July 2014 jFM 1July 2014 jFM 1

EDITORrsquoS COMMENT

I N C O R P O R A T I N G

KTH SERVESTCHANGE FM LANDSCAPE

ISSN 2071-9299 JULY 2015 FM No 002

July 2014 jFM 2

Copyright amp DisclaimerFacilities Management (ISSN 2071-9299) is published 12 times a year by TE Trade Events 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

pilot rating will encourage the tackling of challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health to a degree by the way that we design build and operate buildingsItrsquos that important however sci-fi it may appear to be The built environment is increasingly where it all happens and that is why FM is assuming an ever evolving and distinctive part of proceed-ings within the environs That is why the GBCSA and SAFMA are working so closely together ndash the two are inexorably interlinked as is the merging of JFM and Urban Green File It just makes sense because it is the reality From a broader perspective too FMs must have a working knowledge of what is happening property-wise in case of expansion or the need to move for the core business owner Thatrsquos why he or she needs to know what mall is going up what are the new office developments and where are they situated and who else has signed upItrsquos vital for the FMs to know ndash and for those that never knew you too

EDITORrsquoS COMMENT

tex_owen

Editor Terry Owen terryfmexpoorg

Layout Alois Sajanga aloisfmexpoorg

Subscription Sales amp AdminPhillip Nkomo phillipfmexpoorg

Terry Owen

Putting property into perspective

A good many people mainly from outside the industry but also some (astonishingly within it) remain perplexed over the focus

that FM places on propertyI have also been asked (by these people) why I carry a lot of property articles in this magazine The reason is simple Property and FM go hand-in-hand because of the very reason that property and property management are not a core part of the business that is being conducted within the property Itrsquos an FM jobThat is why FM should be involved at the very beginning of a construction planning exercise where it be Greenfield or brownfield development The FM person will know what will work from a design and operational point of view ndash after all FM is going to manage and maintain the building and they will have a very vested interest in who plans what and where Is it manageable is it sustainable does it add to any of the greening features that management is so keen on implementing but doesnrsquot perhaps know exactly what and exactly howThe FMrsquos role in all of this planning is critical There are so many cases where FMs have been brought in after the fact and found that many of the design elements that have been put in place are completely unworkable as far as maintenance or practicality is concernedIn this issue Brian Wilkinson CEO of the Green Building Council of SA goes as far as to say that the new Socio-Economic Category

Incorporating

News amp Products

World-firstrating

SAFMA ConferenceHighligts

Activating a PV system for Architects

SLAsWhorsquos Kidding Who

Fuelling a powerful green agenda

Middelburg starting to make sustainable mark

Donrsquot be in the dark over power management

A great HR journey lies ahead

Augmented reality - Key to exciting new future

New tools to drive facility perfomance

Enabling enterprise BYOD

Advertisement SalesMelinda AlevrasMelindafmexpoorg

PrintingABC Press

Published byTE Trade Events (Pty) Ltd 1st Floor Ice Site Building 263 Oak Avenue Ferndale RandburgPO Box 650291 Benmore 2010 Tel 011 781 5970 Fax 011 781 6079

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10

16

24

26

28

30

31

3236

38

39

July 2015 FM 3

I N C O R P O R A T I N G

KTH SERVESTCHANGE FM LANDSCAPE

ISSN 2071-9299 JULY 2015 FM No 002

See story on page 2amp3

July 2015 FM 4

Investment holding company Kagiso Tiso Holdings (ldquoKTHrdquo) has announced the success-ful acquisition of a 51

shareholding in the Servest Group (ldquoServestrdquo) to form the largest majority black-owned facilities management company in Africa in a trans-action valuing the group at approximately R45-billion The Servest investment offers a compelling propos-ition consistent with KTHrsquos strategy as the business has significant presence in South Africa United Kingdom and the rest of Africa with multi-currency earnings Servest provides integrated facilities management solu-tions to more than 6 500 cli-ents on 24 000 sites in South Africa with key markets in East West and Southern Africa as well as the United Kingdom Key services include inter-alia cleaning parking catering hygiene office service landscaping to prominent clients such as Transnet Netcare Group

KTH SERVEST IN

Anglo Platinum Debswana Sasol Sainsbury BBC and UKrsquos House of Parliament among othersCommenting on the acquisi-tion Vuyisa Nkonyeni Chief Executive Officer of KTH said ldquoThis transaction demonstrates clear delivery against KTHrsquos strategy of acquiring meaningful or majority stakes in fast grow-ing companies which are sup-ported by strong management teams and have good exposure to African market opportunities In the South African market we will identify investments that will afford us significant influence or control alongside like-minded partnersrdquoThe transaction makes Servest the largest majority black-owned facilities management company in Africa strongly positioning it to expand its footprint across the rest of the continent In the South African context this will give Servest an advantage over other large facilities management com-panies with over 51 black ownership under the new revised BEE codes which came

into effect on May 1 2015 As part of the transaction KTH and Co-Founder Mr Kenton Fine will facilitate equity partici-pation of management as part of a talent management and transformation plan ldquoThis deal means that Servest is now 51 black-owned but it represents so much more than just an empowerment trans-actionrdquo says Kevin Derrick Chief Executive Officer of Servest ldquoThis not only clearly demonstrates our ongoing commitment to transformation and long term sustainability but brings with it significant opportunities for future growth expansion and job creationrdquoKTHrsquos Chief Investment Officer Jacob Hinson said ldquoOur investment strategy seeks to achieve active participation in fewer prominent investments with strong management teams that will drive growth across the continent Servest is a unique investment that meets all our criteria We were therefore able to execute this transaction on pure commercial terms without any external or vendor facili-

tation with an equity cheque of approximately R1-billion We look forward to working with our new partners to create a truly global facilities management business ldquoKTH has been executing its strat-egy of becoming an emerging pan-African investment champion having concluded transactions which involved R51-billion of dis-posals follow on investments and portfolio company restructurings to date R33-billion of new deals since 2011 including a maiden pan-African investment in Fidelity Bank and a landmark minority take-out and delisting of Kagiso Media in 2013 In addition to this transaction KTH expects to con-clude another significant acquisi-tion in West Africa imminentlyServest Co-founder and Group Chairman Kenton Fine said ldquoWe have enjoyed a very successful and long-standing relationship with our existing shareholders RMB Corvest and Shalamuka and are delighted at the prospect of partnering with a professional organisation of the calibre of KTH With similar values entrenched in both organisations we look for-ward to embracing the additional

The panel discussion at the launch Kevin Derrick ndash Chief Executive Officer of Servest Vuyisa Nkonyeni Chief Executive Officer of KTH Jacob Hinson KTH Chief Investment Officer and Kenton Fine Servest co-founder and Group Chairman

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

July 2015 FM 5

experience and knowledge that KTH will bring further underpin-ning our continued ambitious growth strategy into the futureldquoBeyond the commercial rationale both parties see the transaction as an important step in driving further transformation at Servest The company has embarked on an ambitious staff development drive and the establishment of the Management Trust reinforces its commitment to transformation The KTH-Servest acquisition remains subject to regulatory approvals including South African Competition Commission approval

About KTHKTH is one of the largest pan African investment holding com-panies with an investment port-folio comprising of market leading companies across its chosen sec-tors and geographies The group has an asset base in excess of R15-billion a solid track record of investment performance and is managed by a professional and experienced team of African investment professionals KTH is an active long term investment partner and does not have any exit imperatives which allows the group to partner with businesses through investment cycles to cre-ate long term sustainable value

About Servest Servest is a leading provider of facilities management services to over 6 500 clients across more than 24 000 sites throughout Africa and the United Kingdom Founded in 1997 Servestrsquos inte-grated operating model provides extensive operational support infrastructure and international best practice within the public and private sectors for all lsquohardrsquo and lsquosoftrsquo services Each of Servestrsquos business units are both highly experienced specialists and market leaders in their own right Servest employs 45 000 27 000 people in Africa and 18 000 people in the UK Group services consist of facilities management mechanical and electrical servi-ces energy management camp management and catering clean-ing hygiene and pest control landscaping and turf construction and maintenance marine support office support services parking management and security n

Schneider Electric a global specialist in energy management is commercialising its solar powered port-

able LED lamps with mobile phone charger the Mobiya TS 120S in order to offer innovative reliable and affordable products to people living without access to electricityAvailable from Schneider Electric distributors at under R500 (excluding VAT) the Mobiya TS 120S is an energy efficient eco-friendly and robust portable lamp producing 120-lumen light output perfectly suited for demanding rural environments The lamp is equipped with a mobile phone charger that includes a USB port enabling users to charge their mobile phones any time It features three brightness settings providing up to 48 hours of light-ing with one day of solar charge ldquoIdeal for off-grid households small shops street vendors and fishing boats the Mobiya TS 120S offers users safe and sufficient light for comfortable reading and other household and business activities within an un-electrified household or small business environmentrdquo says Zanelle Dalglish head of sustainable development for southern Africa at Schneider Electric The lamp is designed to allow it to be hand carried hooked to the ceiling mounted on the wall placed on the desk fixed on the top of a bottle and carried on a pole This patented design has won Grand Prix Strategies Du Design 2013 and European Design awards

To cater for the proliferation of mobile uptake and technology on the continent the range is equipped with a mobile phone charger that includes a USB port enabling users to charge their mobile phones any time The Mobiya TS 120S superior battery technology ndash Lithium Ferro Phosphate battery ndash delivers high performance for more than three years The micro-controller based charge controller ensures efficient solar charging prevents over charge and deep discharge Smart electronics for battery mon-itoring shows indications for bat-tery charging battery charge level remaining and recharging when drainedldquoThrough its global BipBop pro-gramme (business innovation and people at the base of the pyramid) Schneider Electric develops collective solutions for comprehensive rural electrification domestic solutions for energy-re-lated needs and the business models that make these solutions sustainable The Mobiya TS 120S is in particular ideal to take advan-tage of the African sun lessening the burden of daily life in poor and off-grid communities An added plus is that it is affordable eco-friendly and saferdquo says Dalglish

Contact Adeline Maleka to enquire about to enquire about the closest distributor adelinemalekaschneider-electriccom or (+27) 11 254 6400 (ext 6957) n

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

July 2015 FM 6

The massive 131 000msup2 Mall of Africa is sched-uled to open in April 2016 Currently the largest retail develop-

ment being built in a single phase in Africa the expansive retail offering features a distinctive design and an ideal location in the middle of the 173 million square metre mixed-use Waterfall City development in Midrand Gauteng The combination is destined to create a go-to des-tination for both local residents and touristsThe design inspiration for the mall and courts is drawn from the natural and geological beauty of the African continent There will be four courts that depict the different climatic zones on the continent an oleum court depicting the oil rich West Africa a great lakes court depicting East Africa a crystal court depicting the mineral wealth in South Africa and a sand court depicting the desert area of North AfricaldquoThe mallrsquos design also incorporates many unique elements including very high shop fronts wide passages and an undulating roof feature in the centre with specialist animated LED lighting and a large public space with restaurants known as the Town Square The gross leasable area will be 131 000msup2 and 261 tenants will be setting up shop in this new luxury developmentrdquo says architect Tia Kanakakis of MDS Architects the architectural firm for the Mall of Africa

Leading South African property developer and investor Atterbury appointed Aurecon as civil and structural engineers for the iconic development Gerhard Saayman Professional Engineer at Aurecon responsible for managing Aureconrsquos design and construction supervision teams on the project says that the sheer size of the mall is making the Mall of Africa an exceptionally rewarding project to work onldquoThe gross building area is 485 000msup2 which equals 65 rugby pitches The size of the mall that will be occupied by major tenants such as Edgars Woolworths Truworths Checkers Ster Kinekor and Game will equal the size of the entire Middelburg Mallrdquo says SaaymanThe completion of the concrete structure and steel work for the roofs as well as the faccedilades is the projectrsquos next major milestone and is currently on target for com-pletion on programme ldquoThis milestone would enable the interior shop fit outs to proceed putting us another step closer to completionrdquo says SaaymanWhile any large building project will come with its own unique set of challenges the scale of the Mall of Africa means that the project team comprising the professional team and the main contractor had to overcome specific challenges relating to logistics and program-ming of construction sequences

as well as hiring and managing a wide range of subcontractorsA highly unified team was needed to fast-track the con-struction of such a large project Everyonersquos activities and scope from the professional team to the main contractor subcontractors and building services have to be planned and sequenced with precision and attention to detailldquoEverything has to be imple-mented in the correct sequence and with such a large range of activities happening on site this requires dedicated teamwork strict quality control processes and a deep understanding of the timelines and construction sequences of retail develop-mentsrdquo he adds

ldquoMeticulous planning innovative design solutions and ongoing collaboration between all stake-holders has enabled us to keep meeting deadlines and resolving challenges to reach the key milestones of the programme Teamwork between the design professionals and the contract-ors were key to not only meet each deadline but also to design cost consciously at all times and fast track the various stages of constructionrdquo says SaaymanThe main construction period for this massive development is only 32 months This is not only a huge challenge for the main contractor but requires a

massive amount of design and construction documentation to be produced within a very short period of time by the design consultants Six of Aureconrsquos design offices and over 50 engineers tech-nicians and draughters are currently working on this project to ensure designs and quality construction documentation were delivered according to pro-grammeDesigners are committed to continuous value engineering and optimisation throughout the design phase to achieve the most economic design solu-tions For the majority of design requirements various options were tabled in order for the most cost-effective solution to be identified and constructedDedicated involvement from Aureconrsquos four site engineers with the Joint Venture of WBHO and Group 5 ensures construc-tion queries and problems are identified and resolved immedi-ately This relationship between our engineers and the contractor is immensely important and essential to a successful con-struction phase ldquoAurecon is proud to be a part of the project team on such an iconic development here in South Africardquo says Nicol Labuschagne Aureconrsquos Project Director for the Mall of Africa development n

An artistrsquos impression of how the completed mall will look at night

July 2015 FM 7

ISSN 2071-9299 JUNE 2015 FM No 002

I N C O R P O R A T I N G

NEWWhatrsquos Find out at the

FM Expo and Conference

FULL DETAILS INSIDE

FM June Cover 2015indd 1

20150528 101429 AM

Magazine Bulletin Both DigitalSouth Africa R640 R640 R1 155 R640Africa US$175 US$90 US$240 US$90International US$190 US$90 US$255 US$90Please tick

12 +ISSUES

ANNUAL DIRECTORY

24+e-BULLETINS

Facilities Management incorporating Urban

Green File provides cutting-edge information

on the latest issues and procedures regarding

facilities management Our audience is the

facilities-management solution providers and

consultants such as mechanical engineers

electrical engineers architects interior designers

and owneroperators of properties and facilities

business people responsible for fi nancial decisions

about the operation maintenance and expansion

or development of facilities who are interested

in running a profi table and sustainable facility

and keen to learn about new business approaches

and technologies

Ready access to this kind of news is available

through the information platform hosted

by TETrade Events which includes printed

magazines fortnightly email bulletins

as well as an annual business directory Helping you manage better

Todayrsquos decision makers need to stay abreast of the latest industry trends and developments no matter where they are They need the right information at their fi ngertips to ensure the optimal and effi cient use of resources

Email your subscription request to phillipfmexpoorg or Fax to +27 11 781 6079

subsindd 2 20150706 122816 PM

July 2015 FM 8

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

Well-positioned commercial property in outlying areas around South

Africa is proving increasingly attractive to both local and inter-national buyers who continue to find value in sustainable invest-ments says Norman Raad CEO of Broll Auctions and SalesldquoNotably there will always be demand for retail properties where investors in pursuit of yield and income perceive opportun-ities to unlock potentialldquoSuch is the case with our successful sale of the 7530m2 Queenstown Mall in the Eastern Cape which was listed to go on auction but achieved a mar-ket-related price of R62-million prior to our multiple auction held in June (2015)rdquo Raad says with a yield of 10 this is a fair market price from a private investor who has plans

Sustained demand for commercial property

for expansion and is bringing new tenants into the centre Anchored by Pick n Pay and with other tenants including large multi-national groups such as Pep and Standard Bank the local retail centre is very well-positioned in Queenstown on the busy corner of Brewery Lane and the N6The sale of a further 20 000m2 of retail industrial and office space was concluded at the auction These included four lots com-prising a total of over 2300m2 of office space situated in Wynberg in Cape Townrsquos popular Southern Suburbs Napier in the Southern Cape Polokwane in Limpopo and Edenberg in the Free State which were sold by an institu-tional seller Acquired by several private investors these proper-ties achieved a combined price of R9-millionSome of the other properties sold on the auction included

a property consisting of multi-tenanted industrial units in Boksburg ndash which fetched a selling price of R221-million an industrial mini-park in Heriotdale in Johannesburg which sold for R16-million and multi-ten-anted units in Wynberg in Johannesburg which fetched a total price of R924-million A block of ground-floor retail and residential apart-ments above in Norwood in Johannesburg achieved R104-million In Lichtenberg in the North West Province an office building was sold on the auction for R78-million a 4610m2 industrial warehouse in Powerville in Vereeniging was acquired for R65-million while a small retail centre with upstairs office component in Bronkhorstspruit just east of Pretoria and en route to Witbank (eMalahleni) was pur-chased for R61-million

Adds Raad ldquoNot surprisingly particularly in the current eco-nomic climate we have found there is minimal demand for vacant buildings The focus is on sustainable investments where tenants can easily be replaced should they default or depart As a result of lower risk well-positioned properties will always be in demandHe says a trend is seeing listed property funds divest of non-core stock and stock which has been exhausted to its full potential ldquoWhereas they may no longer wish to expend further time nor invest further in these properties the smaller property investor has the energy and vision to turn a fundrsquos rough diamond into a gemrdquoThe positive demand for com-mercial property is borne out by a recent Lightstone report which reveals that transaction activity in the South African commercial

Situated in a busy area of Norwood in Johannesburg this block comprising retail and apartments sold for R104-million through Broll Auctions and Sales

July 2015 FM 9

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

market has increased in recent years The report also highlights the acquisition of properties in non-CBD areasAdds Bradley Stephens MD of Broll Auctions and Sales ldquoWe have also seen investors divest of their smaller commercial property portfolios and invest in the REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) as these offer more liquidity and flexibility with their investments ldquoSimultaneously this has created new opportunities for new players to enter the market The time has never been more opportune for investing in the South African property market as international investors still find huge value in solid bricks and mortar in comparison to other countries The only barrier to entry in the current market is finance and the loan to value conundrumrdquoBroll Auctions and Sales next multiple auc-tion of commercial properties takes place on August 18

087 700 8269 wwwbrollcom n

Queenstown Mall was sold even prior to auction

This commercial property in Main Road in Wynberg in Cape Townrsquos Southern Suburbs sold for R29-million at the recent auction held by Broll Auctions and Sales

Norman Raad CEO of Broll Auctions and Sales

July 2015 FM 10

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

When it comes to flooring needs there are a few significant players in the

South African market but Nouwens Carpets is the oldest local carpet manufacturer owned and run by the same family from the outsetToday this company with its nearly 200 employees is a force to be reckoned with offering global industry leaders some stiff compe-tition in the local market thanks to their solid reputation when it comes to products and service delivery Nouwens is a genuine family business and the only major manufacturer that produces their own spun yarns for the domestic market in South Africa This is not surprising with over 50 years of tradition in carpet craftsmanship Nouwens first opened its doors in Harrismith in the Free State in 1962 when Cornelis Nouwens a carpet craftsman from Tilburg in the Netherlands and his wife started manufacturing carpets in an old garage in the town of Harrismith A

passionate entrepreneur Cornelis instilled the same spirit in his chil-dren Luci and Pieter who took over the running of the business in later years It was clear that a passion for producing top quality products was instilled in Luci Nouwens from a young age setting her to head up the management of this local carpeting empire Throughout the years Nouwens has adapted their practices and processes enabling them to become a vertical carpet mill producing wool and synthetic carpets for the domestic and commercial market Nouwens also extrudes both poly prop and nylon synthetic yarns completing an extremely versatile yarn offering In the current economic climate where many companies are find-ing it difficult to survive it seems the success of this growing family business can be attributed to vari-ous factors According to Oscar Grobler Nouwensrsquo Chairman it is vital to ensure that their solid reputation remains backed up by producing quality products

ldquoConsistency is key when it comes to maintaining our pos-ition in the market We need to make sure that we truly live out the culture of the organisation while remaining relevant when it comes to product offerings and developing new ranges Being

Graffiti Retail Solutions ndash a division of Graffiti ndash has been granted the license for Cr8ive Paint ndash a new

environmentally friendly white board paint that can quickly and easily transform virtually any surface into a high performance dry erase canvas Set to replace easels flip charts and traditional white board screens this cost-effective alternative to the somewhat outdated boards con-ventionally seen in boardrooms is ideal for lecture and class rooms idea creative and strategy walls and meeting rooms Restaurants can even use it to write up menus and specials of the day Graffiti Retail Solutions has mas-tered the technique of applying the paint which comes standard in conveniently packaged units that cover 5m2 A water-based product it is dry to the touch in 24 hours and will be fully cured and

ready to use within five days If correctly applied just one coat is required and using foam paint rollers ensure the smoothest surface possible Like any paint-ing job preparation is key and surfaces should be clean and smooth before painting It can be applied to any sealed surface but a primer should be used before

all applications Lead free itrsquos a non-toxic solution making it even more appealing Suitable for any setting ndash light or dark hot or cold ndash this white board paint is not only available in white and therersquos nothing to stop a creative agency from painting a yellow white board The final finish is glossy and can create a reflec-

tion if a light is shone onto the surfaceOnce the product is fully cured a dry cloth can be used to clean the wall If ink has been on the wall for a long time a wet cloth can be used For cheap and often stubborn to remove markers a whiteboard solution can be used

011 691 8400 wwwGraffiticoza n

vertically integrated also allows us to control the manufacturing process as much as possible ensuring that the final product is of the very best qualityrdquo says Grobler 011 608 4435 wwwnouwenscarpetscoza n

July 2015 FM 12

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

CREFM SURVEY PROVES PEOPLE POWER

Itrsquos all about people

People power is predominant and this is illustrated clearly in a survey that was helmed by Martijn Drost of CBRE in Europe who gave the keynote presenta-

tion at the 2015 SAFMA conferenceThe CREFM survey showed that costs

still naturally play a predominant role but that the focus has shifted from pure cost towards growth with the emphasis being on people more than ever

ldquoGDP is down in South Africa These are uncertain times for many countries The respondents in the survey see the Middle East situation being a catalyst for uncertainty and many see this as the biggest threat for

growthrdquo says Drost ldquoThe scarce availability of talent is also an important factor As far as costs are concerned people are looking for reductions wherever possible and this plays a big role in lease negotiations In South Africa there is far more escalation year on year on property taxes and prices whereas in Europe and the US prop-erty is so widely available that companies have the opportunity to renegotiate price every time that the contract endsrdquo

He says there is a move towards cheaper markets with offshoring and right-shoring playing their hands

ldquoThe most important factor in right-shoring is cost ndash itrsquos essential to know the whole story when you are considering future locations However we

ldquoPeople understandably

donrsquot want to spend hours

commuting just to be seen

to be working in the office ndash

those days are gone Working

smarter is the goal now and

productivity is on the up

July 2015 FM 13

are seeing quite a change in the behaviour of occupiers For instance the UK used to out-source call centres to India but they are now being recalled to the UK due to pressure from customer bases which link to business alignment labour and skillsrdquo

Asia Pacific India and China are seen by far as the most desired locations because of cheap labour good availability of staff and in terms of total occupancy therersquos a motiva-tional cost element to consider

ldquoPeople are seeing South Africa as a growth market and a place to be in the future The availability of talent location and infrastructure are the factors to consider Companies feel that more needs to go into decisions involving the attraction and reten-tion of staffrdquo

Drost says that it is also very clear that workplace strategy is becoming paramount The right route here is not only selecting the building and the location itrsquos situated in but it matters a great deal what happens inside the building ndash and here is the clear link to FM

ldquoThe main pointers are employee attrac-tion and retention How do we make sure we attract the right people and retain them in the business The average time someone stays in a job in South Africa is only two years So looking carefully at this fact while it is import-ant to increase productivity and cost savings improved collaboration is vital Itrsquos all about different ways of working and linking closely to employee satisfaction and therefore retention Find people that you can engage with learn from and collaborate withrdquo

The survey notes that while the indoor environment is very important as well as the workplace itself sustainability strangely appeared low on the agenda

ldquoThe big issue is flexible working (63) We didnrsquot measure this in 2013 but now itrsquos heavily in the red on the radar Flexible work-ing is not necessarily just working from home but working anywhere wherever you are at any time People understandably donrsquot want to spend hours commuting just to be seen to be working in the office ndash those days are gone Working smarter is the goal now and productivity is on the up It doesnrsquot take rocket science to understand whyrdquo

80 said that business integration and alignment with enterprise goals is important

ldquoReal Estate of FM is not separate to the business and canrsquot be seen in that way anymore Decision makers of big companies and organisations throughout the world are seeing Real Estate of FM as a catalyst for future growth of their businesses I see it as part of their total strategic pact which is needed to support corporate growth If the

building does not work and if yoursquore not able to attract the right people by having the cor-rect environment how are you going to grow your company

ldquoAction is needed to achieve these goals Streets ahead on top is data quality and accuracy Companies everywhere are strug-gling with data with different systems and dif-ferent sources They are having a hard time creating information out of the data

ldquoYou have to make the basic elements work ndash organisational structure the govern-ance model that you are working towards the process you use in terms of capital allo-cation planning resourcing and your informa-tion your systems and tools to get the infor-mation from your property into tangible data that actually provides information ndash thatrsquos the goal a must-do You canrsquot do anything with raw data and you need to find a way to turn that data into informationrdquo

Drost says that in examining how FM is going to impact on the business looking at the full life cycle is necessary and what is happening is that companies are moving towards integrated facility management

ldquoThat integration chain is growing longer Whereas some 5 to 10 years ago a company started by outsourcing a single service ndash say for cleaning only ndash wersquove now seen the bundling of services for integrated FM as that has become more and more important Property is now also becoming more and more part of the FM portfolio because is running real estate part of the core business No it isnrsquot So we are seeing a determined move towards fuller integration of the supply chain At the end of the day FM is keeping the business running smoothly It has great impact on the business how it operates and the ability of the business to grow in the future

ldquoMoving on from the very beginning with the outsourcing of a single service we believe that we are moving into the fourth or fifth generation of outsourcing We have people that want to invest in buildings develop the workplace strategy and we will be there if you want to dispose of that build-ing at any pointrdquo

He says that integration is the name of the game in every possible way There canrsquot be any pockets of isolation anymore Full integration in all facets of FM and property management is the priority

ldquoOur enterprise data to move into inte-grated information is going to be of the utmost importance going forward Our decisions should not be based on gut feel or hearsay ndash it should be based on hard numbers In most cases we do have the

numbers but the biggest problem is how to get the information out of the numbers Yoursquoll need to partner with the correct suppler and find a platform that can connect and decode data sourcesrdquo

Here are a couple of questions that can help you work out at what stage your com-pany is atbull Is there a clear vision guiding global and

regional CREFMbull Is your organisation right-sized and shaped

to support your companybull Can the CRM staff engage strategicallybull Do you have workplace strategies that fit

the businessbull How flexible are your portfolio and organisa-

tion when it comes to dealing with changebull How efficient are your processes and can

you achieve speed to marketbull Is your service provider strategy supporting

your objectivesbull Do you have the right balance of centralisa-

tion versus localisationbull Are you leveraging a robust data and tech-

nology set to make good decisions n

Martijn Drost is an FM Operations Director for CBRE the global leader in real estate and invest-mentHe has been active in the FM and Real Estate industry for the past 15 years as a managerdirector He holds university degrees in both marketing and economics and shares his passion and views on the FM industry at many speaking engagementsHe is currently living in the Netherlands but has worked across many continents for a number of the worldrsquos largest companies such as BP Intel France Telecom (Orange) and Johnson ControlsHe lived and worked in Johannesburg for five years prior to returning to Europe

July 2015 FM 14

lsquoPEOPLE FIRST BUILDINGS SECONDrsquo

The people theme continues with Peter Townsendrsquos talk on Sustainability ndash putting people first and buildings secondTownsendrsquos premise is that sustain-

ability is not about the beautiful new buildings ndash itrsquos about the people that work within them

Townsend quotes Henry Ford ldquoYou can take my factories burn my buildings but give me my people and Irsquoll build the business back againrdquo

ldquoWersquove forgotten that these wonderful new buildings are there just to support the work-ers This might sound simplistic and perhaps it is but I think itrsquos a message that needs to be reinforced constantly FMs are not the only people that tend to forget this Itrsquos the archi-tects developers designers ndash in fact everyone in property developmentrdquo

He says that with traditional ways of work-ing yoursquore only going to get 40 occupancy in a traditional building meaning that therersquos a massive inefficient use of space

ldquoNow wersquore redefining the way we work and looking at the best way to design offices We need to stop looking for people who should lsquobe at work at their desk from 9 to 5rsquo and start looking at output Work follows the worker and he or she can be working from anywhere and at any time The more forward-thinking com-panies are starting to understand this Do we need monoliths of inefficiency when we can do the work from coffee shops from home from a clientrsquos space

ldquoWe still need the buildings because they are providing us with fantastic resources I donrsquot think anyone including me is implying that we should start abolishing office blocks but rather they should form part of the new flexible ways of working and the way that we value our workers ndash increasing wellbeing while enhancing productivity

ldquoItrsquos known as activity based working (ABW) which has been in operation in Europe for some time and only 3 of new buildings in the UK are not adopting the new way of working

So this really is a phenomenal trend You are going to vastly reduce the amount of space you need If the building can enable people to move freely around the office space and they are encouraged to do so it will really have remarkable benefits to increasing wellbeingrdquo

He says that research has shown that only 9 of South African employees are engaged at work

ldquoThis is a shocking statistic Engaged companies are achieving 54 which means people are satisfied and staff retention will be high Companies here need to address the fact that employees tend to leave companies after two years You canrsquot build brand aware-ness and entrench adoption with this trend

ldquoCompanies have to start looking at satis-faction and how to have it as a powerful and motivating work ethic They have to look at physical features work activities facilities and services ndash and importantly these can provide lsquoquick fixesrsquo Do you know that what is still the most important motivator whatrsquos right up at the top of the graph What coffee and tea is providedrdquo (Ed I know of a company whose coffee is meant to be the best in town and this is one big attraction for future staff members It has a coffee bar that is open all day)rdquoNaturally other features such as air quality temperature control natural light quiet rooms and get-together areas are also vital

ldquoIf you do all this what does it do to an organisation Firstly yoursquore going to reduce your square metres reduce sick days reduce stress and you will increase productivity staff satisfaction wellness engagement staff retention Seeing as surveys note that one of the most favourite places at home to work is the lounge and with a big plus for the couch why are we not filling offices with couches

ldquoThe buildings are not going to do the work People do and thatrsquos why it is para-mount to provide the right environment and resources for staff If you want growth and retention this is the only way to gordquo n

Managing Director of Know More Peter Townshend has a long history in research and consulting behaviour change and environmental reporting He currently also heads up a publishing house and environmental consultancy Ethical Living At Ethical Living Townshend has researched published and offered consultancy around the ethical nature of consumer products available in South Africa and through his work here he made the connection between sustainable offices and productivity and the effect of workspaces on office moral satis-faction engagement and profitability To this end Townshend dived deeply into workspace theory and is now in a position to establish Know More as an expert in this field in South AfricaTownshend has also helped develop a curriculum on journalism and media studies for the University of Pretoria and has lectured and spoken publically on a range of topics from business ethics to English literature environmental awareness sustainability and workspace theory

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

BLEAK PICTURE OF FM SCENARIO

Dr Samuel Azasu holds a PhD in Real Estate Management as well as Licentiate and MSc degrees in Real Estate Management from the Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm He also holds a BA in Economics with Statistics from the University of GhanaHe has worked as Program Coordinator and Director of Teaching and Learning in Real Estate Management at the Royal Institute of Technology In addition he was responsible for planning and managing the provision of executive training in real estate in collaboration with the Dubai Real Estate Institute in Dubai He is currently in charge of reorganising the real estate programs in Wits University

