic route planning, energy monitoring, identifying technology or hardware failures etc – then we’re off to a great start.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I’d love more conversations like this with FM leaders. We are very proud to have the customers and partners that we have; our customer list is phenomenal.
We’ve got some great people in this business who are super passionate about what they do. They wake up every morning and think about FM and how tech can do more. I welcome people to challenge MRI Software to do more. We’re not an FM provider, we’re a software provider and we want to be challenged. Our product team, our consultants, our marketeers, we all want to see technology being used well.
However, it’s important to remember that technology isn’t the only answer. Not everything can be fixed by AI. Those coming into FM have chosen a great career because it’s going to be around forever; people in this industry will never be replaced by robots because people will always need to see people.
My main ask is that the sector challenges technology companies as much as possible because there is so much more that we could do with what we have.
For more information about MRI Software, please visit www.mrisoftware.com/uk
On Wednesday 3rd July leaders from across the FM and Energy industries came together in London to discuss effective ways to create smart, cost-effective, and energy-efficient buildings
The event, hosted by MRI Software and chaired by Simon Taylor, Business Daily Group Chief Executive, was comprised of facilities, energy and sustainability managers and featured several industry experts sharing their insights into the latest technologies that are shaping the future of FM and how organisations can become more efficient and sustainable.
The event kicked off with an informative keynote speech from MRI’s Managing Director of Facilities, Energy and Retail Intelligence, James Massey, discussing how technology is helping to create more sustainable, cost-effective and efficient workplaces and talking about some of the cutting edge innovations and practical applications that are making a real difference.
“I love technology,” said James. “I think technology used well is great technology. A key objective of my role is to make sure that people are getting the best out of their products.”
“At MRI we have been on a journey to deploy all our technology in our offices across the globe. We are passionate about using our own tech; there’s nothing better than being able to say we use all our own solutions.”
James went on to tell the story of MRI’s journey to deploy their technology across their offices and how it began with working to understand the workplace and how it was being used postcovid. James’ story then went on to explore the use of energy management, footfall tracking, facilities management, and just what that combined ecosystem can bring out.
“We all have a duty of care around ESG strategies and net zero carbon,” he said. “It’s our planet and our responsibility. Our technology enables people to do things around monitoring energy and monitoring usage.”
Next, the audience were treated to an interesting panel discussion on the importance of collaboration in the net zero journey. Here the panellists covered a range of issues, including how an organisational cultural shift can drive net zero success and how businesses can overcome the barriers in the process.
The panellists were:
Baskar Sundaram, CEO & Founder, Baachu Rain
Mervyn Pilley, CMgr FRSA FAIA FSAM MIConstM AMEI, Business Development and External Affairs Executive at the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists
Alex Green, Head of Let’s Go Zero at Ashden
Kam Singh, Executive Director, ESG at EMCOR UK
We all have a duty of care around ESG strategies and net zero carbon. It’s our planet and our responsibility
One of the questions raised in the discussion was around the common barriers that organisations face in their net zero journey, and how can they be avoided. “People,” answered Alex Green. “People are a big barrier because we are very set in our ways, and we like to do things the way we like to do them!” She then went on to explain that on the flip side, people also offer one of the biggest opportunities as they bring the potential for a change in behaviour, which can lead to real change. She talked about how through her work with schools educating children and young people on environmental issues, she hopes to provide the FM industry with some better people in the future. People who have been taught to ‘behave better and will know to turn off the lights when they leave their office at night’. Let’s hope she’s right!
The morning session was concluded with a fantastic keynote speech from Franck Crosnier, Energy Management Director, BGIS UK & Europe, which covered how workplace well-being can be boosted without wasting energy.
After lunch and networking, proceedings kicked off again with another insightful panel discussion, this time on the role of digitalisation in human-centric FM.
The panellists discussed how IoT, AI, and smart technologies can be harnessed to enhance occupiers’ experiences day-to-day.
The panellists were:
Ophelia Bellio, Head of Global Workplace Services, BeterUp
Karl Broom, Sales Director, MRI Software FM Solutions
Ray Burke, Cyber Assurance Manager, Toro Solutions
Jon I. Clark , Senior Manager, MRI Software FM Solutions
The session aimed to host an exceptional event with a strategic focus, where leaders and experts from our sector could share best practices and opportunities
Then followed the last panel discussion of the day - De-carbonisation in Built Environment, with contributions from the following panellists:
Alex Green, Head of Let’s Go Zero at Ashden
David Hewins, Director of Estates, RFU
Alan Stenson, MIoD, CEO at Neutral Carbon Zone, Managing Director at Ethical Nation & Tree in a Million founder
Angus Robertson BSc IEng MIET, Energy Consultant, Saker Controls
Finally, this fantastic event wrapped up with a final keynote speech delivered by Jason Briggs, System Support Engineer, and Martin Paxton, Asset & Facilities Manager, both from Veolia. Together, they talked about how businesses can harness FM & energy teams to drive change and how they can streamline FM operations to become a more efficient and sustainable business.
Speaking about the success of the Forum afterwards, James Massey commented: “The session aimed to host an exceptional event with a strategic focus, where leaders and experts from our sector could share best practices and opportunities. I believe this objective was successfully achieved.” He added: “As a technology partner, we had the chance to showcase our ideas and participate in numerous discussions on driving innovation within our base. Thank you to everyone who attended, and contributed to the panel discussions, and special thanks to Simon Taylor for chairing the event.”
Simon Taylor, Business Daily Group Chief Executive, commented: “I’d like to say a big thank you to MRI Software for arranging this event. It’s great that the organisation has brought so many people and companies together to help share experiences and insights, and it’s a great opportunity for us all to learn some new things.”
For more information about MRI Software, this event, or to register your interest for future events, please visitmrisoftware.com/uk
In the ever-evolving landscape of built environment and infrastructure projects, the quest for sustainability and efficiency is more pressing than ever
Welfare Hire Nationwide, one of the leading hirers of mobile ECO Welfare products to the Infrastructure, Utilities, non-cyclical Construction, Industrial and Local Authorities sectors, offers market-leading eco-friendly welfare equipment that delivers cost savings and carbon reductions while providing modern, spacious environments for employee wellbeing.
A data-led approach to carbon reduction
Measurement is an essential part of any effective carbon reduction strategy. From improving your ESG score to achieving net zero emissions, leaders must understand how each procurement decision impacts their environmental goals.
At Welfare Hire, the mission is not simply to supply the best fleet of mobile ECO welfare units and tower lights – the company looks to build lasting relationships with its customers based on trust. Backed by a recent carbon certification from ESG due diligence company Sustainable Advantage, Welfare Hire provides its customers with the assurance that its eco claims are supported by verified empirical site data.
Intelligent, sustainable solutions for onsite welfare
Welfare Hire’s new ECOXi unit represents the latest advancement in eco-welfare solutions and leads the charge towards a greener future for the construction and infrastructure sectors.
The ECOXi Welfare Unit signifies a fundamental change in ecofriendly welfare solutions. This uniquely designed and manufactured unit is our most popular size with XL capacity for 10+ individuals. It comes equipped with a spacious canteen, separate office space, a drying room, a water-flush WC, and an XL rainwater system.
The ECOXi sets a new standard for environmental responsibility in the industry, ensuring workers have everything they need for a modern, comfortable on-site experience.
Brighter, greener, smarter lighting solutions
Welfare Hire’s innovative, eco-friendly tower lighting range not only enhances site safety but also offers a host of additional benefits that go beyond mere illumination. Each tower is capable of lighting half a football field, providing enough illumination for the toughest projects. Each of the tower’s six light heads can be individually positioned to ensure optimum light in every area.
By switching to Welfare Hire’s innovative tower lighting, users can reduce fuel consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions by a remarkable 94%.
