FM Jan-Feb 18

ISSN 2071-9299

JAN / FEB 2018

FM No. 017

DISASTER MANAGEMENT WATER MANAGEMENT PROLONGED DROUGHT HAS MEANT THAT THE COUNTRY’S MAJOR DAMS ARE EMPTYING FASTER THAN THEY CAN BE REFILLED

ARE YOU PREPARED?

THE INTERNET OF THINGS

SMART COMMERCIAL KITCHENS

EDITOR’S COMMENT

Phil Woods

Contents 2

Cape Town Water

4

News & Products

6

You, your staff and the future

7

Enviromental Insurance

12

Warehouse Fires – Is your warehouse protected

16

Disaster Management

20

Water Management

22

The Internet of Things – Smart Commercial Kitchens

26

Google search for videos?

28

Dijalo first to comply

30

Offices are changing – again

Welcome to 2018, let’s hope it’s a good year for all.

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hat are the Western Cape authorities doing? We have an article on pages 3 and 4 which takes a look at the challenges for them which does look at some of the issues.

My big gripe is that there has been little or no communication with facilities managers. Either in encouraging more effective water management and recycling, but also what to suggest, should Day Zero actually hit the region.

Maybe they just think that nobody will go to work because they will be spending each day queueing for their 25 litre allocation. Pundits currently suggest that each distribution point will be catering for 5,000 plus people per day which is madness. I do hope that there is a better plan that they are formulating.

Fingers crossed for Cape Town.

We are on our water band wagon in this issue with another article looking at the water supply in Johannesburg. Having spent three days recently without water, it really brings it home to you how precious this resource is. As an industry, we need to ensure that commercial buildings really do their utmost to save water and recycle as much as possible. The Eastern Cape is suffering as badly as the Western Cape and Gauteng is not that well off either in this regard.

SAFMA – We are sorry to announce that SAFMA has decided not to co-host their annual conference alongside our exhibition. We believe that this is bad for the industry, we should be working for the common good.

When we launched our expo in 2011 we approached SAFMA to work with us and they declined. We held our event anyway and it was a great success.

SAFMA then asked to work with us and we agreed.

We have always wanted to grow the profile of the industry, not just to make a profit and working together was an obvious choice.

However SAFMA obviously has its own agenda, we wish them well.

We will continue to strive to grow the industry and its profile within Southern Africa and will be hosting our own convention alongside our exhibitions, details are on pages 10.

We held a very successful Cape Town exhibition and convention in October last year and will work hard to build upon this. Events are our business, we know how to run them. We are currently in talks with other groups and associations to broaden our reach.

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Copyright & Disclaimer

Phil Woods phil@fmexpo.org

Adam Peters adam@fmexpo.org

Layout

Pholani Sithole pholani@fmexpo.org

Facilities Management (ISSN 2071-9299) is published 6 times a year by T.E. Trade Events together with 12+ email bulletins and an annual FM Supplier’s Directory. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the editor, employees or publisher.

Editor

Alois Sajanga alois@fmexpo.org

Journalist

Carla Hamman carla@fmexpo.org

Lerato Mashiane lerato@fmexpo.org

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Tel: 011 781 5970, Fax: 011 781 6079.

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NEWS & PRODUCTS

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& Convention

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remier of the Western Cape, Helen Zille, said that her focus has now shifted from preventing Cape Town from running out of water, to overseeing plans for the day the taps run dry – and the weeks that follow.

In a column for the Daily Maverick, Zille said that Day Zero (which is currently slated for 21 April) has moved from the realm of possibility to a probability, echoing similar sentiments made by Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille in the last week.

Zille said. “The question that dominates my waking hours now is: When Day Zero arrives, how do we make water accessible and prevent anarchy? And if there is any chance of still preventing it, what is it we can do?” There is food for thought, anarchy?

Probably not, but a few riots are certainly a possibility.

Following the city’s most recent oversight discussions,

August 2014 Jan / Feb 2018 FM jFM

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Zille outlined the current plans for when the big day arrives.

• One week before the six dams providing water to the Western Cape Water Supply System (WCWSS) are collectively expected to drop to 13.5%, the City will announce the date on which almost all the taps in Cape Town’s residential suburbs will be cut off.

• Surrounding towns which are heavily reliant on these dams (such as Drakenstein, parts of Stellenbosch and

towns on the West Coast) will likely also be turned off.

• Municipal water may only be available at 200 Points of Distribution (PoDs) across the City.

• The maximum allocation will be 25 litres per person per day, distributed on the assumption that an average family comprises four persons.

• If every family sends one person to fetch their water allocation, about 5,000 people will congregate at

each PoD every day.

• Discussions are underway with SAB and the South African Bureau of Standards to sell water for R1 a quart (similar to a 750ml beer bottle) At the Facilities Management Magazine we are struggling to take this seriously. If you have 5,000 people queuing on a daily basis, at each station that’s 200 people an hour! What happens to the local economy if you are in this queue rather than working? I do hope that they put in place some kind of queueing system.

What can the FM industry do?

The biggest challenge will be hygiene, if you cannot flush the toilets things could get very difficult for all concerned. There are waterless urinal fittings that can be used in the men’s toilets, but that is only a partial solution. Flushing an average WC can use over 6 litres of water, this does not leave much from a daily allocation of 25 litres come day zero.

The local authority hosted a conference on the crisis in December specifically for the business community, however not all in the commercial sector were aware of this.

From my own investigation it would appear that the bigger the company, the better the communication.

The council have set up these

distribution points, are they suggesting that employees take part of this allocation to work with them? Sadly, nobody seems to know. Most people I have spoken to have an attitude of, ‘prepare for the worst and hope for the best’. I sincerely hope that there is provision in the city’s planning to ensure hospitals and other essential services have water.

So, what can you do as a Cape Town facilities manager? Well good communication is key. Keeping your employees in the loop as to your plans would be an essential first move.

Home working?

Next, you and the rest of your management team should consider home working as a serious option for all employees if at all possible. This takes away the responsibility for the employer and reduces the risk of health hazards due to the hygiene problem.

If you run a public space such as a shopping centre, then you need to make some provision, somehow. Your average shop assistant cannot be expected to cross their legs for 8 hours or more. Does the Cape Town water infrastructure allow for turning of some pipes but keeping others going?

Obviously Borehole water is an option,

however, my understanding is that even this is a finite resource that will eventually run dry. New technology such as air to water machinery could help, however, I am sure that it would be an expensive option and most probably there is now a waiting list for this type of machinery.

Air Conditioning Are you recycling the condensation produced by air conditioners, this could be a serious contribution to your grey water supply?

This water can be used for drinking, but would need to be treated first. Apparently a single domestic unit produce between 10 and 40 litres per day. Commercial systems would obviously produce much more. Rice University in Texas produces several million litres a year from their cooling plant.

If you have not yet installed a system for storing grey water, you should do so. You just need to do it properly because stored grey water needs filtering and sanitizing in some way.

Look at using paper plates, cups and plastic cutlery. Hand sanitizers should be in every washroom and kitchen area.

Since I started this article Day Zero has been brought forward to April the 20th, it is very much more a reality, apparently it can still be averted, but urgent steps need to be taken now.

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NEWS & PRODUCTS

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unique collaborative pilot programme provided access to training for 61 plumbing assistants in solar water heating technologies in Gauteng and Western Cape and provided them with greater market access through insurance underwriters.

The pilot programme was instigated by Skills for Green Jobs (S4GJ), an initiative between the South African and German governments to promote alternative energy efficiency solutions.

Specialised training for plumbing assistant installers was provided in solar water heating technologies. In addition, four of the country’s largest shortterm insurers (STI underwriters) are facilitating market access by helping to mainstream solar water heating at the homes of policyholders. The STI underwriters are Santam, ABSA, Discovery Insure and Mutual Insure.