Dr Samuel Azasu spoke on survey results of Reward Management A survey of the South African FM SectorPeople yet again play a vital role

in this surveyldquoGood people are hard to come by and

retainrdquo he says ldquoThis is all happening in a context of a new generation of employees who are more loyal to their own career paths and are no longer stigmatised by the fre-quency of which jobs are changed

ldquoHow do South African FM companies reward their employees We used an online questionnaire to establish this and other questions The feedback wasnrsquot as good as wersquod hoped but as awareness of the survey grows we hope the next one will provide more respondents Still with the percentage we received we were still able to get a picture of whatrsquos going on

ldquoThe focus was not only on salary but also non-financial rewards We asked employees themselves on what they thought about remuneration in the FM sectorrdquo

What were the first impressionsldquoFirst of all I was shocked by the mere

length and breadth of job titles in the FM sector Once I had wrapped my head around this I took a look at salaries In comparison to some of the industries I know I found very low salaries in this area Bonuses have become the variable component of pay but what really surprised me was the fact that annual bonuses were at the discretion of managers which can be a dangerous way of doing things

ldquoThere were plenty of training courses but not much evidence that all this training translates into better performance We asked people what could be done better in terms of rewards ndash and there were some very angry responses about remuneration People are dissatisfied Too many are unhappy with pay on a number of different dimensionsrdquo

The majority of the respondents to the

questionnaire live in Gauteng and Dr Azasu found that many had been doing their jobs for more than 10 years As far as level of educa-tion is concerned very few had post-bachelor degrees

ldquoSpeaking of salaries itrsquos a fact that obviously money attracts people ndash but what holds staff retention typically is found in the non-financial arena When bonuses are based at the discretion of someone it blurs the line of sight The connection on what people do and what they are rewarded undermines confidence breeds cynicism Non-financials including sick pay loans insurance company cars and vaca-tions are more effective retention tools Benefits at work become very important in places where the state does not provide strong safety nets These benefits include pension RAs medical aid childcare allowance bursaries loans (per-sonal and housing) and study loansrdquo

He says what training is available varies from company to company

ldquoCompanies require employees to contribute 50 of the training costs In many compan-ies there is no goal setting and conditions for proper training does not exist In many instan-ces ldquooutsiderdquo training merely becomes time away from the office the person comes back with no noticeable difference in performance

ldquoHow can companies improve the bene-fit system Some say simple measures like allowing partners to attend year-end func-tions even if the employee needs to pay for it allowing time off for doctor dentist and optometrist visits Basic stuff but very import-ant

ldquoTop people lack leadership and employees are incapacitated There is low morale among employees Policies and procedures are not being reviewed timeously

ldquoThe meaning of pay to the individual employee provides clues to how he or she feels their achievement on the job is being met and how much is being contributed to the organi-sationrsquos goals and how powerful you are within the organisation

ldquoHow knowledgeable are people about their pay systems We found many did not know how the pay system actually works and they donrsquot know how when or if they will qualify for a raise Quite a lot of people are unhappy about their pay even if they are knowledgeable about the pay systemrdquo

Dr Azasu says many only have diplomas therefore it is not surprising that salaries are low yet many are proficient or more in their roles People are unhappy that so much discre-tion is left in the hands of the ldquobossrdquo

ldquoThis is an unfair system and needs to change along with the global picture of the FM working environment Maybe our next ques-tionnaire will provide us with a far broader and more positive picture of the FM scenariordquo n

July 2015 FM 15

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

July 2015 FM 16

FOLLOWING THE FIRE TRACKER TRIUMPHS

Trackerrsquos fire earlier this year which razed the company premises to the ground is a good lesson for all in how to go about managing a disas-ter correctly

In his talk entitled What to do in case of dis-aster a case study Michael du Preez Marketing Director of Tracker Connect says there is probably one significant event that made all the difference to the recovery effort

ldquoThe story of recovery is a simple one but donrsquot be misledrdquo says Du Preez ldquoBehind many simple stories there is lots of hard work and planning organisation and money The reality is that at one of the board meetings six months before the fire after the change of leadership at Tracker the new CEO announced that we did not have a disaster recovery plan The green light for that was given shortly after and the plan out in place ndash which was very auspicious con-sidering what lay ahead

ldquoOn January 17 a Saturday I got a call around 2am to tell me that Tracker was on fire I got there in double time along with the other directors and our chairman and watched in horror as the fire consumed everything in its path It was a significant fire and the devastation was terrifying The building had literally burned down The sad thing is that what the fire doesnrsquot destroy the firefighters will Obviously nothing you can do about that ndash except watch and weep

ldquoThe reality was that the fire was so strong that we couldnrsquot get into the building to retrieve anything The records were all destroyedrdquo

Trackerrsquos phoenix had risen though and the first recovery of a stolen vehicle was at 5am

ldquoOur disaster and recovery plan was in place to ensure that we could deliver the core promise of what our business does and make sure there was continuity Back-up records are essential

ldquoWe had our first disaster meeting at 7am had a discussion about what we were going to tell the media and then started a process which was basically organising a whole string of disaster recovery meetings on the hour through-

out the weekend On Monday morning we deployed all our staff to a new site with 90 business capability so in essence they walked into a new building as if nothing had hap-penedrdquo

Du Preez says that there a couple of things that made this possible The first thing is a plan ndashldquoand if you donrsquot have one yoursquod better get one without delayrdquo Roles and duties must be allocated to specific people Update emergency information and take careful note of that so that the plan can be implemented

ldquoThe next thing you need is a practical disaster recovery site We were lucky in that we stumbled across the correct site which was close to the building that burned down We have a very people-intensive business so we have many call centres We have about 900 people on site and these people rely on public transport to get to work so the first thing we had to consider about the disaster recovery site is to ensure staff can get there Itrsquos a logistical nightmare to expect people to go a further 30km further than what theyrsquore used to

ldquoThe other issue is your technology Trackerrsquos business is very tech-dependent to ensure a quick response system Control measures need to hit our centres immediately so we can take some action at that time processing around 20 million messages a day These come from cars telling us how fast they are driving where they are driving and what events need to be considered The real-ity is that we are protecting peoplersquos assets protecting fixed assets protecting fixed cargo and protecting peoplersquos lives with push-button assistance We needed then to make sure that the disaster recovery plan could have that system up and running immediatelyrdquo

When the decision about the site was made a number of factors had to be taken into account

ldquoWe had to think about the power grid in the area and would outages affect our

telephonic infrastructure would it impact the data infrastructure The only practical site was really the one next to our building which answered all these questions positively So we had been paying every month for this empty space ndash and that essentially was our saving grace

ldquoThe next thing to do is plan how you are going to interact with the customers and implement that part of your plan You need to empower your team to get on with the job and you have to trust them enough to be able to do that You have to have an immediate meeting to spell out the priorities so that everyone is on the same page and everything is in place to get up and running as soon as possiblerdquo

He says that although no-one told the mar-keting manager to make radio ads for Monday morning they were done and ready to flight

ldquoShe knew that we would have to be speak-ing to all our customers partners and so on and the best way to do that was above-the-line marketing The ads proved very effective and kept everyone in the loop as to what was hap-pening

ldquoThe most important thing was just to tell the truth and tell everyone what progress was being made The ads conveyed these messa-ges very well and spread immediate confidence

ldquoShow that yoursquore in control get people as productive as possible and build team spirit I think that crisis has the ability to bring people together which is exactly what happened at Tracker On the Monday and Tuesday we met with our key stakeholders and informed them how we have been affected how our customers have been affected and then throughout the week we continued to provide regular updates as to how the recovery process was progressingrdquo

When staff arrived at work on Monday mor-ning all the work stations had been numbered and all the systems were up and running We briefed them on what to tell customers and allocated them a seat and a phone Depending on what department they would be working in

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

Michael Du Preez is the Marketing Executive and Head of International Business and Strategy for Tracker He is responsible for business product brand and strategy development ndash a position he has held for the past four years Prior to his career with Tracker he was one of the founders and Managing Director of MobileData ndash a vehicle Telematics solutions company acquired by Tracker in 2007 It is this technology that continues to create value and open up new channels of busi-ness for Tracker today For many years he was a loyal member of WesBankrsquos management team serving most recently as Head of Research and Development Michael holds a senior qualification in Business Management from HenleyHis colleagues describe him as an open-minded and creative free-thinker always looking to bring innovation and strategic value to the world of vehicle Telematics His work helped pioneer Insurance Telematics in South Africa and more recently assisted in the breakthrough creation of TomTomrsquos first HD Traffic service in AfricaHe sees his future influence in the area of how technology will enable sustainable mobility models in a world challenged for resources Or simply put ensuring our future ldquofreedom to driverdquo

the staff members were all given T-shirts in dif-ferent colours for different centres They were given coffee mugs pens paper and created a bit of a carnival atmosphere and had coffee and doughnuts in reception It may have been a different site but it was business as usual

ldquoOne very important factor is that you need good supplier relationships who can play a major role in getting you back on your feetrdquo

Which is what Tracker did very effectively People hardly remember the fire because the continuity was immediate

You know how to get the phoenix to fly Give Tracker a ring n

Refense Phuso spoke on Valpreacute Spring Waterrsquos bottling plant She is plant manager of the oper-ation and naturally is proud of the fact that it was awarded the

US green honour (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ndash LEED) of Gold status in 2011

ldquoWhat LEED looks at is how you design your facility and you have to comply with many criteria such as site planning indoor environ-ment water planning energy management and material usedrdquo says Phuso ldquoWe have to use water efficiently and ensure the business is sustainable looking after the environment We are audited every year to ensure that we are still complying with LEED criteriardquo

As far as energy needs go the building runs on solar energy with the PV plant sup-plying 40KW of energy leaving the plant grid independent

ldquoOur water that we bottle has to have a cer-tain profile and we found that in Heidelberg Itrsquos over 200km from our offices but it is good news for the movement of product to Gauteng and beyond The factory has been designed to ensure minimal impact on the environment The roof has been designed to capture sunlight all day and with all the glass used in the factory there is abundant natural light streaming in

ldquoOne of our coups in energy-saving is the Air Wizard which reduces energy when run-ning a compressor The device is inside the compressor It captures the left-over energy from the compressor and takes it back in Aside from this therersquos energy-saving features

such as double-glazed windows so the reli-ance on air-conditioning is reduced The fac-tory is glass-wrapped so therersquos natural light in abundance We also have a 95 recycling effort Whatever we use in the factory we recycle We do the separation of material our-selves and Enviroserv will send different types of trucks for the various waste typesrdquo

She says that after the office block was accredited the factory went through the same process in 2013 Both are accredited to ISO 50 000 and the first plant in South Africa to be awarded this honour

ldquoValpre works continuously to improve energy performance to keep up with stan-dards in ISO 50 000 and the requirements of LEED We have to continually challenge our-selves to find new ways of reducing energy We meet on a monthly basis to discuss how well we are meeting our goals

ldquoWe also have energy meters in machines that we know use a lot of energy to keep track of what is happening there and if there are spikes on those machines it gives us the opportunity to investigate why Any anomalies must be reported and this can also highlight incorrect operator behaviour

ldquoWe have also changed from using boxes for product to trays that are plas-tic-wrapped ndash this is also an energy-saving move and in our view really enhances the product presentationrdquo n

A PLANT WITH GREAT ENERGY POWER

July 2015 FM 17

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

Refense Phuso plant manager

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 18

SLArsquos

WHOrsquoS KIDDING WHO

SLArsquos

July 2015 FM 19

Richard Jeffreys

Having just waded through 250 pages of our latest Tender I must make reference to the Fantasy section noted as SLAs In order to compete

with others I need to guarantee my catering engineers can attend anywhere in the coun-try in under 2 hours and complete resolves in under 24 hours

The standard of facts given on appli-ances service history access condition and status is poor to non-existent but the con-tract conditions are punitive and binding In essence if I have engineers standing around waiting for the next call and I am prepared to deliver at the cheapest cost guarantee parts for an appliance for which I have no data I am in the running If I tell the truth and base costs on worst case scenario due to lack of asset information I am out of the frame

Denise Booth-AlexanderThis is a national contract so presumably they are looking for someone to respond nationally but not necessarily with in-house engineers Is a consortium bid an option where you can join with others who have engineers in local areas to fulfil the 2 hour requirement Alternatively can you sub There are ways of tendering for this if the resolve is a first fix or attendance with a work around or temp solution but I agree not if it is a final fix Catering maintenance is notoriously hard as no- one really wants to carry additional expensive kit in their kitchen Suppliers of products make life very difficult with regard to spares if they themselves also offer a maintenance service We experience long delays wrong diagnoses quotes to repair that make it financially unviable to do so but no innovative thinking such as this is the fix costs and this is the replacement deal etc As customers it is extremely frus-trating but I accept that asking a company to work on a huge variety of makes and models and kit doesnt sit happily with a quick and responsive service if there is no specialityhellip every make within that business and parts are held onto by suppliers I know that a catering maintenance supplier that can

A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its internal or external customers that documents what services the provider will furnish

provide a great service and offers alternative solutions is something that we would all like as customers Perhaps the answer is some sort of industry group which includes sup-pliers to talk it out and come up with a truly customer-oriented service package

I suspect this is a pipe dream much like the closed shop that is Lift maintenance One solution for this particular tender would be to offer to produce an Assetlifecycle register as part of the bid to fully evaluate all the kit and give timescales for replace-ment including possible energy savings to provide some payback etc If you can offer something extra and point out why you can-not provide a proper and cost defined bid in the first instance but set out clearly why and what you could do to turn this around I would certainly be delighted to look at your proposals if I were the customer

Neil EarnshawRichard I concur with the views of others you will be better thought of by pulling out of the process and explaining to the client why It may be that another company out there can deliver what they need its just not your company this time It also may be that other bidders do the same thing in which case the client needs to review their procurement strategy

Im managing a tender process for a FM contract at the moment We had one bidder raise an issue and ask for a change which we respectfully refused since then two other bidders have raised the same issue so were now reconsidering our position Were doing this on the basis that the market is now tell-ing us this contract is too risky as opposed to a single bidder not having the appetite

Richard JeffryesThanks guys for all the replies and yes my gut feeling is not to compete and leave us open to penalties However the issues raised are common I feel that many tenders are have a big element of cut and paste one size fits all As noted by Denise our trade is eclectic a real mix of standards and manu-facturers if a contract is going to work it needs the attention of someone who has complete knowledge of the realities and their

ldquoIn essence if I have engineers

standing around waiting for the

next call and I am prepared

to deliver at the cheapest cost

guarantee parts for an

appliance for which I have

no data I am in the running

If I tell the truth and base costs

on worst case scenario due to

lack of asset information

I am out of the frame

Continuing our series based on posts from the

British Institute of Facility Management (BIFM)

LinkedIn sites South African FMs will find much to

identify with and are encouraged to participate in local exchanges ndash

write via LinkedIn to terryfmexpoorg or tweet tex_owen

July 2015 FM 20

issues I would like to think that I as an individual with 35 years within commercial kitchen would be listened too however many tenders especially the electronic auction style offer little scope for the personal touch which is our USP I know the environment the trade and the equipment My approach is to be realistic tell the truth dont promise the undeliverable and submit a viable cost structure I am yet though to be convinced there is scope for this in the world of group tenders

Neil EarnshawRichard keep the faith keep doing the right thing and work with your industry to help it improve

What I see is a disconnect in FM between contractors and clients This disconnect is the contract and selection of an appropriate strategy that drives the right behaviours On a personal level Im doing my bit to help improve things but Im just a lone voice more people from all sides of the FM indus-try need to recognise the problem and the opportunity to improve then well get some real change for the better

Craig ShepheardYou will normally have a mobilisation per-iod where you can get to inspect all of the equipment in order to set up your own asset list I suggest that you use this data to inform the client of any items of equipment that are obsolete or where parts would be difficult to supply The condition report could be used to say whether items that are in poor shape require monies spent on them to get them to a state where they can be maintained If the client refuses to spend that highlighted amount then those individual items do not correspond to the 2-hour SLA and are there-fore exempt from the contract

You base your contract fee on the under-standing that all items on their asset list are currently being maintained and that they are in a reasonable state of order

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSEA reasonable point Craig except like com-missioning and handover the mobilisation period can get eaten away by slippages on other elements For one major mobilisation the 8 months period for seamless transfer was cut to 3 weeks There are risks with the approach suggested

Neil Earnshaw Im with you on that Rob there are risks However from a contractors view point it does mitigate the risk of poor quality asset

data provided by the client at tender stage Are you allowed to caveat your tender submis-sion Even so I think the risk you face is an early disagreement with the client they think theyve passed a risk to you but in actual fact you passed it back to them with your caveat I absolutely would not sign the contract as is and attempt to wriggle out of your obligations post contract Craigs solution sounds sens-ible right up to the point of saying to the client spend or be damned Thats where the dis-agreement will come

Are they aware their data is poor quality or are they just saying price the risk Have they given you the impression that theyd listen to your concerns and maybe consider other more cost-effective solutions

Also what are you being asked to price for Using a simple example you know there is a cooker and extractor in a kitchen (and you know the location of the kitchen) what you dont know is age condition service history make amp model of the cooker or extractor Are you being asked to give them a lump sum fixed price to maintain these items for a num-ber of years with everything apart from end of life replacement to be included in your price

Alan TaylorI would question why a tender document for catering needs to be 250 pages long Sounds like itrsquos been prepared by a purchasing depart-ment that has no realistic awareness of day-to-day operational requirements and is missing some fundamental issues (no change there then)

So if a fat fryer breaks down when the first load is due to go in for a lunch time service a

ldquoWhat I see is a disconnect

in FM between contractors

and clients This disconnect is

the contract and selection of an

appropriate strategy that drives

the right behaviours

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 22

2 hour response will not get that item back and fully operational for the same day lunch time trade as it will be over It will be up to the chef to improvise with the menu and manage the change

A next day fix or 12 hour turnaround would be a better solution but if a restaurant canrsquot improvise and change its menu if one item of plant goes down you need to change the chef and the caterer It wonrsquot hurt the staff to go without chips for a day

Dave ThomasAlso with you Rob have been the recipient of one of those immediate seamless transfers - where the original team were eager to get themselves in another project and have no responsibility for what was a flawed mobilisa-tion

In the same mobilisation period I found that the Asset List I had sweated over was ignored and another fairy tale was imposed missing out over half of my list so inad-equate time allocatedcosted to MampE Also found that the engineers provided were more interested in looking for more lucrative work rather than just doing maintenance

Seems some clients want the contractor to come up with a proper Asset List for them included in the contract ignoring any information regarding past breakdowns on equipment which may lead to a query on the true condition and life hoping a new contract will magically lead to new equipment

Richard JeffryesAlan sounds like you speak from experience your bang on

Neil you make a lot of sense if only clients thought like you Yes we are being asked to price the Risk however an underlying objective of tender winner is to be the most competitive

In respect of the approach we know itrsquos an oven we know where it is we know it is business critical sounds simple but with-out the specific data this is a real lottery Commercial ovens range in value from pound1 000 to pound40 000 we may be able to make an educated guess at what the appliance is but big tenders request parts and labour-in-clusive programmes replacement parts such as a PCB on a Combination Oven can cost pound1 000 to replace so knowing the depth of the liability is essential My belief is if a site has been responsibly maintained a full and updated asset list with condition and service dates should be available If not what has the incumbent been doing and how do we know it was done This information is surely a pre-requisite when contracts are drawing

to conclusion and a renewal is due Is it com-mon practice for this data to be withheld or are companies just poor at maintaining service data

Neil EarnshawRichard I usually work client-side developing the procurement contract strategy and man-aging the tender process

My main observation of FM clients over the years is that they dont think about commer-cial risk just operational They generally dont seem to understand that where theres a risk theres a cost Therefore you end up with very risky contracts being put together and create the environment for protracted commercial negotiations during the life of the contract

Another observation has been that FM contractors do collect and maintain asset data but when it comes to re-tender the data cant be accessed by the client This is sometimes down to the contract not being clear on this but often its also due to many years of mis-management of the contract

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSENeilFor some time it has been my view that the client should own the asset data and condition assessment which it should disclose to the tenderers Similarly the maintenance records and all of these should ideally be in the client-owned CAFM

ldquoMy belief is if a site has

been maintained a full

and updated asset list with

condition and service dates

should be available If not

what has the incumbent been

doing and how do we know it

was done

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 23

When the onus is put on the success-ful bid winner to collect all the asset data confusion can reign with a completely new set of asset numbers and description and of course items can be missed Most FM managers will have come across outgoing contractors where people probably at very junior level ditch all the statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique

Gordon EasingwoodRegards client CAFMs they are generally poor non-existent or compiled by previous contractors with differing motives (ie avoid-ing financial penaltiesfailing SLAs) Same with maintenance records previous contract-ors are again likely to have differing motives as to how these were compiled based on previous SLAs I work on a local contract with very similar limitations though in different areas and trust me itrsquos extremely difficult to meet this level of commitment Ultimately if they can call you out for pound50 (or less) but can impose a SLA penalty of pound200 where is the sense in it And Im talking a 30 mile max-imum radius from a central point 2 hours responses have been missed simply due to travel delayspoor communication Even when these can be resolved in our favour the amount of adminmanagement time all has an associated cost

To put it another way there simply is not enough properly trained and experienced commercial catering equipment engineers in the country to meet such demands I know I am one and I wouldnt go near the industry again in a hurry as I guess you know from experience Add in the level of commitment (more rightly non-commitment) from some manufacturers and itrsquos an absolute night-mare Also bear in mind European rules only require parts to be available 5 years after a product is no longer manufactured Oh and if you have imports or specials just forget it I was involved with work with a well-known Indian type food chain who had special ovens that met no British or European stan-dard and had to be condemned for simply that reason This was despite a CAFM type list being presented stating all maintenance was done to (non-existent) manufacturersrsquo instructions When checked they had created models and serials numbers for the units

Lastly I would investigate what the client can put through as a 2 hour response and if you can object and on what grounds I currently have a client who does so when in 2 hours the building will be fully vacated and emptyequipment wonrsquot be used for 72 hours etc yet we still have to make attend-ance to meet SLAs Its this kind of thing

that give clients a bad nameSadly without proper input from the

client it sounds like this contract would be a financial liability and I would steer clear With proper and decent input it may be possible I would present the proposal of correct and proper information requirements to the client and try build from there If they run with what would be a non-starter you have to walk away itrsquos likely any contract wonrsquot be upheld for long from either side

Rob Farman regards people ditching statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique I have found this is generally from a quite senior level Simply either because a) itrsquos never been kept up to or b) they dont want this information to go to competitors or c) adequate provision has never been made to collate the information in the first place Things are improving in this area as FM managers take things in hand and computer records are better maintained

Peter CarrHaving worked with Rob Farnam I would completely agree I have spent the last five years client side helping to develop CAFM systems and to make sure they are 100 as accurate as the world I work in (now) Investor FM (totally different to Corporate FM) I have worked with a non-licenced sys-tem called Elogbooks for these five years purely because of these issues Tendering is difficult enough without non-existent asset data and performance understanding Good luck

David A ParryLets push for KISS based contracts Then have the inferred SLA KPIs amp effectiveness measurement compared to the actual true bottom line savings to the client and service provider in their partnering endeavours The unit of measurement could be the unem-ployed bean counters Or do they move on to another position in or outside their companies so no real accountability that this measurement in this way would show on this radar screen

Apologies for the frivolous comments but I honestly believe the real value for money is far simpler but has to be based on appro-priate measures and values for the specific situation and is industries dependent The dichotomy of this statement is it adds to complexity because truly experienced and technical trained actuary analysts are required to produce the targets numbers and not the clip board amp wet finger in the air brigade Clients need to bring in-house specialised professional knowledge to the

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2014 jFM 2

Copyright amp DisclaimerFacilities Management (ISSN 2071-9299) is published 12 times a year by TE Trade Events 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

pilot rating will encourage the tackling of challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health to a degree by the way that we design build and operate buildingsItrsquos that important however sci-fi it may appear to be The built environment is increasingly where it all happens and that is why FM is assuming an ever evolving and distinctive part of proceed-ings within the environs That is why the GBCSA and SAFMA are working so closely together ndash the two are inexorably interlinked as is the merging of JFM and Urban Green File It just makes sense because it is the reality From a broader perspective too FMs must have a working knowledge of what is happening property-wise in case of expansion or the need to move for the core business owner Thatrsquos why he or she needs to know what mall is going up what are the new office developments and where are they situated and who else has signed upItrsquos vital for the FMs to know ndash and for those that never knew you too

EDITORrsquoS COMMENT

tex_owen

Editor Terry Owen terryfmexpoorg

Layout Alois Sajanga aloisfmexpoorg

Subscription Sales amp AdminPhillip Nkomo phillipfmexpoorg

Terry Owen

Putting property into perspective

A good many people mainly from outside the industry but also some (astonishingly within it) remain perplexed over the focus

that FM places on propertyI have also been asked (by these people) why I carry a lot of property articles in this magazine The reason is simple Property and FM go hand-in-hand because of the very reason that property and property management are not a core part of the business that is being conducted within the property Itrsquos an FM jobThat is why FM should be involved at the very beginning of a construction planning exercise where it be Greenfield or brownfield development The FM person will know what will work from a design and operational point of view ndash after all FM is going to manage and maintain the building and they will have a very vested interest in who plans what and where Is it manageable is it sustainable does it add to any of the greening features that management is so keen on implementing but doesnrsquot perhaps know exactly what and exactly howThe FMrsquos role in all of this planning is critical There are so many cases where FMs have been brought in after the fact and found that many of the design elements that have been put in place are completely unworkable as far as maintenance or practicality is concernedIn this issue Brian Wilkinson CEO of the Green Building Council of SA goes as far as to say that the new Socio-Economic Category

Incorporating

News amp Products

World-firstrating

SAFMA ConferenceHighligts

Activating a PV system for Architects

SLAsWhorsquos Kidding Who

Fuelling a powerful green agenda

Middelburg starting to make sustainable mark

Donrsquot be in the dark over power management

A great HR journey lies ahead

Augmented reality - Key to exciting new future

New tools to drive facility perfomance

Enabling enterprise BYOD

Advertisement SalesMelinda AlevrasMelindafmexpoorg

PrintingABC Press

Published byTE Trade Events (Pty) Ltd 1st Floor Ice Site Building 263 Oak Avenue Ferndale RandburgPO Box 650291 Benmore 2010 Tel 011 781 5970 Fax 011 781 6079

2

10

16

24

26

28

30

31

3236

38

39

July 2015 FM 3

I N C O R P O R A T I N G

KTH SERVESTCHANGE FM LANDSCAPE

ISSN 2071-9299 JULY 2015 FM No 002

See story on page 2amp3

July 2015 FM 4

Investment holding company Kagiso Tiso Holdings (ldquoKTHrdquo) has announced the success-ful acquisition of a 51

shareholding in the Servest Group (ldquoServestrdquo) to form the largest majority black-owned facilities management company in Africa in a trans-action valuing the group at approximately R45-billion The Servest investment offers a compelling propos-ition consistent with KTHrsquos strategy as the business has significant presence in South Africa United Kingdom and the rest of Africa with multi-currency earnings Servest provides integrated facilities management solu-tions to more than 6 500 cli-ents on 24 000 sites in South Africa with key markets in East West and Southern Africa as well as the United Kingdom Key services include inter-alia cleaning parking catering hygiene office service landscaping to prominent clients such as Transnet Netcare Group

KTH SERVEST IN

Anglo Platinum Debswana Sasol Sainsbury BBC and UKrsquos House of Parliament among othersCommenting on the acquisi-tion Vuyisa Nkonyeni Chief Executive Officer of KTH said ldquoThis transaction demonstrates clear delivery against KTHrsquos strategy of acquiring meaningful or majority stakes in fast grow-ing companies which are sup-ported by strong management teams and have good exposure to African market opportunities In the South African market we will identify investments that will afford us significant influence or control alongside like-minded partnersrdquoThe transaction makes Servest the largest majority black-owned facilities management company in Africa strongly positioning it to expand its footprint across the rest of the continent In the South African context this will give Servest an advantage over other large facilities management com-panies with over 51 black ownership under the new revised BEE codes which came

into effect on May 1 2015 As part of the transaction KTH and Co-Founder Mr Kenton Fine will facilitate equity partici-pation of management as part of a talent management and transformation plan ldquoThis deal means that Servest is now 51 black-owned but it represents so much more than just an empowerment trans-actionrdquo says Kevin Derrick Chief Executive Officer of Servest ldquoThis not only clearly demonstrates our ongoing commitment to transformation and long term sustainability but brings with it significant opportunities for future growth expansion and job creationrdquoKTHrsquos Chief Investment Officer Jacob Hinson said ldquoOur investment strategy seeks to achieve active participation in fewer prominent investments with strong management teams that will drive growth across the continent Servest is a unique investment that meets all our criteria We were therefore able to execute this transaction on pure commercial terms without any external or vendor facili-

tation with an equity cheque of approximately R1-billion We look forward to working with our new partners to create a truly global facilities management business ldquoKTH has been executing its strat-egy of becoming an emerging pan-African investment champion having concluded transactions which involved R51-billion of dis-posals follow on investments and portfolio company restructurings to date R33-billion of new deals since 2011 including a maiden pan-African investment in Fidelity Bank and a landmark minority take-out and delisting of Kagiso Media in 2013 In addition to this transaction KTH expects to con-clude another significant acquisi-tion in West Africa imminentlyServest Co-founder and Group Chairman Kenton Fine said ldquoWe have enjoyed a very successful and long-standing relationship with our existing shareholders RMB Corvest and Shalamuka and are delighted at the prospect of partnering with a professional organisation of the calibre of KTH With similar values entrenched in both organisations we look for-ward to embracing the additional

The panel discussion at the launch Kevin Derrick ndash Chief Executive Officer of Servest Vuyisa Nkonyeni Chief Executive Officer of KTH Jacob Hinson KTH Chief Investment Officer and Kenton Fine Servest co-founder and Group Chairman

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

July 2015 FM 5

experience and knowledge that KTH will bring further underpin-ning our continued ambitious growth strategy into the futureldquoBeyond the commercial rationale both parties see the transaction as an important step in driving further transformation at Servest The company has embarked on an ambitious staff development drive and the establishment of the Management Trust reinforces its commitment to transformation The KTH-Servest acquisition remains subject to regulatory approvals including South African Competition Commission approval

About KTHKTH is one of the largest pan African investment holding com-panies with an investment port-folio comprising of market leading companies across its chosen sec-tors and geographies The group has an asset base in excess of R15-billion a solid track record of investment performance and is managed by a professional and experienced team of African investment professionals KTH is an active long term investment partner and does not have any exit imperatives which allows the group to partner with businesses through investment cycles to cre-ate long term sustainable value

About Servest Servest is a leading provider of facilities management services to over 6 500 clients across more than 24 000 sites throughout Africa and the United Kingdom Founded in 1997 Servestrsquos inte-grated operating model provides extensive operational support infrastructure and international best practice within the public and private sectors for all lsquohardrsquo and lsquosoftrsquo services Each of Servestrsquos business units are both highly experienced specialists and market leaders in their own right Servest employs 45 000 27 000 people in Africa and 18 000 people in the UK Group services consist of facilities management mechanical and electrical servi-ces energy management camp management and catering clean-ing hygiene and pest control landscaping and turf construction and maintenance marine support office support services parking management and security n

Schneider Electric a global specialist in energy management is commercialising its solar powered port-

able LED lamps with mobile phone charger the Mobiya TS 120S in order to offer innovative reliable and affordable products to people living without access to electricityAvailable from Schneider Electric distributors at under R500 (excluding VAT) the Mobiya TS 120S is an energy efficient eco-friendly and robust portable lamp producing 120-lumen light output perfectly suited for demanding rural environments The lamp is equipped with a mobile phone charger that includes a USB port enabling users to charge their mobile phones any time It features three brightness settings providing up to 48 hours of light-ing with one day of solar charge ldquoIdeal for off-grid households small shops street vendors and fishing boats the Mobiya TS 120S offers users safe and sufficient light for comfortable reading and other household and business activities within an un-electrified household or small business environmentrdquo says Zanelle Dalglish head of sustainable development for southern Africa at Schneider Electric The lamp is designed to allow it to be hand carried hooked to the ceiling mounted on the wall placed on the desk fixed on the top of a bottle and carried on a pole This patented design has won Grand Prix Strategies Du Design 2013 and European Design awards