Rebuilding and upgrading fleets to optimise performance
To maximise its units’ performance and efficiency, Welfare Hire maintains a consistently modern, high-specification fleet with an average age of 2.5 years and a maximum age of six.
The company utilises production lines dedicated to both newbuild and rebuild to deliver on continued expansion whilst maintaining its desired fleet age and specification profile. Upon reaching six years, Welfare Hire’s assets are rebuilt to upgrade to the latest technology and design specifications whilst optimising their lifecycle concerning waste and the circular economy.
With a nationwide dedicated support service and a 24-hour next day delivery service available, Welfare Hire Nationwide is the leading choice to deliver fully outsourced specialist equipment solutions.
For more information visit kellinggroup.com/welfare-hire/
Partnerships and new product development are at the heart of Lecico Bathrooms’ extensive line up of new and innovative products, which were unveiled at the InstallerSHOW at the NEC Birmingham last month
Lecico Bathrooms has announced a new and exclusive partnership with REPEAT Materials, offering bathroom panels, shower panels, and shower trays that revolutionise sustainability in the bathroom.
REPEAT Materials innovative products are made from recycled PET (plastic bottles), delivering a robust, tough, and waterproof material renowned for its strength and durability.
All panels are 100% circular, with transparent Life Cycle Assessment and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) sustainability data. Every layer is made from PET with no metals, glass-fibres, or wood.
This means that complex and costly separating and sorting can be eliminated from the recycling process. Damaged panels, cut-offs and even milling dust can be recycled, delivering a fully circular solution.
Lecico is also proud to announce an exclusive partnership with Thomas Dudley and the launch of Quantum Technology. The new technology marks a pivotal development in sustainable bathroom solutions with the introduction of the first and only leak-free, low flush, syphon operated WC.
A range of Lecico Bathrooms WCs are now powered by Quantum technology and will be launched at the Installer Show with live demonstrations of the new technology in operation. In recognising the prevalence of leaking toilets, Lecico Bathrooms and Thomas Dudley have collaborated to address this issue head-on.
With Quantum technology as the cornerstone, these WC packs are not only leak-free but also boast the distinction of being the only product to have self-recharging air lock technology that delivers a 4-litre single flush, operated by a syphon mechanism, using a push button for actuation.
These WC packs offer unparalleled efficiency and reliability, heralding a new era of water-saving solutions.
Lecico Bathrooms will also be unveiling new Design Series ranges at the Installer Show, with several new sanitaryware and furniture range additions.
The new ranges include Shani Round and Square, Zara Round, and Layla Smooth WCs. Offering short projection WC pans, comfort and standard height options, and open and closed-back configurations, the ranges offer flexibility and versatility.
Furthermore, Lecico Bathrooms are launching a short projection furniture range to enhance the current Layla furniture offering.
Featuring a diverse selection of contemporary colours and configurations tailored to suit compact spaces. The range will include floor standing units, wall-mounted units, and cloakroom options.
With the latest range of products developments, Lecico Bathrooms aims to inspire creativity while providing high-quality, reliable products.
For more information visit www.lecico.co.uk
In recognising the prevalence of leaking toilets, Lecico Bathrooms and Thomas Dudley have collaborated to address this issue head-on
Wellness has to be central to all workplaces. Good workplace design must consider the needs of everyone, as George Tilbury of Consensus Workspace explains
The 2023 Workplace report by Champion Health revealed that 67% of professionals experience stress at moderate to high levels, so anything that business owners can do to help reduce that needs to be applauded - and the design of the workplace can contribute a great deal.
We work with companies of all sizes to create quality workspaces: inspiring interiors where colleagues can come together to collaborate and create.
It’s important for them to look good and function effectively of course, but it goes way deeper than that – the office or flexible workplace has to be good for everyone’s mental health. It’s not just an ethical approach, it’s a sensible business ethos.
Deloitte research reports that for every £1 spent by employers on mental health interventions, they get £5 back in reduced absence, presenteeism and staff turnover. And Mind reports that 60% of employees say they’d feel more likely to recommend their organisation as a good place to work if their employer supported mental wellbeing.
We see this with the work we carry out for our clients: businesses are very aware of what they need to do to ensure the comfort and wellbeing of their teams and clients. Following the Covid Pandemic, office-based companies had to do a rethink. We’ve worked with hundreds of clients recalibrating their workspaces to encourage a more hybrid approach and a design that encourages communal, comfortable work; lots of plants, moveable meeting booths, open collaborative spaces and the use of natural light and materials.
It starts well before any physical design or build. The design of a good workplace is all about planning. It means considering the needs of every employee and engaging with a variety of stakeholders, not just those that control the purse strings – and also considering talent attraction and future hires. Everyone is unique and deserves a workplace that works for them. Here are just a few examples of simple ways to do this:
68% of commuters still travel to work by car, according to government statistics, but this figure will change over time as more people opt for more sustainable methods. 91% of employees could share lifts with a colleague according to Mobility Ways.
Businesses as well as landlords should be looking to incentivise this with, and can go even further by encouraging, the rise in bikes and e-scooter use, by providing storage, charging stations, lockers, drying rooms and changing facilities with showers.
Business owners need to recognise that they are part of a community. That community element is what encourages employees into the office: after all, many of us can and do carry out some work from home, thanks to the adaptations we all made during the pandemic. The key is to create workspaces that bring people together, to build culture and community, for the benefit of both business and personal health. This means collaborating - with other local businesses, with town planners, with local leisure area owners - to ensure we operate effectively in the spaces that we have, creating workplaces that work for everyone.
It’s important to integrate technology into workplace designs from the initial planning stages, to ensure it is considered and designed in well – it shouldn’t be an add on. Tech obviously plays a vital role in the business function, connecting those with the options to work on a hybrid basis. Utilising tech to ultimately make a good user experience for those at working remotely is key but we should relying on those tech experts, the manufacturers and providers to help all us install the most sustainable, efficient and practical solutions to suit our needs.
Workplace design is all about consultation and advice. If space allows (and hybrid working has possibly freed up some desk space!), it’s great to consider planning in some exercise zones for your teams. Full blown gyms won’t suit everyone, or every space, but rooms for yoga and other exercise classes are welcomed by employees who might not otherwise manage to fit physical exercise into their day. Breakout spaces should be a given for mental health: employees need wellness and welfare rooms, and any additional needs should be considered and planned for - for example, mother’s rooms, nap rooms, private medical rooms, prayer rooms. Part of our design and consultation can help teams and stakeholders of these facilities in the surrounding areas too.
Biophilia - the use of nature - is proven to have a positive impact on mental health with several studies showing the effect it can have. Office workers’ quality of life can be enriched by office landscaping, even if plants have no formal function, they lift the mood, and happy workers are more productive workers.
Larger windows, natural light, outdoor pathways and indoor gardens can all support this.
Demonstrating sustainability credentials is a key part of being a healthy office - sustainability is the number one concern for Generation Z and 70% of candidates in this age group are more likely to opt for a company with greener credentials. With a global target of us all achieving net zero by 2050, the UN has set 17 sustainability targets to meet by 2030 - and these impact on all business decisions going forward.
Almost half of UK companies say sustainability is key to their growth plans and 66% plan to improve their internal practices, according to HSBC’s Made for the Future Report, so those approaches to commuting are a good start and energy-saving approaches, sustainable and responsible recycling and waste disposal and a more digital, less paper-led approach should be weaved into the workplace design from the start. By planning ahead, all these aspects will be part of the design from the very beginning – as they should be. They are integral to the wellbeing of your team or tenants.
Andron Facilities Management is a family-owned and run soft facilities management service provider operating across the UK
Founded in Aberdeen in 1980 by father and son duo, Ron Stewart Snr and Ron Stewart Jnr, Andron has always been passionate about providing the highest standards of service, investing in customer relationships and putting its people first.