Karola Swart, GIZ Skills for Green Jobs, comments: “S4GJ designed a training programme complete with material, textbooks and visual

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ervest announced the completion of an R1.4m investment into a complete irrigation system which will improve the quality of plants and reduce growing times at their Restio Ridge growing operation. This is a huge benefit to Servest and their clients. The next phase of investment at Resito Ridge will aim to install a fertigation system to work in tandem with the irrigation system.

Servest has also recently completed the introduction of

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biological control at Restio Ridge, which is a method of controlling disease using other organisms, rather than the traditional spraying of chemicals.

Servest is unique in that it is the only interior plant service provider in South Africa that has their own growing operations.

Servest also has a footprint in the operations used by their competitors and have growing agreements with several other growers in Mpumalanga and Kwa -Zulu Natal. www.servest.co.za

teaching aids in the hope that it would be replicated, so we are thrilled that the Institute of Plumbing South Africa is adopting the programme to train more people. It also speaks volumes that an additional insurer, which was not part of the pilot programme, has not only committed to using the training framework but has also allocated funds to upskilling plumbers in their supply chain.”

In addition to bringing together the Plumbing Industry Registration Board and a number of the country’s largest insurers, S4GJ’s programme includes both theory and workplace experience phases The course is quality assured

by EWSETA (Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority) and funded by INSETA (Insurance Sector Education and Training Authority) and the first group of fully trained installers received their certificates in November 2017. The Institute of Plumbing South Africa is also a collaborating partner, as are Northlink College in the Western Cape and African International Training Facilities (AITF) in Gauteng.

Y

oung Civil Engineer, Shamiso Kumbirai, at global engineering and infrastructure advisory company Aurecon, has been chosen to represent Southern African youth at the World Economic Forum (WEF), which is taking place in Davos on 23 – 26 January 2018.

Kumbirai is a member of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers, a network of inspiring young people under 30 working to address local, regional and global challenges.

Each year, the WEF selects 50 Shapers from across the world to represent the voice of the youth. Kumbirai was selected for her work in bulk water supply and hydropower engineering in Africa, as well as her involvement with WomEng, an award-winning initiative to support young women in engineering.

“We would like to congratulate Shamiso for being selected to be part of the Global Shapers community. Developing futureready leaders starts with investing in and empowering the people who are solving some of Africa’s most complex problems. Aurecon looks forward to watching Shamiso represent the youth on the global stage,” says Ferdi Nell, Aurecon Managing Director, Africa.

The Global Shapers community is spread over 378 city-based hubs in 155 countries and their goal is to drive dialogue, action and change.

For Shapers, collective action is central to influencing decisionmaking and some of the visions they are helping to shape include gender parity, innovation and education equality.

Kumbirai says that the diversity at Aurecon is something that inspires her.

“The Water Unit at Aurecon consists of a diverse group of people spanning all ages and cultures, and there’s a wealth of experience and knowledge to gain from everyone. The mentoring opportunities enable junior engineers to get involved in innovation projects and find creative ways to solve problems for our clients,” she says.

One of the projects that Kumbirai is currently working on is the upgrading of a water and sanitation facility at a no-fee school in Mamelodi, part of the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. She is also a member of the Global Shapers’ Open Africa Initiative, which aims to raise awareness for greater economic and cultural integration to grow the African economy.

FM WORKPLACE

YOU, YOUR STAFF AND THEIR FUTURE

By John Bowen

F

or some years now the concept of continuous improvement has been embedded into management culture. We have had all the Japanese influences, lean manufacturing (and then lean everything else, except, perhaps, in management speak where fat is good it would seem), and so there is a general willingness to work towards improving product and process. Some of this is disguised in the throwaway culture we have with cars, white goods and technology where as soon as you have bought the latest the next generation is announced, but there is one area where improving the breed seems to be not just overlooked, but is sometimes supressed.

In my younger days I was lucky enough to have in most of my bosses, their peers and their own boss people who recognised some potential in me and pushed me hard to realise it. At the time I didn’t see it and too often resented their efforts, but as I made my own way into the management ranks I saw what they had been trying to do and, too late to thank them in person, I did become grateful for what they had done. This was long enough ago for such things to be just accepted as part of what you did; there was not the formal development process that we have today, but the point was that they were trying to make me better than I was.

As this realisation began to dawn on me I

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could see around me that within my peer group there were two sorts of people. Both saw knowledge as power, but one sought to withhold that knowledge so that they had power over their teams whereas the other group saw it as something to share.

I was in the latter group and, for me, there was a clear advantage in shared power because I got better results and better results reflected well on me.

It did not bother me that some of my team might actually be better at things than I was. If they were ready and able to take my job then that was great because it opened up opportunities for me to move onwards and upwards. If it meant that my people left to get better jobs then that was great too because it would bring in new people to develop and if my team was seen as somewhere that people could do well and progress then bright young things would be clamouring to join me.

As I moved on in my career one of my key aims was to try and get as many of the people who worked for me to a point where they were better than me at what they did. Not everyone would make it and many didn’t want to, but those who did got the opportunity. Improving the breed should always start with the people; if you can make each generation better than the last then we give them the best opportunity. n

FM MANAGEMENT

GLOBAL WARMING: INSURANCE AGAINST THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH

Al Gore released his documentary The Inconvenient Truth in 2006 and many were shocked over effects of global warming. Governments across the globe have agreed that pollution is generally caused by toxins released into the environment.

Even benign shopping centres, hotels and resorts harbour unknown environmental risk factors. Punitive measures have been applied to companies that don’t comply with regulations. What protection do businesses have against environmental factors beyond their control?

By Lerato Mashiane

M

any business owners and property managers are unaware of the financial risks environmental factors have on their businesses.

The risks do not only stop at the facility but extend to the health and safety of its occupants. Environmental insurance has become a mandatory acquisition in this era

of constant environmental changes. A lot is left to question when it comes to this kind of insurance because of the many factors involved from the air to the soil the facility is built upon. The damage that can be caused by pollutants is sometimes unquantifiable and property owners and managers are sometimes surprised to find that their insurance does not cover damages or

“

Environmental insurance has become a mandatory acquisition in this era of constant environmental changes.

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FM MANAGEMENT

liabilities that may arise from environmental elements.

The Environmental risk terrain is constantly changing due to developing research, legislature, social political trends and regulatory enforcements. The property owner and manager are expected to be familiar with these developments to be able to effectively manage the environmental risks. Knowledge of the constant changes in environmental litigation and regulation will assist property owners and managers to make better decisions concerning environmental risks. However few owners and managers have sufficient information concerning environmental insurance.

According to USA today, the oil company BP, lost a total of approximately $62 billion during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. Many businesses lose a lot of money when paying for unexpected environmental costs that are often not covered by insurance companies.

A research paper written by Jack Fersko and Ann Waeger, stated that the environmental insurance landscape is changing because of the global changing attitudes of environmental issues “the insurance community has obviously determined that there are financial rewards in investing in environmentally challenged real estate projects.”

environmental insurance. Nonetheless, all companies must comply with the South African Environmental laws, not doing so will result in punitive measures taken against the business. That is why an Environmental risk assessment needs to be conducted to safeguard the business against unknown environmental risks.

Conducting an Environmental Risk Assessment: An environmental risk assessment should be an essential exercise in the overall risk assessment process of the business. Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) is often conducted to ascertain the environmental harm a business may cause. This assessment is often done when a company endeavours to renovate the facilities however, it should ideally be conducted when acquiring the facilities to ensure that better financial decisions are made. These decisions can lead to saved time and money for the company.

What is Environmental Insurance?

Environmental insurance is defined as an insurance product that protects businesses from claims of loss or damage caused by an accidental release of toxins. The losses and damages arise in a form of claims against those who are insured. There’s an array of claims that can be brought against companies ranging from bodily harm to clean-up costs.