To cater for the proliferation of mobile uptake and technology on the continent the range is equipped with a mobile phone charger that includes a USB port enabling users to charge their mobile phones any time The Mobiya TS 120S superior battery technology ndash Lithium Ferro Phosphate battery ndash delivers high performance for more than three years The micro-controller based charge controller ensures efficient solar charging prevents over charge and deep discharge Smart electronics for battery mon-itoring shows indications for bat-tery charging battery charge level remaining and recharging when drainedldquoThrough its global BipBop pro-gramme (business innovation and people at the base of the pyramid) Schneider Electric develops collective solutions for comprehensive rural electrification domestic solutions for energy-re-lated needs and the business models that make these solutions sustainable The Mobiya TS 120S is in particular ideal to take advan-tage of the African sun lessening the burden of daily life in poor and off-grid communities An added plus is that it is affordable eco-friendly and saferdquo says Dalglish

Contact Adeline Maleka to enquire about to enquire about the closest distributor adelinemalekaschneider-electriccom or (+27) 11 254 6400 (ext 6957) n

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

July 2015 FM 6

The massive 131 000msup2 Mall of Africa is sched-uled to open in April 2016 Currently the largest retail develop-

ment being built in a single phase in Africa the expansive retail offering features a distinctive design and an ideal location in the middle of the 173 million square metre mixed-use Waterfall City development in Midrand Gauteng The combination is destined to create a go-to des-tination for both local residents and touristsThe design inspiration for the mall and courts is drawn from the natural and geological beauty of the African continent There will be four courts that depict the different climatic zones on the continent an oleum court depicting the oil rich West Africa a great lakes court depicting East Africa a crystal court depicting the mineral wealth in South Africa and a sand court depicting the desert area of North AfricaldquoThe mallrsquos design also incorporates many unique elements including very high shop fronts wide passages and an undulating roof feature in the centre with specialist animated LED lighting and a large public space with restaurants known as the Town Square The gross leasable area will be 131 000msup2 and 261 tenants will be setting up shop in this new luxury developmentrdquo says architect Tia Kanakakis of MDS Architects the architectural firm for the Mall of Africa

Leading South African property developer and investor Atterbury appointed Aurecon as civil and structural engineers for the iconic development Gerhard Saayman Professional Engineer at Aurecon responsible for managing Aureconrsquos design and construction supervision teams on the project says that the sheer size of the mall is making the Mall of Africa an exceptionally rewarding project to work onldquoThe gross building area is 485 000msup2 which equals 65 rugby pitches The size of the mall that will be occupied by major tenants such as Edgars Woolworths Truworths Checkers Ster Kinekor and Game will equal the size of the entire Middelburg Mallrdquo says SaaymanThe completion of the concrete structure and steel work for the roofs as well as the faccedilades is the projectrsquos next major milestone and is currently on target for com-pletion on programme ldquoThis milestone would enable the interior shop fit outs to proceed putting us another step closer to completionrdquo says SaaymanWhile any large building project will come with its own unique set of challenges the scale of the Mall of Africa means that the project team comprising the professional team and the main contractor had to overcome specific challenges relating to logistics and program-ming of construction sequences

as well as hiring and managing a wide range of subcontractorsA highly unified team was needed to fast-track the con-struction of such a large project Everyonersquos activities and scope from the professional team to the main contractor subcontractors and building services have to be planned and sequenced with precision and attention to detailldquoEverything has to be imple-mented in the correct sequence and with such a large range of activities happening on site this requires dedicated teamwork strict quality control processes and a deep understanding of the timelines and construction sequences of retail develop-mentsrdquo he adds

ldquoMeticulous planning innovative design solutions and ongoing collaboration between all stake-holders has enabled us to keep meeting deadlines and resolving challenges to reach the key milestones of the programme Teamwork between the design professionals and the contract-ors were key to not only meet each deadline but also to design cost consciously at all times and fast track the various stages of constructionrdquo says SaaymanThe main construction period for this massive development is only 32 months This is not only a huge challenge for the main contractor but requires a

massive amount of design and construction documentation to be produced within a very short period of time by the design consultants Six of Aureconrsquos design offices and over 50 engineers tech-nicians and draughters are currently working on this project to ensure designs and quality construction documentation were delivered according to pro-grammeDesigners are committed to continuous value engineering and optimisation throughout the design phase to achieve the most economic design solu-tions For the majority of design requirements various options were tabled in order for the most cost-effective solution to be identified and constructedDedicated involvement from Aureconrsquos four site engineers with the Joint Venture of WBHO and Group 5 ensures construc-tion queries and problems are identified and resolved immedi-ately This relationship between our engineers and the contractor is immensely important and essential to a successful con-struction phase ldquoAurecon is proud to be a part of the project team on such an iconic development here in South Africardquo says Nicol Labuschagne Aureconrsquos Project Director for the Mall of Africa development n

An artistrsquos impression of how the completed mall will look at night

July 2015 FM 7

ISSN 2071-9299 JUNE 2015 FM No 002

I N C O R P O R A T I N G

NEWWhatrsquos Find out at the

FM Expo and Conference

FULL DETAILS INSIDE

FM June Cover 2015indd 1

20150528 101429 AM

Magazine Bulletin Both DigitalSouth Africa R640 R640 R1 155 R640Africa US$175 US$90 US$240 US$90International US$190 US$90 US$255 US$90Please tick

12 +ISSUES

ANNUAL DIRECTORY

24+e-BULLETINS

Facilities Management incorporating Urban

Green File provides cutting-edge information

on the latest issues and procedures regarding

facilities management Our audience is the

facilities-management solution providers and

consultants such as mechanical engineers

electrical engineers architects interior designers

and owneroperators of properties and facilities

business people responsible for fi nancial decisions

about the operation maintenance and expansion

or development of facilities who are interested

in running a profi table and sustainable facility

and keen to learn about new business approaches

and technologies

Ready access to this kind of news is available

through the information platform hosted

by TETrade Events which includes printed

magazines fortnightly email bulletins

as well as an annual business directory Helping you manage better

Todayrsquos decision makers need to stay abreast of the latest industry trends and developments no matter where they are They need the right information at their fi ngertips to ensure the optimal and effi cient use of resources

Email your subscription request to phillipfmexpoorg or Fax to +27 11 781 6079

subsindd 2 20150706 122816 PM

July 2015 FM 8

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

Well-positioned commercial property in outlying areas around South

Africa is proving increasingly attractive to both local and inter-national buyers who continue to find value in sustainable invest-ments says Norman Raad CEO of Broll Auctions and SalesldquoNotably there will always be demand for retail properties where investors in pursuit of yield and income perceive opportun-ities to unlock potentialldquoSuch is the case with our successful sale of the 7530m2 Queenstown Mall in the Eastern Cape which was listed to go on auction but achieved a mar-ket-related price of R62-million prior to our multiple auction held in June (2015)rdquo Raad says with a yield of 10 this is a fair market price from a private investor who has plans

Sustained demand for commercial property

for expansion and is bringing new tenants into the centre Anchored by Pick n Pay and with other tenants including large multi-national groups such as Pep and Standard Bank the local retail centre is very well-positioned in Queenstown on the busy corner of Brewery Lane and the N6The sale of a further 20 000m2 of retail industrial and office space was concluded at the auction These included four lots com-prising a total of over 2300m2 of office space situated in Wynberg in Cape Townrsquos popular Southern Suburbs Napier in the Southern Cape Polokwane in Limpopo and Edenberg in the Free State which were sold by an institu-tional seller Acquired by several private investors these proper-ties achieved a combined price of R9-millionSome of the other properties sold on the auction included

a property consisting of multi-tenanted industrial units in Boksburg ndash which fetched a selling price of R221-million an industrial mini-park in Heriotdale in Johannesburg which sold for R16-million and multi-ten-anted units in Wynberg in Johannesburg which fetched a total price of R924-million A block of ground-floor retail and residential apart-ments above in Norwood in Johannesburg achieved R104-million In Lichtenberg in the North West Province an office building was sold on the auction for R78-million a 4610m2 industrial warehouse in Powerville in Vereeniging was acquired for R65-million while a small retail centre with upstairs office component in Bronkhorstspruit just east of Pretoria and en route to Witbank (eMalahleni) was pur-chased for R61-million

Adds Raad ldquoNot surprisingly particularly in the current eco-nomic climate we have found there is minimal demand for vacant buildings The focus is on sustainable investments where tenants can easily be replaced should they default or depart As a result of lower risk well-positioned properties will always be in demandHe says a trend is seeing listed property funds divest of non-core stock and stock which has been exhausted to its full potential ldquoWhereas they may no longer wish to expend further time nor invest further in these properties the smaller property investor has the energy and vision to turn a fundrsquos rough diamond into a gemrdquoThe positive demand for com-mercial property is borne out by a recent Lightstone report which reveals that transaction activity in the South African commercial

Situated in a busy area of Norwood in Johannesburg this block comprising retail and apartments sold for R104-million through Broll Auctions and Sales

July 2015 FM 9

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

market has increased in recent years The report also highlights the acquisition of properties in non-CBD areasAdds Bradley Stephens MD of Broll Auctions and Sales ldquoWe have also seen investors divest of their smaller commercial property portfolios and invest in the REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) as these offer more liquidity and flexibility with their investments ldquoSimultaneously this has created new opportunities for new players to enter the market The time has never been more opportune for investing in the South African property market as international investors still find huge value in solid bricks and mortar in comparison to other countries The only barrier to entry in the current market is finance and the loan to value conundrumrdquoBroll Auctions and Sales next multiple auc-tion of commercial properties takes place on August 18

087 700 8269 wwwbrollcom n

Queenstown Mall was sold even prior to auction

This commercial property in Main Road in Wynberg in Cape Townrsquos Southern Suburbs sold for R29-million at the recent auction held by Broll Auctions and Sales

Norman Raad CEO of Broll Auctions and Sales

July 2015 FM 10

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

When it comes to flooring needs there are a few significant players in the

South African market but Nouwens Carpets is the oldest local carpet manufacturer owned and run by the same family from the outsetToday this company with its nearly 200 employees is a force to be reckoned with offering global industry leaders some stiff compe-tition in the local market thanks to their solid reputation when it comes to products and service delivery Nouwens is a genuine family business and the only major manufacturer that produces their own spun yarns for the domestic market in South Africa This is not surprising with over 50 years of tradition in carpet craftsmanship Nouwens first opened its doors in Harrismith in the Free State in 1962 when Cornelis Nouwens a carpet craftsman from Tilburg in the Netherlands and his wife started manufacturing carpets in an old garage in the town of Harrismith A

passionate entrepreneur Cornelis instilled the same spirit in his chil-dren Luci and Pieter who took over the running of the business in later years It was clear that a passion for producing top quality products was instilled in Luci Nouwens from a young age setting her to head up the management of this local carpeting empire Throughout the years Nouwens has adapted their practices and processes enabling them to become a vertical carpet mill producing wool and synthetic carpets for the domestic and commercial market Nouwens also extrudes both poly prop and nylon synthetic yarns completing an extremely versatile yarn offering In the current economic climate where many companies are find-ing it difficult to survive it seems the success of this growing family business can be attributed to vari-ous factors According to Oscar Grobler Nouwensrsquo Chairman it is vital to ensure that their solid reputation remains backed up by producing quality products

ldquoConsistency is key when it comes to maintaining our pos-ition in the market We need to make sure that we truly live out the culture of the organisation while remaining relevant when it comes to product offerings and developing new ranges Being

Graffiti Retail Solutions ndash a division of Graffiti ndash has been granted the license for Cr8ive Paint ndash a new

environmentally friendly white board paint that can quickly and easily transform virtually any surface into a high performance dry erase canvas Set to replace easels flip charts and traditional white board screens this cost-effective alternative to the somewhat outdated boards con-ventionally seen in boardrooms is ideal for lecture and class rooms idea creative and strategy walls and meeting rooms Restaurants can even use it to write up menus and specials of the day Graffiti Retail Solutions has mas-tered the technique of applying the paint which comes standard in conveniently packaged units that cover 5m2 A water-based product it is dry to the touch in 24 hours and will be fully cured and

ready to use within five days If correctly applied just one coat is required and using foam paint rollers ensure the smoothest surface possible Like any paint-ing job preparation is key and surfaces should be clean and smooth before painting It can be applied to any sealed surface but a primer should be used before

all applications Lead free itrsquos a non-toxic solution making it even more appealing Suitable for any setting ndash light or dark hot or cold ndash this white board paint is not only available in white and therersquos nothing to stop a creative agency from painting a yellow white board The final finish is glossy and can create a reflec-

tion if a light is shone onto the surfaceOnce the product is fully cured a dry cloth can be used to clean the wall If ink has been on the wall for a long time a wet cloth can be used For cheap and often stubborn to remove markers a whiteboard solution can be used

011 691 8400 wwwGraffiticoza n

vertically integrated also allows us to control the manufacturing process as much as possible ensuring that the final product is of the very best qualityrdquo says Grobler 011 608 4435 wwwnouwenscarpetscoza n

July 2015 FM 12

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

CREFM SURVEY PROVES PEOPLE POWER

Itrsquos all about people

People power is predominant and this is illustrated clearly in a survey that was helmed by Martijn Drost of CBRE in Europe who gave the keynote presenta-

tion at the 2015 SAFMA conferenceThe CREFM survey showed that costs

still naturally play a predominant role but that the focus has shifted from pure cost towards growth with the emphasis being on people more than ever

ldquoGDP is down in South Africa These are uncertain times for many countries The respondents in the survey see the Middle East situation being a catalyst for uncertainty and many see this as the biggest threat for

growthrdquo says Drost ldquoThe scarce availability of talent is also an important factor As far as costs are concerned people are looking for reductions wherever possible and this plays a big role in lease negotiations In South Africa there is far more escalation year on year on property taxes and prices whereas in Europe and the US prop-erty is so widely available that companies have the opportunity to renegotiate price every time that the contract endsrdquo

He says there is a move towards cheaper markets with offshoring and right-shoring playing their hands

ldquoThe most important factor in right-shoring is cost ndash itrsquos essential to know the whole story when you are considering future locations However we

ldquoPeople understandably

donrsquot want to spend hours

commuting just to be seen

to be working in the office ndash

those days are gone Working

smarter is the goal now and

productivity is on the up

July 2015 FM 13

are seeing quite a change in the behaviour of occupiers For instance the UK used to out-source call centres to India but they are now being recalled to the UK due to pressure from customer bases which link to business alignment labour and skillsrdquo

Asia Pacific India and China are seen by far as the most desired locations because of cheap labour good availability of staff and in terms of total occupancy therersquos a motiva-tional cost element to consider

ldquoPeople are seeing South Africa as a growth market and a place to be in the future The availability of talent location and infrastructure are the factors to consider Companies feel that more needs to go into decisions involving the attraction and reten-tion of staffrdquo

Drost says that it is also very clear that workplace strategy is becoming paramount The right route here is not only selecting the building and the location itrsquos situated in but it matters a great deal what happens inside the building ndash and here is the clear link to FM

ldquoThe main pointers are employee attrac-tion and retention How do we make sure we attract the right people and retain them in the business The average time someone stays in a job in South Africa is only two years So looking carefully at this fact while it is import-ant to increase productivity and cost savings improved collaboration is vital Itrsquos all about different ways of working and linking closely to employee satisfaction and therefore retention Find people that you can engage with learn from and collaborate withrdquo

The survey notes that while the indoor environment is very important as well as the workplace itself sustainability strangely appeared low on the agenda

ldquoThe big issue is flexible working (63) We didnrsquot measure this in 2013 but now itrsquos heavily in the red on the radar Flexible work-ing is not necessarily just working from home but working anywhere wherever you are at any time People understandably donrsquot want to spend hours commuting just to be seen to be working in the office ndash those days are gone Working smarter is the goal now and productivity is on the up It doesnrsquot take rocket science to understand whyrdquo

80 said that business integration and alignment with enterprise goals is important

ldquoReal Estate of FM is not separate to the business and canrsquot be seen in that way anymore Decision makers of big companies and organisations throughout the world are seeing Real Estate of FM as a catalyst for future growth of their businesses I see it as part of their total strategic pact which is needed to support corporate growth If the

building does not work and if yoursquore not able to attract the right people by having the cor-rect environment how are you going to grow your company

ldquoAction is needed to achieve these goals Streets ahead on top is data quality and accuracy Companies everywhere are strug-gling with data with different systems and dif-ferent sources They are having a hard time creating information out of the data

ldquoYou have to make the basic elements work ndash organisational structure the govern-ance model that you are working towards the process you use in terms of capital allo-cation planning resourcing and your informa-tion your systems and tools to get the infor-mation from your property into tangible data that actually provides information ndash thatrsquos the goal a must-do You canrsquot do anything with raw data and you need to find a way to turn that data into informationrdquo

Drost says that in examining how FM is going to impact on the business looking at the full life cycle is necessary and what is happening is that companies are moving towards integrated facility management

ldquoThat integration chain is growing longer Whereas some 5 to 10 years ago a company started by outsourcing a single service ndash say for cleaning only ndash wersquove now seen the bundling of services for integrated FM as that has become more and more important Property is now also becoming more and more part of the FM portfolio because is running real estate part of the core business No it isnrsquot So we are seeing a determined move towards fuller integration of the supply chain At the end of the day FM is keeping the business running smoothly It has great impact on the business how it operates and the ability of the business to grow in the future

ldquoMoving on from the very beginning with the outsourcing of a single service we believe that we are moving into the fourth or fifth generation of outsourcing We have people that want to invest in buildings develop the workplace strategy and we will be there if you want to dispose of that build-ing at any pointrdquo

He says that integration is the name of the game in every possible way There canrsquot be any pockets of isolation anymore Full integration in all facets of FM and property management is the priority

ldquoOur enterprise data to move into inte-grated information is going to be of the utmost importance going forward Our decisions should not be based on gut feel or hearsay ndash it should be based on hard numbers In most cases we do have the

numbers but the biggest problem is how to get the information out of the numbers Yoursquoll need to partner with the correct suppler and find a platform that can connect and decode data sourcesrdquo

Here are a couple of questions that can help you work out at what stage your com-pany is atbull Is there a clear vision guiding global and

regional CREFMbull Is your organisation right-sized and shaped

to support your companybull Can the CRM staff engage strategicallybull Do you have workplace strategies that fit

the businessbull How flexible are your portfolio and organisa-

tion when it comes to dealing with changebull How efficient are your processes and can

you achieve speed to marketbull Is your service provider strategy supporting

your objectivesbull Do you have the right balance of centralisa-

tion versus localisationbull Are you leveraging a robust data and tech-

nology set to make good decisions n

Martijn Drost is an FM Operations Director for CBRE the global leader in real estate and invest-mentHe has been active in the FM and Real Estate industry for the past 15 years as a managerdirector He holds university degrees in both marketing and economics and shares his passion and views on the FM industry at many speaking engagementsHe is currently living in the Netherlands but has worked across many continents for a number of the worldrsquos largest companies such as BP Intel France Telecom (Orange) and Johnson ControlsHe lived and worked in Johannesburg for five years prior to returning to Europe

July 2015 FM 14

lsquoPEOPLE FIRST BUILDINGS SECONDrsquo

The people theme continues with Peter Townsendrsquos talk on Sustainability ndash putting people first and buildings secondTownsendrsquos premise is that sustain-

ability is not about the beautiful new buildings ndash itrsquos about the people that work within them

Townsend quotes Henry Ford ldquoYou can take my factories burn my buildings but give me my people and Irsquoll build the business back againrdquo

ldquoWersquove forgotten that these wonderful new buildings are there just to support the work-ers This might sound simplistic and perhaps it is but I think itrsquos a message that needs to be reinforced constantly FMs are not the only people that tend to forget this Itrsquos the archi-tects developers designers ndash in fact everyone in property developmentrdquo

He says that with traditional ways of work-ing yoursquore only going to get 40 occupancy in a traditional building meaning that therersquos a massive inefficient use of space

ldquoNow wersquore redefining the way we work and looking at the best way to design offices We need to stop looking for people who should lsquobe at work at their desk from 9 to 5rsquo and start looking at output Work follows the worker and he or she can be working from anywhere and at any time The more forward-thinking com-panies are starting to understand this Do we need monoliths of inefficiency when we can do the work from coffee shops from home from a clientrsquos space

ldquoWe still need the buildings because they are providing us with fantastic resources I donrsquot think anyone including me is implying that we should start abolishing office blocks but rather they should form part of the new flexible ways of working and the way that we value our workers ndash increasing wellbeing while enhancing productivity

ldquoItrsquos known as activity based working (ABW) which has been in operation in Europe for some time and only 3 of new buildings in the UK are not adopting the new way of working

So this really is a phenomenal trend You are going to vastly reduce the amount of space you need If the building can enable people to move freely around the office space and they are encouraged to do so it will really have remarkable benefits to increasing wellbeingrdquo

He says that research has shown that only 9 of South African employees are engaged at work

ldquoThis is a shocking statistic Engaged companies are achieving 54 which means people are satisfied and staff retention will be high Companies here need to address the fact that employees tend to leave companies after two years You canrsquot build brand aware-ness and entrench adoption with this trend

ldquoCompanies have to start looking at satis-faction and how to have it as a powerful and motivating work ethic They have to look at physical features work activities facilities and services ndash and importantly these can provide lsquoquick fixesrsquo Do you know that what is still the most important motivator whatrsquos right up at the top of the graph What coffee and tea is providedrdquo (Ed I know of a company whose coffee is meant to be the best in town and this is one big attraction for future staff members It has a coffee bar that is open all day)rdquoNaturally other features such as air quality temperature control natural light quiet rooms and get-together areas are also vital

ldquoIf you do all this what does it do to an organisation Firstly yoursquore going to reduce your square metres reduce sick days reduce stress and you will increase productivity staff satisfaction wellness engagement staff retention Seeing as surveys note that one of the most favourite places at home to work is the lounge and with a big plus for the couch why are we not filling offices with couches

ldquoThe buildings are not going to do the work People do and thatrsquos why it is para-mount to provide the right environment and resources for staff If you want growth and retention this is the only way to gordquo n

Managing Director of Know More Peter Townshend has a long history in research and consulting behaviour change and environmental reporting He currently also heads up a publishing house and environmental consultancy Ethical Living At Ethical Living Townshend has researched published and offered consultancy around the ethical nature of consumer products available in South Africa and through his work here he made the connection between sustainable offices and productivity and the effect of workspaces on office moral satis-faction engagement and profitability To this end Townshend dived deeply into workspace theory and is now in a position to establish Know More as an expert in this field in South AfricaTownshend has also helped develop a curriculum on journalism and media studies for the University of Pretoria and has lectured and spoken publically on a range of topics from business ethics to English literature environmental awareness sustainability and workspace theory

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

BLEAK PICTURE OF FM SCENARIO

Dr Samuel Azasu holds a PhD in Real Estate Management as well as Licentiate and MSc degrees in Real Estate Management from the Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm He also holds a BA in Economics with Statistics from the University of GhanaHe has worked as Program Coordinator and Director of Teaching and Learning in Real Estate Management at the Royal Institute of Technology In addition he was responsible for planning and managing the provision of executive training in real estate in collaboration with the Dubai Real Estate Institute in Dubai He is currently in charge of reorganising the real estate programs in Wits University

Dr Samuel Azasu spoke on survey results of Reward Management A survey of the South African FM SectorPeople yet again play a vital role

in this surveyldquoGood people are hard to come by and

retainrdquo he says ldquoThis is all happening in a context of a new generation of employees who are more loyal to their own career paths and are no longer stigmatised by the fre-quency of which jobs are changed

ldquoHow do South African FM companies reward their employees We used an online questionnaire to establish this and other questions The feedback wasnrsquot as good as wersquod hoped but as awareness of the survey grows we hope the next one will provide more respondents Still with the percentage we received we were still able to get a picture of whatrsquos going on

ldquoThe focus was not only on salary but also non-financial rewards We asked employees themselves on what they thought about remuneration in the FM sectorrdquo

What were the first impressionsldquoFirst of all I was shocked by the mere

length and breadth of job titles in the FM sector Once I had wrapped my head around this I took a look at salaries In comparison to some of the industries I know I found very low salaries in this area Bonuses have become the variable component of pay but what really surprised me was the fact that annual bonuses were at the discretion of managers which can be a dangerous way of doing things

ldquoThere were plenty of training courses but not much evidence that all this training translates into better performance We asked people what could be done better in terms of rewards ndash and there were some very angry responses about remuneration People are dissatisfied Too many are unhappy with pay on a number of different dimensionsrdquo

The majority of the respondents to the

questionnaire live in Gauteng and Dr Azasu found that many had been doing their jobs for more than 10 years As far as level of educa-tion is concerned very few had post-bachelor degrees

ldquoSpeaking of salaries itrsquos a fact that obviously money attracts people ndash but what holds staff retention typically is found in the non-financial arena When bonuses are based at the discretion of someone it blurs the line of sight The connection on what people do and what they are rewarded undermines confidence breeds cynicism Non-financials including sick pay loans insurance company cars and vaca-tions are more effective retention tools Benefits at work become very important in places where the state does not provide strong safety nets These benefits include pension RAs medical aid childcare allowance bursaries loans (per-sonal and housing) and study loansrdquo

He says what training is available varies from company to company

ldquoCompanies require employees to contribute 50 of the training costs In many compan-ies there is no goal setting and conditions for proper training does not exist In many instan-ces ldquooutsiderdquo training merely becomes time away from the office the person comes back with no noticeable difference in performance

ldquoHow can companies improve the bene-fit system Some say simple measures like allowing partners to attend year-end func-tions even if the employee needs to pay for it allowing time off for doctor dentist and optometrist visits Basic stuff but very import-ant

ldquoTop people lack leadership and employees are incapacitated There is low morale among employees Policies and procedures are not being reviewed timeously

ldquoThe meaning of pay to the individual employee provides clues to how he or she feels their achievement on the job is being met and how much is being contributed to the organi-sationrsquos goals and how powerful you are within the organisation

ldquoHow knowledgeable are people about their pay systems We found many did not know how the pay system actually works and they donrsquot know how when or if they will qualify for a raise Quite a lot of people are unhappy about their pay even if they are knowledgeable about the pay systemrdquo

Dr Azasu says many only have diplomas therefore it is not surprising that salaries are low yet many are proficient or more in their roles People are unhappy that so much discre-tion is left in the hands of the ldquobossrdquo

ldquoThis is an unfair system and needs to change along with the global picture of the FM working environment Maybe our next ques-tionnaire will provide us with a far broader and more positive picture of the FM scenariordquo n

July 2015 FM 15

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

July 2015 FM 16

FOLLOWING THE FIRE TRACKER TRIUMPHS

Trackerrsquos fire earlier this year which razed the company premises to the ground is a good lesson for all in how to go about managing a disas-ter correctly

In his talk entitled What to do in case of dis-aster a case study Michael du Preez Marketing Director of Tracker Connect says there is probably one significant event that made all the difference to the recovery effort

ldquoThe story of recovery is a simple one but donrsquot be misledrdquo says Du Preez ldquoBehind many simple stories there is lots of hard work and planning organisation and money The reality is that at one of the board meetings six months before the fire after the change of leadership at Tracker the new CEO announced that we did not have a disaster recovery plan The green light for that was given shortly after and the plan out in place ndash which was very auspicious con-sidering what lay ahead

ldquoOn January 17 a Saturday I got a call around 2am to tell me that Tracker was on fire I got there in double time along with the other directors and our chairman and watched in horror as the fire consumed everything in its path It was a significant fire and the devastation was terrifying The building had literally burned down The sad thing is that what the fire doesnrsquot destroy the firefighters will Obviously nothing you can do about that ndash except watch and weep

ldquoThe reality was that the fire was so strong that we couldnrsquot get into the building to retrieve anything The records were all destroyedrdquo

Trackerrsquos phoenix had risen though and the first recovery of a stolen vehicle was at 5am

ldquoOur disaster and recovery plan was in place to ensure that we could deliver the core promise of what our business does and make sure there was continuity Back-up records are essential

ldquoWe had our first disaster meeting at 7am had a discussion about what we were going to tell the media and then started a process which was basically organising a whole string of disaster recovery meetings on the hour through-

out the weekend On Monday morning we deployed all our staff to a new site with 90 business capability so in essence they walked into a new building as if nothing had hap-penedrdquo

Du Preez says that there a couple of things that made this possible The first thing is a plan ndashldquoand if you donrsquot have one yoursquod better get one without delayrdquo Roles and duties must be allocated to specific people Update emergency information and take careful note of that so that the plan can be implemented

ldquoThe next thing you need is a practical disaster recovery site We were lucky in that we stumbled across the correct site which was close to the building that burned down We have a very people-intensive business so we have many call centres We have about 900 people on site and these people rely on public transport to get to work so the first thing we had to consider about the disaster recovery site is to ensure staff can get there Itrsquos a logistical nightmare to expect people to go a further 30km further than what theyrsquore used to

ldquoThe other issue is your technology Trackerrsquos business is very tech-dependent to ensure a quick response system Control measures need to hit our centres immediately so we can take some action at that time processing around 20 million messages a day These come from cars telling us how fast they are driving where they are driving and what events need to be considered The real-ity is that we are protecting peoplersquos assets protecting fixed assets protecting fixed cargo and protecting peoplersquos lives with push-button assistance We needed then to make sure that the disaster recovery plan could have that system up and running immediatelyrdquo

When the decision about the site was made a number of factors had to be taken into account

ldquoWe had to think about the power grid in the area and would outages affect our

telephonic infrastructure would it impact the data infrastructure The only practical site was really the one next to our building which answered all these questions positively So we had been paying every month for this empty space ndash and that essentially was our saving grace

ldquoThe next thing to do is plan how you are going to interact with the customers and implement that part of your plan You need to empower your team to get on with the job and you have to trust them enough to be able to do that You have to have an immediate meeting to spell out the priorities so that everyone is on the same page and everything is in place to get up and running as soon as possiblerdquo

He says that although no-one told the mar-keting manager to make radio ads for Monday morning they were done and ready to flight

ldquoShe knew that we would have to be speak-ing to all our customers partners and so on and the best way to do that was above-the-line marketing The ads proved very effective and kept everyone in the loop as to what was hap-pening

ldquoThe most important thing was just to tell the truth and tell everyone what progress was being made The ads conveyed these messa-ges very well and spread immediate confidence

ldquoShow that yoursquore in control get people as productive as possible and build team spirit I think that crisis has the ability to bring people together which is exactly what happened at Tracker On the Monday and Tuesday we met with our key stakeholders and informed them how we have been affected how our customers have been affected and then throughout the week we continued to provide regular updates as to how the recovery process was progressingrdquo

When staff arrived at work on Monday mor-ning all the work stations had been numbered and all the systems were up and running We briefed them on what to tell customers and allocated them a seat and a phone Depending on what department they would be working in

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

Michael Du Preez is the Marketing Executive and Head of International Business and Strategy for Tracker He is responsible for business product brand and strategy development ndash a position he has held for the past four years Prior to his career with Tracker he was one of the founders and Managing Director of MobileData ndash a vehicle Telematics solutions company acquired by Tracker in 2007 It is this technology that continues to create value and open up new channels of busi-ness for Tracker today For many years he was a loyal member of WesBankrsquos management team serving most recently as Head of Research and Development Michael holds a senior qualification in Business Management from HenleyHis colleagues describe him as an open-minded and creative free-thinker always looking to bring innovation and strategic value to the world of vehicle Telematics His work helped pioneer Insurance Telematics in South Africa and more recently assisted in the breakthrough creation of TomTomrsquos first HD Traffic service in AfricaHe sees his future influence in the area of how technology will enable sustainable mobility models in a world challenged for resources Or simply put ensuring our future ldquofreedom to driverdquo

the staff members were all given T-shirts in dif-ferent colours for different centres They were given coffee mugs pens paper and created a bit of a carnival atmosphere and had coffee and doughnuts in reception It may have been a different site but it was business as usual

ldquoOne very important factor is that you need good supplier relationships who can play a major role in getting you back on your feetrdquo

Which is what Tracker did very effectively People hardly remember the fire because the continuity was immediate

You know how to get the phoenix to fly Give Tracker a ring n

Refense Phuso spoke on Valpreacute Spring Waterrsquos bottling plant She is plant manager of the oper-ation and naturally is proud of the fact that it was awarded the

US green honour (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ndash LEED) of Gold status in 2011

ldquoWhat LEED looks at is how you design your facility and you have to comply with many criteria such as site planning indoor environ-ment water planning energy management and material usedrdquo says Phuso ldquoWe have to use water efficiently and ensure the business is sustainable looking after the environment We are audited every year to ensure that we are still complying with LEED criteriardquo