The company roots lie in the determination of Ron and Ron (the name Andron comes from ‘and Ron’ and the desire to be at the top of The Yellow Pages with a name beginning with ‘A’) to head out on their own and do something different with their lives. And, after being made redundant within weeks of each other, they finally found the opportunity to do just that and Andron was born. Starting out cleaning carpets with just a single bottle carpet cleaner, they soon branched out into office cleaning.
From there they expanded into shopping centres, and as the retail industry took off, so did they. As new retail centres opened across the UK, Andron won more and more contracts as their solid reputation for providing a first class service spread.
Fast forward to 2024 and Andron has an annual turnover of £70 million with 2,500 employees across the UK. It’s still family owned and managed and has a brand new CEO at the helm, Ron Jr’s daughter, Cheryl Stewart who took over in June. Cheryl has been working at Andron since 2015, starting out as Bid Manager and then joining the board in 2019 as Sales Director, where she looked after the sales, marketing and sustainability side of the business.
“It’s a huge honour to be given the opportunity to step into the role of CEO after my dad and to be able to continue the incredible legacy that he and my grandad built over all those years,” said Cheryl. “It’s a really exciting time for Andron at the moment; we’ve already grown a lot and we’ve still got big growth plans for the future. It’s also an exciting time for the FM industry in general right now; there’s a lot of change and innovation happening and I’m really excited to lead us into the next chapter.”
Remaining family-owned is hugely important to Cheryl and it’s something she feels sets Andron apart from others in the industry.
“Family is such a big part of our company culture and it’s important that we stay true to that,” she explains. “In recent years, a lot of our privately-owned competitors have been bought out by large global players and so the fact that we’re still family owned really sets us apart from the competition and allows us to have that personal touch that our customers love.”
Cheryl believes that being family owned enables the company to have a long-term focus on building trusted partnerships. For her, it’s not about taking on new contracts that they can’t deliver on just for the sake of the new business, or about undercutting competitors to win new contracts.
It’s always about making sure they can over exceed on clients’ expectations and building long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships that last.
Cheryl has big plans for her time as CEO, focusing first and foremost on growth. She’s also keen to invest further in Andron’s staff so that they too can join them on the journey.
“We’re putting in place a leadership development program to try and retain some of our really loyal employees, many of whom have been with us for a long time and are starting to look for their next career move,” explains Cheryl. “We want to retain those amazing people and ensure that the business is ready for the growth we’re expecting in the coming years.
“We’re also planning to continue our investment in technology, both internally with our processes and also for our customers with data-driven technology. This includes continuing our significant investment in ESG as well. We work hard to understand the changing needs of our customers and what we need to do next to continually evolve.
“We’ve always been particularly good at looking ahead and being at the forefront of innovation; we’ve never been scared of that and so we’ll be continuing in that way.”
Support customers’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) journeys
Andron builds a bespoke ESG strategy for all of its customers, based on their unique needs and priorities. “Our big focus recently has been on improving our reporting for customers,” says Cheryl. “Everyone wants to understand what’s coming into their building, what’s going out and how they can make a difference.”
To this end, Andron has worked with some of its supply chain partners to improve the reporting process and to show its customers, right down to building level, key information about a range of sustainability issues. They can report on things like what they’ve saved on plastic by moving to plastic-free solutions, and what the carbon emissions are associated with the products that we’re using.
“We like to ensure that everything we’re bringing into our customers’ buildings is sustainable,” says Cheryl. “We’re always looking at more sustainable options and we make sure that everything goes back to recycling after use.”
Andron is also passionate about the social impact it has on the community. Giving back to local communities has always been important to the company, long before social impact or social value was a buzzword. Rons Jnr and Snr always supported local charities and partnerships, and the company continues to do so on a bigger scale – this includes donating one to two per cent of its profits every year to local charities and project community projects.
And that’s not all. Cheryl is also particularly proud of Andron’s employability program - Inclusive Futures – which was started in 2020 and helps people from disadvantaged backgrounds such as homelessness and care get into work. She explains: “During lockdown I volunteered to drive a food van every morning delivering food to homeless people around Edinburgh. The charity I was working with told me about the challenges they were facing, a key one being that as the people working in their cafes had come from a background of homelessness, they were now facing homelessness again because the cafes were shut and they were being made redundant. I offered one of their workers as job as a cleaner in one of our banks (as a ‘key service’ the banks were allowed to remain open) and he absolutely thrived. From the success of his case, we built a whole program. Since then, we’ve put 18 people through Inclusive Futures and it’s been amazing. We’re working in partnership with a charity called Drive Forward and more recently we’ve been working with Tent UK to support refugees as well.
“Being able to provide meaningful employment and changing people’s lives by giving them an opportunity that they wouldn’t otherwise have had is something really special.”
The secret to long standing customer relationships Andron has many very long-standing customer partnerships, currently averaging 15 years long. How do they do this? In nutshell, they do it by offering premium service delivery and over-exceeding on their customers’ expectations.
“Relationships are key,” says Cheryl. “Staying close to our customers, understanding what their needs are and building a bespoke approach for each of them is vital and goes a long way to building the foundations of a longstanding relationship.” She adds: “We don’t offer a ‘one-size-fits-all’ service; we look at each new contract with a fresh set of eyes and then design something that is fully bespoke and the best fit for that customer. People like that about us.
“It also helps that we work so closely with our customers that we inherently understand their changing needs as time goes on. Everything’s always evolving, customers’ portfolios are always changing, and so are their needs. We’re able to anticipate those changes and then implement adaptations without needing to be asked or waiting until the tender comes around again. We’re always at the forefront of innovation and always trying to add value to our contracts.”
Finally, Cheryl says, it’s about delivering on your promises. “Anyone can say they’ll do something at the tender stage but then not actually follow through when it comes to it. Our customers always say that whatever we’ve said we’ll do, we’ve not only done it, but also gone over and above.”
Andron is proud of its people first culture and believes that people are its most important asset. 80% of Andron’s contracts are now paying the Real Living Wage. “We’re proud of this and it’s something we advocate to our clients all the time,” says Cheryl. “We strongly believe that if you look after your people, your people look after your customers.”
On top of the Real Living Wage, Andron also invests in better benefits for its staff, such as enhanced sick pay, virtual GP appointments, a compressed four-day working week, as well as annual employee awards. Cheryl says: “It’s important to us that our people feel valued and recognised so we can retain a really good workforce, especially in an industry which is renowned for a high turnover. People really do love working for us and I think that is down to our people first culture.”
The future is definitely bright for Andron. With some prestigious new contract wins – including the cleaning and waste services contract for the Crown Estate in London – the company has grown considerably. They now have 18 managers within central London alone. “It’s been a busy and exciting few years, full of new contracts and growth,” Cheryl says. “I’m very excited to see where we go from here.”
For more information about Andron, please visit www.andron.co.uk
Family-owned and run for over four decades, Andron has earned its reputation as a trusted soft FM partner. From day one, our focus has been on building lasting customer partnerships, consistently delivering on promises and providing our services with a personal touch.
Today, we recognise our client's unique challenges and design bespoke, scalable solutions that meet the demands of the new working world. By combining technology with our vast experience, we help our clients control costs, meet ESG goals, and ensure exceptional on-site experiences.
Contact us to learn how we can support your facilities management needs.
With a national presence and over 2,500 colleagues, we can provide bespoke single- and multi-site soft FM solutions for:
Managing Agents, Financial Offices, Workplaces, Manufacturing, Distribution, Residential and Mixed-use Developments, Business Parks, Public Sector, Banks, and Critical Environments.
www.andron.co.uk hello@andron.co.uk
On 3 July The Workplace Event proudly welcomed the class of 2024 Workplace Leaders Top 50 to an extraordinary celebration at the prestigious Morden Hall in London
This celebratory event honoured the remarkable achievements of this year’s winners and provided a platform for networking among esteemed workplace and FM leaders.