While it is obvious that manufacturing factories are far more susceptible to environmental liability claims, it is advisable for all property owners and managers to consider acquiring environmental insurance. Sometimes owner may acquire facilities they may have been used for the production and storage of dangerous and toxic chemicals. The property owner then unknowingly inherits the damages and suffer the consequences of such a purchase. In some occasions toxins are found years after the purchase has been made, for example when extensions to the building are made and the ground is disturbed. Therefore Environmental insurance is not only for manufacturers but also for schools, universities, shopping centres, hospitals, apartment owners and so forth.

South Africa is still young in the environmental Insurance industry, in fact not many insurance companies provide

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The framework of a risk assessment considers a range of elements related to the environment. Such as Human health, groundwater and surface water resources as well as ecosystems. A company may independently enlist a group of environmental engineers and scientists to conduct the assessment, on the other hand, the insurance company may offer such services when taking out an environmental insurance policy.

To conduct such an assessment certain techniques and methods have to be employed. The assessment is usually divided into two factors: Human risk assessment and ecological risk assessment.

Within these frameworks the methods below are used.

• Identifying potential hazards: this is done by considering waste management and

“

Environmental insurance is defined as an insurance product that protects businesses from claims of loss or damage caused by an accidental release of toxins.

storage. Assessors look for whether the company uses proper containers for waste storage. Then they consider the emissions in the business such as gas and dust.

Hazardous substances are also considered in this assessment especially in storage places. Leakages, like drainage systems and the impact of raw materials are included in the assessment.

• Variability: Refers to the range of toxic response or exposure. For example, the dose that might cause a toxic response can vary from one person to the next depending on factors such as genetic differences, pre-existing medical conditions, etc. Exposure may vary from one person to the next depending on factors such as where one works, time spent indoors or out, where one lives, how much people eat or drink, etc.

• Describing the harm these potential hazards may cause: The environmental assessors will then proceed to define and describe in detail all the potential harm hazards may cause in the facility. This is an important step for the insurance because it will determine what type of insurance cover the facility might receive.

• Evaluate the occurrence of the risk: when the potential harm has been established it becomes easier to determine the likelihood of the risk occurring. It also allows for a timeline to be drawn up should any of the risks identified happen. However, uncertainty factor is used to account for possible differences when it comes to different environments. Additional consideration may also be made if there is some reason to believe that the very young are more susceptible than adults, or if key toxicology studies are not available.

• Probabilistic Modelling: is a technique that

utilizes the entire range of input data to develop a probability distribution of exposure or risk rather than a single point value. The input data can be measured values and/or estimated distributions.

Values for these input parameters are sampled thousands of times through a modelling or simulation process to develop a distribution of likely exposure or risk. Probabilistic models can be used to evaluate the impact of variability and uncertainty in the various input parameters, such as environmental exposure levels, fate and transport processes, etc.

• Identifying the precautions: Assessors then will recommend precautions that should be taken based on the risks that have been identified and the likelihood of occurrence. The property owner does have the option of rejecting the precautions that have been suggested if they prove too costly for the business, however they do run the risk of paying huge litigation costs should any environmental risks become reality.

• Recording findings: Once all the assessment methods have been conducted and completed, the assessors will record the findings of the assessment. This record has to be accurate so that the insurance company does not under or over insure the property owner.

• Review the assessment: It is the responsibility of the environmental risk managers to review the assessment document at regular intervals.

Environmental research is ever changing thus constant reviews of the document become compulsory so that the insurance policy may be reviewed as well.

Although there are few insurance companies that offer environmental insurance also known as pollution insurance, Chubb, recognises the challenges that most property owners and managers face when environmental issues are concerned. There are different coverages that are offered by Chubb to ensure that companies are not over insured or under insured. These are the following coverages are offered by Chubb: Coverage A Addresses liability for bodily injury, property damage (including natural resource damages and diminution in value) and remediation costs arising from known or unknown Pre-existing pollution incidents at or migrating beyond an insured site. Also addresses first-party remediation costs.

Coverage B Addresses liability for bodily injury, property damage and remediation costs arising from new pollution incidents at or migrating beyond an insured site. Also addresses first-party remediation costs.

Coverage C Addresses liability for bodily injury, property damage and remediation costs resulting From pollution incidents at or migrating beyond an insured site that is neither owned nor operated by the insured, such as a warehouse, waste transfer station or disposal facility.

Coverage D Pays for business interruption expenses resulting from pollution incidents at an insured site that suspends operations at that site. n

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KEEP AHEAD OF THE PACK...

Make sure you have diarised this year’s Facilities Management Expo and Convention Johannesburg 16-17 May 2018 Gallagher Convention Centre

Cape Town 26 September 2018 The LookOut, Cape Town Waterfront

Visit fmexpo.org for updates and make sure you have subscribed to our database to receive updates.

For exhibition stand sales, please call Adam Peters on 011 781 5970 or 071 687 4809

20 18

& Convention

The Facilities Management Convention to be held alongside the FM Expo will feature some exciting and thought provoking topics.

FM best practices, asset management, life cycle sustainability, energy efficiency and strategic sourcing.

A series of ideas and experiences on these topics that all have an impact on the role of FM. All these factors play a huge role in ensuring a building meets the needs of its stakeholders.

What does it take to be a thought leader?

Positioning yourself as a thought leader helps to set you apart from the competition and strengthens your position in the market.

Building Information Management The BIM Institute What new value propositions come into the picture for RE & FM? What are good practices for BIM adoption? We review a case study of how BIM has successfully worked within the FM sector Artificial Intelligence and it’s impact on FM The FM industry needs to wake up to the real incursions this fourth industrial revolution is, and will, make on the fundamental work carried out by FM individuals and service providers.

Case Study of FM technology Hearing about a new technology or future innovation is often exciting and intimidating at the same time. Learning how others have used these technologies and the lessons learned can often make adopting them at your organization a smoother process.

How to run BIG projects Big building projects are by their very nature, complicated with a huge number of working parts.

This talk is all about the thought processes and methodology in seeing a big project to its successful conclusion.

What can we learn from the Cape Town Water Crisis The FM industry can do much to help conserve water, from recycling to looking at new ways of doing things. First hand experiences are shared in this hugely relevant topic.

Smart Cities need smart FM, how will they work together Smart cities, a buzz phrase of the moment, how can FM work with the concept. Are there partnerships that can be made with this development that will improve life for the workforce and therefore increase productivity?

This is just a taste of what we are planning for the convention and further topics will be added in the next few weeks. A series of talks not to be missed if you are in anyway connected with FM and looking to grow your knowledge of the industry.

For more information check for updates at fmexpo.org

PRODUCT FOCUS

IS YOUR WAREHOUSE PROTECTED?

T

he Centa Group’s turnkey solutions for fire protection and prevention in warehousing and storage facilities, include fire system selection, design layout, installation and maintenance services, which are custom-designed to suit specific environments and exact requirements.

“The challenges of protecting warehouses from fire can be complex, depending on the fire load of the warehousing facility, coupled with the fire risk of goods stored in the building,” explains Duncan Boyes, chairman of the Centa Group, specialists in fire protection. “Although a sprinkler system is often considered sufficient to protect a warehouse and its contents, other supplementary fire systems, including electronic fire detection and suppression systems are necessary. Passive Fire Protection (PFP) like fire doors and retardants, grease ducts, fire stops and closures, as well as specialised cable coatings, also form an integral part of fire protection and safety in warehousing.

“Centa’s team of technical experts with extensive knowledge about fire and the legal requirements of fire protection equipment – is committed to provide dependable fire protection systems that will adequately protect people’s lives and property, in the event of a fire.