As far as energy needs go the building runs on solar energy with the PV plant sup-plying 40KW of energy leaving the plant grid independent

ldquoOur water that we bottle has to have a cer-tain profile and we found that in Heidelberg Itrsquos over 200km from our offices but it is good news for the movement of product to Gauteng and beyond The factory has been designed to ensure minimal impact on the environment The roof has been designed to capture sunlight all day and with all the glass used in the factory there is abundant natural light streaming in

ldquoOne of our coups in energy-saving is the Air Wizard which reduces energy when run-ning a compressor The device is inside the compressor It captures the left-over energy from the compressor and takes it back in Aside from this therersquos energy-saving features

such as double-glazed windows so the reli-ance on air-conditioning is reduced The fac-tory is glass-wrapped so therersquos natural light in abundance We also have a 95 recycling effort Whatever we use in the factory we recycle We do the separation of material our-selves and Enviroserv will send different types of trucks for the various waste typesrdquo

She says that after the office block was accredited the factory went through the same process in 2013 Both are accredited to ISO 50 000 and the first plant in South Africa to be awarded this honour

ldquoValpre works continuously to improve energy performance to keep up with stan-dards in ISO 50 000 and the requirements of LEED We have to continually challenge our-selves to find new ways of reducing energy We meet on a monthly basis to discuss how well we are meeting our goals

ldquoWe also have energy meters in machines that we know use a lot of energy to keep track of what is happening there and if there are spikes on those machines it gives us the opportunity to investigate why Any anomalies must be reported and this can also highlight incorrect operator behaviour

ldquoWe have also changed from using boxes for product to trays that are plas-tic-wrapped ndash this is also an energy-saving move and in our view really enhances the product presentationrdquo n

A PLANT WITH GREAT ENERGY POWER

July 2015 FM 17

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

Refense Phuso plant manager

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 18

SLArsquos

WHOrsquoS KIDDING WHO

SLArsquos

July 2015 FM 19

Richard Jeffreys

Having just waded through 250 pages of our latest Tender I must make reference to the Fantasy section noted as SLAs In order to compete

with others I need to guarantee my catering engineers can attend anywhere in the coun-try in under 2 hours and complete resolves in under 24 hours

The standard of facts given on appli-ances service history access condition and status is poor to non-existent but the con-tract conditions are punitive and binding In essence if I have engineers standing around waiting for the next call and I am prepared to deliver at the cheapest cost guarantee parts for an appliance for which I have no data I am in the running If I tell the truth and base costs on worst case scenario due to lack of asset information I am out of the frame

Denise Booth-AlexanderThis is a national contract so presumably they are looking for someone to respond nationally but not necessarily with in-house engineers Is a consortium bid an option where you can join with others who have engineers in local areas to fulfil the 2 hour requirement Alternatively can you sub There are ways of tendering for this if the resolve is a first fix or attendance with a work around or temp solution but I agree not if it is a final fix Catering maintenance is notoriously hard as no- one really wants to carry additional expensive kit in their kitchen Suppliers of products make life very difficult with regard to spares if they themselves also offer a maintenance service We experience long delays wrong diagnoses quotes to repair that make it financially unviable to do so but no innovative thinking such as this is the fix costs and this is the replacement deal etc As customers it is extremely frus-trating but I accept that asking a company to work on a huge variety of makes and models and kit doesnt sit happily with a quick and responsive service if there is no specialityhellip every make within that business and parts are held onto by suppliers I know that a catering maintenance supplier that can

A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its internal or external customers that documents what services the provider will furnish

provide a great service and offers alternative solutions is something that we would all like as customers Perhaps the answer is some sort of industry group which includes sup-pliers to talk it out and come up with a truly customer-oriented service package

I suspect this is a pipe dream much like the closed shop that is Lift maintenance One solution for this particular tender would be to offer to produce an Assetlifecycle register as part of the bid to fully evaluate all the kit and give timescales for replace-ment including possible energy savings to provide some payback etc If you can offer something extra and point out why you can-not provide a proper and cost defined bid in the first instance but set out clearly why and what you could do to turn this around I would certainly be delighted to look at your proposals if I were the customer

Neil EarnshawRichard I concur with the views of others you will be better thought of by pulling out of the process and explaining to the client why It may be that another company out there can deliver what they need its just not your company this time It also may be that other bidders do the same thing in which case the client needs to review their procurement strategy

Im managing a tender process for a FM contract at the moment We had one bidder raise an issue and ask for a change which we respectfully refused since then two other bidders have raised the same issue so were now reconsidering our position Were doing this on the basis that the market is now tell-ing us this contract is too risky as opposed to a single bidder not having the appetite

Richard JeffryesThanks guys for all the replies and yes my gut feeling is not to compete and leave us open to penalties However the issues raised are common I feel that many tenders are have a big element of cut and paste one size fits all As noted by Denise our trade is eclectic a real mix of standards and manu-facturers if a contract is going to work it needs the attention of someone who has complete knowledge of the realities and their

ldquoIn essence if I have engineers

standing around waiting for the

next call and I am prepared

to deliver at the cheapest cost

guarantee parts for an

appliance for which I have

no data I am in the running

If I tell the truth and base costs

on worst case scenario due to

lack of asset information

I am out of the frame

Continuing our series based on posts from the

British Institute of Facility Management (BIFM)

LinkedIn sites South African FMs will find much to

identify with and are encouraged to participate in local exchanges ndash

write via LinkedIn to terryfmexpoorg or tweet tex_owen

July 2015 FM 20

issues I would like to think that I as an individual with 35 years within commercial kitchen would be listened too however many tenders especially the electronic auction style offer little scope for the personal touch which is our USP I know the environment the trade and the equipment My approach is to be realistic tell the truth dont promise the undeliverable and submit a viable cost structure I am yet though to be convinced there is scope for this in the world of group tenders

Neil EarnshawRichard keep the faith keep doing the right thing and work with your industry to help it improve

What I see is a disconnect in FM between contractors and clients This disconnect is the contract and selection of an appropriate strategy that drives the right behaviours On a personal level Im doing my bit to help improve things but Im just a lone voice more people from all sides of the FM indus-try need to recognise the problem and the opportunity to improve then well get some real change for the better

Craig ShepheardYou will normally have a mobilisation per-iod where you can get to inspect all of the equipment in order to set up your own asset list I suggest that you use this data to inform the client of any items of equipment that are obsolete or where parts would be difficult to supply The condition report could be used to say whether items that are in poor shape require monies spent on them to get them to a state where they can be maintained If the client refuses to spend that highlighted amount then those individual items do not correspond to the 2-hour SLA and are there-fore exempt from the contract

You base your contract fee on the under-standing that all items on their asset list are currently being maintained and that they are in a reasonable state of order

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSEA reasonable point Craig except like com-missioning and handover the mobilisation period can get eaten away by slippages on other elements For one major mobilisation the 8 months period for seamless transfer was cut to 3 weeks There are risks with the approach suggested

Neil Earnshaw Im with you on that Rob there are risks However from a contractors view point it does mitigate the risk of poor quality asset

data provided by the client at tender stage Are you allowed to caveat your tender submis-sion Even so I think the risk you face is an early disagreement with the client they think theyve passed a risk to you but in actual fact you passed it back to them with your caveat I absolutely would not sign the contract as is and attempt to wriggle out of your obligations post contract Craigs solution sounds sens-ible right up to the point of saying to the client spend or be damned Thats where the dis-agreement will come

Are they aware their data is poor quality or are they just saying price the risk Have they given you the impression that theyd listen to your concerns and maybe consider other more cost-effective solutions

Also what are you being asked to price for Using a simple example you know there is a cooker and extractor in a kitchen (and you know the location of the kitchen) what you dont know is age condition service history make amp model of the cooker or extractor Are you being asked to give them a lump sum fixed price to maintain these items for a num-ber of years with everything apart from end of life replacement to be included in your price

Alan TaylorI would question why a tender document for catering needs to be 250 pages long Sounds like itrsquos been prepared by a purchasing depart-ment that has no realistic awareness of day-to-day operational requirements and is missing some fundamental issues (no change there then)

So if a fat fryer breaks down when the first load is due to go in for a lunch time service a

ldquoWhat I see is a disconnect

in FM between contractors

and clients This disconnect is

the contract and selection of an

appropriate strategy that drives

the right behaviours

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 22

2 hour response will not get that item back and fully operational for the same day lunch time trade as it will be over It will be up to the chef to improvise with the menu and manage the change

A next day fix or 12 hour turnaround would be a better solution but if a restaurant canrsquot improvise and change its menu if one item of plant goes down you need to change the chef and the caterer It wonrsquot hurt the staff to go without chips for a day

Dave ThomasAlso with you Rob have been the recipient of one of those immediate seamless transfers - where the original team were eager to get themselves in another project and have no responsibility for what was a flawed mobilisa-tion

In the same mobilisation period I found that the Asset List I had sweated over was ignored and another fairy tale was imposed missing out over half of my list so inad-equate time allocatedcosted to MampE Also found that the engineers provided were more interested in looking for more lucrative work rather than just doing maintenance

Seems some clients want the contractor to come up with a proper Asset List for them included in the contract ignoring any information regarding past breakdowns on equipment which may lead to a query on the true condition and life hoping a new contract will magically lead to new equipment

Richard JeffryesAlan sounds like you speak from experience your bang on

Neil you make a lot of sense if only clients thought like you Yes we are being asked to price the Risk however an underlying objective of tender winner is to be the most competitive

In respect of the approach we know itrsquos an oven we know where it is we know it is business critical sounds simple but with-out the specific data this is a real lottery Commercial ovens range in value from pound1 000 to pound40 000 we may be able to make an educated guess at what the appliance is but big tenders request parts and labour-in-clusive programmes replacement parts such as a PCB on a Combination Oven can cost pound1 000 to replace so knowing the depth of the liability is essential My belief is if a site has been responsibly maintained a full and updated asset list with condition and service dates should be available If not what has the incumbent been doing and how do we know it was done This information is surely a pre-requisite when contracts are drawing

to conclusion and a renewal is due Is it com-mon practice for this data to be withheld or are companies just poor at maintaining service data

Neil EarnshawRichard I usually work client-side developing the procurement contract strategy and man-aging the tender process

My main observation of FM clients over the years is that they dont think about commer-cial risk just operational They generally dont seem to understand that where theres a risk theres a cost Therefore you end up with very risky contracts being put together and create the environment for protracted commercial negotiations during the life of the contract

Another observation has been that FM contractors do collect and maintain asset data but when it comes to re-tender the data cant be accessed by the client This is sometimes down to the contract not being clear on this but often its also due to many years of mis-management of the contract

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSENeilFor some time it has been my view that the client should own the asset data and condition assessment which it should disclose to the tenderers Similarly the maintenance records and all of these should ideally be in the client-owned CAFM

ldquoMy belief is if a site has

been maintained a full

and updated asset list with

condition and service dates

should be available If not

what has the incumbent been

doing and how do we know it

was done

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 23

When the onus is put on the success-ful bid winner to collect all the asset data confusion can reign with a completely new set of asset numbers and description and of course items can be missed Most FM managers will have come across outgoing contractors where people probably at very junior level ditch all the statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique

Gordon EasingwoodRegards client CAFMs they are generally poor non-existent or compiled by previous contractors with differing motives (ie avoid-ing financial penaltiesfailing SLAs) Same with maintenance records previous contract-ors are again likely to have differing motives as to how these were compiled based on previous SLAs I work on a local contract with very similar limitations though in different areas and trust me itrsquos extremely difficult to meet this level of commitment Ultimately if they can call you out for pound50 (or less) but can impose a SLA penalty of pound200 where is the sense in it And Im talking a 30 mile max-imum radius from a central point 2 hours responses have been missed simply due to travel delayspoor communication Even when these can be resolved in our favour the amount of adminmanagement time all has an associated cost

To put it another way there simply is not enough properly trained and experienced commercial catering equipment engineers in the country to meet such demands I know I am one and I wouldnt go near the industry again in a hurry as I guess you know from experience Add in the level of commitment (more rightly non-commitment) from some manufacturers and itrsquos an absolute night-mare Also bear in mind European rules only require parts to be available 5 years after a product is no longer manufactured Oh and if you have imports or specials just forget it I was involved with work with a well-known Indian type food chain who had special ovens that met no British or European stan-dard and had to be condemned for simply that reason This was despite a CAFM type list being presented stating all maintenance was done to (non-existent) manufacturersrsquo instructions When checked they had created models and serials numbers for the units

Lastly I would investigate what the client can put through as a 2 hour response and if you can object and on what grounds I currently have a client who does so when in 2 hours the building will be fully vacated and emptyequipment wonrsquot be used for 72 hours etc yet we still have to make attend-ance to meet SLAs Its this kind of thing

that give clients a bad nameSadly without proper input from the

client it sounds like this contract would be a financial liability and I would steer clear With proper and decent input it may be possible I would present the proposal of correct and proper information requirements to the client and try build from there If they run with what would be a non-starter you have to walk away itrsquos likely any contract wonrsquot be upheld for long from either side

Rob Farman regards people ditching statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique I have found this is generally from a quite senior level Simply either because a) itrsquos never been kept up to or b) they dont want this information to go to competitors or c) adequate provision has never been made to collate the information in the first place Things are improving in this area as FM managers take things in hand and computer records are better maintained

Peter CarrHaving worked with Rob Farnam I would completely agree I have spent the last five years client side helping to develop CAFM systems and to make sure they are 100 as accurate as the world I work in (now) Investor FM (totally different to Corporate FM) I have worked with a non-licenced sys-tem called Elogbooks for these five years purely because of these issues Tendering is difficult enough without non-existent asset data and performance understanding Good luck

David A ParryLets push for KISS based contracts Then have the inferred SLA KPIs amp effectiveness measurement compared to the actual true bottom line savings to the client and service provider in their partnering endeavours The unit of measurement could be the unem-ployed bean counters Or do they move on to another position in or outside their companies so no real accountability that this measurement in this way would show on this radar screen

Apologies for the frivolous comments but I honestly believe the real value for money is far simpler but has to be based on appro-priate measures and values for the specific situation and is industries dependent The dichotomy of this statement is it adds to complexity because truly experienced and technical trained actuary analysts are required to produce the targets numbers and not the clip board amp wet finger in the air brigade Clients need to bring in-house specialised professional knowledge to the

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

Copyright amp DisclaimerFacilities Management (ISSN 2071-9299) is published 12 times a year by TE Trade Events 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

pilot rating will encourage the tackling of challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health to a degree by the way that we design build and operate buildingsItrsquos that important however sci-fi it may appear to be The built environment is increasingly where it all happens and that is why FM is assuming an ever evolving and distinctive part of proceed-ings within the environs That is why the GBCSA and SAFMA are working so closely together ndash the two are inexorably interlinked as is the merging of JFM and Urban Green File It just makes sense because it is the reality From a broader perspective too FMs must have a working knowledge of what is happening property-wise in case of expansion or the need to move for the core business owner Thatrsquos why he or she needs to know what mall is going up what are the new office developments and where are they situated and who else has signed upItrsquos vital for the FMs to know ndash and for those that never knew you too

EDITORrsquoS COMMENT

tex_owen

Editor Terry Owen terryfmexpoorg

Layout Alois Sajanga aloisfmexpoorg

Subscription Sales amp AdminPhillip Nkomo phillipfmexpoorg

Terry Owen

Putting property into perspective

A good many people mainly from outside the industry but also some (astonishingly within it) remain perplexed over the focus

that FM places on propertyI have also been asked (by these people) why I carry a lot of property articles in this magazine The reason is simple Property and FM go hand-in-hand because of the very reason that property and property management are not a core part of the business that is being conducted within the property Itrsquos an FM jobThat is why FM should be involved at the very beginning of a construction planning exercise where it be Greenfield or brownfield development The FM person will know what will work from a design and operational point of view ndash after all FM is going to manage and maintain the building and they will have a very vested interest in who plans what and where Is it manageable is it sustainable does it add to any of the greening features that management is so keen on implementing but doesnrsquot perhaps know exactly what and exactly howThe FMrsquos role in all of this planning is critical There are so many cases where FMs have been brought in after the fact and found that many of the design elements that have been put in place are completely unworkable as far as maintenance or practicality is concernedIn this issue Brian Wilkinson CEO of the Green Building Council of SA goes as far as to say that the new Socio-Economic Category

Incorporating

News amp Products

World-firstrating

SAFMA ConferenceHighligts

Activating a PV system for Architects

SLAsWhorsquos Kidding Who

Fuelling a powerful green agenda

Middelburg starting to make sustainable mark

Donrsquot be in the dark over power management

A great HR journey lies ahead

Augmented reality - Key to exciting new future

New tools to drive facility perfomance

Enabling enterprise BYOD

Advertisement SalesMelinda AlevrasMelindafmexpoorg

PrintingABC Press

Published byTE Trade Events (Pty) Ltd 1st Floor Ice Site Building 263 Oak Avenue Ferndale RandburgPO Box 650291 Benmore 2010 Tel 011 781 5970 Fax 011 781 6079

2

10

16

24

26

28

30

31

3236

38

39

July 2015 FM 3

I N C O R P O R A T I N G

KTH SERVESTCHANGE FM LANDSCAPE

ISSN 2071-9299 JULY 2015 FM No 002

See story on page 2amp3

July 2015 FM 4

Investment holding company Kagiso Tiso Holdings (ldquoKTHrdquo) has announced the success-ful acquisition of a 51

shareholding in the Servest Group (ldquoServestrdquo) to form the largest majority black-owned facilities management company in Africa in a trans-action valuing the group at approximately R45-billion The Servest investment offers a compelling propos-ition consistent with KTHrsquos strategy as the business has significant presence in South Africa United Kingdom and the rest of Africa with multi-currency earnings Servest provides integrated facilities management solu-tions to more than 6 500 cli-ents on 24 000 sites in South Africa with key markets in East West and Southern Africa as well as the United Kingdom Key services include inter-alia cleaning parking catering hygiene office service landscaping to prominent clients such as Transnet Netcare Group

KTH SERVEST IN

Anglo Platinum Debswana Sasol Sainsbury BBC and UKrsquos House of Parliament among othersCommenting on the acquisi-tion Vuyisa Nkonyeni Chief Executive Officer of KTH said ldquoThis transaction demonstrates clear delivery against KTHrsquos strategy of acquiring meaningful or majority stakes in fast grow-ing companies which are sup-ported by strong management teams and have good exposure to African market opportunities In the South African market we will identify investments that will afford us significant influence or control alongside like-minded partnersrdquoThe transaction makes Servest the largest majority black-owned facilities management company in Africa strongly positioning it to expand its footprint across the rest of the continent In the South African context this will give Servest an advantage over other large facilities management com-panies with over 51 black ownership under the new revised BEE codes which came

into effect on May 1 2015 As part of the transaction KTH and Co-Founder Mr Kenton Fine will facilitate equity partici-pation of management as part of a talent management and transformation plan ldquoThis deal means that Servest is now 51 black-owned but it represents so much more than just an empowerment trans-actionrdquo says Kevin Derrick Chief Executive Officer of Servest ldquoThis not only clearly demonstrates our ongoing commitment to transformation and long term sustainability but brings with it significant opportunities for future growth expansion and job creationrdquoKTHrsquos Chief Investment Officer Jacob Hinson said ldquoOur investment strategy seeks to achieve active participation in fewer prominent investments with strong management teams that will drive growth across the continent Servest is a unique investment that meets all our criteria We were therefore able to execute this transaction on pure commercial terms without any external or vendor facili-

tation with an equity cheque of approximately R1-billion We look forward to working with our new partners to create a truly global facilities management business ldquoKTH has been executing its strat-egy of becoming an emerging pan-African investment champion having concluded transactions which involved R51-billion of dis-posals follow on investments and portfolio company restructurings to date R33-billion of new deals since 2011 including a maiden pan-African investment in Fidelity Bank and a landmark minority take-out and delisting of Kagiso Media in 2013 In addition to this transaction KTH expects to con-clude another significant acquisi-tion in West Africa imminentlyServest Co-founder and Group Chairman Kenton Fine said ldquoWe have enjoyed a very successful and long-standing relationship with our existing shareholders RMB Corvest and Shalamuka and are delighted at the prospect of partnering with a professional organisation of the calibre of KTH With similar values entrenched in both organisations we look for-ward to embracing the additional

The panel discussion at the launch Kevin Derrick ndash Chief Executive Officer of Servest Vuyisa Nkonyeni Chief Executive Officer of KTH Jacob Hinson KTH Chief Investment Officer and Kenton Fine Servest co-founder and Group Chairman

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

July 2015 FM 5

experience and knowledge that KTH will bring further underpin-ning our continued ambitious growth strategy into the futureldquoBeyond the commercial rationale both parties see the transaction as an important step in driving further transformation at Servest The company has embarked on an ambitious staff development drive and the establishment of the Management Trust reinforces its commitment to transformation The KTH-Servest acquisition remains subject to regulatory approvals including South African Competition Commission approval

About KTHKTH is one of the largest pan African investment holding com-panies with an investment port-folio comprising of market leading companies across its chosen sec-tors and geographies The group has an asset base in excess of R15-billion a solid track record of investment performance and is managed by a professional and experienced team of African investment professionals KTH is an active long term investment partner and does not have any exit imperatives which allows the group to partner with businesses through investment cycles to cre-ate long term sustainable value

About Servest Servest is a leading provider of facilities management services to over 6 500 clients across more than 24 000 sites throughout Africa and the United Kingdom Founded in 1997 Servestrsquos inte-grated operating model provides extensive operational support infrastructure and international best practice within the public and private sectors for all lsquohardrsquo and lsquosoftrsquo services Each of Servestrsquos business units are both highly experienced specialists and market leaders in their own right Servest employs 45 000 27 000 people in Africa and 18 000 people in the UK Group services consist of facilities management mechanical and electrical servi-ces energy management camp management and catering clean-ing hygiene and pest control landscaping and turf construction and maintenance marine support office support services parking management and security n

Schneider Electric a global specialist in energy management is commercialising its solar powered port-

able LED lamps with mobile phone charger the Mobiya TS 120S in order to offer innovative reliable and affordable products to people living without access to electricityAvailable from Schneider Electric distributors at under R500 (excluding VAT) the Mobiya TS 120S is an energy efficient eco-friendly and robust portable lamp producing 120-lumen light output perfectly suited for demanding rural environments The lamp is equipped with a mobile phone charger that includes a USB port enabling users to charge their mobile phones any time It features three brightness settings providing up to 48 hours of light-ing with one day of solar charge ldquoIdeal for off-grid households small shops street vendors and fishing boats the Mobiya TS 120S offers users safe and sufficient light for comfortable reading and other household and business activities within an un-electrified household or small business environmentrdquo says Zanelle Dalglish head of sustainable development for southern Africa at Schneider Electric The lamp is designed to allow it to be hand carried hooked to the ceiling mounted on the wall placed on the desk fixed on the top of a bottle and carried on a pole This patented design has won Grand Prix Strategies Du Design 2013 and European Design awards

To cater for the proliferation of mobile uptake and technology on the continent the range is equipped with a mobile phone charger that includes a USB port enabling users to charge their mobile phones any time The Mobiya TS 120S superior battery technology ndash Lithium Ferro Phosphate battery ndash delivers high performance for more than three years The micro-controller based charge controller ensures efficient solar charging prevents over charge and deep discharge Smart electronics for battery mon-itoring shows indications for bat-tery charging battery charge level remaining and recharging when drainedldquoThrough its global BipBop pro-gramme (business innovation and people at the base of the pyramid) Schneider Electric develops collective solutions for comprehensive rural electrification domestic solutions for energy-re-lated needs and the business models that make these solutions sustainable The Mobiya TS 120S is in particular ideal to take advan-tage of the African sun lessening the burden of daily life in poor and off-grid communities An added plus is that it is affordable eco-friendly and saferdquo says Dalglish

Contact Adeline Maleka to enquire about to enquire about the closest distributor adelinemalekaschneider-electriccom or (+27) 11 254 6400 (ext 6957) n

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

July 2015 FM 6

The massive 131 000msup2 Mall of Africa is sched-uled to open in April 2016 Currently the largest retail develop-

ment being built in a single phase in Africa the expansive retail offering features a distinctive design and an ideal location in the middle of the 173 million square metre mixed-use Waterfall City development in Midrand Gauteng The combination is destined to create a go-to des-tination for both local residents and touristsThe design inspiration for the mall and courts is drawn from the natural and geological beauty of the African continent There will be four courts that depict the different climatic zones on the continent an oleum court depicting the oil rich West Africa a great lakes court depicting East Africa a crystal court depicting the mineral wealth in South Africa and a sand court depicting the desert area of North AfricaldquoThe mallrsquos design also incorporates many unique elements including very high shop fronts wide passages and an undulating roof feature in the centre with specialist animated LED lighting and a large public space with restaurants known as the Town Square The gross leasable area will be 131 000msup2 and 261 tenants will be setting up shop in this new luxury developmentrdquo says architect Tia Kanakakis of MDS Architects the architectural firm for the Mall of Africa

Leading South African property developer and investor Atterbury appointed Aurecon as civil and structural engineers for the iconic development Gerhard Saayman Professional Engineer at Aurecon responsible for managing Aureconrsquos design and construction supervision teams on the project says that the sheer size of the mall is making the Mall of Africa an exceptionally rewarding project to work onldquoThe gross building area is 485 000msup2 which equals 65 rugby pitches The size of the mall that will be occupied by major tenants such as Edgars Woolworths Truworths Checkers Ster Kinekor and Game will equal the size of the entire Middelburg Mallrdquo says SaaymanThe completion of the concrete structure and steel work for the roofs as well as the faccedilades is the projectrsquos next major milestone and is currently on target for com-pletion on programme ldquoThis milestone would enable the interior shop fit outs to proceed putting us another step closer to completionrdquo says SaaymanWhile any large building project will come with its own unique set of challenges the scale of the Mall of Africa means that the project team comprising the professional team and the main contractor had to overcome specific challenges relating to logistics and program-ming of construction sequences

as well as hiring and managing a wide range of subcontractorsA highly unified team was needed to fast-track the con-struction of such a large project Everyonersquos activities and scope from the professional team to the main contractor subcontractors and building services have to be planned and sequenced with precision and attention to detailldquoEverything has to be imple-mented in the correct sequence and with such a large range of activities happening on site this requires dedicated teamwork strict quality control processes and a deep understanding of the timelines and construction sequences of retail develop-mentsrdquo he adds

ldquoMeticulous planning innovative design solutions and ongoing collaboration between all stake-holders has enabled us to keep meeting deadlines and resolving challenges to reach the key milestones of the programme Teamwork between the design professionals and the contract-ors were key to not only meet each deadline but also to design cost consciously at all times and fast track the various stages of constructionrdquo says SaaymanThe main construction period for this massive development is only 32 months This is not only a huge challenge for the main contractor but requires a

massive amount of design and construction documentation to be produced within a very short period of time by the design consultants Six of Aureconrsquos design offices and over 50 engineers tech-nicians and draughters are currently working on this project to ensure designs and quality construction documentation were delivered according to pro-grammeDesigners are committed to continuous value engineering and optimisation throughout the design phase to achieve the most economic design solu-tions For the majority of design requirements various options were tabled in order for the most cost-effective solution to be identified and constructedDedicated involvement from Aureconrsquos four site engineers with the Joint Venture of WBHO and Group 5 ensures construc-tion queries and problems are identified and resolved immedi-ately This relationship between our engineers and the contractor is immensely important and essential to a successful con-struction phase ldquoAurecon is proud to be a part of the project team on such an iconic development here in South Africardquo says Nicol Labuschagne Aureconrsquos Project Director for the Mall of Africa development n

An artistrsquos impression of how the completed mall will look at night

July 2015 FM 7

ISSN 2071-9299 JUNE 2015 FM No 002

I N C O R P O R A T I N G

NEWWhatrsquos Find out at the

FM Expo and Conference

FULL DETAILS INSIDE

FM June Cover 2015indd 1

20150528 101429 AM

Magazine Bulletin Both DigitalSouth Africa R640 R640 R1 155 R640Africa US$175 US$90 US$240 US$90International US$190 US$90 US$255 US$90Please tick

12 +ISSUES

ANNUAL DIRECTORY

24+e-BULLETINS

Facilities Management incorporating Urban

Green File provides cutting-edge information

on the latest issues and procedures regarding

facilities management Our audience is the

facilities-management solution providers and

consultants such as mechanical engineers

electrical engineers architects interior designers

and owneroperators of properties and facilities

business people responsible for fi nancial decisions

about the operation maintenance and expansion

or development of facilities who are interested

in running a profi table and sustainable facility

and keen to learn about new business approaches

and technologies

Ready access to this kind of news is available

through the information platform hosted

by TETrade Events which includes printed

magazines fortnightly email bulletins

as well as an annual business directory Helping you manage better

Todayrsquos decision makers need to stay abreast of the latest industry trends and developments no matter where they are They need the right information at their fi ngertips to ensure the optimal and effi cient use of resources

Email your subscription request to phillipfmexpoorg or Fax to +27 11 781 6079

subsindd 2 20150706 122816 PM

July 2015 FM 8

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

Well-positioned commercial property in outlying areas around South

Africa is proving increasingly attractive to both local and inter-national buyers who continue to find value in sustainable invest-ments says Norman Raad CEO of Broll Auctions and SalesldquoNotably there will always be demand for retail properties where investors in pursuit of yield and income perceive opportun-ities to unlock potentialldquoSuch is the case with our successful sale of the 7530m2 Queenstown Mall in the Eastern Cape which was listed to go on auction but achieved a mar-ket-related price of R62-million prior to our multiple auction held in June (2015)rdquo Raad says with a yield of 10 this is a fair market price from a private investor who has plans

Sustained demand for commercial property

for expansion and is bringing new tenants into the centre Anchored by Pick n Pay and with other tenants including large multi-national groups such as Pep and Standard Bank the local retail centre is very well-positioned in Queenstown on the busy corner of Brewery Lane and the N6The sale of a further 20 000m2 of retail industrial and office space was concluded at the auction These included four lots com-prising a total of over 2300m2 of office space situated in Wynberg in Cape Townrsquos popular Southern Suburbs Napier in the Southern Cape Polokwane in Limpopo and Edenberg in the Free State which were sold by an institu-tional seller Acquired by several private investors these proper-ties achieved a combined price of R9-millionSome of the other properties sold on the auction included

a property consisting of multi-tenanted industrial units in Boksburg ndash which fetched a selling price of R221-million an industrial mini-park in Heriotdale in Johannesburg which sold for R16-million and multi-ten-anted units in Wynberg in Johannesburg which fetched a total price of R924-million A block of ground-floor retail and residential apart-ments above in Norwood in Johannesburg achieved R104-million In Lichtenberg in the North West Province an office building was sold on the auction for R78-million a 4610m2 industrial warehouse in Powerville in Vereeniging was acquired for R65-million while a small retail centre with upstairs office component in Bronkhorstspruit just east of Pretoria and en route to Witbank (eMalahleni) was pur-chased for R61-million

Adds Raad ldquoNot surprisingly particularly in the current eco-nomic climate we have found there is minimal demand for vacant buildings The focus is on sustainable investments where tenants can easily be replaced should they default or depart As a result of lower risk well-positioned properties will always be in demandHe says a trend is seeing listed property funds divest of non-core stock and stock which has been exhausted to its full potential ldquoWhereas they may no longer wish to expend further time nor invest further in these properties the smaller property investor has the energy and vision to turn a fundrsquos rough diamond into a gemrdquoThe positive demand for com-mercial property is borne out by a recent Lightstone report which reveals that transaction activity in the South African commercial

Situated in a busy area of Norwood in Johannesburg this block comprising retail and apartments sold for R104-million through Broll Auctions and Sales

July 2015 FM 9

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

market has increased in recent years The report also highlights the acquisition of properties in non-CBD areasAdds Bradley Stephens MD of Broll Auctions and Sales ldquoWe have also seen investors divest of their smaller commercial property portfolios and invest in the REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) as these offer more liquidity and flexibility with their investments ldquoSimultaneously this has created new opportunities for new players to enter the market The time has never been more opportune for investing in the South African property market as international investors still find huge value in solid bricks and mortar in comparison to other countries The only barrier to entry in the current market is finance and the loan to value conundrumrdquoBroll Auctions and Sales next multiple auc-tion of commercial properties takes place on August 18

087 700 8269 wwwbrollcom n

Queenstown Mall was sold even prior to auction

This commercial property in Main Road in Wynberg in Cape Townrsquos Southern Suburbs sold for R29-million at the recent auction held by Broll Auctions and Sales