After attendees settled in with coffee and pastries, this fantastic event kicked off in earnest at 10am with a welcome address and keynote from Stefanie Sword-Williams. Stefanie is the Founder and Author of F*ck Being Humble, a global consultancy and movement offering a fresh approach to career guidance.
They provide ‘life-changing career advice and help people to recognise their talent so they can share it with the world’.
During her keynote Stefanie delivered a motivational talk inspiring people to embrace self-advocacy, be unapologetically proud of their success and continue to share their brilliant work with the world.
It was a confidence-boosting, interactive session that left attendees feeling inspired to reach their next success.
Then followed several informative breakout sessions from leaders in a range of sectors:
Technology & Data
Chris Moriarty, Director & Co-Founder, Audiem
Workplace Design
Becky Turner, Workplace Psychologist, Claremont Group
Culture, Health & Wellbeing
Colin Kimber, Operations Director, Pareto FM
Sustainability
Michael Amos, Managing Director, Waste to Wonder
One of the highlights of the event was the unmatched networking opportunities it provided to mingle with fellow professionals and influential practitioners who are reshaping and redefining the industry.
It was a great chance for attendees to expand their network and open the doors to exciting new possibilities.
As the day unfolded, attendees enjoyed the delightful ambiance of the Morden Hall accompanied by delicious cocktails, live music and lunch.
Ending with an awards ceremony, speeches and a celebration party, this relaxed and positive event set the perfect stage for building connections and celebrating collective accomplishments.
For details of future events from The Workplace Event, please visit www.theworkplaceevent.com
It’s almost impossible to imagine how an organisation as vast as Laing O’Rourke manages its extensive supply chain
With focus areas covering healthcare, energy, science and research, data centres, rail, and defence, the company manages a supply chain of more than 3,000 partners across both public and private sectors.
Kevin Horner, the Procurement Operations Leader at Laing O’Rourke, has taken on this colossal task over the past 10 years. Throughout this period, Kevin has prioritised ensuring that standards and compliance are at the forefront of Laing O’Rourke’s operations. To support this endeavour, Kevin sits proudly as a board member with Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP), and Laing O’Rourke is one of SSIP’s 30+ Supporter Members.
During a recent online event, Kevin joined Eleanor Eaton, Chair of SSIP, and Katie Williams, Head of Commissioning at Southern Housing, to provide insights into how their respective organisations use SSIP to uphold compliance and maximise efficiencies throughout their supply chains.
Kevin began by explaining that Laing O’Rourke values SSIP’s flexibility in supporting the wide range of industries within which the company operates. Covering both public and private stakeholder projects, their work spans healthcare, energy, science and research, data centres, rail, and defence. Typically, their supply chain operates in an on-site environment, but due to their business model, they also encompass factory environments, facilities management, plant manufacturing, and site services such as logistics.
As Kevin explains, “We need flexibility within our supply chain assessments to complement the various sectors and environments that we work within. SSIP provides Laing O’Rourke with informative, competent verification directives and options via third-party accreditation bodies, which then allows us to manage the supply chain effectively across the sectors and environments that we work in.”
SSIP, as an umbrella organisation, certifies health and safety assessment bodies, ensuring their qualifications meet the stringent SSIP Core Criteria, backed by the HSE.
Once a company achieves this approval, it becomes a member of SSIP, allowing suppliers to benefit from mutual recognition between schemes. This framework enables suppliers already certified with one SSIP member scheme to apply to another without undergoing reassessment, significantly reducing costs.
Kevin continues, “SSIP, in my opinion, plays a pivotal role in enabling Laing O’Rourke to understand the suitability of supply chain partners during engagement stages and management of projects. Having the SSIP threshold standards direction and core criteria ensures a consistent approach across the supply chain.”
Four areas to target
When considering the contribution SSIP makes towards efficiency, Kevin highlights its significant impact: “There are four areas which come to mind: risk mitigation, compliance with standards, improved supply chain management aligned to the core criteria, and promoting, improving, and enhancing our health and safety confidence among our supply chain partners.”
Stipulating SSIP approval across the supply chain allows companies like Laing O’Rourke to mitigate the risk of working with organisations that fall below health and safety competency. The SSIP core criteria that all member schemes adhere to provide a regulatory baseline that complies with industry expectations.
When a supplier enters the tendering process, Laing O’Rourke can be confident that they’re aligned with the SSIP core criteria and, therefore, company standards. This process fosters greater confidence among supply chain partners and empowers them to have their own efficient health and safety assessment procedures.
Kevin adds, “Overall, integrating SSIP practices not only provides certainty on our supply chain organisational capabilities and competencies but also contributes to operational efficiencies and cost savings. Having SSIP compliance criteria associated with a deem to satisfy outlined during the assessment process has created multiple cost savings and efficiencies through resource and time for both us and our supply chain partners.”
‘Deem to Satisfy’ is the certification process that allows a supplier to take advantage of mutual recognition between SSIP member schemes.
If a supplier already holds SSIP approval with one assessment scheme and an organisation stipulates that the supplier holds approval with their preferred scheme, the supplier can apply to ‘Deem to Satisfy’ with the preferred scheme.
This process means the supplier does not have to undergo reassessment. In most cases, supplying documentation will suffice, and certification under the preferred scheme will be issued at a greatly reduced cost. In 2023 alone, this process saved buyers and suppliers £10 million.
SSIP will play a central role in shaping the future among supply chain partners
Looking towards the future, Kevin recognises the important role that SSIP plays in procurement activities and supply chain management.
He explains, “I see SSIP enhancing their current offering to its members. Supply chain management is going to be a pivotal focus for our partners going forward. With the recent building safety act requirements and the procurement act going live in October this year, we’ve seen the core criteria playing out more and more to ensure diligence processes are instrumental in mapping key supply chain abilities and competency.”
The Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA 2022), which aims to reform building safety legislation, came into force in April 2023. It establishes a more effective regulatory and responsibility framework for the construction industry and introduces clearer standards and guidance.
The Procurement Act 2023 introduces new regulations that streamline processes and support innovation, benefiting suppliers and buyers. Key features include reducing red tape, enhancing transparency with open access to procurement data, expediting emergency purchases, and simplifying public sector contracting to encourage SME participation. The new regulations are anticipated to take effect in full in October 2024.
Kevin concludes his discussion by reflecting on his journey with SSIP, “When I was going through the website two years ago, there was a quote that Eleanor wrote that highlighted that SSIP’s priority is to keep broadening their impact, fine-tuning how they work, and pushing for even bigger savings.”
Ensuring that members have the opportunity to regularly provide feedback to SSIP ensures that the organisation continues to place members’ needs and industry requirements at the forefront of its operations.
Kevin ends by saying, “SSIP will play a central role in shaping the future among supply chain partners, addressing key priorities such as risk management, compliance, supply performance, brand protection, innovation, and sustainability.
“As companies navigate the increasingly complex and interconnected marketplace, safety will remain a fundamental consideration in ensuring the resilience, integrity, and sustainability of our supply chains.”
SSIP invites organisations that use SSIP throughout their supply chain to explore the benefits of free supporter membership. Supporter members gain access to Full Forum meetings, where they can discuss and shape industry-specific best practices, and enjoy full access to detailed information on the SSIP portal.
To enquire about supporter membership, contact enquiries@ssip.org.uk
As a Supporter Member, you not only align with SSIP but champion the highest standards in health and safety within your industry. Supporter membership is completely free and demonstrates your organisation’s commitment to ensuring a safer working environment for all.
Shape the future of procurement by offering sector specific guidance.
Free attendance to Full Forum Meetings and other SSIP events.
Full access to the SSIP portal, gaining access to further detail.
Exclusive use of the SSIP Supporter Member logo.