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Centa supplies two types of fire detection systems – addressable systems, which are recommended for large installations and conventional systems for smaller buildings, where zones can be easily identified.

Addressable systems consist of a series of fire detectors and devices connected to a main control panel. Each device has a location, so if a fire starts, the detector that is triggered quickly identifies the source of the fire. A conventional system differentiates between zones and in the event of a fire, this system indicates where the fire source is, in a particular zone.

Gas suppression systems are automatic fire extinguishing systems that utilise inert gases and chemical agents to control and extinguish a fire, without human intervention.

Water fire fighting systems for warehousing applications include fire sprinkler and water reticulation systems.

The fire sprinkler system, designed to prevent a fire from spreading, is an automatic fire protection measure, consisting of a water supply system that provides adequate pressure and flow rate to a water distribution piping system.

Sprinklers are installed at ceiling level and are connected to a reliable water source. The system automatically activates when the heat from a fire causes a glass

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The challenges of protecting warehouses from fire can be complex, depending on the fire load of the warehousing facility, coupled with the fire risk of goods stored in the building.

component in the sprinkler head to fail, thereby releasing water.

A water reticulation ring mains, used in conjunction with hose reels and hydrants, play an important role in limiting fire risk.

PFP systems are installed in warehouse and storage areas to contain a fire and to slow down the spread of flames from the point of ignition. It is critical these systems comply with quality and safety specifications.

There are a wide range extinguishers

available, designed for efficient performance and absolute reliability in the event of a warehouse fire. D Class fire extinguishers use Sodium Chloride as the medium to extinguish metallic fires that burn at higher temperatures; high performance water additive HW and HP units are durable in arduous conditions and HS corrosion protected fire extinguishers, are suitable for use in coastal areas, the mines and sulphar plants.

Centa also manufactures HV fire

Enterprise applications are the engine room of the organisation. They drive agility, responsiveness, flexibility and fast decision making.

Mid-sized organisations face the same challenges as large organisations, no matter what industry they’re in. These companies have all made considerable investments in fixed assets and working capital. They need to conserve and efficiently manage those assets, and reap the greatest benefit from those investments in order to achieve success.

The difference is that mid-sized companies and organisations do not have the same resources as their larger counterparts to implement sophisticated IT solutions.

The oversimplified, generic systems many opt for, implemented using a one-size fits all approach, do not allow them to compete effectively in today’s dynamic marketplace.

Give us a call today As strategic technology partners, we’ll cut through the clutter of technology-speak, and help you find ways to improve your facility management operations, drive growth, and quickly adapt to changes in business demands.

info@softworx.co.za

t: +27 11 607 8299

extinguishers recommended for transport vehicles used for loading and unloading goods into and out of warehouse facilities.

Inilam A - a highly effective water additive material, with excellent properties for combating rubber tyre, engine and fuel type fires – is used in the manufacture of these robust vehicle fire extinguishers.

A range of environmentally friendly, fluorine free foams can be applied to hydrocarbon and polar solvent fires. www.centa.co.za n

HEALTH & SAFETY

WHEN DISASTER STRIKES

The morning of 7 June 2017 is described as one of the worst disasters in South Africa.

That morning a series of fires broke out in Knysna leaving 7 fatalities, over 400 homes destroyed, thousands of people displaced and many vital facilities damaged. The damage was estimated to have amounted to 4 billion rands. According to the Business Report 30 tourism institutions were greatly affected by the fires.

By Lerato Mashiane

T

he recent natural disasters underline the importance of a disaster recovery plan for a business organisation. It is the responsibility of the facilities managers along with department managers to ensure that the organisation is prepared for any unfortunate event. Many businesses are left floundering after a disaster occurs due to a lack of an adequate plan. A comprehensive disaster recovery plan will be different for various facilities however, it will include all departments in the business. For example an office park facilities manager has different priorities than a factory facilities manager. A great number of businesses are caught offguard and often have knee jerk reactions when disasters hit.

While most facilities managers are well skilled in the smooth daily operation of the business, threats are forever expanding and changing. It is then crucial to be armed with as much information and training as possible because that will lead to a better understanding of risks to a business and

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better construction of disaster management plans. Ronel Bartlet, the marketing manager of Stenden South Africa, states that their disaster management course has gained traction in South Africa. She further states that “As it is a new course with us, our first cohort of students will be graduating in May this year. We are excited about the launch of the degree programme at our campus in Holland and the further opportunities this will bring to international students.�

The tertiary institution offers a Bachelor of Business Administration in Disaster management, which is a first of its kind in the world. Students are equipped with practical and professional skills that will help them better prepare for the disasters that are constantly plaguing businesses and governments. Studying this course will not only expose students to ways of recovery once the disaster has occurred but will enable them to draw up prevention plans and mitigate the damages of nonpreventable disasters.

Before delving into planning a disaster

Identify essential company assets

recovery plan it must be understood that the business will incur recovery costs. Those costs are unavoidable, therefore a budget needs to be set aside to cover costs that may be incurred should a disaster of any kind occur. Setting aside a budget for disaster recovery is important because some disasters like a flood or an earthquake cause damage to essential business equipment which will need replacing to ensure a smooth and quick transition back into operations.

A disaster management plan that is well-considered, constructed and rehearsed is critical for the survival of the business during disaster times.

A good disaster management plan will ensure that all components of a business are well-covered should any problems arise. Like George S. Patton stated “a good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.” Preventative measures should be implemented in a business organisation to minimise any damage that the business may encounter. The below factors have to be carefully considered when devising a business recovery plan.

We live in an age where information is king and the technology storing and producing the information is regarded an essential integral part of the survival of the business.

The initial assessment of all technology and systems that allow the core business processes to proceed smoothly is important.

For example we are in an era which has been dubbed “the information age” this means that the production, retention and security of information is important to the business process as well as the technology that allows for these activities.

Facilities managers need to ensure that a recovery plan has been devised to minimise disruption to the business operations.

There are certain questions that arise when a risk assessment of equipment and data is conducted such as “what are the possible risks to the technology?” and “what will happen if there was a blackout or an earthquake that damaged important equipment?” most companies these days have invested in cloud-based servers that can be accessed remotely by an authorised person. There is also an option to have a physical server that is located off site

so that when a disaster that threatens the information of a company occurs the recovery process can be executed swiftly without much loss.

However, there are some organisations that require physical equipment to ensure the business operations return to a modicum of normalcy. For example a call centre operates with telephones and computers and the destruction of the organisation’s equipment will hinder operations from continuing. When the business facilities cannot be utilised there are organisations that offer rental facilities to businesses that have been affected by disasters.

Disaster Recovery South Africa is one such company that provides off site facilities to companies that have experience a halt in business due to a disaster. According to their website their “Disaster Recovery Centre provides a comprehensive DR environment, to ensure minimal disruption of critical services, at a time when they are needed most. The Facility is strategically situated and is controlled via the Helpdesk on a 24x7 basis. The Centre boasts accesscontrol security systems, with CCTV.

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HEALTH & SAFETY

Uninterrupted power is supplied via UPS with Generator Failover. Client Servers are located in client specific racks within the Co-Location environment.

Disaster Recovery South Africa is a single solution that can be explored when constructing a disaster recovery plan, there are other consulting companies that provide disaster management and business continuity plans.

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Evacuation procedures In the event of a disaster, an evacuation plan would need to be in place to ensure that no guessing is involved when employees have to be evacuated. The first step that would have to be taken when planning for a disaster is identifying key members in the organisation that will lead the evacuation process. Those people must be well-versed in evacuation processes.

A comprehensive evacuation plan with a solution with every possible worst-scenario outlined, from fire to a shooting or even a bomb attack, is advisable.

Compiling all the relevant documentation should be the first step in devising an evacuation plan. Floor plans, emergency exits, workplace maps and contact details of all the employees in the business as well as the contact details of their next of kin are mandatory when constructing such a plan.