Norman Raad CEO of Broll Auctions and Sales

July 2015 FM 10

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

When it comes to flooring needs there are a few significant players in the

South African market but Nouwens Carpets is the oldest local carpet manufacturer owned and run by the same family from the outsetToday this company with its nearly 200 employees is a force to be reckoned with offering global industry leaders some stiff compe-tition in the local market thanks to their solid reputation when it comes to products and service delivery Nouwens is a genuine family business and the only major manufacturer that produces their own spun yarns for the domestic market in South Africa This is not surprising with over 50 years of tradition in carpet craftsmanship Nouwens first opened its doors in Harrismith in the Free State in 1962 when Cornelis Nouwens a carpet craftsman from Tilburg in the Netherlands and his wife started manufacturing carpets in an old garage in the town of Harrismith A

passionate entrepreneur Cornelis instilled the same spirit in his chil-dren Luci and Pieter who took over the running of the business in later years It was clear that a passion for producing top quality products was instilled in Luci Nouwens from a young age setting her to head up the management of this local carpeting empire Throughout the years Nouwens has adapted their practices and processes enabling them to become a vertical carpet mill producing wool and synthetic carpets for the domestic and commercial market Nouwens also extrudes both poly prop and nylon synthetic yarns completing an extremely versatile yarn offering In the current economic climate where many companies are find-ing it difficult to survive it seems the success of this growing family business can be attributed to vari-ous factors According to Oscar Grobler Nouwensrsquo Chairman it is vital to ensure that their solid reputation remains backed up by producing quality products

ldquoConsistency is key when it comes to maintaining our pos-ition in the market We need to make sure that we truly live out the culture of the organisation while remaining relevant when it comes to product offerings and developing new ranges Being

Graffiti Retail Solutions ndash a division of Graffiti ndash has been granted the license for Cr8ive Paint ndash a new

environmentally friendly white board paint that can quickly and easily transform virtually any surface into a high performance dry erase canvas Set to replace easels flip charts and traditional white board screens this cost-effective alternative to the somewhat outdated boards con-ventionally seen in boardrooms is ideal for lecture and class rooms idea creative and strategy walls and meeting rooms Restaurants can even use it to write up menus and specials of the day Graffiti Retail Solutions has mas-tered the technique of applying the paint which comes standard in conveniently packaged units that cover 5m2 A water-based product it is dry to the touch in 24 hours and will be fully cured and

ready to use within five days If correctly applied just one coat is required and using foam paint rollers ensure the smoothest surface possible Like any paint-ing job preparation is key and surfaces should be clean and smooth before painting It can be applied to any sealed surface but a primer should be used before

all applications Lead free itrsquos a non-toxic solution making it even more appealing Suitable for any setting ndash light or dark hot or cold ndash this white board paint is not only available in white and therersquos nothing to stop a creative agency from painting a yellow white board The final finish is glossy and can create a reflec-

tion if a light is shone onto the surfaceOnce the product is fully cured a dry cloth can be used to clean the wall If ink has been on the wall for a long time a wet cloth can be used For cheap and often stubborn to remove markers a whiteboard solution can be used

011 691 8400 wwwGraffiticoza n

vertically integrated also allows us to control the manufacturing process as much as possible ensuring that the final product is of the very best qualityrdquo says Grobler 011 608 4435 wwwnouwenscarpetscoza n

July 2015 FM 12

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

CREFM SURVEY PROVES PEOPLE POWER

Itrsquos all about people

People power is predominant and this is illustrated clearly in a survey that was helmed by Martijn Drost of CBRE in Europe who gave the keynote presenta-

tion at the 2015 SAFMA conferenceThe CREFM survey showed that costs

still naturally play a predominant role but that the focus has shifted from pure cost towards growth with the emphasis being on people more than ever

ldquoGDP is down in South Africa These are uncertain times for many countries The respondents in the survey see the Middle East situation being a catalyst for uncertainty and many see this as the biggest threat for

growthrdquo says Drost ldquoThe scarce availability of talent is also an important factor As far as costs are concerned people are looking for reductions wherever possible and this plays a big role in lease negotiations In South Africa there is far more escalation year on year on property taxes and prices whereas in Europe and the US prop-erty is so widely available that companies have the opportunity to renegotiate price every time that the contract endsrdquo

He says there is a move towards cheaper markets with offshoring and right-shoring playing their hands

ldquoThe most important factor in right-shoring is cost ndash itrsquos essential to know the whole story when you are considering future locations However we

ldquoPeople understandably

donrsquot want to spend hours

commuting just to be seen

to be working in the office ndash

those days are gone Working

smarter is the goal now and

productivity is on the up

July 2015 FM 13

are seeing quite a change in the behaviour of occupiers For instance the UK used to out-source call centres to India but they are now being recalled to the UK due to pressure from customer bases which link to business alignment labour and skillsrdquo

Asia Pacific India and China are seen by far as the most desired locations because of cheap labour good availability of staff and in terms of total occupancy therersquos a motiva-tional cost element to consider

ldquoPeople are seeing South Africa as a growth market and a place to be in the future The availability of talent location and infrastructure are the factors to consider Companies feel that more needs to go into decisions involving the attraction and reten-tion of staffrdquo

Drost says that it is also very clear that workplace strategy is becoming paramount The right route here is not only selecting the building and the location itrsquos situated in but it matters a great deal what happens inside the building ndash and here is the clear link to FM

ldquoThe main pointers are employee attrac-tion and retention How do we make sure we attract the right people and retain them in the business The average time someone stays in a job in South Africa is only two years So looking carefully at this fact while it is import-ant to increase productivity and cost savings improved collaboration is vital Itrsquos all about different ways of working and linking closely to employee satisfaction and therefore retention Find people that you can engage with learn from and collaborate withrdquo

The survey notes that while the indoor environment is very important as well as the workplace itself sustainability strangely appeared low on the agenda

ldquoThe big issue is flexible working (63) We didnrsquot measure this in 2013 but now itrsquos heavily in the red on the radar Flexible work-ing is not necessarily just working from home but working anywhere wherever you are at any time People understandably donrsquot want to spend hours commuting just to be seen to be working in the office ndash those days are gone Working smarter is the goal now and productivity is on the up It doesnrsquot take rocket science to understand whyrdquo

80 said that business integration and alignment with enterprise goals is important

ldquoReal Estate of FM is not separate to the business and canrsquot be seen in that way anymore Decision makers of big companies and organisations throughout the world are seeing Real Estate of FM as a catalyst for future growth of their businesses I see it as part of their total strategic pact which is needed to support corporate growth If the

building does not work and if yoursquore not able to attract the right people by having the cor-rect environment how are you going to grow your company

ldquoAction is needed to achieve these goals Streets ahead on top is data quality and accuracy Companies everywhere are strug-gling with data with different systems and dif-ferent sources They are having a hard time creating information out of the data

ldquoYou have to make the basic elements work ndash organisational structure the govern-ance model that you are working towards the process you use in terms of capital allo-cation planning resourcing and your informa-tion your systems and tools to get the infor-mation from your property into tangible data that actually provides information ndash thatrsquos the goal a must-do You canrsquot do anything with raw data and you need to find a way to turn that data into informationrdquo

Drost says that in examining how FM is going to impact on the business looking at the full life cycle is necessary and what is happening is that companies are moving towards integrated facility management

ldquoThat integration chain is growing longer Whereas some 5 to 10 years ago a company started by outsourcing a single service ndash say for cleaning only ndash wersquove now seen the bundling of services for integrated FM as that has become more and more important Property is now also becoming more and more part of the FM portfolio because is running real estate part of the core business No it isnrsquot So we are seeing a determined move towards fuller integration of the supply chain At the end of the day FM is keeping the business running smoothly It has great impact on the business how it operates and the ability of the business to grow in the future

ldquoMoving on from the very beginning with the outsourcing of a single service we believe that we are moving into the fourth or fifth generation of outsourcing We have people that want to invest in buildings develop the workplace strategy and we will be there if you want to dispose of that build-ing at any pointrdquo

He says that integration is the name of the game in every possible way There canrsquot be any pockets of isolation anymore Full integration in all facets of FM and property management is the priority

ldquoOur enterprise data to move into inte-grated information is going to be of the utmost importance going forward Our decisions should not be based on gut feel or hearsay ndash it should be based on hard numbers In most cases we do have the

numbers but the biggest problem is how to get the information out of the numbers Yoursquoll need to partner with the correct suppler and find a platform that can connect and decode data sourcesrdquo

Here are a couple of questions that can help you work out at what stage your com-pany is atbull Is there a clear vision guiding global and

regional CREFMbull Is your organisation right-sized and shaped

to support your companybull Can the CRM staff engage strategicallybull Do you have workplace strategies that fit

the businessbull How flexible are your portfolio and organisa-

tion when it comes to dealing with changebull How efficient are your processes and can

you achieve speed to marketbull Is your service provider strategy supporting

your objectivesbull Do you have the right balance of centralisa-

tion versus localisationbull Are you leveraging a robust data and tech-

nology set to make good decisions n

Martijn Drost is an FM Operations Director for CBRE the global leader in real estate and invest-mentHe has been active in the FM and Real Estate industry for the past 15 years as a managerdirector He holds university degrees in both marketing and economics and shares his passion and views on the FM industry at many speaking engagementsHe is currently living in the Netherlands but has worked across many continents for a number of the worldrsquos largest companies such as BP Intel France Telecom (Orange) and Johnson ControlsHe lived and worked in Johannesburg for five years prior to returning to Europe

July 2015 FM 14

lsquoPEOPLE FIRST BUILDINGS SECONDrsquo

The people theme continues with Peter Townsendrsquos talk on Sustainability ndash putting people first and buildings secondTownsendrsquos premise is that sustain-

ability is not about the beautiful new buildings ndash itrsquos about the people that work within them

Townsend quotes Henry Ford ldquoYou can take my factories burn my buildings but give me my people and Irsquoll build the business back againrdquo

ldquoWersquove forgotten that these wonderful new buildings are there just to support the work-ers This might sound simplistic and perhaps it is but I think itrsquos a message that needs to be reinforced constantly FMs are not the only people that tend to forget this Itrsquos the archi-tects developers designers ndash in fact everyone in property developmentrdquo

He says that with traditional ways of work-ing yoursquore only going to get 40 occupancy in a traditional building meaning that therersquos a massive inefficient use of space

ldquoNow wersquore redefining the way we work and looking at the best way to design offices We need to stop looking for people who should lsquobe at work at their desk from 9 to 5rsquo and start looking at output Work follows the worker and he or she can be working from anywhere and at any time The more forward-thinking com-panies are starting to understand this Do we need monoliths of inefficiency when we can do the work from coffee shops from home from a clientrsquos space

ldquoWe still need the buildings because they are providing us with fantastic resources I donrsquot think anyone including me is implying that we should start abolishing office blocks but rather they should form part of the new flexible ways of working and the way that we value our workers ndash increasing wellbeing while enhancing productivity

ldquoItrsquos known as activity based working (ABW) which has been in operation in Europe for some time and only 3 of new buildings in the UK are not adopting the new way of working

So this really is a phenomenal trend You are going to vastly reduce the amount of space you need If the building can enable people to move freely around the office space and they are encouraged to do so it will really have remarkable benefits to increasing wellbeingrdquo

He says that research has shown that only 9 of South African employees are engaged at work

ldquoThis is a shocking statistic Engaged companies are achieving 54 which means people are satisfied and staff retention will be high Companies here need to address the fact that employees tend to leave companies after two years You canrsquot build brand aware-ness and entrench adoption with this trend

ldquoCompanies have to start looking at satis-faction and how to have it as a powerful and motivating work ethic They have to look at physical features work activities facilities and services ndash and importantly these can provide lsquoquick fixesrsquo Do you know that what is still the most important motivator whatrsquos right up at the top of the graph What coffee and tea is providedrdquo (Ed I know of a company whose coffee is meant to be the best in town and this is one big attraction for future staff members It has a coffee bar that is open all day)rdquoNaturally other features such as air quality temperature control natural light quiet rooms and get-together areas are also vital

ldquoIf you do all this what does it do to an organisation Firstly yoursquore going to reduce your square metres reduce sick days reduce stress and you will increase productivity staff satisfaction wellness engagement staff retention Seeing as surveys note that one of the most favourite places at home to work is the lounge and with a big plus for the couch why are we not filling offices with couches

ldquoThe buildings are not going to do the work People do and thatrsquos why it is para-mount to provide the right environment and resources for staff If you want growth and retention this is the only way to gordquo n

Managing Director of Know More Peter Townshend has a long history in research and consulting behaviour change and environmental reporting He currently also heads up a publishing house and environmental consultancy Ethical Living At Ethical Living Townshend has researched published and offered consultancy around the ethical nature of consumer products available in South Africa and through his work here he made the connection between sustainable offices and productivity and the effect of workspaces on office moral satis-faction engagement and profitability To this end Townshend dived deeply into workspace theory and is now in a position to establish Know More as an expert in this field in South AfricaTownshend has also helped develop a curriculum on journalism and media studies for the University of Pretoria and has lectured and spoken publically on a range of topics from business ethics to English literature environmental awareness sustainability and workspace theory

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

BLEAK PICTURE OF FM SCENARIO

Dr Samuel Azasu holds a PhD in Real Estate Management as well as Licentiate and MSc degrees in Real Estate Management from the Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm He also holds a BA in Economics with Statistics from the University of GhanaHe has worked as Program Coordinator and Director of Teaching and Learning in Real Estate Management at the Royal Institute of Technology In addition he was responsible for planning and managing the provision of executive training in real estate in collaboration with the Dubai Real Estate Institute in Dubai He is currently in charge of reorganising the real estate programs in Wits University

Dr Samuel Azasu spoke on survey results of Reward Management A survey of the South African FM SectorPeople yet again play a vital role

in this surveyldquoGood people are hard to come by and

retainrdquo he says ldquoThis is all happening in a context of a new generation of employees who are more loyal to their own career paths and are no longer stigmatised by the fre-quency of which jobs are changed

ldquoHow do South African FM companies reward their employees We used an online questionnaire to establish this and other questions The feedback wasnrsquot as good as wersquod hoped but as awareness of the survey grows we hope the next one will provide more respondents Still with the percentage we received we were still able to get a picture of whatrsquos going on

ldquoThe focus was not only on salary but also non-financial rewards We asked employees themselves on what they thought about remuneration in the FM sectorrdquo

What were the first impressionsldquoFirst of all I was shocked by the mere

length and breadth of job titles in the FM sector Once I had wrapped my head around this I took a look at salaries In comparison to some of the industries I know I found very low salaries in this area Bonuses have become the variable component of pay but what really surprised me was the fact that annual bonuses were at the discretion of managers which can be a dangerous way of doing things

ldquoThere were plenty of training courses but not much evidence that all this training translates into better performance We asked people what could be done better in terms of rewards ndash and there were some very angry responses about remuneration People are dissatisfied Too many are unhappy with pay on a number of different dimensionsrdquo

The majority of the respondents to the

questionnaire live in Gauteng and Dr Azasu found that many had been doing their jobs for more than 10 years As far as level of educa-tion is concerned very few had post-bachelor degrees

ldquoSpeaking of salaries itrsquos a fact that obviously money attracts people ndash but what holds staff retention typically is found in the non-financial arena When bonuses are based at the discretion of someone it blurs the line of sight The connection on what people do and what they are rewarded undermines confidence breeds cynicism Non-financials including sick pay loans insurance company cars and vaca-tions are more effective retention tools Benefits at work become very important in places where the state does not provide strong safety nets These benefits include pension RAs medical aid childcare allowance bursaries loans (per-sonal and housing) and study loansrdquo

He says what training is available varies from company to company

ldquoCompanies require employees to contribute 50 of the training costs In many compan-ies there is no goal setting and conditions for proper training does not exist In many instan-ces ldquooutsiderdquo training merely becomes time away from the office the person comes back with no noticeable difference in performance

ldquoHow can companies improve the bene-fit system Some say simple measures like allowing partners to attend year-end func-tions even if the employee needs to pay for it allowing time off for doctor dentist and optometrist visits Basic stuff but very import-ant

ldquoTop people lack leadership and employees are incapacitated There is low morale among employees Policies and procedures are not being reviewed timeously

ldquoThe meaning of pay to the individual employee provides clues to how he or she feels their achievement on the job is being met and how much is being contributed to the organi-sationrsquos goals and how powerful you are within the organisation

ldquoHow knowledgeable are people about their pay systems We found many did not know how the pay system actually works and they donrsquot know how when or if they will qualify for a raise Quite a lot of people are unhappy about their pay even if they are knowledgeable about the pay systemrdquo

Dr Azasu says many only have diplomas therefore it is not surprising that salaries are low yet many are proficient or more in their roles People are unhappy that so much discre-tion is left in the hands of the ldquobossrdquo

ldquoThis is an unfair system and needs to change along with the global picture of the FM working environment Maybe our next ques-tionnaire will provide us with a far broader and more positive picture of the FM scenariordquo n

July 2015 FM 15

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

July 2015 FM 16

FOLLOWING THE FIRE TRACKER TRIUMPHS

Trackerrsquos fire earlier this year which razed the company premises to the ground is a good lesson for all in how to go about managing a disas-ter correctly

In his talk entitled What to do in case of dis-aster a case study Michael du Preez Marketing Director of Tracker Connect says there is probably one significant event that made all the difference to the recovery effort

ldquoThe story of recovery is a simple one but donrsquot be misledrdquo says Du Preez ldquoBehind many simple stories there is lots of hard work and planning organisation and money The reality is that at one of the board meetings six months before the fire after the change of leadership at Tracker the new CEO announced that we did not have a disaster recovery plan The green light for that was given shortly after and the plan out in place ndash which was very auspicious con-sidering what lay ahead

ldquoOn January 17 a Saturday I got a call around 2am to tell me that Tracker was on fire I got there in double time along with the other directors and our chairman and watched in horror as the fire consumed everything in its path It was a significant fire and the devastation was terrifying The building had literally burned down The sad thing is that what the fire doesnrsquot destroy the firefighters will Obviously nothing you can do about that ndash except watch and weep

ldquoThe reality was that the fire was so strong that we couldnrsquot get into the building to retrieve anything The records were all destroyedrdquo

Trackerrsquos phoenix had risen though and the first recovery of a stolen vehicle was at 5am

ldquoOur disaster and recovery plan was in place to ensure that we could deliver the core promise of what our business does and make sure there was continuity Back-up records are essential

ldquoWe had our first disaster meeting at 7am had a discussion about what we were going to tell the media and then started a process which was basically organising a whole string of disaster recovery meetings on the hour through-

out the weekend On Monday morning we deployed all our staff to a new site with 90 business capability so in essence they walked into a new building as if nothing had hap-penedrdquo

Du Preez says that there a couple of things that made this possible The first thing is a plan ndashldquoand if you donrsquot have one yoursquod better get one without delayrdquo Roles and duties must be allocated to specific people Update emergency information and take careful note of that so that the plan can be implemented

ldquoThe next thing you need is a practical disaster recovery site We were lucky in that we stumbled across the correct site which was close to the building that burned down We have a very people-intensive business so we have many call centres We have about 900 people on site and these people rely on public transport to get to work so the first thing we had to consider about the disaster recovery site is to ensure staff can get there Itrsquos a logistical nightmare to expect people to go a further 30km further than what theyrsquore used to

ldquoThe other issue is your technology Trackerrsquos business is very tech-dependent to ensure a quick response system Control measures need to hit our centres immediately so we can take some action at that time processing around 20 million messages a day These come from cars telling us how fast they are driving where they are driving and what events need to be considered The real-ity is that we are protecting peoplersquos assets protecting fixed assets protecting fixed cargo and protecting peoplersquos lives with push-button assistance We needed then to make sure that the disaster recovery plan could have that system up and running immediatelyrdquo

When the decision about the site was made a number of factors had to be taken into account

ldquoWe had to think about the power grid in the area and would outages affect our

telephonic infrastructure would it impact the data infrastructure The only practical site was really the one next to our building which answered all these questions positively So we had been paying every month for this empty space ndash and that essentially was our saving grace

ldquoThe next thing to do is plan how you are going to interact with the customers and implement that part of your plan You need to empower your team to get on with the job and you have to trust them enough to be able to do that You have to have an immediate meeting to spell out the priorities so that everyone is on the same page and everything is in place to get up and running as soon as possiblerdquo

He says that although no-one told the mar-keting manager to make radio ads for Monday morning they were done and ready to flight

ldquoShe knew that we would have to be speak-ing to all our customers partners and so on and the best way to do that was above-the-line marketing The ads proved very effective and kept everyone in the loop as to what was hap-pening

ldquoThe most important thing was just to tell the truth and tell everyone what progress was being made The ads conveyed these messa-ges very well and spread immediate confidence

ldquoShow that yoursquore in control get people as productive as possible and build team spirit I think that crisis has the ability to bring people together which is exactly what happened at Tracker On the Monday and Tuesday we met with our key stakeholders and informed them how we have been affected how our customers have been affected and then throughout the week we continued to provide regular updates as to how the recovery process was progressingrdquo

When staff arrived at work on Monday mor-ning all the work stations had been numbered and all the systems were up and running We briefed them on what to tell customers and allocated them a seat and a phone Depending on what department they would be working in

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

Michael Du Preez is the Marketing Executive and Head of International Business and Strategy for Tracker He is responsible for business product brand and strategy development ndash a position he has held for the past four years Prior to his career with Tracker he was one of the founders and Managing Director of MobileData ndash a vehicle Telematics solutions company acquired by Tracker in 2007 It is this technology that continues to create value and open up new channels of busi-ness for Tracker today For many years he was a loyal member of WesBankrsquos management team serving most recently as Head of Research and Development Michael holds a senior qualification in Business Management from HenleyHis colleagues describe him as an open-minded and creative free-thinker always looking to bring innovation and strategic value to the world of vehicle Telematics His work helped pioneer Insurance Telematics in South Africa and more recently assisted in the breakthrough creation of TomTomrsquos first HD Traffic service in AfricaHe sees his future influence in the area of how technology will enable sustainable mobility models in a world challenged for resources Or simply put ensuring our future ldquofreedom to driverdquo

the staff members were all given T-shirts in dif-ferent colours for different centres They were given coffee mugs pens paper and created a bit of a carnival atmosphere and had coffee and doughnuts in reception It may have been a different site but it was business as usual

ldquoOne very important factor is that you need good supplier relationships who can play a major role in getting you back on your feetrdquo

Which is what Tracker did very effectively People hardly remember the fire because the continuity was immediate

You know how to get the phoenix to fly Give Tracker a ring n

Refense Phuso spoke on Valpreacute Spring Waterrsquos bottling plant She is plant manager of the oper-ation and naturally is proud of the fact that it was awarded the

US green honour (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ndash LEED) of Gold status in 2011

ldquoWhat LEED looks at is how you design your facility and you have to comply with many criteria such as site planning indoor environ-ment water planning energy management and material usedrdquo says Phuso ldquoWe have to use water efficiently and ensure the business is sustainable looking after the environment We are audited every year to ensure that we are still complying with LEED criteriardquo

As far as energy needs go the building runs on solar energy with the PV plant sup-plying 40KW of energy leaving the plant grid independent

ldquoOur water that we bottle has to have a cer-tain profile and we found that in Heidelberg Itrsquos over 200km from our offices but it is good news for the movement of product to Gauteng and beyond The factory has been designed to ensure minimal impact on the environment The roof has been designed to capture sunlight all day and with all the glass used in the factory there is abundant natural light streaming in

ldquoOne of our coups in energy-saving is the Air Wizard which reduces energy when run-ning a compressor The device is inside the compressor It captures the left-over energy from the compressor and takes it back in Aside from this therersquos energy-saving features

such as double-glazed windows so the reli-ance on air-conditioning is reduced The fac-tory is glass-wrapped so therersquos natural light in abundance We also have a 95 recycling effort Whatever we use in the factory we recycle We do the separation of material our-selves and Enviroserv will send different types of trucks for the various waste typesrdquo

She says that after the office block was accredited the factory went through the same process in 2013 Both are accredited to ISO 50 000 and the first plant in South Africa to be awarded this honour

ldquoValpre works continuously to improve energy performance to keep up with stan-dards in ISO 50 000 and the requirements of LEED We have to continually challenge our-selves to find new ways of reducing energy We meet on a monthly basis to discuss how well we are meeting our goals

ldquoWe also have energy meters in machines that we know use a lot of energy to keep track of what is happening there and if there are spikes on those machines it gives us the opportunity to investigate why Any anomalies must be reported and this can also highlight incorrect operator behaviour

ldquoWe have also changed from using boxes for product to trays that are plas-tic-wrapped ndash this is also an energy-saving move and in our view really enhances the product presentationrdquo n

A PLANT WITH GREAT ENERGY POWER

July 2015 FM 17

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

Refense Phuso plant manager

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 18

SLArsquos

WHOrsquoS KIDDING WHO

SLArsquos

July 2015 FM 19

Richard Jeffreys

Having just waded through 250 pages of our latest Tender I must make reference to the Fantasy section noted as SLAs In order to compete

with others I need to guarantee my catering engineers can attend anywhere in the coun-try in under 2 hours and complete resolves in under 24 hours

The standard of facts given on appli-ances service history access condition and status is poor to non-existent but the con-tract conditions are punitive and binding In essence if I have engineers standing around waiting for the next call and I am prepared to deliver at the cheapest cost guarantee parts for an appliance for which I have no data I am in the running If I tell the truth and base costs on worst case scenario due to lack of asset information I am out of the frame

Denise Booth-AlexanderThis is a national contract so presumably they are looking for someone to respond nationally but not necessarily with in-house engineers Is a consortium bid an option where you can join with others who have engineers in local areas to fulfil the 2 hour requirement Alternatively can you sub There are ways of tendering for this if the resolve is a first fix or attendance with a work around or temp solution but I agree not if it is a final fix Catering maintenance is notoriously hard as no- one really wants to carry additional expensive kit in their kitchen Suppliers of products make life very difficult with regard to spares if they themselves also offer a maintenance service We experience long delays wrong diagnoses quotes to repair that make it financially unviable to do so but no innovative thinking such as this is the fix costs and this is the replacement deal etc As customers it is extremely frus-trating but I accept that asking a company to work on a huge variety of makes and models and kit doesnt sit happily with a quick and responsive service if there is no specialityhellip every make within that business and parts are held onto by suppliers I know that a catering maintenance supplier that can

A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its internal or external customers that documents what services the provider will furnish

provide a great service and offers alternative solutions is something that we would all like as customers Perhaps the answer is some sort of industry group which includes sup-pliers to talk it out and come up with a truly customer-oriented service package

I suspect this is a pipe dream much like the closed shop that is Lift maintenance One solution for this particular tender would be to offer to produce an Assetlifecycle register as part of the bid to fully evaluate all the kit and give timescales for replace-ment including possible energy savings to provide some payback etc If you can offer something extra and point out why you can-not provide a proper and cost defined bid in the first instance but set out clearly why and what you could do to turn this around I would certainly be delighted to look at your proposals if I were the customer

Neil EarnshawRichard I concur with the views of others you will be better thought of by pulling out of the process and explaining to the client why It may be that another company out there can deliver what they need its just not your company this time It also may be that other bidders do the same thing in which case the client needs to review their procurement strategy

Im managing a tender process for a FM contract at the moment We had one bidder raise an issue and ask for a change which we respectfully refused since then two other bidders have raised the same issue so were now reconsidering our position Were doing this on the basis that the market is now tell-ing us this contract is too risky as opposed to a single bidder not having the appetite

Richard JeffryesThanks guys for all the replies and yes my gut feeling is not to compete and leave us open to penalties However the issues raised are common I feel that many tenders are have a big element of cut and paste one size fits all As noted by Denise our trade is eclectic a real mix of standards and manu-facturers if a contract is going to work it needs the attention of someone who has complete knowledge of the realities and their

ldquoIn essence if I have engineers

standing around waiting for the

next call and I am prepared

to deliver at the cheapest cost

guarantee parts for an

appliance for which I have

no data I am in the running

If I tell the truth and base costs

on worst case scenario due to

lack of asset information

I am out of the frame

Continuing our series based on posts from the

British Institute of Facility Management (BIFM)

LinkedIn sites South African FMs will find much to

identify with and are encouraged to participate in local exchanges ndash

write via LinkedIn to terryfmexpoorg or tweet tex_owen

July 2015 FM 20

issues I would like to think that I as an individual with 35 years within commercial kitchen would be listened too however many tenders especially the electronic auction style offer little scope for the personal touch which is our USP I know the environment the trade and the equipment My approach is to be realistic tell the truth dont promise the undeliverable and submit a viable cost structure I am yet though to be convinced there is scope for this in the world of group tenders

Neil EarnshawRichard keep the faith keep doing the right thing and work with your industry to help it improve

What I see is a disconnect in FM between contractors and clients This disconnect is the contract and selection of an appropriate strategy that drives the right behaviours On a personal level Im doing my bit to help improve things but Im just a lone voice more people from all sides of the FM indus-try need to recognise the problem and the opportunity to improve then well get some real change for the better

Craig ShepheardYou will normally have a mobilisation per-iod where you can get to inspect all of the equipment in order to set up your own asset list I suggest that you use this data to inform the client of any items of equipment that are obsolete or where parts would be difficult to supply The condition report could be used to say whether items that are in poor shape require monies spent on them to get them to a state where they can be maintained If the client refuses to spend that highlighted amount then those individual items do not correspond to the 2-hour SLA and are there-fore exempt from the contract

You base your contract fee on the under-standing that all items on their asset list are currently being maintained and that they are in a reasonable state of order

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSEA reasonable point Craig except like com-missioning and handover the mobilisation period can get eaten away by slippages on other elements For one major mobilisation the 8 months period for seamless transfer was cut to 3 weeks There are risks with the approach suggested

Neil Earnshaw Im with you on that Rob there are risks However from a contractors view point it does mitigate the risk of poor quality asset

data provided by the client at tender stage Are you allowed to caveat your tender submis-sion Even so I think the risk you face is an early disagreement with the client they think theyve passed a risk to you but in actual fact you passed it back to them with your caveat I absolutely would not sign the contract as is and attempt to wriggle out of your obligations post contract Craigs solution sounds sens-ible right up to the point of saying to the client spend or be damned Thats where the dis-agreement will come

Are they aware their data is poor quality or are they just saying price the risk Have they given you the impression that theyd listen to your concerns and maybe consider other more cost-effective solutions

Also what are you being asked to price for Using a simple example you know there is a cooker and extractor in a kitchen (and you know the location of the kitchen) what you dont know is age condition service history make amp model of the cooker or extractor Are you being asked to give them a lump sum fixed price to maintain these items for a num-ber of years with everything apart from end of life replacement to be included in your price

Alan TaylorI would question why a tender document for catering needs to be 250 pages long Sounds like itrsquos been prepared by a purchasing depart-ment that has no realistic awareness of day-to-day operational requirements and is missing some fundamental issues (no change there then)

So if a fat fryer breaks down when the first load is due to go in for a lunch time service a

ldquoWhat I see is a disconnect

in FM between contractors

and clients This disconnect is

the contract and selection of an

appropriate strategy that drives

the right behaviours

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 22

2 hour response will not get that item back and fully operational for the same day lunch time trade as it will be over It will be up to the chef to improvise with the menu and manage the change

A next day fix or 12 hour turnaround would be a better solution but if a restaurant canrsquot improvise and change its menu if one item of plant goes down you need to change the chef and the caterer It wonrsquot hurt the staff to go without chips for a day

Dave ThomasAlso with you Rob have been the recipient of one of those immediate seamless transfers - where the original team were eager to get themselves in another project and have no responsibility for what was a flawed mobilisa-tion

In the same mobilisation period I found that the Asset List I had sweated over was ignored and another fairy tale was imposed missing out over half of my list so inad-equate time allocatedcosted to MampE Also found that the engineers provided were more interested in looking for more lucrative work rather than just doing maintenance

Seems some clients want the contractor to come up with a proper Asset List for them included in the contract ignoring any information regarding past breakdowns on equipment which may lead to a query on the true condition and life hoping a new contract will magically lead to new equipment

Richard JeffryesAlan sounds like you speak from experience your bang on

Neil you make a lot of sense if only clients thought like you Yes we are being asked to price the Risk however an underlying objective of tender winner is to be the most competitive

In respect of the approach we know itrsquos an oven we know where it is we know it is business critical sounds simple but with-out the specific data this is a real lottery Commercial ovens range in value from pound1 000 to pound40 000 we may be able to make an educated guess at what the appliance is but big tenders request parts and labour-in-clusive programmes replacement parts such as a PCB on a Combination Oven can cost pound1 000 to replace so knowing the depth of the liability is essential My belief is if a site has been responsibly maintained a full and updated asset list with condition and service dates should be available If not what has the incumbent been doing and how do we know it was done This information is surely a pre-requisite when contracts are drawing

to conclusion and a renewal is due Is it com-mon practice for this data to be withheld or are companies just poor at maintaining service data