Cornwall Council uses the SSIP Portal to assist us, not only as part of our own Procurement process, but also in support of external clients, such as schools, who wish to employ suitably competent contractors. The Portal has also proved beneficial during an audit of contractors and recent incident investigations undertaken by the Council.
Pioneer FM, has taken a monumental step towards sustainability by transitioning to a fully electric fleet comprised exclusively of Tesla vehicles
This strategic move not only aligns with their commitment to environmental responsibility but also sets a benchmark for the industry.
A commitment to sustainability
Pioneer FM has always been at the forefront of innovation and sustainability in facilities management. The decision to switch to an all-electric fleet underscores their dedication to reducing their carbon
footprint and promoting greener business practices. By choosing Tesla, a pioneer in electric vehicle technology, Pioneer FM is ensuring that their fleet is both environmentally friendly and technologically advanced.
The Tesla advantage Tesla vehicles are renowned for their cutting-edge technology, exceptional range, and zero emissions.
By integrating these electric cars into their fleet, Pioneer FM is ensuring a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
The move is expected to eliminate thousands of tons of CO 2 emissions annually, significantly contributing to cleaner air and a healthier environment.
While the environmental benefits are substantial, the transition to an electric fleet also offers considerable operational advantages. Electric vehicles have lower maintenance costs compared to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles.
With fewer moving parts and no need for oil changes, Tesla cars promise reduced downtime and lower service expenses. Additionally, the cost of electricity as a fuel is significantly lower than gasoline or diesel, providing long-term savings for Pioneer FM.
Pioneer FM’s clients can expect even more reliable and efficient service with the new fleet. Tesla’s advanced Autopilot features and state-of-the-art navigation systems will enable Pioneer FM to optimize route planning and reduce travel time, ensuring timely service delivery.
The quiet operation of electric vehicles will also contribute to a more pleasant experience for both clients and the communities they serve.
To support their new fleet, Pioneer FM has invested in a robust charging infrastructure. This includes installing Tesla Superchargers at key locations and ensuring that all company facilities are equipped with the necessary charging stations.
This infrastructure not only supports their fleet but also encourages the adoption of electric vehicles among employees and the wider community.
The transition to a fully electric fleet is a significant milestone in Pioneer FM’s journey towards a sustainable future. It reflects the company’s forward-thinking approach and their commitment to making a positive impact on the environment. By embracing electric vehicles, Pioneer FM is not only setting a standard for the facilities management industry but also contributing to a broader movement towards sustainable transportation.
Pioneer FM’s decision to move to a fully electric fleet of Tesla vehicles is a bold and commendable step towards a greener future. It exemplifies their dedication to sustainability, operational efficiency, and enhanced customer service.
As the world moves towards more sustainable practices, Pioneer FM is leading the way, demonstrating that environmental responsibility and business excellence can go hand in hand.
GIND UK has undertaken testing and commissioning for our trusted installation partner Integral Cradles on a significant project at The Knightsbridge Apartments in West London
This iconic residence, unveiled in 2005, boasts unparalleled luxury and service, offering residents a living space comparable to a 5-star hotel.
Situated on 1.7 acres of exclusive living space, The Knightsbridge Apartments feature 201 residences nestled around an exclusive Feng Shui garden, providing residents with a luxurious living environment. The residence offers a host of amenities, including a Kinesis spa, a 20-meter pool, sauna rooms, a fitness suite, and a 24-hour concierge desk to cater to residents’ needs.
Integral Cradles replaced the three redundant building maintenance units (BMUs) for this exclusive client. The project also involved inspecting the Hold Down Units, strengthening tracks to accommodate the loadings of the new equipment, decommissioning the hydraulic scissor lift, and installing support steelwork.
GIND UK is carrying out the project-inclusive maintenance for Integral Cradles and looks forward to supporting the client’s ongoing warrantied maintenance requirements of what will be key assets.
This project again underscores the unique partnership that GIND UK and Integral Cradles enjoy in delivering a whole life cycle solution to their clients.
For more information on GIND UK visit www.gind.uk
At GIND UK we deliver bespoke access system maintenance for the world’s most iconic buildings.
Jeremy Harrison, managing director of MSL, a leading provider of nationwide reactive, planned and compliance FM services, explains how the firm is taking on the industry’s big players with its personalised approach
In business, it is said that trust is the currency of success. It is the cornerstone of longstanding relationships and in the world of facilities management, can be the difference between building or breaking partnerships.
MSL Property Care Services is a national provider of reactive and emergency maintenance services for multi-site clients, alongside its growing divisions of planned, compliance and ad hoc project work, is a business that is proud of its ethos of trust and transparency.
Formed in 2008, the company has grown organically to become a £30 million turnover provider of reactive, planned and compliance FM services, working with some of the UK’s biggest high street brands, including William Hill, Pets at Home, New Look, Mitchells & Butlers and Greene King to name a few.
Led by managing director Jeremy Harrison, a qualified accountant by trade, the company has ambitious growth plans, having been recently backed by a £6.5m investment from private equity and infrastructure investment manager Foresight Group.
However, the foundations of its success have been built on customer focus and an approach that allows customers clear visibility on their building maintenance and projects.
Property maintenance
Headquartered in Halifax, where its national helpdesk is also located, MSL offers reactive and emergency maintenance services with an emphasis placed on customer service excellence.
Compliance maintenance is another core service MSL provides to clients. This involves the maintenance of a range of customer assets to ensure that they remain compliant in line with statutory regulations, including fire assets such as fire alarms, fire extinguishers and electrical equipment services such as PAT testing.
The company also provide water systems checks for water-borne diseases such as legionella, with planned visits once or twice a year to ensure compliance before carrying out any required remedial works.
Whatever your property type, MSL provides detailed and comprehensive compliance maintenance services to ensure that your business complies with every regulatory law it needs to.
Beyond maintenance, MSL also offers a range of project management services, including small refurbishment and renovation works such as re-modelling office or store spaces to create new facilities such as bathrooms and toilets.
As Jeremy explains, MSL’s ethos is to place customer satisfaction at the heart of each stage of the company’s processes.
This clear and staged approach ensures the customer has full visibility of the service they will receive, be it reactive or planned:
“At MSL we can provide the ‘platform assets’ of the bigger FM companies, including nationwide coverage, a 24/7 helpdesk and CAFM system.
ECO Property Maintenance is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective way to bundle non-business critical jobs of compatible trades.
It is a simple way to reduce the number of attendance fees and lower your carbon footprint for non-urgent works such as minor repairs or minor decorative fixes.
For more information contact info@msl-ltd.co.uk
Low urgency maintenance issues at the same site are grouped as Eco tasks and stored on the inSYNC portal for up to 21 days.
inSYNC recognises compatible trade tasks and calculates estimated labour timescales to complete.
Any of the following three triggers then apply: A standard priority job is raised - any compatible Eco tasks are bundled to this work order.
Four estimated labour hours are reached to complete compatible Eco tasks - one bundled work order is created
21 days are reached - one bundled work order
“A key differentiator is that we offer a more personalised service.
“Our focus is always on delivering strong customer service, account management and building relationships. Customer focus is central to our culture. here”
The firm’s operations are backed by InSYNC, a CAFM system that allows live integration of modules and provides total transparency of activity and communication from the individual site to customer head office, back to MSL.
The InSYNC system includes a web-based customer portal which enables customers to log, track jobs through to completion and view reports.
“InSYNC provides our customers with a transparency of service. They can see how our engineers are performing and how they’re spending their money. It’s a great asset that we are continually improving with our in-house software development team.” Jeremy explained.
A great place to work
Employee engagement is a key component of MSL, with the firm recently named in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024 List.
To achieve this recognition, employees at MSL must undertake an independent objective survey, with high-scoring organisations making the list based on the results of the study.