Therefore the facilities manager needs to ensure that he/she works in tandem with all the departments in the business especially when they work in different annexes of the office building. Establishing a team that will work on this plan will make the process move quickly and smoothly. Then there are also staff members that will have to be assigned to rescue and give medical help to any employees with minor injuries. It is advisable to work in collaboration with medical and rescue practitioners when this plan is in the compilation stage.

A detailed procedural plan should be in place outlining all the employees that will have to remain to shut down or perform critical equipment tasks. For example if there is a fire in a factory some employees will be designated the task of shutting down operational equipment to minimise the damage, provided the fire has not spread or elevated to life-threatening levels.

The South African Occupational health and Safety act of 1993 states that in order for the evacuation process to be expedited the employer needs to ensure that any emergency escape door of any room or a staircase needs to be constructed in a manner that enables it to open outwards, if it is practical to do so. Furthermore, any door, passage, or staircase where people are most likely to be present needs to be kept clear and must be capable of opening easily and rapidly for a speedy evacuation.

Taking into account the size, number of people and the type of operations that are done in the premises, a specific quantity of fire-fighting equipment should be strategically placed in the building and maintained well. This act also requires organisations to perform 2 evacuation drills per annum.

Once the emergency exits have been identified and a plan has been devised and an egression plan has been established, another step that would have to be taken once everyone has evacuated is outlining a procedure to account for the employees.

However it is not only the employees that have to be accounted for, but the clients

that may have been in the building and any other visitors such as delivery personnel and the like.

Educating employees of the plan once constructed is also a vital component in ensuring the disaster and the evacuation plans works well when a disaster occurs.

Many facilities managers fail to consider that employees will need a thorough run down of the plan for better execution. Notifying employees of the plan will also help facilities managers recognise the gaps that may not have been noticed when the disaster plan was in construction. Having workshops and sending out notices will go a long way in educating employees about the company’s disaster plan. These days companies have adopted webinars (seminars over the web) and video tutorials as a way to educate employees and keep them informed about company developments. This course of action often saves the company time while guaranteeing that information reaches employees.

Despite using new and time-saving methods to inform employees evacuation drills have to be performed regularly.

Employees need to be knowledgeable of the emergency exits and the steps that need to be taken when faced with a disaster.

Service providers: A good disaster management plan should also include a strategy in the event that a service provider or supplier is unable to provide the goods or services needed for the business to operate efficiently. Most people have experienced going to a bank, supermarket or government institution and found the internet down resulting in some services like paying with credit cards or booking a bus ticket suspended thus forcing clients to either pay cash or go to a different supermarket. Many businesses and government institutions have become heavily reliant on IT systems and equipment that often run only when there is internet access. In 2016 the Information Technology Intelligence Consulting conducted a survey of organisations that had financial losses due to internet downtime. The survey found that 81% of organisations lost approximately R1, 227,000 ($100 000) an hour during downtime. A good disaster management plan should include alternative suppliers should their main and current supplier fail to provide the goods and services needed for business operations to continue.

The inability for suppliers to provide the necessary goods for a business does not only have financial implications but the

credibility of a company may also suffer due to the inability to provide promised services.

the disaster plan to suit changes that have happened in the neighbourhood.

Location:

Test your plan

Every year we are made aware of global changes in our climate and environment. A location may have been good for business before the weather changes but then becomes less so now. Climate change is a trend that scientists believe will escalate in the coming years. We have seen news of volcanoes suddenly erupting after staying dormant for centuries. Therefore if the business establishment is located in an area that has suddenly become prone to floods or fires the disaster management plan must reflect the change along with the solution should any of these disasters occur.

Other location factors play a significant part, for example, if the facilities is in an area that has recently seen huge surge criminal activities, it would be beneficial to amend

All of these elements contribute significantly in enabling the business to successfully recover after suffering a natural or unnatural disaster.

These components are all complex in nature and should be thoroughly considered when a disaster management plan is developed.

Having considered all the elements that make up a disaster plan it is important to test whether the disaster plan works well or not.

Testing the plan involves asking important questions like, does the plan detail the roles of each department during an emergency?

Have the right steps been set out for different emergencies? Is the plan ordered in a way that prioritises necessary business functions?

Neglecting of these components will result in dire consequences for the business and its bottom line. n

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WATER MANAGEMENT

A DISAPPEARING ACT

The Minister of Water and Sanitation’s recent water announcement of water restrictions brought home the criticality of South Africa’s water shortages – prolonged drought conditions have meant many of the country’s major dams are emptying faster than they can be refilled. Let’s explore some of the critical challenges that South Africa’s large municipalities faces and proposes considerations that need to be taken.

By Melusi Maposa

F

or every 1,000 litres of water Rand Water pumps to the City of Johannesburg, approximately 350 litres are lost, seeping out of the value chain unbilled. Part of this water – called ‘non-revenue water’ (NRW) – escapes through leaks in major underground pipes or in water storage units. In other words, is lost due to network faults. The rest, however, forms part of what is known as ‘commercial losses’ – losses incurred, for example, due to metering and billing related inaccuracies.

As of June 2017, Johannesburg Water’s NRW losses stood at 35.3%, against a set target of 32%. The South African average %NRW is currently estimated at 39%, with ranges from 21.3% in the Western Cape to 55.1% in Limpopo Province. South Africa’s metros vary markedly in terms of NRW figures. The average is 36.9%, and the maximum is above 40%, while Cape Town leads, oscillating at around 19-21%.

Important to note, however, is that due to their very nature, even the most efficient water networks are far from perfect: best-in-class international NRW benchmarks

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are in the in the single digit figures, with 15% being a generally accepted as an ideal target for most utilities.

Johannesburg has aged water infrastructure, some dates back as far as 60 or 80 years – past their useful life.

Johannesburg’s mayor is on record saying that the total deferred investment backlog for the City of Johannesburg (spanning water, electricity, roads, and sanitation) is in the region of R 170 billion. Given the city’s current year-on-year CapEx spend, addressing the backlog translates into a 20-year-plus activity. As such, the city needs to act now to ensure the water network’s long-term sustainability.

Water networks pose unique challenges.

Repairing an issue in one area can, for example, lead to pressure imbalances elsewhere, causing other smaller problems to escalate, or new issues to arise.

As such, there needs to be a scientific approach to fixes. Establishing the optimal way to correct issues must also take capital into account. Put simply, you need a mechanism for prioritising which leaks to fix first, based on the benefits, costs,

“

the greatest water-saving measures Johannesburg can implement are likely going to be behavioural – sensitising residents to the fact that South Africa is, inherently, a water-scarce country.

and network-wide effects and efficiencies of doing so. Further, you need to consider the fact that you are operating in a resourceconstrained environment – with limits to both budget and access to skills.

By way of background, Johannesburg’s water is sourced predominantly from Rand Water, although boreholes not connected to the main distribution system add to the supply slightly. Rand Water’s main extraction point is the Vaal, supplemented by water coming out of Lesotho’s Highlands Water Scheme.

Water-saving measures instituted in Gauteng have included Rand Water limiting the pressure at which water is supplied.

This affects Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekhuruleni – among other major Gauteng municipalities including Midvaal – but also has impacts as far north as the platinum belt (in the North West Province).

Although pressure reduction aims to reduce the amount of water being lost, in the very near term, the greatest water-saving measures Johannesburg can implement are

likely going to be behavioural – sensitising residents to the fact that South Africa is, inherently, a water-scarce country. Even as plans have been made, there remains a gap in the capacity to execute those plans.

Fixing known faults is a major priority, but identifying unknown problems is also necessary. Mass balancing is a technique that has been used in many process/network plants. However, as a water network gets more complex, mass balancing complexities can grow proportionally, if not exponentially.