Neil EarnshawRichard I usually work client-side developing the procurement contract strategy and man-aging the tender process

My main observation of FM clients over the years is that they dont think about commer-cial risk just operational They generally dont seem to understand that where theres a risk theres a cost Therefore you end up with very risky contracts being put together and create the environment for protracted commercial negotiations during the life of the contract

Another observation has been that FM contractors do collect and maintain asset data but when it comes to re-tender the data cant be accessed by the client This is sometimes down to the contract not being clear on this but often its also due to many years of mis-management of the contract

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSENeilFor some time it has been my view that the client should own the asset data and condition assessment which it should disclose to the tenderers Similarly the maintenance records and all of these should ideally be in the client-owned CAFM

ldquoMy belief is if a site has

been maintained a full

and updated asset list with

condition and service dates

should be available If not

what has the incumbent been

doing and how do we know it

was done

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 23

When the onus is put on the success-ful bid winner to collect all the asset data confusion can reign with a completely new set of asset numbers and description and of course items can be missed Most FM managers will have come across outgoing contractors where people probably at very junior level ditch all the statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique

Gordon EasingwoodRegards client CAFMs they are generally poor non-existent or compiled by previous contractors with differing motives (ie avoid-ing financial penaltiesfailing SLAs) Same with maintenance records previous contract-ors are again likely to have differing motives as to how these were compiled based on previous SLAs I work on a local contract with very similar limitations though in different areas and trust me itrsquos extremely difficult to meet this level of commitment Ultimately if they can call you out for pound50 (or less) but can impose a SLA penalty of pound200 where is the sense in it And Im talking a 30 mile max-imum radius from a central point 2 hours responses have been missed simply due to travel delayspoor communication Even when these can be resolved in our favour the amount of adminmanagement time all has an associated cost

To put it another way there simply is not enough properly trained and experienced commercial catering equipment engineers in the country to meet such demands I know I am one and I wouldnt go near the industry again in a hurry as I guess you know from experience Add in the level of commitment (more rightly non-commitment) from some manufacturers and itrsquos an absolute night-mare Also bear in mind European rules only require parts to be available 5 years after a product is no longer manufactured Oh and if you have imports or specials just forget it I was involved with work with a well-known Indian type food chain who had special ovens that met no British or European stan-dard and had to be condemned for simply that reason This was despite a CAFM type list being presented stating all maintenance was done to (non-existent) manufacturersrsquo instructions When checked they had created models and serials numbers for the units

Lastly I would investigate what the client can put through as a 2 hour response and if you can object and on what grounds I currently have a client who does so when in 2 hours the building will be fully vacated and emptyequipment wonrsquot be used for 72 hours etc yet we still have to make attend-ance to meet SLAs Its this kind of thing

that give clients a bad nameSadly without proper input from the

client it sounds like this contract would be a financial liability and I would steer clear With proper and decent input it may be possible I would present the proposal of correct and proper information requirements to the client and try build from there If they run with what would be a non-starter you have to walk away itrsquos likely any contract wonrsquot be upheld for long from either side

Rob Farman regards people ditching statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique I have found this is generally from a quite senior level Simply either because a) itrsquos never been kept up to or b) they dont want this information to go to competitors or c) adequate provision has never been made to collate the information in the first place Things are improving in this area as FM managers take things in hand and computer records are better maintained

Peter CarrHaving worked with Rob Farnam I would completely agree I have spent the last five years client side helping to develop CAFM systems and to make sure they are 100 as accurate as the world I work in (now) Investor FM (totally different to Corporate FM) I have worked with a non-licenced sys-tem called Elogbooks for these five years purely because of these issues Tendering is difficult enough without non-existent asset data and performance understanding Good luck

David A ParryLets push for KISS based contracts Then have the inferred SLA KPIs amp effectiveness measurement compared to the actual true bottom line savings to the client and service provider in their partnering endeavours The unit of measurement could be the unem-ployed bean counters Or do they move on to another position in or outside their companies so no real accountability that this measurement in this way would show on this radar screen

Apologies for the frivolous comments but I honestly believe the real value for money is far simpler but has to be based on appro-priate measures and values for the specific situation and is industries dependent The dichotomy of this statement is it adds to complexity because truly experienced and technical trained actuary analysts are required to produce the targets numbers and not the clip board amp wet finger in the air brigade Clients need to bring in-house specialised professional knowledge to the

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 4

Investment holding company Kagiso Tiso Holdings (ldquoKTHrdquo) has announced the success-ful acquisition of a 51

shareholding in the Servest Group (ldquoServestrdquo) to form the largest majority black-owned facilities management company in Africa in a trans-action valuing the group at approximately R45-billion The Servest investment offers a compelling propos-ition consistent with KTHrsquos strategy as the business has significant presence in South Africa United Kingdom and the rest of Africa with multi-currency earnings Servest provides integrated facilities management solu-tions to more than 6 500 cli-ents on 24 000 sites in South Africa with key markets in East West and Southern Africa as well as the United Kingdom Key services include inter-alia cleaning parking catering hygiene office service landscaping to prominent clients such as Transnet Netcare Group

KTH SERVEST IN

Anglo Platinum Debswana Sasol Sainsbury BBC and UKrsquos House of Parliament among othersCommenting on the acquisi-tion Vuyisa Nkonyeni Chief Executive Officer of KTH said ldquoThis transaction demonstrates clear delivery against KTHrsquos strategy of acquiring meaningful or majority stakes in fast grow-ing companies which are sup-ported by strong management teams and have good exposure to African market opportunities In the South African market we will identify investments that will afford us significant influence or control alongside like-minded partnersrdquoThe transaction makes Servest the largest majority black-owned facilities management company in Africa strongly positioning it to expand its footprint across the rest of the continent In the South African context this will give Servest an advantage over other large facilities management com-panies with over 51 black ownership under the new revised BEE codes which came

into effect on May 1 2015 As part of the transaction KTH and Co-Founder Mr Kenton Fine will facilitate equity partici-pation of management as part of a talent management and transformation plan ldquoThis deal means that Servest is now 51 black-owned but it represents so much more than just an empowerment trans-actionrdquo says Kevin Derrick Chief Executive Officer of Servest ldquoThis not only clearly demonstrates our ongoing commitment to transformation and long term sustainability but brings with it significant opportunities for future growth expansion and job creationrdquoKTHrsquos Chief Investment Officer Jacob Hinson said ldquoOur investment strategy seeks to achieve active participation in fewer prominent investments with strong management teams that will drive growth across the continent Servest is a unique investment that meets all our criteria We were therefore able to execute this transaction on pure commercial terms without any external or vendor facili-

tation with an equity cheque of approximately R1-billion We look forward to working with our new partners to create a truly global facilities management business ldquoKTH has been executing its strat-egy of becoming an emerging pan-African investment champion having concluded transactions which involved R51-billion of dis-posals follow on investments and portfolio company restructurings to date R33-billion of new deals since 2011 including a maiden pan-African investment in Fidelity Bank and a landmark minority take-out and delisting of Kagiso Media in 2013 In addition to this transaction KTH expects to con-clude another significant acquisi-tion in West Africa imminentlyServest Co-founder and Group Chairman Kenton Fine said ldquoWe have enjoyed a very successful and long-standing relationship with our existing shareholders RMB Corvest and Shalamuka and are delighted at the prospect of partnering with a professional organisation of the calibre of KTH With similar values entrenched in both organisations we look for-ward to embracing the additional

The panel discussion at the launch Kevin Derrick ndash Chief Executive Officer of Servest Vuyisa Nkonyeni Chief Executive Officer of KTH Jacob Hinson KTH Chief Investment Officer and Kenton Fine Servest co-founder and Group Chairman

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

July 2015 FM 5

experience and knowledge that KTH will bring further underpin-ning our continued ambitious growth strategy into the futureldquoBeyond the commercial rationale both parties see the transaction as an important step in driving further transformation at Servest The company has embarked on an ambitious staff development drive and the establishment of the Management Trust reinforces its commitment to transformation The KTH-Servest acquisition remains subject to regulatory approvals including South African Competition Commission approval

About KTHKTH is one of the largest pan African investment holding com-panies with an investment port-folio comprising of market leading companies across its chosen sec-tors and geographies The group has an asset base in excess of R15-billion a solid track record of investment performance and is managed by a professional and experienced team of African investment professionals KTH is an active long term investment partner and does not have any exit imperatives which allows the group to partner with businesses through investment cycles to cre-ate long term sustainable value

About Servest Servest is a leading provider of facilities management services to over 6 500 clients across more than 24 000 sites throughout Africa and the United Kingdom Founded in 1997 Servestrsquos inte-grated operating model provides extensive operational support infrastructure and international best practice within the public and private sectors for all lsquohardrsquo and lsquosoftrsquo services Each of Servestrsquos business units are both highly experienced specialists and market leaders in their own right Servest employs 45 000 27 000 people in Africa and 18 000 people in the UK Group services consist of facilities management mechanical and electrical servi-ces energy management camp management and catering clean-ing hygiene and pest control landscaping and turf construction and maintenance marine support office support services parking management and security n

Schneider Electric a global specialist in energy management is commercialising its solar powered port-

able LED lamps with mobile phone charger the Mobiya TS 120S in order to offer innovative reliable and affordable products to people living without access to electricityAvailable from Schneider Electric distributors at under R500 (excluding VAT) the Mobiya TS 120S is an energy efficient eco-friendly and robust portable lamp producing 120-lumen light output perfectly suited for demanding rural environments The lamp is equipped with a mobile phone charger that includes a USB port enabling users to charge their mobile phones any time It features three brightness settings providing up to 48 hours of light-ing with one day of solar charge ldquoIdeal for off-grid households small shops street vendors and fishing boats the Mobiya TS 120S offers users safe and sufficient light for comfortable reading and other household and business activities within an un-electrified household or small business environmentrdquo says Zanelle Dalglish head of sustainable development for southern Africa at Schneider Electric The lamp is designed to allow it to be hand carried hooked to the ceiling mounted on the wall placed on the desk fixed on the top of a bottle and carried on a pole This patented design has won Grand Prix Strategies Du Design 2013 and European Design awards

To cater for the proliferation of mobile uptake and technology on the continent the range is equipped with a mobile phone charger that includes a USB port enabling users to charge their mobile phones any time The Mobiya TS 120S superior battery technology ndash Lithium Ferro Phosphate battery ndash delivers high performance for more than three years The micro-controller based charge controller ensures efficient solar charging prevents over charge and deep discharge Smart electronics for battery mon-itoring shows indications for bat-tery charging battery charge level remaining and recharging when drainedldquoThrough its global BipBop pro-gramme (business innovation and people at the base of the pyramid) Schneider Electric develops collective solutions for comprehensive rural electrification domestic solutions for energy-re-lated needs and the business models that make these solutions sustainable The Mobiya TS 120S is in particular ideal to take advan-tage of the African sun lessening the burden of daily life in poor and off-grid communities An added plus is that it is affordable eco-friendly and saferdquo says Dalglish

Contact Adeline Maleka to enquire about to enquire about the closest distributor adelinemalekaschneider-electriccom or (+27) 11 254 6400 (ext 6957) n

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

July 2015 FM 6

The massive 131 000msup2 Mall of Africa is sched-uled to open in April 2016 Currently the largest retail develop-

ment being built in a single phase in Africa the expansive retail offering features a distinctive design and an ideal location in the middle of the 173 million square metre mixed-use Waterfall City development in Midrand Gauteng The combination is destined to create a go-to des-tination for both local residents and touristsThe design inspiration for the mall and courts is drawn from the natural and geological beauty of the African continent There will be four courts that depict the different climatic zones on the continent an oleum court depicting the oil rich West Africa a great lakes court depicting East Africa a crystal court depicting the mineral wealth in South Africa and a sand court depicting the desert area of North AfricaldquoThe mallrsquos design also incorporates many unique elements including very high shop fronts wide passages and an undulating roof feature in the centre with specialist animated LED lighting and a large public space with restaurants known as the Town Square The gross leasable area will be 131 000msup2 and 261 tenants will be setting up shop in this new luxury developmentrdquo says architect Tia Kanakakis of MDS Architects the architectural firm for the Mall of Africa

Leading South African property developer and investor Atterbury appointed Aurecon as civil and structural engineers for the iconic development Gerhard Saayman Professional Engineer at Aurecon responsible for managing Aureconrsquos design and construction supervision teams on the project says that the sheer size of the mall is making the Mall of Africa an exceptionally rewarding project to work onldquoThe gross building area is 485 000msup2 which equals 65 rugby pitches The size of the mall that will be occupied by major tenants such as Edgars Woolworths Truworths Checkers Ster Kinekor and Game will equal the size of the entire Middelburg Mallrdquo says SaaymanThe completion of the concrete structure and steel work for the roofs as well as the faccedilades is the projectrsquos next major milestone and is currently on target for com-pletion on programme ldquoThis milestone would enable the interior shop fit outs to proceed putting us another step closer to completionrdquo says SaaymanWhile any large building project will come with its own unique set of challenges the scale of the Mall of Africa means that the project team comprising the professional team and the main contractor had to overcome specific challenges relating to logistics and program-ming of construction sequences

as well as hiring and managing a wide range of subcontractorsA highly unified team was needed to fast-track the con-struction of such a large project Everyonersquos activities and scope from the professional team to the main contractor subcontractors and building services have to be planned and sequenced with precision and attention to detailldquoEverything has to be imple-mented in the correct sequence and with such a large range of activities happening on site this requires dedicated teamwork strict quality control processes and a deep understanding of the timelines and construction sequences of retail develop-mentsrdquo he adds

ldquoMeticulous planning innovative design solutions and ongoing collaboration between all stake-holders has enabled us to keep meeting deadlines and resolving challenges to reach the key milestones of the programme Teamwork between the design professionals and the contract-ors were key to not only meet each deadline but also to design cost consciously at all times and fast track the various stages of constructionrdquo says SaaymanThe main construction period for this massive development is only 32 months This is not only a huge challenge for the main contractor but requires a

massive amount of design and construction documentation to be produced within a very short period of time by the design consultants Six of Aureconrsquos design offices and over 50 engineers tech-nicians and draughters are currently working on this project to ensure designs and quality construction documentation were delivered according to pro-grammeDesigners are committed to continuous value engineering and optimisation throughout the design phase to achieve the most economic design solu-tions For the majority of design requirements various options were tabled in order for the most cost-effective solution to be identified and constructedDedicated involvement from Aureconrsquos four site engineers with the Joint Venture of WBHO and Group 5 ensures construc-tion queries and problems are identified and resolved immedi-ately This relationship between our engineers and the contractor is immensely important and essential to a successful con-struction phase ldquoAurecon is proud to be a part of the project team on such an iconic development here in South Africardquo says Nicol Labuschagne Aureconrsquos Project Director for the Mall of Africa development n

An artistrsquos impression of how the completed mall will look at night

July 2015 FM 7

ISSN 2071-9299 JUNE 2015 FM No 002

I N C O R P O R A T I N G

NEWWhatrsquos Find out at the

FM Expo and Conference

FULL DETAILS INSIDE

FM June Cover 2015indd 1

20150528 101429 AM

Magazine Bulletin Both DigitalSouth Africa R640 R640 R1 155 R640Africa US$175 US$90 US$240 US$90International US$190 US$90 US$255 US$90Please tick

12 +ISSUES

ANNUAL DIRECTORY

24+e-BULLETINS

Facilities Management incorporating Urban

Green File provides cutting-edge information

on the latest issues and procedures regarding

facilities management Our audience is the

facilities-management solution providers and

consultants such as mechanical engineers

electrical engineers architects interior designers

and owneroperators of properties and facilities

business people responsible for fi nancial decisions

about the operation maintenance and expansion

or development of facilities who are interested

in running a profi table and sustainable facility

and keen to learn about new business approaches

and technologies

Ready access to this kind of news is available

through the information platform hosted

by TETrade Events which includes printed

magazines fortnightly email bulletins

as well as an annual business directory Helping you manage better

Todayrsquos decision makers need to stay abreast of the latest industry trends and developments no matter where they are They need the right information at their fi ngertips to ensure the optimal and effi cient use of resources

Email your subscription request to phillipfmexpoorg or Fax to +27 11 781 6079

subsindd 2 20150706 122816 PM

July 2015 FM 8

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

Well-positioned commercial property in outlying areas around South

Africa is proving increasingly attractive to both local and inter-national buyers who continue to find value in sustainable invest-ments says Norman Raad CEO of Broll Auctions and SalesldquoNotably there will always be demand for retail properties where investors in pursuit of yield and income perceive opportun-ities to unlock potentialldquoSuch is the case with our successful sale of the 7530m2 Queenstown Mall in the Eastern Cape which was listed to go on auction but achieved a mar-ket-related price of R62-million prior to our multiple auction held in June (2015)rdquo Raad says with a yield of 10 this is a fair market price from a private investor who has plans

Sustained demand for commercial property

for expansion and is bringing new tenants into the centre Anchored by Pick n Pay and with other tenants including large multi-national groups such as Pep and Standard Bank the local retail centre is very well-positioned in Queenstown on the busy corner of Brewery Lane and the N6The sale of a further 20 000m2 of retail industrial and office space was concluded at the auction These included four lots com-prising a total of over 2300m2 of office space situated in Wynberg in Cape Townrsquos popular Southern Suburbs Napier in the Southern Cape Polokwane in Limpopo and Edenberg in the Free State which were sold by an institu-tional seller Acquired by several private investors these proper-ties achieved a combined price of R9-millionSome of the other properties sold on the auction included

a property consisting of multi-tenanted industrial units in Boksburg ndash which fetched a selling price of R221-million an industrial mini-park in Heriotdale in Johannesburg which sold for R16-million and multi-ten-anted units in Wynberg in Johannesburg which fetched a total price of R924-million A block of ground-floor retail and residential apart-ments above in Norwood in Johannesburg achieved R104-million In Lichtenberg in the North West Province an office building was sold on the auction for R78-million a 4610m2 industrial warehouse in Powerville in Vereeniging was acquired for R65-million while a small retail centre with upstairs office component in Bronkhorstspruit just east of Pretoria and en route to Witbank (eMalahleni) was pur-chased for R61-million

Adds Raad ldquoNot surprisingly particularly in the current eco-nomic climate we have found there is minimal demand for vacant buildings The focus is on sustainable investments where tenants can easily be replaced should they default or depart As a result of lower risk well-positioned properties will always be in demandHe says a trend is seeing listed property funds divest of non-core stock and stock which has been exhausted to its full potential ldquoWhereas they may no longer wish to expend further time nor invest further in these properties the smaller property investor has the energy and vision to turn a fundrsquos rough diamond into a gemrdquoThe positive demand for com-mercial property is borne out by a recent Lightstone report which reveals that transaction activity in the South African commercial

Situated in a busy area of Norwood in Johannesburg this block comprising retail and apartments sold for R104-million through Broll Auctions and Sales

July 2015 FM 9

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

market has increased in recent years The report also highlights the acquisition of properties in non-CBD areasAdds Bradley Stephens MD of Broll Auctions and Sales ldquoWe have also seen investors divest of their smaller commercial property portfolios and invest in the REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) as these offer more liquidity and flexibility with their investments ldquoSimultaneously this has created new opportunities for new players to enter the market The time has never been more opportune for investing in the South African property market as international investors still find huge value in solid bricks and mortar in comparison to other countries The only barrier to entry in the current market is finance and the loan to value conundrumrdquoBroll Auctions and Sales next multiple auc-tion of commercial properties takes place on August 18

087 700 8269 wwwbrollcom n

Queenstown Mall was sold even prior to auction

This commercial property in Main Road in Wynberg in Cape Townrsquos Southern Suburbs sold for R29-million at the recent auction held by Broll Auctions and Sales

Norman Raad CEO of Broll Auctions and Sales

July 2015 FM 10

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

When it comes to flooring needs there are a few significant players in the

South African market but Nouwens Carpets is the oldest local carpet manufacturer owned and run by the same family from the outsetToday this company with its nearly 200 employees is a force to be reckoned with offering global industry leaders some stiff compe-tition in the local market thanks to their solid reputation when it comes to products and service delivery Nouwens is a genuine family business and the only major manufacturer that produces their own spun yarns for the domestic market in South Africa This is not surprising with over 50 years of tradition in carpet craftsmanship Nouwens first opened its doors in Harrismith in the Free State in 1962 when Cornelis Nouwens a carpet craftsman from Tilburg in the Netherlands and his wife started manufacturing carpets in an old garage in the town of Harrismith A

passionate entrepreneur Cornelis instilled the same spirit in his chil-dren Luci and Pieter who took over the running of the business in later years It was clear that a passion for producing top quality products was instilled in Luci Nouwens from a young age setting her to head up the management of this local carpeting empire Throughout the years Nouwens has adapted their practices and processes enabling them to become a vertical carpet mill producing wool and synthetic carpets for the domestic and commercial market Nouwens also extrudes both poly prop and nylon synthetic yarns completing an extremely versatile yarn offering In the current economic climate where many companies are find-ing it difficult to survive it seems the success of this growing family business can be attributed to vari-ous factors According to Oscar Grobler Nouwensrsquo Chairman it is vital to ensure that their solid reputation remains backed up by producing quality products

ldquoConsistency is key when it comes to maintaining our pos-ition in the market We need to make sure that we truly live out the culture of the organisation while remaining relevant when it comes to product offerings and developing new ranges Being

Graffiti Retail Solutions ndash a division of Graffiti ndash has been granted the license for Cr8ive Paint ndash a new

environmentally friendly white board paint that can quickly and easily transform virtually any surface into a high performance dry erase canvas Set to replace easels flip charts and traditional white board screens this cost-effective alternative to the somewhat outdated boards con-ventionally seen in boardrooms is ideal for lecture and class rooms idea creative and strategy walls and meeting rooms Restaurants can even use it to write up menus and specials of the day Graffiti Retail Solutions has mas-tered the technique of applying the paint which comes standard in conveniently packaged units that cover 5m2 A water-based product it is dry to the touch in 24 hours and will be fully cured and

ready to use within five days If correctly applied just one coat is required and using foam paint rollers ensure the smoothest surface possible Like any paint-ing job preparation is key and surfaces should be clean and smooth before painting It can be applied to any sealed surface but a primer should be used before

all applications Lead free itrsquos a non-toxic solution making it even more appealing Suitable for any setting ndash light or dark hot or cold ndash this white board paint is not only available in white and therersquos nothing to stop a creative agency from painting a yellow white board The final finish is glossy and can create a reflec-

tion if a light is shone onto the surfaceOnce the product is fully cured a dry cloth can be used to clean the wall If ink has been on the wall for a long time a wet cloth can be used For cheap and often stubborn to remove markers a whiteboard solution can be used

011 691 8400 wwwGraffiticoza n

vertically integrated also allows us to control the manufacturing process as much as possible ensuring that the final product is of the very best qualityrdquo says Grobler 011 608 4435 wwwnouwenscarpetscoza n

July 2015 FM 12

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

CREFM SURVEY PROVES PEOPLE POWER

Itrsquos all about people

People power is predominant and this is illustrated clearly in a survey that was helmed by Martijn Drost of CBRE in Europe who gave the keynote presenta-

tion at the 2015 SAFMA conferenceThe CREFM survey showed that costs

still naturally play a predominant role but that the focus has shifted from pure cost towards growth with the emphasis being on people more than ever

ldquoGDP is down in South Africa These are uncertain times for many countries The respondents in the survey see the Middle East situation being a catalyst for uncertainty and many see this as the biggest threat for

growthrdquo says Drost ldquoThe scarce availability of talent is also an important factor As far as costs are concerned people are looking for reductions wherever possible and this plays a big role in lease negotiations In South Africa there is far more escalation year on year on property taxes and prices whereas in Europe and the US prop-erty is so widely available that companies have the opportunity to renegotiate price every time that the contract endsrdquo

He says there is a move towards cheaper markets with offshoring and right-shoring playing their hands

ldquoThe most important factor in right-shoring is cost ndash itrsquos essential to know the whole story when you are considering future locations However we

ldquoPeople understandably

donrsquot want to spend hours

commuting just to be seen

to be working in the office ndash

those days are gone Working

smarter is the goal now and

productivity is on the up

July 2015 FM 13

are seeing quite a change in the behaviour of occupiers For instance the UK used to out-source call centres to India but they are now being recalled to the UK due to pressure from customer bases which link to business alignment labour and skillsrdquo

Asia Pacific India and China are seen by far as the most desired locations because of cheap labour good availability of staff and in terms of total occupancy therersquos a motiva-tional cost element to consider

ldquoPeople are seeing South Africa as a growth market and a place to be in the future The availability of talent location and infrastructure are the factors to consider Companies feel that more needs to go into decisions involving the attraction and reten-tion of staffrdquo

Drost says that it is also very clear that workplace strategy is becoming paramount The right route here is not only selecting the building and the location itrsquos situated in but it matters a great deal what happens inside the building ndash and here is the clear link to FM

ldquoThe main pointers are employee attrac-tion and retention How do we make sure we attract the right people and retain them in the business The average time someone stays in a job in South Africa is only two years So looking carefully at this fact while it is import-ant to increase productivity and cost savings improved collaboration is vital Itrsquos all about different ways of working and linking closely to employee satisfaction and therefore retention Find people that you can engage with learn from and collaborate withrdquo

The survey notes that while the indoor environment is very important as well as the workplace itself sustainability strangely appeared low on the agenda

ldquoThe big issue is flexible working (63) We didnrsquot measure this in 2013 but now itrsquos heavily in the red on the radar Flexible work-ing is not necessarily just working from home but working anywhere wherever you are at any time People understandably donrsquot want to spend hours commuting just to be seen to be working in the office ndash those days are gone Working smarter is the goal now and productivity is on the up It doesnrsquot take rocket science to understand whyrdquo

80 said that business integration and alignment with enterprise goals is important

ldquoReal Estate of FM is not separate to the business and canrsquot be seen in that way anymore Decision makers of big companies and organisations throughout the world are seeing Real Estate of FM as a catalyst for future growth of their businesses I see it as part of their total strategic pact which is needed to support corporate growth If the

building does not work and if yoursquore not able to attract the right people by having the cor-rect environment how are you going to grow your company

ldquoAction is needed to achieve these goals Streets ahead on top is data quality and accuracy Companies everywhere are strug-gling with data with different systems and dif-ferent sources They are having a hard time creating information out of the data

ldquoYou have to make the basic elements work ndash organisational structure the govern-ance model that you are working towards the process you use in terms of capital allo-cation planning resourcing and your informa-tion your systems and tools to get the infor-mation from your property into tangible data that actually provides information ndash thatrsquos the goal a must-do You canrsquot do anything with raw data and you need to find a way to turn that data into informationrdquo

Drost says that in examining how FM is going to impact on the business looking at the full life cycle is necessary and what is happening is that companies are moving towards integrated facility management

ldquoThat integration chain is growing longer Whereas some 5 to 10 years ago a company started by outsourcing a single service ndash say for cleaning only ndash wersquove now seen the bundling of services for integrated FM as that has become more and more important Property is now also becoming more and more part of the FM portfolio because is running real estate part of the core business No it isnrsquot So we are seeing a determined move towards fuller integration of the supply chain At the end of the day FM is keeping the business running smoothly It has great impact on the business how it operates and the ability of the business to grow in the future

ldquoMoving on from the very beginning with the outsourcing of a single service we believe that we are moving into the fourth or fifth generation of outsourcing We have people that want to invest in buildings develop the workplace strategy and we will be there if you want to dispose of that build-ing at any pointrdquo

He says that integration is the name of the game in every possible way There canrsquot be any pockets of isolation anymore Full integration in all facets of FM and property management is the priority

ldquoOur enterprise data to move into inte-grated information is going to be of the utmost importance going forward Our decisions should not be based on gut feel or hearsay ndash it should be based on hard numbers In most cases we do have the

numbers but the biggest problem is how to get the information out of the numbers Yoursquoll need to partner with the correct suppler and find a platform that can connect and decode data sourcesrdquo

Here are a couple of questions that can help you work out at what stage your com-pany is atbull Is there a clear vision guiding global and

regional CREFMbull Is your organisation right-sized and shaped

to support your companybull Can the CRM staff engage strategicallybull Do you have workplace strategies that fit

the businessbull How flexible are your portfolio and organisa-

tion when it comes to dealing with changebull How efficient are your processes and can

you achieve speed to marketbull Is your service provider strategy supporting

your objectivesbull Do you have the right balance of centralisa-

tion versus localisationbull Are you leveraging a robust data and tech-

nology set to make good decisions n

Martijn Drost is an FM Operations Director for CBRE the global leader in real estate and invest-mentHe has been active in the FM and Real Estate industry for the past 15 years as a managerdirector He holds university degrees in both marketing and economics and shares his passion and views on the FM industry at many speaking engagementsHe is currently living in the Netherlands but has worked across many continents for a number of the worldrsquos largest companies such as BP Intel France Telecom (Orange) and Johnson ControlsHe lived and worked in Johannesburg for five years prior to returning to Europe

July 2015 FM 14

lsquoPEOPLE FIRST BUILDINGS SECONDrsquo

The people theme continues with Peter Townsendrsquos talk on Sustainability ndash putting people first and buildings secondTownsendrsquos premise is that sustain-

ability is not about the beautiful new buildings ndash itrsquos about the people that work within them

Townsend quotes Henry Ford ldquoYou can take my factories burn my buildings but give me my people and Irsquoll build the business back againrdquo

ldquoWersquove forgotten that these wonderful new buildings are there just to support the work-ers This might sound simplistic and perhaps it is but I think itrsquos a message that needs to be reinforced constantly FMs are not the only people that tend to forget this Itrsquos the archi-tects developers designers ndash in fact everyone in property developmentrdquo

He says that with traditional ways of work-ing yoursquore only going to get 40 occupancy in a traditional building meaning that therersquos a massive inefficient use of space

ldquoNow wersquore redefining the way we work and looking at the best way to design offices We need to stop looking for people who should lsquobe at work at their desk from 9 to 5rsquo and start looking at output Work follows the worker and he or she can be working from anywhere and at any time The more forward-thinking com-panies are starting to understand this Do we need monoliths of inefficiency when we can do the work from coffee shops from home from a clientrsquos space

ldquoWe still need the buildings because they are providing us with fantastic resources I donrsquot think anyone including me is implying that we should start abolishing office blocks but rather they should form part of the new flexible ways of working and the way that we value our workers ndash increasing wellbeing while enhancing productivity

ldquoItrsquos known as activity based working (ABW) which has been in operation in Europe for some time and only 3 of new buildings in the UK are not adopting the new way of working

So this really is a phenomenal trend You are going to vastly reduce the amount of space you need If the building can enable people to move freely around the office space and they are encouraged to do so it will really have remarkable benefits to increasing wellbeingrdquo

He says that research has shown that only 9 of South African employees are engaged at work

ldquoThis is a shocking statistic Engaged companies are achieving 54 which means people are satisfied and staff retention will be high Companies here need to address the fact that employees tend to leave companies after two years You canrsquot build brand aware-ness and entrench adoption with this trend

ldquoCompanies have to start looking at satis-faction and how to have it as a powerful and motivating work ethic They have to look at physical features work activities facilities and services ndash and importantly these can provide lsquoquick fixesrsquo Do you know that what is still the most important motivator whatrsquos right up at the top of the graph What coffee and tea is providedrdquo (Ed I know of a company whose coffee is meant to be the best in town and this is one big attraction for future staff members It has a coffee bar that is open all day)rdquoNaturally other features such as air quality temperature control natural light quiet rooms and get-together areas are also vital

ldquoIf you do all this what does it do to an organisation Firstly yoursquore going to reduce your square metres reduce sick days reduce stress and you will increase productivity staff satisfaction wellness engagement staff retention Seeing as surveys note that one of the most favourite places at home to work is the lounge and with a big plus for the couch why are we not filling offices with couches

ldquoThe buildings are not going to do the work People do and thatrsquos why it is para-mount to provide the right environment and resources for staff If you want growth and retention this is the only way to gordquo n