The Sunday Times Best Place to Work listing is an accolade Jeremy is proud of, as he explains:
“We have a clear vision and values. Our vision is to be the most respected maintenance company in the UK. That word ‘respect’ is central to everything we do and includes our approach to employee engagement.”
“We see an intrinsic link between our strong employee culture and the quality of our customer relationships. People at MSL enjoy life here and they understand our customers’ needs and want to do the best for them, so the two things go hand-in-hand.”
MSL is keen to emphasise its approach to ‘giving back’ as a maintainer of assets for many charities including the British Heart Foundation, Marie Curie, Oxfam and Age UK. MSL supports these customers’ fundraising efforts through various initiatives.
Taking a greener approach
Alongside its customer-centric approach, MSL has also taken clear steps to reduce its impact on the environment through various ecoinitiatives.
Having measured the company’s carbon footprint, Jeremy says MSL is now looking at ways to eventually become carbon-neutral.
MSL’s new ECO Property Maintenance solution is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective method for bundling non-business critical jobs of compatible trades.
With ECO Property Maintenance, the company can reduce the number of attendance fees and lower both its own and its customers’ carbon footprints for non-urgent works such as minor repairs and decorative fixes.
“By delivering these works with only one call out, we can reduce the time that our vans are out on the road,” Jeremy explains.
“We’re also in the process of transitioning our vehicle fleets, so currently all of our cars are either fully electric or hybrid.”
A winning formula
Following the recent investment from private equity firm Foresight Group, MSL is looking to the future with excitement. While continued growth is the ambition, Jeremy says the company will not stray from the personal approach which has been the catalyst for its success to date:
“We’ve enjoyed longstanding relationships with many well-known brands. That to my mind is a testimony to the service we provide,” he says.
“We operate with a transparency that our customers appreciate and a personal touch that starts with me as managing director. All our major customers have access to me and my fellow directors. We are very visible to our customer base, and I believe that has been one of the foundations of our success.” He concludes.
For more information on MSL and its services visit www.msl-ltd.co.uk
Our vision is to be the most respected maintenance company in the UK
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Access transformation and its impact on FM service delivery
Both hard and soft FM service delivery relies on staff and subcontractors having access to the premises.
While it is not an issue during the working day, after-hours access can become a costly logistical challenge, especially with a large number of locations to manage.
For years, traditional keyholding was the answer; keys had to be collected from a central location or a member of staff had to travel to site to let contractors in.
However, this approach is far from efficient. Aside from the time and fuel wasted simply collecting and returning keys (consider the CO 2 emissions produced in the process), keys are frequently misplaced, lost, or simply not returned, resulting in expensive key and lock replacement charges and, for an FM company, an awkward conversation with the client to explain the situation.
This age-old method can also result in unnecessary missed visit charges when contractors arrive on site but are unable to gain access to deliver their services.
There is an abundance of digital access control solutions on the market that incorporate the latest technology, biometrics and mobile credentials.
However, most of these are only suitable for business-hours, and after-hours or weekend access when the building is hard-locked remains problematic. Furthermore, such systems are very expensive, requiring a substantial investment in building access-point and power supply adaptation.
While entirely digital access control will most certainly become mainstream in the future when energy storage solutions improve and scale cost reductions can be offered, the truth is that this will be many years hence.
For this reason, it’s not surprising that digital key safes are becoming increasingly popular in the FM sector.
They act as a bridge between the old keyholding methods and fully digital solutions, requiring low investment while providing full access traceability.
SentriGuard®, a key management solution by Keynetics, for example, integrates commercial grade security with the latest digital access control features; there is an app for key safe access and a platform for remote access management and auditing.
Due diligence must be applied when implementing any new security solution, particularly access control, whether mechanical or fully digital.
Both FM and security teams must ensure that the system meets both physical and digital security requirements; otherwise, the innovation will create a serious risk to the business.
This is where product certification can help to determine the quality of the chosen solution. In this regard, Keynetics’ SentriGuard key safes are certified to C1 and C3 grades of LPS 1175 (a loss prevention standard by LPCB) and have undergone numerous attack tests at the BRE facilities.
There is a common acceptance that, keyholding methods need to change to improve the responsiveness for effective FM service delivery, but due diligence must be a prime consideration in the decision-making process when selecting a new access control system.
Due diligence must be applied when implementing any new security solution, particularly access control, whether mechanical or fully digital
As facilities managers navigate changes in modern workplaces, office refreshment reveals some rather intriguing cultural shifts, as David Llewellyn, Chief Executive of the Vending & Automated Retail Association (AVA), explains
Recent data from the AVA’s 2023 census reveals significant trends, signalling a transformation in how we cater to the needs of office-based staff.
Notably, Business and Industry (B&I) now constitutes 51% of the vending industry by sector turnover, a drop from 70% in 2018. This emphasises an enduring shift in consumption habits and preferences within work environments. The change reveals much about our ‘new normal’ and provides crucial insights for facilities managers striving to maintain vibrant, efficient workplaces.
The rise of micro-markets
The term ‘hybrid working’ is no longer a buzzword; it’s what many of us are living right now. With it comes the imperative for facilities managers to adapt the workplace ecosystem to accommodate employees’ fluctuating needs. Enter micro-markets – a concept signalling a new era in office catering. With a 37% increase over the past year, 660 micro-markets are flourishing across the UK.
Micro-markets offer unparalleled convenience and quality, fulfilling the modern worker’s desire for flexibility. These markets can operate under a dual model: manned or self-service. When staffed, they can provide various fresh products like sandwiches, pastries, and fruits. In self-service mode, they still deliver classic vending items, from refreshing beverages to pre-packaged snacks, thus ensuring that quality remains uncompromised.
For facilities managers, micro-markets represent a dynamic solution to the ever-changing workplace rhythm. They don’t just adapt to the fast-paced demands of office life but also achieve this without sacrificing the quality expected by today’s employees looking for a reason to want to be in the office.
fridges:
Further extending the micro-market concept, smart fridges are gaining traction, enabling users to select items and complete transactions directly at the machine. The AVA’s latest census highlights a staggering 190% increase in smart fridges across the UK since 2022.
Smart fridges address multiple operational concerns. They allow for a broader range of chilled refreshments and fresh food options while promising significant energy savings. Unlike open coolers, the smart fridge design retains cold air, reducing energy consumption. Facilities managers thus benefit from a solution that is both ecofriendly and cost-effective.
These innovations form a flexible model that assures employees of high-quality products, whether they are in the office twice a week or every day.
The perennial challenge for facilities managers is to create an environment that balances convenience with quality – a challenge these technologies meet head-on.
The evolving coffee culture
Our preferences in coffee consumption are also evolving, a fact underscored by the AVA’s findings. Over the last decade, beanto-cup coffee vending has witnessed a 22% rise, with coffee technology now evenly divided between bean-to-cup, fresh brew, and instant varieties across vending. Additionally, coffee-to-go machines have increased by 7% from the previous year.
This trend illustrates a universal shift towards a blend of quality and convenience. As facilities managers grapple with keeping employees on-site during coffee breaks, the presence of highquality, bean-to-cup machines is indispensable.
By offering exceptional coffee options, facilities managers can compete with high street chains, thereby keeping employees within the cosy confines of the office.
Meeting modern expectations
Facilities managers have an unprecedented opportunity to reshape the workplace experience in meaningful ways. Today’s employees want options that mirror their high standards for convenience and quality, reflective of their broader lifestyle choices. Facilities managers can meet and exceed these expectations by integrating advanced vending and automated retail solutions.
The dynamics of workplace snacking and beverage services have undergone profound changes, influenced by evolving work patterns and employee expectations. T
he data from the AVA census paints a vivid picture of these trends and underscores the importance for facilities managers to remain agile and proactive.