Advanced analytics can be used to empower the network engineer to identify location of water loss issues. Is inefficient pumping at a particular station the cause? Is there a background leak? Through modelling and visualisation, utilities can identify network hotspots as well as understand and manage the performance of their assets as dynamic systems.

Johannesburg Water is a R7.9 billion Rand revenue a year entity. That revenue, however, comes only from consumption that can be billed. As such, increasing the

amount of billable water (by lowering NRW) by even 1% can have significant financial impacts.

Reducing NRW by only 5%, for example, would put hundreds of millions of Rands into the City of Johannesburg’s pocket – money that could be used to drive further improvements to the city’s water network. Given the city’s current NRW figures, reducing losses by 1-2% per year would an achievable goal in the first 3-5 years of a project. Thereafter, every percentage gain, while realisable, would be more complex and expensive to realise.

Cape Town has been very strategic in its deployment and monitoring of water metering – changes that were implemented in response to a growing crisis. In Gauteng, acting now, before the situation reaches Cape water crisis levels, will mean that any project can be carried out more cheaply, and with greater planning and consultation.

Melusi Maposa, Managing Director for Accenture Utilities in South Africa. n

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TECHNOLOGY

THE INTERNET OF THINGS: SMART COMMERCIAL KITCHENS

Cost-effective and environmentally friendly appliances have increasingly become desirable for many catering businesses. This has prompted many manufacturers to produce equipment that will meet these developing needs. Of Late we are seeing an upsurge in “smart” commercial kitchen appliances in the global market. These machines promise to not only meet the demands of our time but exceed them.

By Lerato Mashiane

I

n the past the idea of kitchen appliances doing more than just cooling and heating our food would have been something of a sci-fi movie. Recently, we have seen kitchen equipment that provide exceptional convenience and support to its users. In the USA there are kitchen appliances that are multi-functioning at incredible lengths.

In the present day there are microwave ovens with built-in cameras and voice-operated controls. We have moved into a period when the question has changed from “should I make my business smart?” to “how smart should I make my business?” Business models are changing across the globe because of such innovative digital endeavours.

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While the smart revolution in South Africa is still at its nascent stage, there are manufacturing retailers that are moving the culinary industry into the digital age.These companies provide industrial appliances that have the capacity to connect to Wifi networks and devices which in turn allow for remote access and management of the appliances The concept, Internet of Things (IoT) is not new, in fact a great many of us have been interacting with its application for some time now. According to the International Facilities management Association (IFMA) the Internet of Things (IoT) is defined as “A global network infrastructure, linking

a device that is IoT-enabled in the manner it communicates with the bank and the consumer.

While this concept is not new, there was often a limitation to its application in other sectors.The banking, transport, construction and the ICT industries have been using the Internet of Things to optimise their services.

The food industry is slowly catching up to this phenomenon with some noticeable changes. The internet of Things is seemingly solving problems that have been troubling many sectors, particularly the food industry.

In an age where data is king, there is a constant demand for all digital equipment to collect and provide data that ensures efficient and cost-effective use. Manufacturers are working tirelessly to guarantee that such business demands are met adequately.

We have all seen this scene in the movies: The waiter shouts instructions to the chef in the kitchen “MUSHROOM RISOTTO, TABLE FOUR� while passing him a scribbled note of the order. The chef will in turn shout back the order once it is ready. These two individuals have to pass information back and forth whilst navigating the clamour of the environment. What if this process was automated in such a way that efficiency was optimised? This could save time and money for the business and allow for a better experience for patrons. Here are a few ways the Internet of things (IoT) is changing the commercial catering industry.

Enriched Customer Experience:

physical and virtual objects using cloud computing, data capture and network communications. It allows devices to communicate with each other, access information on the Internet, store and retrieve data, and interact with users, creating smart, pervasive and always connected environments.� The American research and advisory firm, Gartner, predicted in 2015 there would be 4.9 billion connected devices in use and a rapid expansion is on the horizon with 25 billion connected devices by the year 2020. A device that is IoTenabled will be able to send data and receive instructions to perform a certain action.

For example an ATM can be described as

Experts believe that as more and more things devices become connected to the internet the way customers and businesses interact will change profoundly. Imagine the same waiter at the restaurant punching in orders from patrons on his tablet. This information is immediately sent to the chef in the kitchen who has his own screen to view all the orders that have come in for that period. The chef then tells the waiter that the order for table 4 is 3 minutes away through his audio-enabled device. The waiter can then reassure the customers with the information. This is not a new thing we have seen fast-food restaurants in South Africa, like the pizza franchise Dominoes, already adopting this new way of doing business.

Loyal customers may even receive enriched and customised service which will enhance the experience the customer has with the brand.

Restaurants are even commissioning App developers who can make Apps that will allow customers to pre-order their food and receive it when they arrive.

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TECHNOLOGY

These Apps also allow customers to reserve tables without having to call ahead. New processes will change in the business based on the data received from customers.

However, with IoT, a lot more can be done to ensure that time is saved for the customer and the restaurant manager equally. Through a mobile App, the customer may be sent their bill without having to as for one.

Questions of security arise when considering how invasive some people have accused predictive services to have been.

For example, Facebook analytics are able to discern the pages you visit and like, that data is then used to customise your Facebooking experience with advert and page suggestions that you may like. Most companies are battling with the challenge of enriching the customer experience without invading their privacy.

Streamlining of operations: The constant control of kitchen appliances in restaurants is very important for business success. Deep fryers, fridges, ovens and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems require regular monitoring.

Restaurant staff are often required to monitor these appliances during the day and record the data regarding energy consumption and temperature levels.

In a frantic restaurant it may not be possible to constantly check the appliances on a daily basis and that is where the problems develop because vital information falls through the cracks. Furthermore, the constant physical checking may hamper productivity and affect product quality.

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IoT kitchen technology can regularly do temperature checks and energy consumption monitoring. IoT devices can detect crucial information and wirelessly upload them to the cloud, this is where data is analysed and sent back to the restaurant facilities manager through a mobile App. In the event that the manager has to monitor a restaurant chain, he/she can easily check on the Mobile App to see which equipment needs maintenance.

This improves the workflow of the business and and it ensures the the products and services never dip because of system and equipment failure.

Increased Food Safety: There are always horrific stories of people who have been victims of food poisoning, particularly from large well-known restaurants. More often than not, the incidents happen not because the restaurant manager or chef were careless but because they had limited visibility of the incoming stock and outdated stock.

A staggering amount of medical research indicates that healthy eating is paramount to leading a healthy lifestyle. This has resulted in many catering establishments altering their menus to suit the increasing need for healthy meals. It is thus important that equipment used to prepare these healthy meals can provide sufficient support and information.

Deep fryers are a standard feature in many fast-food enterprises and functions such as filtering and oil control are significant requirements for modern deep fryers.

When these functions are available they

“

Restaurants are even commissioning App developers who can make Apps that will allow customers to pre-order their food and receive it when they arrive.

better equip users with information that will allow them to proactively combat problems before they become serious.

With the Internet of Things it becomes very easy for managers to monitor through their smartphone stock that has been there for a week and stock that has just come in. For example, food preservation in any cooking environment is mandatory. What better way to preserve food than using a refrigerator? A smart refrigerator can do a whole lot more than cool food. Remote access to information of the functioning of the fridge will significantly drive down costs because repairs and maintenance checks will be done way before they become critical. A technician can then be called when needed, such data can also help managers determine a suitable time for maintenance based on periods where the business is less busy.

According to Accenture, IoT technology is important in restaurants because it “regularly monitor[s] the status and temperature of equipment provide[s] accurate real-time information that restaurant managers can use to mitigate changes that could affect product quality or result in violations of food safety regulations.” furthermore “[IoT] can be used to detect when the temperature inside a cold-temperature equipment is no longer within the established acceptable range. The mobile app dashboard may also be used to view temperature history for any connected equipment.”