Managing Director of Know More Peter Townshend has a long history in research and consulting behaviour change and environmental reporting He currently also heads up a publishing house and environmental consultancy Ethical Living At Ethical Living Townshend has researched published and offered consultancy around the ethical nature of consumer products available in South Africa and through his work here he made the connection between sustainable offices and productivity and the effect of workspaces on office moral satis-faction engagement and profitability To this end Townshend dived deeply into workspace theory and is now in a position to establish Know More as an expert in this field in South AfricaTownshend has also helped develop a curriculum on journalism and media studies for the University of Pretoria and has lectured and spoken publically on a range of topics from business ethics to English literature environmental awareness sustainability and workspace theory

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

BLEAK PICTURE OF FM SCENARIO

Dr Samuel Azasu holds a PhD in Real Estate Management as well as Licentiate and MSc degrees in Real Estate Management from the Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm He also holds a BA in Economics with Statistics from the University of GhanaHe has worked as Program Coordinator and Director of Teaching and Learning in Real Estate Management at the Royal Institute of Technology In addition he was responsible for planning and managing the provision of executive training in real estate in collaboration with the Dubai Real Estate Institute in Dubai He is currently in charge of reorganising the real estate programs in Wits University

Dr Samuel Azasu spoke on survey results of Reward Management A survey of the South African FM SectorPeople yet again play a vital role

in this surveyldquoGood people are hard to come by and

retainrdquo he says ldquoThis is all happening in a context of a new generation of employees who are more loyal to their own career paths and are no longer stigmatised by the fre-quency of which jobs are changed

ldquoHow do South African FM companies reward their employees We used an online questionnaire to establish this and other questions The feedback wasnrsquot as good as wersquod hoped but as awareness of the survey grows we hope the next one will provide more respondents Still with the percentage we received we were still able to get a picture of whatrsquos going on

ldquoThe focus was not only on salary but also non-financial rewards We asked employees themselves on what they thought about remuneration in the FM sectorrdquo

What were the first impressionsldquoFirst of all I was shocked by the mere

length and breadth of job titles in the FM sector Once I had wrapped my head around this I took a look at salaries In comparison to some of the industries I know I found very low salaries in this area Bonuses have become the variable component of pay but what really surprised me was the fact that annual bonuses were at the discretion of managers which can be a dangerous way of doing things

ldquoThere were plenty of training courses but not much evidence that all this training translates into better performance We asked people what could be done better in terms of rewards ndash and there were some very angry responses about remuneration People are dissatisfied Too many are unhappy with pay on a number of different dimensionsrdquo

The majority of the respondents to the

questionnaire live in Gauteng and Dr Azasu found that many had been doing their jobs for more than 10 years As far as level of educa-tion is concerned very few had post-bachelor degrees

ldquoSpeaking of salaries itrsquos a fact that obviously money attracts people ndash but what holds staff retention typically is found in the non-financial arena When bonuses are based at the discretion of someone it blurs the line of sight The connection on what people do and what they are rewarded undermines confidence breeds cynicism Non-financials including sick pay loans insurance company cars and vaca-tions are more effective retention tools Benefits at work become very important in places where the state does not provide strong safety nets These benefits include pension RAs medical aid childcare allowance bursaries loans (per-sonal and housing) and study loansrdquo

He says what training is available varies from company to company

ldquoCompanies require employees to contribute 50 of the training costs In many compan-ies there is no goal setting and conditions for proper training does not exist In many instan-ces ldquooutsiderdquo training merely becomes time away from the office the person comes back with no noticeable difference in performance

ldquoHow can companies improve the bene-fit system Some say simple measures like allowing partners to attend year-end func-tions even if the employee needs to pay for it allowing time off for doctor dentist and optometrist visits Basic stuff but very import-ant

ldquoTop people lack leadership and employees are incapacitated There is low morale among employees Policies and procedures are not being reviewed timeously

ldquoThe meaning of pay to the individual employee provides clues to how he or she feels their achievement on the job is being met and how much is being contributed to the organi-sationrsquos goals and how powerful you are within the organisation

ldquoHow knowledgeable are people about their pay systems We found many did not know how the pay system actually works and they donrsquot know how when or if they will qualify for a raise Quite a lot of people are unhappy about their pay even if they are knowledgeable about the pay systemrdquo

Dr Azasu says many only have diplomas therefore it is not surprising that salaries are low yet many are proficient or more in their roles People are unhappy that so much discre-tion is left in the hands of the ldquobossrdquo

ldquoThis is an unfair system and needs to change along with the global picture of the FM working environment Maybe our next ques-tionnaire will provide us with a far broader and more positive picture of the FM scenariordquo n

July 2015 FM 15

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

July 2015 FM 16

FOLLOWING THE FIRE TRACKER TRIUMPHS

Trackerrsquos fire earlier this year which razed the company premises to the ground is a good lesson for all in how to go about managing a disas-ter correctly

In his talk entitled What to do in case of dis-aster a case study Michael du Preez Marketing Director of Tracker Connect says there is probably one significant event that made all the difference to the recovery effort

ldquoThe story of recovery is a simple one but donrsquot be misledrdquo says Du Preez ldquoBehind many simple stories there is lots of hard work and planning organisation and money The reality is that at one of the board meetings six months before the fire after the change of leadership at Tracker the new CEO announced that we did not have a disaster recovery plan The green light for that was given shortly after and the plan out in place ndash which was very auspicious con-sidering what lay ahead

ldquoOn January 17 a Saturday I got a call around 2am to tell me that Tracker was on fire I got there in double time along with the other directors and our chairman and watched in horror as the fire consumed everything in its path It was a significant fire and the devastation was terrifying The building had literally burned down The sad thing is that what the fire doesnrsquot destroy the firefighters will Obviously nothing you can do about that ndash except watch and weep

ldquoThe reality was that the fire was so strong that we couldnrsquot get into the building to retrieve anything The records were all destroyedrdquo

Trackerrsquos phoenix had risen though and the first recovery of a stolen vehicle was at 5am

ldquoOur disaster and recovery plan was in place to ensure that we could deliver the core promise of what our business does and make sure there was continuity Back-up records are essential

ldquoWe had our first disaster meeting at 7am had a discussion about what we were going to tell the media and then started a process which was basically organising a whole string of disaster recovery meetings on the hour through-

out the weekend On Monday morning we deployed all our staff to a new site with 90 business capability so in essence they walked into a new building as if nothing had hap-penedrdquo

Du Preez says that there a couple of things that made this possible The first thing is a plan ndashldquoand if you donrsquot have one yoursquod better get one without delayrdquo Roles and duties must be allocated to specific people Update emergency information and take careful note of that so that the plan can be implemented

ldquoThe next thing you need is a practical disaster recovery site We were lucky in that we stumbled across the correct site which was close to the building that burned down We have a very people-intensive business so we have many call centres We have about 900 people on site and these people rely on public transport to get to work so the first thing we had to consider about the disaster recovery site is to ensure staff can get there Itrsquos a logistical nightmare to expect people to go a further 30km further than what theyrsquore used to

ldquoThe other issue is your technology Trackerrsquos business is very tech-dependent to ensure a quick response system Control measures need to hit our centres immediately so we can take some action at that time processing around 20 million messages a day These come from cars telling us how fast they are driving where they are driving and what events need to be considered The real-ity is that we are protecting peoplersquos assets protecting fixed assets protecting fixed cargo and protecting peoplersquos lives with push-button assistance We needed then to make sure that the disaster recovery plan could have that system up and running immediatelyrdquo

When the decision about the site was made a number of factors had to be taken into account

ldquoWe had to think about the power grid in the area and would outages affect our

telephonic infrastructure would it impact the data infrastructure The only practical site was really the one next to our building which answered all these questions positively So we had been paying every month for this empty space ndash and that essentially was our saving grace

ldquoThe next thing to do is plan how you are going to interact with the customers and implement that part of your plan You need to empower your team to get on with the job and you have to trust them enough to be able to do that You have to have an immediate meeting to spell out the priorities so that everyone is on the same page and everything is in place to get up and running as soon as possiblerdquo

He says that although no-one told the mar-keting manager to make radio ads for Monday morning they were done and ready to flight

ldquoShe knew that we would have to be speak-ing to all our customers partners and so on and the best way to do that was above-the-line marketing The ads proved very effective and kept everyone in the loop as to what was hap-pening

ldquoThe most important thing was just to tell the truth and tell everyone what progress was being made The ads conveyed these messa-ges very well and spread immediate confidence

ldquoShow that yoursquore in control get people as productive as possible and build team spirit I think that crisis has the ability to bring people together which is exactly what happened at Tracker On the Monday and Tuesday we met with our key stakeholders and informed them how we have been affected how our customers have been affected and then throughout the week we continued to provide regular updates as to how the recovery process was progressingrdquo

When staff arrived at work on Monday mor-ning all the work stations had been numbered and all the systems were up and running We briefed them on what to tell customers and allocated them a seat and a phone Depending on what department they would be working in

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

Michael Du Preez is the Marketing Executive and Head of International Business and Strategy for Tracker He is responsible for business product brand and strategy development ndash a position he has held for the past four years Prior to his career with Tracker he was one of the founders and Managing Director of MobileData ndash a vehicle Telematics solutions company acquired by Tracker in 2007 It is this technology that continues to create value and open up new channels of busi-ness for Tracker today For many years he was a loyal member of WesBankrsquos management team serving most recently as Head of Research and Development Michael holds a senior qualification in Business Management from HenleyHis colleagues describe him as an open-minded and creative free-thinker always looking to bring innovation and strategic value to the world of vehicle Telematics His work helped pioneer Insurance Telematics in South Africa and more recently assisted in the breakthrough creation of TomTomrsquos first HD Traffic service in AfricaHe sees his future influence in the area of how technology will enable sustainable mobility models in a world challenged for resources Or simply put ensuring our future ldquofreedom to driverdquo

the staff members were all given T-shirts in dif-ferent colours for different centres They were given coffee mugs pens paper and created a bit of a carnival atmosphere and had coffee and doughnuts in reception It may have been a different site but it was business as usual

ldquoOne very important factor is that you need good supplier relationships who can play a major role in getting you back on your feetrdquo

Which is what Tracker did very effectively People hardly remember the fire because the continuity was immediate

You know how to get the phoenix to fly Give Tracker a ring n

Refense Phuso spoke on Valpreacute Spring Waterrsquos bottling plant She is plant manager of the oper-ation and naturally is proud of the fact that it was awarded the

US green honour (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ndash LEED) of Gold status in 2011

ldquoWhat LEED looks at is how you design your facility and you have to comply with many criteria such as site planning indoor environ-ment water planning energy management and material usedrdquo says Phuso ldquoWe have to use water efficiently and ensure the business is sustainable looking after the environment We are audited every year to ensure that we are still complying with LEED criteriardquo

As far as energy needs go the building runs on solar energy with the PV plant sup-plying 40KW of energy leaving the plant grid independent

ldquoOur water that we bottle has to have a cer-tain profile and we found that in Heidelberg Itrsquos over 200km from our offices but it is good news for the movement of product to Gauteng and beyond The factory has been designed to ensure minimal impact on the environment The roof has been designed to capture sunlight all day and with all the glass used in the factory there is abundant natural light streaming in

ldquoOne of our coups in energy-saving is the Air Wizard which reduces energy when run-ning a compressor The device is inside the compressor It captures the left-over energy from the compressor and takes it back in Aside from this therersquos energy-saving features

such as double-glazed windows so the reli-ance on air-conditioning is reduced The fac-tory is glass-wrapped so therersquos natural light in abundance We also have a 95 recycling effort Whatever we use in the factory we recycle We do the separation of material our-selves and Enviroserv will send different types of trucks for the various waste typesrdquo

She says that after the office block was accredited the factory went through the same process in 2013 Both are accredited to ISO 50 000 and the first plant in South Africa to be awarded this honour

ldquoValpre works continuously to improve energy performance to keep up with stan-dards in ISO 50 000 and the requirements of LEED We have to continually challenge our-selves to find new ways of reducing energy We meet on a monthly basis to discuss how well we are meeting our goals

ldquoWe also have energy meters in machines that we know use a lot of energy to keep track of what is happening there and if there are spikes on those machines it gives us the opportunity to investigate why Any anomalies must be reported and this can also highlight incorrect operator behaviour

ldquoWe have also changed from using boxes for product to trays that are plas-tic-wrapped ndash this is also an energy-saving move and in our view really enhances the product presentationrdquo n

A PLANT WITH GREAT ENERGY POWER

July 2015 FM 17

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

Refense Phuso plant manager

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 18

SLArsquos

WHOrsquoS KIDDING WHO

SLArsquos

July 2015 FM 19

Richard Jeffreys

Having just waded through 250 pages of our latest Tender I must make reference to the Fantasy section noted as SLAs In order to compete

with others I need to guarantee my catering engineers can attend anywhere in the coun-try in under 2 hours and complete resolves in under 24 hours

The standard of facts given on appli-ances service history access condition and status is poor to non-existent but the con-tract conditions are punitive and binding In essence if I have engineers standing around waiting for the next call and I am prepared to deliver at the cheapest cost guarantee parts for an appliance for which I have no data I am in the running If I tell the truth and base costs on worst case scenario due to lack of asset information I am out of the frame

Denise Booth-AlexanderThis is a national contract so presumably they are looking for someone to respond nationally but not necessarily with in-house engineers Is a consortium bid an option where you can join with others who have engineers in local areas to fulfil the 2 hour requirement Alternatively can you sub There are ways of tendering for this if the resolve is a first fix or attendance with a work around or temp solution but I agree not if it is a final fix Catering maintenance is notoriously hard as no- one really wants to carry additional expensive kit in their kitchen Suppliers of products make life very difficult with regard to spares if they themselves also offer a maintenance service We experience long delays wrong diagnoses quotes to repair that make it financially unviable to do so but no innovative thinking such as this is the fix costs and this is the replacement deal etc As customers it is extremely frus-trating but I accept that asking a company to work on a huge variety of makes and models and kit doesnt sit happily with a quick and responsive service if there is no specialityhellip every make within that business and parts are held onto by suppliers I know that a catering maintenance supplier that can

A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its internal or external customers that documents what services the provider will furnish

provide a great service and offers alternative solutions is something that we would all like as customers Perhaps the answer is some sort of industry group which includes sup-pliers to talk it out and come up with a truly customer-oriented service package

I suspect this is a pipe dream much like the closed shop that is Lift maintenance One solution for this particular tender would be to offer to produce an Assetlifecycle register as part of the bid to fully evaluate all the kit and give timescales for replace-ment including possible energy savings to provide some payback etc If you can offer something extra and point out why you can-not provide a proper and cost defined bid in the first instance but set out clearly why and what you could do to turn this around I would certainly be delighted to look at your proposals if I were the customer

Neil EarnshawRichard I concur with the views of others you will be better thought of by pulling out of the process and explaining to the client why It may be that another company out there can deliver what they need its just not your company this time It also may be that other bidders do the same thing in which case the client needs to review their procurement strategy

Im managing a tender process for a FM contract at the moment We had one bidder raise an issue and ask for a change which we respectfully refused since then two other bidders have raised the same issue so were now reconsidering our position Were doing this on the basis that the market is now tell-ing us this contract is too risky as opposed to a single bidder not having the appetite

Richard JeffryesThanks guys for all the replies and yes my gut feeling is not to compete and leave us open to penalties However the issues raised are common I feel that many tenders are have a big element of cut and paste one size fits all As noted by Denise our trade is eclectic a real mix of standards and manu-facturers if a contract is going to work it needs the attention of someone who has complete knowledge of the realities and their

ldquoIn essence if I have engineers

standing around waiting for the

next call and I am prepared

to deliver at the cheapest cost

guarantee parts for an

appliance for which I have

no data I am in the running

If I tell the truth and base costs

on worst case scenario due to

lack of asset information

I am out of the frame

Continuing our series based on posts from the

British Institute of Facility Management (BIFM)

LinkedIn sites South African FMs will find much to

identify with and are encouraged to participate in local exchanges ndash

write via LinkedIn to terryfmexpoorg or tweet tex_owen

July 2015 FM 20

issues I would like to think that I as an individual with 35 years within commercial kitchen would be listened too however many tenders especially the electronic auction style offer little scope for the personal touch which is our USP I know the environment the trade and the equipment My approach is to be realistic tell the truth dont promise the undeliverable and submit a viable cost structure I am yet though to be convinced there is scope for this in the world of group tenders

Neil EarnshawRichard keep the faith keep doing the right thing and work with your industry to help it improve

What I see is a disconnect in FM between contractors and clients This disconnect is the contract and selection of an appropriate strategy that drives the right behaviours On a personal level Im doing my bit to help improve things but Im just a lone voice more people from all sides of the FM indus-try need to recognise the problem and the opportunity to improve then well get some real change for the better

Craig ShepheardYou will normally have a mobilisation per-iod where you can get to inspect all of the equipment in order to set up your own asset list I suggest that you use this data to inform the client of any items of equipment that are obsolete or where parts would be difficult to supply The condition report could be used to say whether items that are in poor shape require monies spent on them to get them to a state where they can be maintained If the client refuses to spend that highlighted amount then those individual items do not correspond to the 2-hour SLA and are there-fore exempt from the contract

You base your contract fee on the under-standing that all items on their asset list are currently being maintained and that they are in a reasonable state of order

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSEA reasonable point Craig except like com-missioning and handover the mobilisation period can get eaten away by slippages on other elements For one major mobilisation the 8 months period for seamless transfer was cut to 3 weeks There are risks with the approach suggested

Neil Earnshaw Im with you on that Rob there are risks However from a contractors view point it does mitigate the risk of poor quality asset

data provided by the client at tender stage Are you allowed to caveat your tender submis-sion Even so I think the risk you face is an early disagreement with the client they think theyve passed a risk to you but in actual fact you passed it back to them with your caveat I absolutely would not sign the contract as is and attempt to wriggle out of your obligations post contract Craigs solution sounds sens-ible right up to the point of saying to the client spend or be damned Thats where the dis-agreement will come

Are they aware their data is poor quality or are they just saying price the risk Have they given you the impression that theyd listen to your concerns and maybe consider other more cost-effective solutions

Also what are you being asked to price for Using a simple example you know there is a cooker and extractor in a kitchen (and you know the location of the kitchen) what you dont know is age condition service history make amp model of the cooker or extractor Are you being asked to give them a lump sum fixed price to maintain these items for a num-ber of years with everything apart from end of life replacement to be included in your price

Alan TaylorI would question why a tender document for catering needs to be 250 pages long Sounds like itrsquos been prepared by a purchasing depart-ment that has no realistic awareness of day-to-day operational requirements and is missing some fundamental issues (no change there then)

So if a fat fryer breaks down when the first load is due to go in for a lunch time service a

ldquoWhat I see is a disconnect

in FM between contractors

and clients This disconnect is

the contract and selection of an

appropriate strategy that drives

the right behaviours

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 22

2 hour response will not get that item back and fully operational for the same day lunch time trade as it will be over It will be up to the chef to improvise with the menu and manage the change

A next day fix or 12 hour turnaround would be a better solution but if a restaurant canrsquot improvise and change its menu if one item of plant goes down you need to change the chef and the caterer It wonrsquot hurt the staff to go without chips for a day

Dave ThomasAlso with you Rob have been the recipient of one of those immediate seamless transfers - where the original team were eager to get themselves in another project and have no responsibility for what was a flawed mobilisa-tion

In the same mobilisation period I found that the Asset List I had sweated over was ignored and another fairy tale was imposed missing out over half of my list so inad-equate time allocatedcosted to MampE Also found that the engineers provided were more interested in looking for more lucrative work rather than just doing maintenance

Seems some clients want the contractor to come up with a proper Asset List for them included in the contract ignoring any information regarding past breakdowns on equipment which may lead to a query on the true condition and life hoping a new contract will magically lead to new equipment

Richard JeffryesAlan sounds like you speak from experience your bang on

Neil you make a lot of sense if only clients thought like you Yes we are being asked to price the Risk however an underlying objective of tender winner is to be the most competitive

In respect of the approach we know itrsquos an oven we know where it is we know it is business critical sounds simple but with-out the specific data this is a real lottery Commercial ovens range in value from pound1 000 to pound40 000 we may be able to make an educated guess at what the appliance is but big tenders request parts and labour-in-clusive programmes replacement parts such as a PCB on a Combination Oven can cost pound1 000 to replace so knowing the depth of the liability is essential My belief is if a site has been responsibly maintained a full and updated asset list with condition and service dates should be available If not what has the incumbent been doing and how do we know it was done This information is surely a pre-requisite when contracts are drawing

to conclusion and a renewal is due Is it com-mon practice for this data to be withheld or are companies just poor at maintaining service data

Neil EarnshawRichard I usually work client-side developing the procurement contract strategy and man-aging the tender process

My main observation of FM clients over the years is that they dont think about commer-cial risk just operational They generally dont seem to understand that where theres a risk theres a cost Therefore you end up with very risky contracts being put together and create the environment for protracted commercial negotiations during the life of the contract

Another observation has been that FM contractors do collect and maintain asset data but when it comes to re-tender the data cant be accessed by the client This is sometimes down to the contract not being clear on this but often its also due to many years of mis-management of the contract

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSENeilFor some time it has been my view that the client should own the asset data and condition assessment which it should disclose to the tenderers Similarly the maintenance records and all of these should ideally be in the client-owned CAFM

ldquoMy belief is if a site has

been maintained a full

and updated asset list with

condition and service dates

should be available If not

what has the incumbent been

doing and how do we know it

was done

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 23

When the onus is put on the success-ful bid winner to collect all the asset data confusion can reign with a completely new set of asset numbers and description and of course items can be missed Most FM managers will have come across outgoing contractors where people probably at very junior level ditch all the statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique

Gordon EasingwoodRegards client CAFMs they are generally poor non-existent or compiled by previous contractors with differing motives (ie avoid-ing financial penaltiesfailing SLAs) Same with maintenance records previous contract-ors are again likely to have differing motives as to how these were compiled based on previous SLAs I work on a local contract with very similar limitations though in different areas and trust me itrsquos extremely difficult to meet this level of commitment Ultimately if they can call you out for pound50 (or less) but can impose a SLA penalty of pound200 where is the sense in it And Im talking a 30 mile max-imum radius from a central point 2 hours responses have been missed simply due to travel delayspoor communication Even when these can be resolved in our favour the amount of adminmanagement time all has an associated cost

To put it another way there simply is not enough properly trained and experienced commercial catering equipment engineers in the country to meet such demands I know I am one and I wouldnt go near the industry again in a hurry as I guess you know from experience Add in the level of commitment (more rightly non-commitment) from some manufacturers and itrsquos an absolute night-mare Also bear in mind European rules only require parts to be available 5 years after a product is no longer manufactured Oh and if you have imports or specials just forget it I was involved with work with a well-known Indian type food chain who had special ovens that met no British or European stan-dard and had to be condemned for simply that reason This was despite a CAFM type list being presented stating all maintenance was done to (non-existent) manufacturersrsquo instructions When checked they had created models and serials numbers for the units

Lastly I would investigate what the client can put through as a 2 hour response and if you can object and on what grounds I currently have a client who does so when in 2 hours the building will be fully vacated and emptyequipment wonrsquot be used for 72 hours etc yet we still have to make attend-ance to meet SLAs Its this kind of thing

that give clients a bad nameSadly without proper input from the

client it sounds like this contract would be a financial liability and I would steer clear With proper and decent input it may be possible I would present the proposal of correct and proper information requirements to the client and try build from there If they run with what would be a non-starter you have to walk away itrsquos likely any contract wonrsquot be upheld for long from either side

Rob Farman regards people ditching statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique I have found this is generally from a quite senior level Simply either because a) itrsquos never been kept up to or b) they dont want this information to go to competitors or c) adequate provision has never been made to collate the information in the first place Things are improving in this area as FM managers take things in hand and computer records are better maintained

Peter CarrHaving worked with Rob Farnam I would completely agree I have spent the last five years client side helping to develop CAFM systems and to make sure they are 100 as accurate as the world I work in (now) Investor FM (totally different to Corporate FM) I have worked with a non-licenced sys-tem called Elogbooks for these five years purely because of these issues Tendering is difficult enough without non-existent asset data and performance understanding Good luck

David A ParryLets push for KISS based contracts Then have the inferred SLA KPIs amp effectiveness measurement compared to the actual true bottom line savings to the client and service provider in their partnering endeavours The unit of measurement could be the unem-ployed bean counters Or do they move on to another position in or outside their companies so no real accountability that this measurement in this way would show on this radar screen

Apologies for the frivolous comments but I honestly believe the real value for money is far simpler but has to be based on appro-priate measures and values for the specific situation and is industries dependent The dichotomy of this statement is it adds to complexity because truly experienced and technical trained actuary analysts are required to produce the targets numbers and not the clip board amp wet finger in the air brigade Clients need to bring in-house specialised professional knowledge to the

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

July 2015 FM 5

experience and knowledge that KTH will bring further underpin-ning our continued ambitious growth strategy into the futureldquoBeyond the commercial rationale both parties see the transaction as an important step in driving further transformation at Servest The company has embarked on an ambitious staff development drive and the establishment of the Management Trust reinforces its commitment to transformation The KTH-Servest acquisition remains subject to regulatory approvals including South African Competition Commission approval

About KTHKTH is one of the largest pan African investment holding com-panies with an investment port-folio comprising of market leading companies across its chosen sec-tors and geographies The group has an asset base in excess of R15-billion a solid track record of investment performance and is managed by a professional and experienced team of African investment professionals KTH is an active long term investment partner and does not have any exit imperatives which allows the group to partner with businesses through investment cycles to cre-ate long term sustainable value

About Servest Servest is a leading provider of facilities management services to over 6 500 clients across more than 24 000 sites throughout Africa and the United Kingdom Founded in 1997 Servestrsquos inte-grated operating model provides extensive operational support infrastructure and international best practice within the public and private sectors for all lsquohardrsquo and lsquosoftrsquo services Each of Servestrsquos business units are both highly experienced specialists and market leaders in their own right Servest employs 45 000 27 000 people in Africa and 18 000 people in the UK Group services consist of facilities management mechanical and electrical servi-ces energy management camp management and catering clean-ing hygiene and pest control landscaping and turf construction and maintenance marine support office support services parking management and security n

Schneider Electric a global specialist in energy management is commercialising its solar powered port-

able LED lamps with mobile phone charger the Mobiya TS 120S in order to offer innovative reliable and affordable products to people living without access to electricityAvailable from Schneider Electric distributors at under R500 (excluding VAT) the Mobiya TS 120S is an energy efficient eco-friendly and robust portable lamp producing 120-lumen light output perfectly suited for demanding rural environments The lamp is equipped with a mobile phone charger that includes a USB port enabling users to charge their mobile phones any time It features three brightness settings providing up to 48 hours of light-ing with one day of solar charge ldquoIdeal for off-grid households small shops street vendors and fishing boats the Mobiya TS 120S offers users safe and sufficient light for comfortable reading and other household and business activities within an un-electrified household or small business environmentrdquo says Zanelle Dalglish head of sustainable development for southern Africa at Schneider Electric The lamp is designed to allow it to be hand carried hooked to the ceiling mounted on the wall placed on the desk fixed on the top of a bottle and carried on a pole This patented design has won Grand Prix Strategies Du Design 2013 and European Design awards

To cater for the proliferation of mobile uptake and technology on the continent the range is equipped with a mobile phone charger that includes a USB port enabling users to charge their mobile phones any time The Mobiya TS 120S superior battery technology ndash Lithium Ferro Phosphate battery ndash delivers high performance for more than three years The micro-controller based charge controller ensures efficient solar charging prevents over charge and deep discharge Smart electronics for battery mon-itoring shows indications for bat-tery charging battery charge level remaining and recharging when drainedldquoThrough its global BipBop pro-gramme (business innovation and people at the base of the pyramid) Schneider Electric develops collective solutions for comprehensive rural electrification domestic solutions for energy-re-lated needs and the business models that make these solutions sustainable The Mobiya TS 120S is in particular ideal to take advan-tage of the African sun lessening the burden of daily life in poor and off-grid communities An added plus is that it is affordable eco-friendly and saferdquo says Dalglish

Contact Adeline Maleka to enquire about to enquire about the closest distributor adelinemalekaschneider-electriccom or (+27) 11 254 6400 (ext 6957) n

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

July 2015 FM 6

The massive 131 000msup2 Mall of Africa is sched-uled to open in April 2016 Currently the largest retail develop-

ment being built in a single phase in Africa the expansive retail offering features a distinctive design and an ideal location in the middle of the 173 million square metre mixed-use Waterfall City development in Midrand Gauteng The combination is destined to create a go-to des-tination for both local residents and touristsThe design inspiration for the mall and courts is drawn from the natural and geological beauty of the African continent There will be four courts that depict the different climatic zones on the continent an oleum court depicting the oil rich West Africa a great lakes court depicting East Africa a crystal court depicting the mineral wealth in South Africa and a sand court depicting the desert area of North AfricaldquoThe mallrsquos design also incorporates many unique elements including very high shop fronts wide passages and an undulating roof feature in the centre with specialist animated LED lighting and a large public space with restaurants known as the Town Square The gross leasable area will be 131 000msup2 and 261 tenants will be setting up shop in this new luxury developmentrdquo says architect Tia Kanakakis of MDS Architects the architectural firm for the Mall of Africa

Leading South African property developer and investor Atterbury appointed Aurecon as civil and structural engineers for the iconic development Gerhard Saayman Professional Engineer at Aurecon responsible for managing Aureconrsquos design and construction supervision teams on the project says that the sheer size of the mall is making the Mall of Africa an exceptionally rewarding project to work onldquoThe gross building area is 485 000msup2 which equals 65 rugby pitches The size of the mall that will be occupied by major tenants such as Edgars Woolworths Truworths Checkers Ster Kinekor and Game will equal the size of the entire Middelburg Mallrdquo says SaaymanThe completion of the concrete structure and steel work for the roofs as well as the faccedilades is the projectrsquos next major milestone and is currently on target for com-pletion on programme ldquoThis milestone would enable the interior shop fit outs to proceed putting us another step closer to completionrdquo says SaaymanWhile any large building project will come with its own unique set of challenges the scale of the Mall of Africa means that the project team comprising the professional team and the main contractor had to overcome specific challenges relating to logistics and program-ming of construction sequences

as well as hiring and managing a wide range of subcontractorsA highly unified team was needed to fast-track the con-struction of such a large project Everyonersquos activities and scope from the professional team to the main contractor subcontractors and building services have to be planned and sequenced with precision and attention to detailldquoEverything has to be imple-mented in the correct sequence and with such a large range of activities happening on site this requires dedicated teamwork strict quality control processes and a deep understanding of the timelines and construction sequences of retail develop-mentsrdquo he adds

ldquoMeticulous planning innovative design solutions and ongoing collaboration between all stake-holders has enabled us to keep meeting deadlines and resolving challenges to reach the key milestones of the programme Teamwork between the design professionals and the contract-ors were key to not only meet each deadline but also to design cost consciously at all times and fast track the various stages of constructionrdquo says SaaymanThe main construction period for this massive development is only 32 months This is not only a huge challenge for the main contractor but requires a

massive amount of design and construction documentation to be produced within a very short period of time by the design consultants Six of Aureconrsquos design offices and over 50 engineers tech-nicians and draughters are currently working on this project to ensure designs and quality construction documentation were delivered according to pro-grammeDesigners are committed to continuous value engineering and optimisation throughout the design phase to achieve the most economic design solu-tions For the majority of design requirements various options were tabled in order for the most cost-effective solution to be identified and constructedDedicated involvement from Aureconrsquos four site engineers with the Joint Venture of WBHO and Group 5 ensures construc-tion queries and problems are identified and resolved immedi-ately This relationship between our engineers and the contractor is immensely important and essential to a successful con-struction phase ldquoAurecon is proud to be a part of the project team on such an iconic development here in South Africardquo says Nicol Labuschagne Aureconrsquos Project Director for the Mall of Africa development n

An artistrsquos impression of how the completed mall will look at night

July 2015 FM 7

ISSN 2071-9299 JUNE 2015 FM No 002

I N C O R P O R A T I N G

NEWWhatrsquos Find out at the

FM Expo and Conference

FULL DETAILS INSIDE

FM June Cover 2015indd 1

20150528 101429 AM

Magazine Bulletin Both DigitalSouth Africa R640 R640 R1 155 R640Africa US$175 US$90 US$240 US$90International US$190 US$90 US$255 US$90Please tick