For comprehensive insights into the AVA 2023 Census and Market Review, please contact info@the-ava.com. As we settle into this new world of work, it is clear that advanced vending solutions and coffee technology will be steadfast allies for facilities management, shaping the future of our office snacking conventions.
The shift in working culture has resulted in continued fluctuations in office occupancy which has had a big impact on the way commercial cleaning companies organise their teams
As businesses navigate the complexities of remote work, hybrid models, and return-to-office strategies, cleaning companies face a set of evolving demands, operational challenges, and strategic considerations.
The pandemic raised awareness of hygiene and cleanliness like never before, making cleaning companies busier and more important than ever, especially as people returned to the workplace.
But the unpredictable nature of office occupancy has encouraged plenty of innovation and new ways of working, especially when it comes to flexible scheduling and resource allocation.
Implementing agile workforce management systems, leveraging technology for real-time monitoring, and maintaining open communication channels with clients have become essential strategies in adapting to ever changing demands.
“We’ve been proactive in adapting to the future of work,” says Dominic Ponniah, CEO & Co-Founder of Cleanology. “For example, we have always taken our sustainability impacts seriously.
We have advocated for chemical-free cleaning for the past decade and we’re now almost chemical-free across our entire portfolio.
we can build flexibility into what gets achieved during those hours and ensure our clients get a consistent quality of service
We developed our own portion-controlled sachets of biological cleaning solution, a move that is saving more than 16,000 litres of water each year, and has drastically cut the use of plastic bottles, from 21,600 to just 600 PET bottles. We’ve also embraced energyefficient technologies, such as LED lighting, electric vehicles and low-energy equipment, to substantially reduce our carbon footprint, and lowered costs.”
In an industry known for low pay, Cleanology is bucking the trend by paying a Real Living Wage to its employees and offering them fixed hours, despite the challenges posed by office occupancy fluctuations.
“While some cleaning companies are happy with zero-hours contracts – whereby agency staff might be offered eight hours of work today, and nothing tomorrow – we continue to contract our staff on a fixed roster,” explains Dominic.
“Yes, they might work different hours per day, but their hours are fixed. By guaranteeing our people a set number of work hours, we can build flexibility into what gets achieved during those hours and ensure our clients get a consistent quality of service.”
Using technology to manage workflow and ensure flexibility
To achieve flexibility in the way it delivers on its contracts, Cleanology is increasingly turning to technology, in particular, by rolling out a trial to make use of sensor technology in buildings that will enable them to track office occupancy and determine the spaces that do and do not need cleaning.
“Using sensor technology is an absolute gamechanger, not just for Cleanology but for the commercial cleaning sector as a whole,” says Dominic.
“By determining which floors of a building are occupied and which are not, companies can significantly reduce the hours required for cleaning, even cutting the time it takes for people to open a door to look inside to determine what to clean.”
Dominic adds: “There’s also another important benefit for commercial cleaning. Previously, cleaning was seen as a ‘soft service’, a very separate component to the rest of facilities management. But the introduction of sensor technology enables building occupiers to fully understand all of their M&E requirements – not just cleaning, but whether lighting and air conditioning needs to be turned off too. Given the associated energy and cost savings, the benefits of sensor technology can be realised incredibly quickly.
“In the meantime, transparent time management of staff is crucial in successfully delivering against contracts. At Cleanology, we use a central software platform to schedule our team hours. Our employees receive a job card, they go to a site, they sign it and we can deliver a proof of service delivery. Each team must upload ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos too. The system gives our clients the flexibility to determine how many days’ cleaning they require on any given week.”
The challenges facing commercial cleaning companies in the wake of fluctuating office occupancy rates are multifaceted. There are many operational, financial, and strategic considerations. But in finding new and interesting ways to work, cleaning firms can adapt to changing needs. As Dominic concludes: “The commercial office sector will continue to evolve, and the role of commercial cleaning companies will remain an integral part of ensuring people stay safe and well in the workplace.”
For more information please visit: cleanology.com/services/office-cleaning/
There’s a wide range of issues facing the FM industry over the next few years, from legislative changes to sustainability, and facilities managers will have plenty to keep them busy in navigating these challenges. FM Director spoke to Head of FM and Property Management at phs Group, Ryan Farnworth to find out what he thinks lies ahead
“Creating ESG policies and practices as well as delivering on them is a leading priority within the FM sector over the next year, and far beyond too,” Farnworth said.
“As well as working on this in-house, facilities managers will be leaning on their supply chain for support around their Scope 3 emissions. It’s vital that FMs work with suppliers that have comprehensive measurement methodologies to quantify Scope 3 emissions, tracking them throughout the value chain to identify hotspots and prioritise reduction efforts. It’s also key to utilise data from suppliers, customers, and industry standards to ensure accuracy and transparency, and this can be a mammoth task for an FM, if they’re not working with the right type of supplier.”
So, what should FMs do? “The key to managing this challenge effectively is to work with other suppliers who actively engage with their own supply chain to drive emission reductions, and collaborate to implement sustainable practices, energy-efficient technologies, and low-carbon alternatives,” said Farnworth.
“At phs we encourage our suppliers to adopt carbon accounting systems and report on their emissions so that together we can make a difference. By prioritising collaboration, transparency, and continuous improvement with our suppliers to drive meaningful change within our supply chain, we can make a tangible impact.”
Social value is another crucial issue which can support industry challenges according to Farnworth. He said: “Recruitment is harder than it’s ever been, and as a result – staff retention is critical. Prioritising employee wellbeing within this context is key, and FMs are working hard to create unique, innovative, inviting, sustainable and safe working environments in a post-Covid, hybrid-working world. Candidates increasingly want to work for companies that are known for more than just what they do day to day, and valuable partnerships with the third sector can elevate their offering. From our experience, our male incontinence and period equality campaigns and thought leadership focus have been incredibly popular with our staff and customers alike.”
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FM Director will publish an overview of the industry’s latest senior new starters and details of their roles in each of its monthly publications
EMCOR UK has strengthened its commitment to environmental, social and governance work with the creation of an executive director of ESG role.
Kam Singh has been promoted to the position and will lead a coordinated approach to carbon management, sustainability, social value and equality, diversity & inclusivity (ED&I) for EMCOR UK and its customers.
Some of Singh’s key objectives will be to lead the ESG strategy aligned to the overall EMCOR UK strategy, monitor and report against ESG metrics and use data to inform insight, and lead the consultancy services to customers around upcoming ESG reporting requirements. Singh will report to chief operating officer (COO), Ian Meaden.
Singh is a chartered engineer and MBA qualified energy and sustainability executive with over 30 years of experience in the field, who has utilised technical, managerial and commercial skills with a focus on sustainability and net zero strategies.
Torsion Group, the Leeds based development, construction and real estate management business, have appointed David Worsley as Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Dave’s deal-forming abilities, industry contacts and delivery successes have been instrumental in helping Torsion secure a record number of large schemes over the last 18 months and, most recently, Torsion’s £53m JV with Housing Growth Partnership in Sheffield.
Over the last six years, Dave has been responsible for assembling the development of over 3200 PBSA beds and 1150 Residential Apartments. He has generated more than £710m of capital, including institutional and private equity.
Serco, the international provider of services to Governments, has appointed Tom Read to the new role of Group Chief Digital and Technology Officer.
In this pivotal role, Tom will lead our efforts to harness cutting-edge technology to enhance the safety and efficiency of our operations, drive strategic growth, and deliver innovation to our customers. His responsibilities will include overseeing our digital and cybersecurity strategy, IT infrastructure, and the adoption and scaling of new technology platforms.
Tom is a digital and technology specialist focused on human centred design. Prior to joining, Tom was the Chief Executive Officer and Director General of the Government Digital Service (GDS) in the Cabinet Office – the UK Government’s centre of excellence for digital product development.