Better Waste Management: Regardless of the service or cuisines that is served. All catering businesses work with food that has a short shelf-life. Fresh seafood, vegetables and fruits are often taken from the market and delivered to the kitchen every morning so that they can be prepared and

dished out the same say.

IoT kitchen appliances can regulate storage and inventory while doing an analysis of the amount of stock that has is there and how long it has been there. The calculations that are made by the appliance will send that information to the manager who will then make sure that whatever has been there the longest will be thrown out.

For managers who have to regularly monitor a group of restaurants such information is important to them to avoid incidences of food poisoning and the like.

Reduction of Energy Consumption: Real-time monitoring of all connected equipment also enables granular measurement of energy consumption. While there may be standard operating procedures in place to ensure optimal energy consumption, verifying those processes is currently done via spot checks and manual audits. Sensors that measure power draw may be used to monitor power consumption in real time, which enables restaurant managers and leadership above them to also identify and correct suboptimal behavior in real time. Over a long period of time, continuous monitoring of all restaurants’ energy consumption, combined with analytics and predictive capabilities, could allow management to further identify potential green initiatives and energy-saving measures to reduce operational costs.

However with all these great improvements it is wise to consider security as it becomes a very important factor when everything is increasingly becoming connected. It is advisable for managers to acquire really strong internet security so that hackers are not able to remotely access the kitchen equipment data and use it for nefarious reasons. n

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TECHNOLOGY

EVER WISHED THERE WERE A GOOGLE-SEARCH FOR VIDEO? This AI-powered search engine for security and surveillance video does the trick

By Brianna Crandall

E

lla is a new cloud-based deeplearning search engine that augments surveillance systems with natural language search capabilities across recorded video footage.

The software uses both algorithmic and deep learning tools to give any surveillance or security camera the ability to recognize objects, colours, people, vehicles, animals and more.

Ella was designed with the technology backbone of Camio, a startup founded by ex-Googlers who realized there could be a way to apply search to streaming video feeds.

The programme is designed to make every

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nanosecond of video searchable instantly, letting users type in queries like “white truck” to find every relevant clip instead of searching through hours of footage. Ella quite simply creates a Google for video, says the company.

“The idea was born from a simple question: If we can search the entire Internet in under a second, why can’t we do the same with video feeds? IC Realtime is the perfect partner to bring this advanced video search capability to the global surveillance and security market because of their knowledge and experience with the needs of users in this space. Ella is the result of our partnership in fine-tuning the

“

The idea was born from a simple question: If we can search the entire Internet in under a second, why can’t we do the same with video feeds?

service for security applications.”

According to the company, the average surveillance camera sees less than two minutes of interesting video each day despite streaming and recording 24/7. On top of that, traditional systems only allow the user to search for events by date, time, and camera type, and to return very broad results that still require sifting, often taking hours of time.

Ella instead does the work for users to highlight the interesting events and to enable fast searches of their surveillance and security footage for the events they want to see and share. From the moment Ella comes online and is connected, it begins learning and tagging objects the cameras sees. The deep learning engine lives in the cloud and comes preloaded with recognition of thousands of objects like makes and models of cars; within the first minute of being online, users can start to search their footage.

Hardware-agnostic, this also solves the issue of limited bandwidth for any HD streaming camera or NVR. Rather than push every second of recorded video to the cloud, Ella features interest-based video compression. Based on machine learning algorithms that recognize patterns of motion in each camera scene to recognize what is interesting within each scene, Ella will only record in HD when it recognizes something important. By learning from what the system

sees, Ella can reduce false positives by understanding that a tree swaying in the wind is not notable, while the arrival a delivery truck might be. Even the uninteresting events are still stored in a low-resolution time-lapse format, so they provide 24×7 continuous security coverage without using up valuable bandwidth.

‘The video search capabilities delivered by Ella haven’t been feasible in the security and surveillance industry before today. This new solution brings intelligence and analytics to security cameras around the world; Ella is a hardware agnostic approach to cloud-based analytics that instantly moves any connected surveillance system into the future.”

Ella works with both existing do-it-yourself (DIY) and professionally installed surveillance and security cameras, and is comprised of an on-premise video gateway device and the cloud platform subscription.

Ella subscription pricing starts at $6.99 per month and increases with storage and analysis features needed for the particular scope of each project. To learn more about Ella and watch an introductory video, visit www.smartella.com n

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FM INSIGHT

DIJALO FACILITIES MANAGEMENT FIRST TO COMPLY WITH FM STANDARD South Africa is a global leader for publishing the first facility management (FM) standard against which local organisations and FM providers will be assessed for compliance and/or certification. Importantly, Dijalo Facilities Management is the first company to comply with the standard.

T

he FM arm of the leading South African black-owned property specialist, Dijalo Property Group, achieved this milestone at the end of 2017.

This is after the industry was challenged by David Khasebe, national convenor for the FM Standard working group of the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), to follow guidelines provided in complying with the Standard.

Khasebe says SANS 1752 was published in March 2017 to guide organisations in the management of their real estate, and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is only expected to publish an international standard for FM sometime in 2018.

“South Africa, therefore, has the opportunity to translate global leadership in publication into leadership in FM practice,” he says.

“I refer to our leadership in the publication of the King Report in corporate governance in the early 2000s. National implementation was required to translate this into leadership in corporate governance practice. However, we are actually failing in this regard as evidenced by corporate governance lapses.”

Moreover, he says the international standards tend to be too generic as they seek to balance competing needs of developed and developing nations.

Developing nations, such as South Africa,

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David Khasebe - National Convenor for the FM Standard Working Group

prefer directive standards to address specific FM developmental aims, and this is what SANS 1752 sets out to achieve.

Importantly, it is a management standard and it applies to all organisations. It fundamentally affects how organisations implement FM, spanning top-level management through to the coalface of the organisation.

“It is not a functional or service standard or specification which happens within FM. Rather, it is a framework of FM policy, processes and systems organisations must implement to enhance the realisation of organisational strategy. It is, therefore, about doing the correct FM things within any organisation. This is known as FM efficacy,

“

The standard will be a major driver of FM practice development and growth for this industry, with its potential to contribute as much as 10% towards national gross domestic product and become a strategic sector of our economy.

Peter Gray - Managing Director of Dijalo Facilities Management

Saul Gumede - Chief Executive Officer of Dijalo Property Group

as opposed to doing things right within the FM function, which is FM efficiency. FM maintenance standard is an example of the latter,” he says.

In explaining the importance of SANS 1752, Khasebe refers to the most popular management standard, namely the ISO/ SANS 9001 for Quality Management, as well as the more recent ISO/SANS 14001 Environmental Management.

He notes that they are the “hymn sheets” for how all organisations implement an organisation-wide function to achieve best results. This is true for generic organisations, including private, public and non-profit organisations, as well as specialist FM organisations.

Khasebe adds, “The standard will be a major driver of FM practice development and growth for this industry, with its potential to contribute as much as 10% towards national gross domestic product and become a strategic sector of our economy. FM can become a major contributor towards employment if we all comply with the standard. The jury is still out whether we will repeat the corporate governance episode and not follow through with implementation.”

He says the level of expertise within the local FM industry means that it is fraught with misapplications wherein FM efficacy is not realised.

For instance, organisations incorrectly outsource FM, including critical Demand FM, which is responsible for translating organisational strategy. The misapplication has not only reduced the value or contribution of FM organisations can generate, it has also limited the value Delivery FM can create downstream.

“In response, the Standard clarifies the role of the two interdependent levels

of FM, namely Demand and Delivery, and guides how the FM functions should relate and the establishment of outsourcing arrangements,” Khasebe says. It was developed by South African experts specifically for the local private and public business environment.”