Colliers has welcomed Jonathan Cook (fourth from left) to its market-leading National Offices team in Manchester as a director. Additionally, Ella Millington (third from left) is also joining the team as a graduate surveyor, further highlighting the continued expansion and expertise of the team.
Cook has over 12-years of experience in the Manchester office market, including working at LSH and CBRE. He is a highly renowned and experienced agent who provides localised strategic asset management and development guidance, leasing and tenant mix advice for the North West’s prominent occupiers and landlords.
In his new role, Cook will be pivotal in strengthening Colliers’ agency presence across the North West and supporting the firm’s expanding portfolio of projects in the region. Millington, as a graduate surveyor, will bring fresh perspectives and support to the team, highlighting Colliers’ commitment to nurturing new talent alongside experienced professionals.
Macro, the global facilities management and workplace services company, today announced the promotion of three of its executive team members to directors.
The new directors are Adelaide Forbes, Group People Director (left); Janyne Gan, Group Commercial Director (centre); and Parris Ullrich, Regional Director of MENA & APAC (right).
The promotions represent the ongoing investment by Macro into the next generation of its leadership as an independent business. The 22-year-old global FM provider underwent a management buyout from Mace Group in late 2023, and recently announced a rebrand, including a new purpose, vision and values.
Torsion Construction, part of Leeds-based construction and property business Torsion Group, under the leadership of Ed Wootton (right), has announced two new senior appointments.
It follows a record number of new project appointments for Torsion during the last few months.
To support the business expansion, business improvements and insure continued strong delivery of the secured schemes, Richard Potts (centre) and Priesh Soni (left) have been appointed as new Regional Directors for North and Midlands, respectively.
300 North is a team of Facilities Management (FM) recruitment experts who source permanent, temporary and fixed term contract solutions for the UK Facilities Management, Mechanical & Electrical and Construction sectors. Marketing@300nr.co.uk https://www.300northrecruit.co.uk 0113 336 5161
360 Sport Finance and Mentoring is dedicated to helping professional and semi-professional sporting clubs and venues with sustainable financial growth, including non-event day business. help@360accountants.co.uk www.360accountants.co.uk 01482 427360
A service provider for the future, Advance Facilities Solutions Ltd delivers complete building solutions to customers in the industrial, commercial, and domestic sectors. helpdesk@advance.fm www.advance.fm 01622 720 888
AURA is a technology enabled security response network that enables anyone to access the closest vetted private security officer to their location, anywhere, anytime. ukteam@aura.services
We create, maintain, and monitor healthy spaces –using pioneering online and apps-based technology. This includes working with suppliers and products in the marketplace to deliver long lasting and scientifically tested air and surface protection. info@envelo.solutions https://envelo.solutions 020 7096 1941
Specialist contractor Composites Construction UK operates throughout the UK and Europe. Using innovative methods, we carry out structural strengthening and repairs to concrete, timber, and masonry structures. contact@fibrwrap-ccuk.com www.fibrwrap-ccuk.com 01482 425250
When it comes to pest control in London, Dyno-Pest understands how to handle your problems. We offer a simple solution, using the latest methods to deal with pests effectively and responsibly. info@dynopest.co.uk www.dynopest.co.uk 0800 802 1246
FASET is the established trade association and training body for the safety netting and temporary safety systems industry. We support members with guidance, training, and exclusive benefit schemes. enquiries@faset.org.uk www.faset.org.uk 01948 780652
GIND UK delivers ambitious projects in challenging environments. Our London-based engineering and design team specialises in bespoke access system maintenance for the world’s most iconic buildings. info@gind.uk www.gind.uk 0800 448 8884
Integral Cradles Ltd. delivers permanent façade access solutions across the UK, specialising in high buildings with unique specifications and demands. A whole life-cycle solution. kevin@i-cradles.com www.i-cradles.com 0845 074 2758
For almost 30 years Julius Rutherfoord has been passionate about providing professional cleaning services to some of the most prestigious organisations in the London area. info@juliusrutherfoord.co.uk https://www.juliusrutherfoord.co.uk/ 020 7819 6700
Established over 70 years ago, KCS has rapidly grown from its roots as a respected local window cleaning business, to a nationwide commercial cleaning company. info@kingstoncleaningservices.co.uk www.kingstoncleaningservices.co.uk 01482 648 737
Lemon Contact Centre is a leading contact centre for the FM industry. Leveraging 20 years’ of expertise, our 24/7 contact centre services provide unparalleled flexibility, scalability and resilience for your business. Lemoncontactcentre.co.uk 0800 612 7595
neutral carbon zone (NCZ) is a full-service platform that gives you the tools your company needs to make the transition to a carbon neutral business and beyond. gozero@neutralcarbonzone.com www.neutralcarbonzone.com 0845 094 5976
Launched in 2008 following the merger of two 50-year-old companies, Magicccote provides a range of expert commercial cleaning solutions to customers across the UK. info@magiccoteuk.com www.magiccoteuk.co.uk 01482 211033
Pace Security is a London-based privately owned company managed by some of the UK security industries’ most experienced and respected security industry professionals. Lindsay@pacesecurity.co.uk https://pacesecurity.co.uk/ 0208 529 3888
Mobilityways is on a mission to make zero carbon commuting a reality. Our ground-breaking climate tech helps large employers to measure, reduce and report commuter emissions. team@mobilityways.com
Project Management Global is a media platform and community for professional project managers. Providing informative news, industry insights, career support, resources and jobs for project managers across the globe. news.pm-global.co.uk
PPSPower (PPS) is one of the industry’s largest and most respected providers of generator and UPS (uninterruptible power supplies) installation, maintenance and repair solutions. sales@ppspower.com
https://www.ppspower.com/ 0345 200 9888
Premier Technical Services Group Ltd (PTSG) is the UK’s leading provider of specialist services to the construction and facilities management sectors. info@ptsg.co.uk https://www.ptsg.co.uk/ +44 (0) 1977 668 771
Working with globally recognised organisations, we are specialists in creating Online Induction Systems, Turnkey and Bespoke Software Solutions, Websites, Mobile Apps and a lot more. hello@res.digital https://res.digital 01724 376002
With over a decade of experience in safety solutions for working at height, we are the ideal partner for solving your roof safety problems, and we pride ourselves on having the highest level of commitment to ensuring safety at work. info@roofsafetysupplies.co.uk https://www.roofsafetysupplies.co.uk 07889 572315
SAEMA has a long history in delivering the best training and guidance in the temporary and permanent suspended access industry. We are committed to advancing safety through raising the standards in best practice. info@saema.org https://www.saema.org/ 01948 838616
Safe Electric is an NICEIC-approved Electrical Contractor, serving Peterborough, Milton Keynes, and Cambridge. With 48 years of industry experience, our electricians and compliance experts can undertake any project. sales@safe-electric.com https://www.safe-electric.com/ 01487 813 600
Contact Cheryl Ellerington cheryl@fmbusinessdaily.com
At Safety Inspection Solutions Ltd (SIS Ltd) we’ve been helping companies to stay legal for over ten years. Our qualified engineers provide fair, efficient, and flexible onsite inspection services, working closely with clients to understand their needs. enquiries@sis-ltd.org.uk https://sis-ltd.org.uk/ 0800 6696 018
Seddon Management Services strives to offer the best solutions for trade associations to keep their members safe and compliant. becky@managementandauditing.co.uk www.seddonmanagementservices.co.uk 07854 226251
Regardless of the difficulty, our engineers can access all areas of buildings to carry out repair, maintenance and cleaning work
PTSG is the UK’s leading supplier of specialist services to ensure buildings remain safe, compliant, clean and maintained – in ALL areas.
PTSG operates five independent business divisions, delivering a full portfolio of specialist services for buildings in all sectors. This ensures they remain in the same first-class condition as when they were built – from ancient monuments to iconic skyscrapers.
Ask us about what we offer in all five of our business divisions.