Peter Gray, managing director of Dijalo Facilities Management, concurs.

Gray says that the successful adoption of the principles enshrined in the SANS 1752 raises the FM bar, especially for the FM supply industry. The provider market is challenged to “practice what it preaches” to the market by doing for its employees and facilities what it promises.

“Moreover, it introduces consistency and a shared language in the profession. SANS 1752 is also an important step taken to integrate the various strategic components, encompassing hard, soft and organisation support services that make up FM. The standard will also ensure that business strategies are translated into FM plans, driving aligned planning and co-ordination in FM,” he says.

“The FM profession is the custodian of health, safety and facility management, ensuring organisations meet their obligations to users of the facilities, as well as those people who are likely to be affected by operations. In addition, the industry serves a vital sustainability purpose as FM practitioners are responsible for operations within facilities and the impact that they have on the environments,” he says.

Gumede concludes that he is proud of his team’s involvement in yet another major development at the larger group that reaffirms Dijalo Property Group’s current standing as a leading provider of specialist property solutions, including FM! n

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FM INSIGHT

OFFICES ARE CHANGING — AGAIN While typing pools of the mid-20th century were eventually replaced by cubicles to create more privacy, the open office made a return in the 1990s and onward, being considered more apt to the collaboration needed for creative work environments.

O

pen offices have left some longing for the days of privacy and peace and quiet. Now, as The New York Times recently noted, the trend is toward a ‘palette of spaces’ to accommodate the various ways people like to work, whether at a long desk in the open or in a quiet, enclosed space or even at a standing desk next to colleagues.

The Wall Street Journal also points out that shared and communal areas are

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growing within offices — a move that tries to counter the isolating effects of intensely computer-based work.

That’s just the start, says Eivind Karlsen, Head of Design at co-working giant Industrious*. Karlsen sees the future of offices as akin to set design: ever-changing, modular configurations, and immersive environments focused on employee happiness and retention.

There may even be a bigger focus on light and sound, a neglected aspect of even the most forward-thinking offices.

“

It’s critical. Not just for productivity but also general happiness on the job.

and do the whole thing over again. That is a huge time, money and emotional commitment for a company that has a limited experience in doing this and a different set of core skills and priorities. As a result, a “Workplaceas-a-Service” model has emerged and we are designing and delivering more modular configurations so that a company of any size can come in and find an appropriately sized space.

Beyond these new service layers, perhaps the most interesting development will be in designing immersive environments through a more creative application of innovative lighting and acoustics. It is something akin to set design, where thoughtful composition of lighting, sound, furniture and textiles can create diverse and flexible environments that evoke strong emotional responses in people.

This will test the degree to which architectural delineations of space will be best method to create our future work environments.

Companies like Meyer Sound Lab has been pushing these boundaries in acoustic engineering - such as being able to simulate the acoustic experience of being in a cathedral when you are actually in a 10’x8’ room. This acoustic development is loosely applicable to office space at this time, but will start to become a more relevant tool at our disposal.

Not to mention, co-working spaces are growing exponentially and even big companies are taking advantage of the flexibility and geographic convenience they offer.

I spoke to Karlsen recently about how he sees the future of the workplace in the coming decades.

Can you describe where office design is going and why? Where are we headed?

Office design is changing in a few ways.

Firstly, there is an increased focus on experience, which is tied to metrics around employee satisfaction, retention and productivity. Office design is accommodating this by layering hospitality components - food and beverage, concierge services, and other task-oriented services - to the core offering of traditional office space.

The experience for the tenant, or member as we call them at Industrious, is also changing. Traditionally, if you had a large team you would go to a broker, find a space, hire an architect, build out the space, move in

Traditional workspace trends seem to be fading fast. What are they being replaced by? And what happened to the cubicle?

aimed at boosting productivity, creativity, and collaboration.

3. The stereotype of who works in flexible or co-working spaces has evolved. At Industrious, we currently see about 50% of our business coming from enterprise companies and anticipate to see that grow as the Fortune 500 seek remote offices for an increasingly geographically scattered workforce. Demands from small to medium businesses demands will also continue to evolve, as they grow to recognize the power of working in a professional community, devoid of distracting decor, skateboards and kombucha kegs in the corner.

There’s a clear aesthetic that seems to represent the Millennial generation (reclaimed wood, filament bulbs, etc.). Why is that and will that last?

I think this “Millennial design aesthetic” can best be seen in Brooklyn. In part the active regeneration of post-industrial neighbourhoods led to a rediscovery of these elements - old industrial fans, parsons work tables, steel window frames and filament bulbs are the staples of that typology.

Naturally, as designers were beginning to revitalize these buildings they were motivated and inspired by these details.

There are a couple factors why the cubicle and other traditional workspace trends are no longer viable for companies.

1. The need for more flexible on-demand real estate. Businesses need great work environments in order to grow and succeed but very few are actually able to execute on this core necessity due to complicated, opaque and expensive processes. The standard commercial real estate lease ranges anywhere from 10-15 years. These long term leases are no longer compatible with how companies, from the Fortune 500 to small to medium businesses (SMBs), forecast their real estate needs.

2. A more remote workforce and the need for a regional footprint. Businesses are recognizing that the perfect person for a role may live in Tampa, even though HQs are in Seattle. Additionally, large brands keen on expanding to new markets or building regional sales teams, need to provide employees with a home-base to work from. Both of these factors drive companies to seek shared workplaces,

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What began as a genuine effort to integrate existing features and qualities, has over the course of 20-years become a contrived and played-out fashion.

That said, there are essential aspects of this aesthetic that hold a more permanent value. Firstly that the quality of materials you work with is important, and the grain, texture and quality of the wood is important.

The filament bulb, for example, is a passing aesthetic, but it to has some essential qualities - the warm glowing light is easier on the eye, the glow creates an energy, a sense of community, it feels familiar / approachable.

The objects through which these qualities are expressed will change over time, but the underlying qualities themselves (human and universal, approachable and genuine) are timeless.

Was the movement to the completely open office just a return to the old typing pools? If so, did we go too far in venerating and spreading that design?

The movement went too far when it was applied indiscriminately. In some cases and in some modes of work the open office can be a formidable model, but in most cases it is not a sustainable way to work.

Any model that proposes only one way of working is going to fail. The office needs to accommodate a breadth of spaces.

How important is one’s workplace design? How does it affect workers?

It’s critical. Not just for productivity but also general happiness on the job. According to a recent study, more than 40% of adults in America report feeling lonely, including many in the workplace.

The impact? Vivek H. Murthy, former Surgeon General of the United States, reported that loneliness can cause stress and higher levels of inflammation in the body, Harvard Business Review. At work, loneliness reduces task performance, limits creativity and impairs other aspects of executive function, such as reasoning and decision making.

Why are workers lonely? Exclusively working from home; office spaces that don’t encourage collaboration (rows of cubicles); lack of opportunities for personal connection.

Have increased screen time changed the way our office looks

and feels? Do you consider that in your design?

A successful office space needs to offer a respite from the screen. In a way it becomes the antithesis to the screen - soft, calming, analogue and transportive. Not to say you can’t embed an office with tech - iBeacons and sensors - but the overall space can’t feel distracting, attention grabbing and loud.

Even if the company that works there may be extroverted and loud, the space needs to meet the needs of the employees and support the culture of work alongside the culture of that particular company.

At Industrious, we encourage our team to think of the spaces as a spectrum of introverted and extroverted spaces, and as a landscape of spaces that can accommodate a broad set of workstyles.

Landscapes provide inspiration – they are an aggregation of a variety of spatial conditions, they are a canvas for culture, they are inhabited by a variety of different users with a range of needs and they are tested over time. *New York-based Industrious currently has 25 co-working locations around the country and plans 50-60 locations by end of 2018. n

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