12 +ISSUES

ANNUAL DIRECTORY

24+e-BULLETINS

Facilities Management incorporating Urban

Green File provides cutting-edge information

on the latest issues and procedures regarding

facilities management Our audience is the

facilities-management solution providers and

consultants such as mechanical engineers

electrical engineers architects interior designers

and owneroperators of properties and facilities

business people responsible for fi nancial decisions

about the operation maintenance and expansion

or development of facilities who are interested

in running a profi table and sustainable facility

and keen to learn about new business approaches

and technologies

Ready access to this kind of news is available

through the information platform hosted

by TETrade Events which includes printed

magazines fortnightly email bulletins

as well as an annual business directory Helping you manage better

Todayrsquos decision makers need to stay abreast of the latest industry trends and developments no matter where they are They need the right information at their fi ngertips to ensure the optimal and effi cient use of resources

Email your subscription request to phillipfmexpoorg or Fax to +27 11 781 6079

subsindd 2 20150706 122816 PM

July 2015 FM 8

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

Well-positioned commercial property in outlying areas around South

Africa is proving increasingly attractive to both local and inter-national buyers who continue to find value in sustainable invest-ments says Norman Raad CEO of Broll Auctions and SalesldquoNotably there will always be demand for retail properties where investors in pursuit of yield and income perceive opportun-ities to unlock potentialldquoSuch is the case with our successful sale of the 7530m2 Queenstown Mall in the Eastern Cape which was listed to go on auction but achieved a mar-ket-related price of R62-million prior to our multiple auction held in June (2015)rdquo Raad says with a yield of 10 this is a fair market price from a private investor who has plans

Sustained demand for commercial property

for expansion and is bringing new tenants into the centre Anchored by Pick n Pay and with other tenants including large multi-national groups such as Pep and Standard Bank the local retail centre is very well-positioned in Queenstown on the busy corner of Brewery Lane and the N6The sale of a further 20 000m2 of retail industrial and office space was concluded at the auction These included four lots com-prising a total of over 2300m2 of office space situated in Wynberg in Cape Townrsquos popular Southern Suburbs Napier in the Southern Cape Polokwane in Limpopo and Edenberg in the Free State which were sold by an institu-tional seller Acquired by several private investors these proper-ties achieved a combined price of R9-millionSome of the other properties sold on the auction included

a property consisting of multi-tenanted industrial units in Boksburg ndash which fetched a selling price of R221-million an industrial mini-park in Heriotdale in Johannesburg which sold for R16-million and multi-ten-anted units in Wynberg in Johannesburg which fetched a total price of R924-million A block of ground-floor retail and residential apart-ments above in Norwood in Johannesburg achieved R104-million In Lichtenberg in the North West Province an office building was sold on the auction for R78-million a 4610m2 industrial warehouse in Powerville in Vereeniging was acquired for R65-million while a small retail centre with upstairs office component in Bronkhorstspruit just east of Pretoria and en route to Witbank (eMalahleni) was pur-chased for R61-million

Adds Raad ldquoNot surprisingly particularly in the current eco-nomic climate we have found there is minimal demand for vacant buildings The focus is on sustainable investments where tenants can easily be replaced should they default or depart As a result of lower risk well-positioned properties will always be in demandHe says a trend is seeing listed property funds divest of non-core stock and stock which has been exhausted to its full potential ldquoWhereas they may no longer wish to expend further time nor invest further in these properties the smaller property investor has the energy and vision to turn a fundrsquos rough diamond into a gemrdquoThe positive demand for com-mercial property is borne out by a recent Lightstone report which reveals that transaction activity in the South African commercial

Situated in a busy area of Norwood in Johannesburg this block comprising retail and apartments sold for R104-million through Broll Auctions and Sales

July 2015 FM 9

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

market has increased in recent years The report also highlights the acquisition of properties in non-CBD areasAdds Bradley Stephens MD of Broll Auctions and Sales ldquoWe have also seen investors divest of their smaller commercial property portfolios and invest in the REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) as these offer more liquidity and flexibility with their investments ldquoSimultaneously this has created new opportunities for new players to enter the market The time has never been more opportune for investing in the South African property market as international investors still find huge value in solid bricks and mortar in comparison to other countries The only barrier to entry in the current market is finance and the loan to value conundrumrdquoBroll Auctions and Sales next multiple auc-tion of commercial properties takes place on August 18

087 700 8269 wwwbrollcom n

Queenstown Mall was sold even prior to auction

This commercial property in Main Road in Wynberg in Cape Townrsquos Southern Suburbs sold for R29-million at the recent auction held by Broll Auctions and Sales

Norman Raad CEO of Broll Auctions and Sales

July 2015 FM 10

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

When it comes to flooring needs there are a few significant players in the

South African market but Nouwens Carpets is the oldest local carpet manufacturer owned and run by the same family from the outsetToday this company with its nearly 200 employees is a force to be reckoned with offering global industry leaders some stiff compe-tition in the local market thanks to their solid reputation when it comes to products and service delivery Nouwens is a genuine family business and the only major manufacturer that produces their own spun yarns for the domestic market in South Africa This is not surprising with over 50 years of tradition in carpet craftsmanship Nouwens first opened its doors in Harrismith in the Free State in 1962 when Cornelis Nouwens a carpet craftsman from Tilburg in the Netherlands and his wife started manufacturing carpets in an old garage in the town of Harrismith A

passionate entrepreneur Cornelis instilled the same spirit in his chil-dren Luci and Pieter who took over the running of the business in later years It was clear that a passion for producing top quality products was instilled in Luci Nouwens from a young age setting her to head up the management of this local carpeting empire Throughout the years Nouwens has adapted their practices and processes enabling them to become a vertical carpet mill producing wool and synthetic carpets for the domestic and commercial market Nouwens also extrudes both poly prop and nylon synthetic yarns completing an extremely versatile yarn offering In the current economic climate where many companies are find-ing it difficult to survive it seems the success of this growing family business can be attributed to vari-ous factors According to Oscar Grobler Nouwensrsquo Chairman it is vital to ensure that their solid reputation remains backed up by producing quality products

ldquoConsistency is key when it comes to maintaining our pos-ition in the market We need to make sure that we truly live out the culture of the organisation while remaining relevant when it comes to product offerings and developing new ranges Being

Graffiti Retail Solutions ndash a division of Graffiti ndash has been granted the license for Cr8ive Paint ndash a new

environmentally friendly white board paint that can quickly and easily transform virtually any surface into a high performance dry erase canvas Set to replace easels flip charts and traditional white board screens this cost-effective alternative to the somewhat outdated boards con-ventionally seen in boardrooms is ideal for lecture and class rooms idea creative and strategy walls and meeting rooms Restaurants can even use it to write up menus and specials of the day Graffiti Retail Solutions has mas-tered the technique of applying the paint which comes standard in conveniently packaged units that cover 5m2 A water-based product it is dry to the touch in 24 hours and will be fully cured and

ready to use within five days If correctly applied just one coat is required and using foam paint rollers ensure the smoothest surface possible Like any paint-ing job preparation is key and surfaces should be clean and smooth before painting It can be applied to any sealed surface but a primer should be used before

all applications Lead free itrsquos a non-toxic solution making it even more appealing Suitable for any setting ndash light or dark hot or cold ndash this white board paint is not only available in white and therersquos nothing to stop a creative agency from painting a yellow white board The final finish is glossy and can create a reflec-

tion if a light is shone onto the surfaceOnce the product is fully cured a dry cloth can be used to clean the wall If ink has been on the wall for a long time a wet cloth can be used For cheap and often stubborn to remove markers a whiteboard solution can be used

011 691 8400 wwwGraffiticoza n

vertically integrated also allows us to control the manufacturing process as much as possible ensuring that the final product is of the very best qualityrdquo says Grobler 011 608 4435 wwwnouwenscarpetscoza n

July 2015 FM 12

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

CREFM SURVEY PROVES PEOPLE POWER

Itrsquos all about people

People power is predominant and this is illustrated clearly in a survey that was helmed by Martijn Drost of CBRE in Europe who gave the keynote presenta-

tion at the 2015 SAFMA conferenceThe CREFM survey showed that costs

still naturally play a predominant role but that the focus has shifted from pure cost towards growth with the emphasis being on people more than ever

ldquoGDP is down in South Africa These are uncertain times for many countries The respondents in the survey see the Middle East situation being a catalyst for uncertainty and many see this as the biggest threat for

growthrdquo says Drost ldquoThe scarce availability of talent is also an important factor As far as costs are concerned people are looking for reductions wherever possible and this plays a big role in lease negotiations In South Africa there is far more escalation year on year on property taxes and prices whereas in Europe and the US prop-erty is so widely available that companies have the opportunity to renegotiate price every time that the contract endsrdquo

He says there is a move towards cheaper markets with offshoring and right-shoring playing their hands

ldquoThe most important factor in right-shoring is cost ndash itrsquos essential to know the whole story when you are considering future locations However we

ldquoPeople understandably

donrsquot want to spend hours

commuting just to be seen

to be working in the office ndash

those days are gone Working

smarter is the goal now and

productivity is on the up

July 2015 FM 13

are seeing quite a change in the behaviour of occupiers For instance the UK used to out-source call centres to India but they are now being recalled to the UK due to pressure from customer bases which link to business alignment labour and skillsrdquo

Asia Pacific India and China are seen by far as the most desired locations because of cheap labour good availability of staff and in terms of total occupancy therersquos a motiva-tional cost element to consider

ldquoPeople are seeing South Africa as a growth market and a place to be in the future The availability of talent location and infrastructure are the factors to consider Companies feel that more needs to go into decisions involving the attraction and reten-tion of staffrdquo

Drost says that it is also very clear that workplace strategy is becoming paramount The right route here is not only selecting the building and the location itrsquos situated in but it matters a great deal what happens inside the building ndash and here is the clear link to FM

ldquoThe main pointers are employee attrac-tion and retention How do we make sure we attract the right people and retain them in the business The average time someone stays in a job in South Africa is only two years So looking carefully at this fact while it is import-ant to increase productivity and cost savings improved collaboration is vital Itrsquos all about different ways of working and linking closely to employee satisfaction and therefore retention Find people that you can engage with learn from and collaborate withrdquo

The survey notes that while the indoor environment is very important as well as the workplace itself sustainability strangely appeared low on the agenda

ldquoThe big issue is flexible working (63) We didnrsquot measure this in 2013 but now itrsquos heavily in the red on the radar Flexible work-ing is not necessarily just working from home but working anywhere wherever you are at any time People understandably donrsquot want to spend hours commuting just to be seen to be working in the office ndash those days are gone Working smarter is the goal now and productivity is on the up It doesnrsquot take rocket science to understand whyrdquo

80 said that business integration and alignment with enterprise goals is important

ldquoReal Estate of FM is not separate to the business and canrsquot be seen in that way anymore Decision makers of big companies and organisations throughout the world are seeing Real Estate of FM as a catalyst for future growth of their businesses I see it as part of their total strategic pact which is needed to support corporate growth If the

building does not work and if yoursquore not able to attract the right people by having the cor-rect environment how are you going to grow your company

ldquoAction is needed to achieve these goals Streets ahead on top is data quality and accuracy Companies everywhere are strug-gling with data with different systems and dif-ferent sources They are having a hard time creating information out of the data

ldquoYou have to make the basic elements work ndash organisational structure the govern-ance model that you are working towards the process you use in terms of capital allo-cation planning resourcing and your informa-tion your systems and tools to get the infor-mation from your property into tangible data that actually provides information ndash thatrsquos the goal a must-do You canrsquot do anything with raw data and you need to find a way to turn that data into informationrdquo

Drost says that in examining how FM is going to impact on the business looking at the full life cycle is necessary and what is happening is that companies are moving towards integrated facility management

ldquoThat integration chain is growing longer Whereas some 5 to 10 years ago a company started by outsourcing a single service ndash say for cleaning only ndash wersquove now seen the bundling of services for integrated FM as that has become more and more important Property is now also becoming more and more part of the FM portfolio because is running real estate part of the core business No it isnrsquot So we are seeing a determined move towards fuller integration of the supply chain At the end of the day FM is keeping the business running smoothly It has great impact on the business how it operates and the ability of the business to grow in the future

ldquoMoving on from the very beginning with the outsourcing of a single service we believe that we are moving into the fourth or fifth generation of outsourcing We have people that want to invest in buildings develop the workplace strategy and we will be there if you want to dispose of that build-ing at any pointrdquo

He says that integration is the name of the game in every possible way There canrsquot be any pockets of isolation anymore Full integration in all facets of FM and property management is the priority

ldquoOur enterprise data to move into inte-grated information is going to be of the utmost importance going forward Our decisions should not be based on gut feel or hearsay ndash it should be based on hard numbers In most cases we do have the

numbers but the biggest problem is how to get the information out of the numbers Yoursquoll need to partner with the correct suppler and find a platform that can connect and decode data sourcesrdquo

Here are a couple of questions that can help you work out at what stage your com-pany is atbull Is there a clear vision guiding global and

regional CREFMbull Is your organisation right-sized and shaped

to support your companybull Can the CRM staff engage strategicallybull Do you have workplace strategies that fit

the businessbull How flexible are your portfolio and organisa-

tion when it comes to dealing with changebull How efficient are your processes and can

you achieve speed to marketbull Is your service provider strategy supporting

your objectivesbull Do you have the right balance of centralisa-

tion versus localisationbull Are you leveraging a robust data and tech-

nology set to make good decisions n

Martijn Drost is an FM Operations Director for CBRE the global leader in real estate and invest-mentHe has been active in the FM and Real Estate industry for the past 15 years as a managerdirector He holds university degrees in both marketing and economics and shares his passion and views on the FM industry at many speaking engagementsHe is currently living in the Netherlands but has worked across many continents for a number of the worldrsquos largest companies such as BP Intel France Telecom (Orange) and Johnson ControlsHe lived and worked in Johannesburg for five years prior to returning to Europe

July 2015 FM 14

lsquoPEOPLE FIRST BUILDINGS SECONDrsquo

The people theme continues with Peter Townsendrsquos talk on Sustainability ndash putting people first and buildings secondTownsendrsquos premise is that sustain-

ability is not about the beautiful new buildings ndash itrsquos about the people that work within them

Townsend quotes Henry Ford ldquoYou can take my factories burn my buildings but give me my people and Irsquoll build the business back againrdquo

ldquoWersquove forgotten that these wonderful new buildings are there just to support the work-ers This might sound simplistic and perhaps it is but I think itrsquos a message that needs to be reinforced constantly FMs are not the only people that tend to forget this Itrsquos the archi-tects developers designers ndash in fact everyone in property developmentrdquo

He says that with traditional ways of work-ing yoursquore only going to get 40 occupancy in a traditional building meaning that therersquos a massive inefficient use of space

ldquoNow wersquore redefining the way we work and looking at the best way to design offices We need to stop looking for people who should lsquobe at work at their desk from 9 to 5rsquo and start looking at output Work follows the worker and he or she can be working from anywhere and at any time The more forward-thinking com-panies are starting to understand this Do we need monoliths of inefficiency when we can do the work from coffee shops from home from a clientrsquos space

ldquoWe still need the buildings because they are providing us with fantastic resources I donrsquot think anyone including me is implying that we should start abolishing office blocks but rather they should form part of the new flexible ways of working and the way that we value our workers ndash increasing wellbeing while enhancing productivity

ldquoItrsquos known as activity based working (ABW) which has been in operation in Europe for some time and only 3 of new buildings in the UK are not adopting the new way of working

So this really is a phenomenal trend You are going to vastly reduce the amount of space you need If the building can enable people to move freely around the office space and they are encouraged to do so it will really have remarkable benefits to increasing wellbeingrdquo

He says that research has shown that only 9 of South African employees are engaged at work

ldquoThis is a shocking statistic Engaged companies are achieving 54 which means people are satisfied and staff retention will be high Companies here need to address the fact that employees tend to leave companies after two years You canrsquot build brand aware-ness and entrench adoption with this trend

ldquoCompanies have to start looking at satis-faction and how to have it as a powerful and motivating work ethic They have to look at physical features work activities facilities and services ndash and importantly these can provide lsquoquick fixesrsquo Do you know that what is still the most important motivator whatrsquos right up at the top of the graph What coffee and tea is providedrdquo (Ed I know of a company whose coffee is meant to be the best in town and this is one big attraction for future staff members It has a coffee bar that is open all day)rdquoNaturally other features such as air quality temperature control natural light quiet rooms and get-together areas are also vital

ldquoIf you do all this what does it do to an organisation Firstly yoursquore going to reduce your square metres reduce sick days reduce stress and you will increase productivity staff satisfaction wellness engagement staff retention Seeing as surveys note that one of the most favourite places at home to work is the lounge and with a big plus for the couch why are we not filling offices with couches

ldquoThe buildings are not going to do the work People do and thatrsquos why it is para-mount to provide the right environment and resources for staff If you want growth and retention this is the only way to gordquo n

Managing Director of Know More Peter Townshend has a long history in research and consulting behaviour change and environmental reporting He currently also heads up a publishing house and environmental consultancy Ethical Living At Ethical Living Townshend has researched published and offered consultancy around the ethical nature of consumer products available in South Africa and through his work here he made the connection between sustainable offices and productivity and the effect of workspaces on office moral satis-faction engagement and profitability To this end Townshend dived deeply into workspace theory and is now in a position to establish Know More as an expert in this field in South AfricaTownshend has also helped develop a curriculum on journalism and media studies for the University of Pretoria and has lectured and spoken publically on a range of topics from business ethics to English literature environmental awareness sustainability and workspace theory

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

BLEAK PICTURE OF FM SCENARIO

Dr Samuel Azasu holds a PhD in Real Estate Management as well as Licentiate and MSc degrees in Real Estate Management from the Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm He also holds a BA in Economics with Statistics from the University of GhanaHe has worked as Program Coordinator and Director of Teaching and Learning in Real Estate Management at the Royal Institute of Technology In addition he was responsible for planning and managing the provision of executive training in real estate in collaboration with the Dubai Real Estate Institute in Dubai He is currently in charge of reorganising the real estate programs in Wits University

Dr Samuel Azasu spoke on survey results of Reward Management A survey of the South African FM SectorPeople yet again play a vital role

in this surveyldquoGood people are hard to come by and

retainrdquo he says ldquoThis is all happening in a context of a new generation of employees who are more loyal to their own career paths and are no longer stigmatised by the fre-quency of which jobs are changed

ldquoHow do South African FM companies reward their employees We used an online questionnaire to establish this and other questions The feedback wasnrsquot as good as wersquod hoped but as awareness of the survey grows we hope the next one will provide more respondents Still with the percentage we received we were still able to get a picture of whatrsquos going on

ldquoThe focus was not only on salary but also non-financial rewards We asked employees themselves on what they thought about remuneration in the FM sectorrdquo

What were the first impressionsldquoFirst of all I was shocked by the mere

length and breadth of job titles in the FM sector Once I had wrapped my head around this I took a look at salaries In comparison to some of the industries I know I found very low salaries in this area Bonuses have become the variable component of pay but what really surprised me was the fact that annual bonuses were at the discretion of managers which can be a dangerous way of doing things

ldquoThere were plenty of training courses but not much evidence that all this training translates into better performance We asked people what could be done better in terms of rewards ndash and there were some very angry responses about remuneration People are dissatisfied Too many are unhappy with pay on a number of different dimensionsrdquo

The majority of the respondents to the

questionnaire live in Gauteng and Dr Azasu found that many had been doing their jobs for more than 10 years As far as level of educa-tion is concerned very few had post-bachelor degrees

ldquoSpeaking of salaries itrsquos a fact that obviously money attracts people ndash but what holds staff retention typically is found in the non-financial arena When bonuses are based at the discretion of someone it blurs the line of sight The connection on what people do and what they are rewarded undermines confidence breeds cynicism Non-financials including sick pay loans insurance company cars and vaca-tions are more effective retention tools Benefits at work become very important in places where the state does not provide strong safety nets These benefits include pension RAs medical aid childcare allowance bursaries loans (per-sonal and housing) and study loansrdquo

He says what training is available varies from company to company

ldquoCompanies require employees to contribute 50 of the training costs In many compan-ies there is no goal setting and conditions for proper training does not exist In many instan-ces ldquooutsiderdquo training merely becomes time away from the office the person comes back with no noticeable difference in performance

ldquoHow can companies improve the bene-fit system Some say simple measures like allowing partners to attend year-end func-tions even if the employee needs to pay for it allowing time off for doctor dentist and optometrist visits Basic stuff but very import-ant

ldquoTop people lack leadership and employees are incapacitated There is low morale among employees Policies and procedures are not being reviewed timeously

ldquoThe meaning of pay to the individual employee provides clues to how he or she feels their achievement on the job is being met and how much is being contributed to the organi-sationrsquos goals and how powerful you are within the organisation

ldquoHow knowledgeable are people about their pay systems We found many did not know how the pay system actually works and they donrsquot know how when or if they will qualify for a raise Quite a lot of people are unhappy about their pay even if they are knowledgeable about the pay systemrdquo

Dr Azasu says many only have diplomas therefore it is not surprising that salaries are low yet many are proficient or more in their roles People are unhappy that so much discre-tion is left in the hands of the ldquobossrdquo

ldquoThis is an unfair system and needs to change along with the global picture of the FM working environment Maybe our next ques-tionnaire will provide us with a far broader and more positive picture of the FM scenariordquo n

July 2015 FM 15

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

July 2015 FM 16

FOLLOWING THE FIRE TRACKER TRIUMPHS

Trackerrsquos fire earlier this year which razed the company premises to the ground is a good lesson for all in how to go about managing a disas-ter correctly

In his talk entitled What to do in case of dis-aster a case study Michael du Preez Marketing Director of Tracker Connect says there is probably one significant event that made all the difference to the recovery effort

ldquoThe story of recovery is a simple one but donrsquot be misledrdquo says Du Preez ldquoBehind many simple stories there is lots of hard work and planning organisation and money The reality is that at one of the board meetings six months before the fire after the change of leadership at Tracker the new CEO announced that we did not have a disaster recovery plan The green light for that was given shortly after and the plan out in place ndash which was very auspicious con-sidering what lay ahead

ldquoOn January 17 a Saturday I got a call around 2am to tell me that Tracker was on fire I got there in double time along with the other directors and our chairman and watched in horror as the fire consumed everything in its path It was a significant fire and the devastation was terrifying The building had literally burned down The sad thing is that what the fire doesnrsquot destroy the firefighters will Obviously nothing you can do about that ndash except watch and weep

ldquoThe reality was that the fire was so strong that we couldnrsquot get into the building to retrieve anything The records were all destroyedrdquo

Trackerrsquos phoenix had risen though and the first recovery of a stolen vehicle was at 5am

ldquoOur disaster and recovery plan was in place to ensure that we could deliver the core promise of what our business does and make sure there was continuity Back-up records are essential

ldquoWe had our first disaster meeting at 7am had a discussion about what we were going to tell the media and then started a process which was basically organising a whole string of disaster recovery meetings on the hour through-

out the weekend On Monday morning we deployed all our staff to a new site with 90 business capability so in essence they walked into a new building as if nothing had hap-penedrdquo

Du Preez says that there a couple of things that made this possible The first thing is a plan ndashldquoand if you donrsquot have one yoursquod better get one without delayrdquo Roles and duties must be allocated to specific people Update emergency information and take careful note of that so that the plan can be implemented

ldquoThe next thing you need is a practical disaster recovery site We were lucky in that we stumbled across the correct site which was close to the building that burned down We have a very people-intensive business so we have many call centres We have about 900 people on site and these people rely on public transport to get to work so the first thing we had to consider about the disaster recovery site is to ensure staff can get there Itrsquos a logistical nightmare to expect people to go a further 30km further than what theyrsquore used to

ldquoThe other issue is your technology Trackerrsquos business is very tech-dependent to ensure a quick response system Control measures need to hit our centres immediately so we can take some action at that time processing around 20 million messages a day These come from cars telling us how fast they are driving where they are driving and what events need to be considered The real-ity is that we are protecting peoplersquos assets protecting fixed assets protecting fixed cargo and protecting peoplersquos lives with push-button assistance We needed then to make sure that the disaster recovery plan could have that system up and running immediatelyrdquo

When the decision about the site was made a number of factors had to be taken into account

ldquoWe had to think about the power grid in the area and would outages affect our

telephonic infrastructure would it impact the data infrastructure The only practical site was really the one next to our building which answered all these questions positively So we had been paying every month for this empty space ndash and that essentially was our saving grace

ldquoThe next thing to do is plan how you are going to interact with the customers and implement that part of your plan You need to empower your team to get on with the job and you have to trust them enough to be able to do that You have to have an immediate meeting to spell out the priorities so that everyone is on the same page and everything is in place to get up and running as soon as possiblerdquo

He says that although no-one told the mar-keting manager to make radio ads for Monday morning they were done and ready to flight

ldquoShe knew that we would have to be speak-ing to all our customers partners and so on and the best way to do that was above-the-line marketing The ads proved very effective and kept everyone in the loop as to what was hap-pening

ldquoThe most important thing was just to tell the truth and tell everyone what progress was being made The ads conveyed these messa-ges very well and spread immediate confidence

ldquoShow that yoursquore in control get people as productive as possible and build team spirit I think that crisis has the ability to bring people together which is exactly what happened at Tracker On the Monday and Tuesday we met with our key stakeholders and informed them how we have been affected how our customers have been affected and then throughout the week we continued to provide regular updates as to how the recovery process was progressingrdquo

When staff arrived at work on Monday mor-ning all the work stations had been numbered and all the systems were up and running We briefed them on what to tell customers and allocated them a seat and a phone Depending on what department they would be working in

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

Michael Du Preez is the Marketing Executive and Head of International Business and Strategy for Tracker He is responsible for business product brand and strategy development ndash a position he has held for the past four years Prior to his career with Tracker he was one of the founders and Managing Director of MobileData ndash a vehicle Telematics solutions company acquired by Tracker in 2007 It is this technology that continues to create value and open up new channels of busi-ness for Tracker today For many years he was a loyal member of WesBankrsquos management team serving most recently as Head of Research and Development Michael holds a senior qualification in Business Management from HenleyHis colleagues describe him as an open-minded and creative free-thinker always looking to bring innovation and strategic value to the world of vehicle Telematics His work helped pioneer Insurance Telematics in South Africa and more recently assisted in the breakthrough creation of TomTomrsquos first HD Traffic service in AfricaHe sees his future influence in the area of how technology will enable sustainable mobility models in a world challenged for resources Or simply put ensuring our future ldquofreedom to driverdquo

the staff members were all given T-shirts in dif-ferent colours for different centres They were given coffee mugs pens paper and created a bit of a carnival atmosphere and had coffee and doughnuts in reception It may have been a different site but it was business as usual

ldquoOne very important factor is that you need good supplier relationships who can play a major role in getting you back on your feetrdquo

Which is what Tracker did very effectively People hardly remember the fire because the continuity was immediate

You know how to get the phoenix to fly Give Tracker a ring n

Refense Phuso spoke on Valpreacute Spring Waterrsquos bottling plant She is plant manager of the oper-ation and naturally is proud of the fact that it was awarded the

US green honour (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ndash LEED) of Gold status in 2011

ldquoWhat LEED looks at is how you design your facility and you have to comply with many criteria such as site planning indoor environ-ment water planning energy management and material usedrdquo says Phuso ldquoWe have to use water efficiently and ensure the business is sustainable looking after the environment We are audited every year to ensure that we are still complying with LEED criteriardquo

As far as energy needs go the building runs on solar energy with the PV plant sup-plying 40KW of energy leaving the plant grid independent

ldquoOur water that we bottle has to have a cer-tain profile and we found that in Heidelberg Itrsquos over 200km from our offices but it is good news for the movement of product to Gauteng and beyond The factory has been designed to ensure minimal impact on the environment The roof has been designed to capture sunlight all day and with all the glass used in the factory there is abundant natural light streaming in

ldquoOne of our coups in energy-saving is the Air Wizard which reduces energy when run-ning a compressor The device is inside the compressor It captures the left-over energy from the compressor and takes it back in Aside from this therersquos energy-saving features

such as double-glazed windows so the reli-ance on air-conditioning is reduced The fac-tory is glass-wrapped so therersquos natural light in abundance We also have a 95 recycling effort Whatever we use in the factory we recycle We do the separation of material our-selves and Enviroserv will send different types of trucks for the various waste typesrdquo

She says that after the office block was accredited the factory went through the same process in 2013 Both are accredited to ISO 50 000 and the first plant in South Africa to be awarded this honour

ldquoValpre works continuously to improve energy performance to keep up with stan-dards in ISO 50 000 and the requirements of LEED We have to continually challenge our-selves to find new ways of reducing energy We meet on a monthly basis to discuss how well we are meeting our goals

ldquoWe also have energy meters in machines that we know use a lot of energy to keep track of what is happening there and if there are spikes on those machines it gives us the opportunity to investigate why Any anomalies must be reported and this can also highlight incorrect operator behaviour

ldquoWe have also changed from using boxes for product to trays that are plas-tic-wrapped ndash this is also an energy-saving move and in our view really enhances the product presentationrdquo n

A PLANT WITH GREAT ENERGY POWER

July 2015 FM 17

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

Refense Phuso plant manager

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 18

SLArsquos

WHOrsquoS KIDDING WHO

SLArsquos

July 2015 FM 19

Richard Jeffreys

Having just waded through 250 pages of our latest Tender I must make reference to the Fantasy section noted as SLAs In order to compete

with others I need to guarantee my catering engineers can attend anywhere in the coun-try in under 2 hours and complete resolves in under 24 hours

The standard of facts given on appli-ances service history access condition and status is poor to non-existent but the con-tract conditions are punitive and binding In essence if I have engineers standing around waiting for the next call and I am prepared to deliver at the cheapest cost guarantee parts for an appliance for which I have no data I am in the running If I tell the truth and base costs on worst case scenario due to lack of asset information I am out of the frame

Denise Booth-AlexanderThis is a national contract so presumably they are looking for someone to respond nationally but not necessarily with in-house engineers Is a consortium bid an option where you can join with others who have engineers in local areas to fulfil the 2 hour requirement Alternatively can you sub There are ways of tendering for this if the resolve is a first fix or attendance with a work around or temp solution but I agree not if it is a final fix Catering maintenance is notoriously hard as no- one really wants to carry additional expensive kit in their kitchen Suppliers of products make life very difficult with regard to spares if they themselves also offer a maintenance service We experience long delays wrong diagnoses quotes to repair that make it financially unviable to do so but no innovative thinking such as this is the fix costs and this is the replacement deal etc As customers it is extremely frus-trating but I accept that asking a company to work on a huge variety of makes and models and kit doesnt sit happily with a quick and responsive service if there is no specialityhellip every make within that business and parts are held onto by suppliers I know that a catering maintenance supplier that can

A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its internal or external customers that documents what services the provider will furnish

provide a great service and offers alternative solutions is something that we would all like as customers Perhaps the answer is some sort of industry group which includes sup-pliers to talk it out and come up with a truly customer-oriented service package

I suspect this is a pipe dream much like the closed shop that is Lift maintenance One solution for this particular tender would be to offer to produce an Assetlifecycle register as part of the bid to fully evaluate all the kit and give timescales for replace-ment including possible energy savings to provide some payback etc If you can offer something extra and point out why you can-not provide a proper and cost defined bid in the first instance but set out clearly why and what you could do to turn this around I would certainly be delighted to look at your proposals if I were the customer

Neil EarnshawRichard I concur with the views of others you will be better thought of by pulling out of the process and explaining to the client why It may be that another company out there can deliver what they need its just not your company this time It also may be that other bidders do the same thing in which case the client needs to review their procurement strategy

Im managing a tender process for a FM contract at the moment We had one bidder raise an issue and ask for a change which we respectfully refused since then two other bidders have raised the same issue so were now reconsidering our position Were doing this on the basis that the market is now tell-ing us this contract is too risky as opposed to a single bidder not having the appetite

Richard JeffryesThanks guys for all the replies and yes my gut feeling is not to compete and leave us open to penalties However the issues raised are common I feel that many tenders are have a big element of cut and paste one size fits all As noted by Denise our trade is eclectic a real mix of standards and manu-facturers if a contract is going to work it needs the attention of someone who has complete knowledge of the realities and their

ldquoIn essence if I have engineers

standing around waiting for the

next call and I am prepared

to deliver at the cheapest cost

guarantee parts for an

appliance for which I have

no data I am in the running

If I tell the truth and base costs

on worst case scenario due to

lack of asset information

I am out of the frame

Continuing our series based on posts from the

British Institute of Facility Management (BIFM)

LinkedIn sites South African FMs will find much to

identify with and are encouraged to participate in local exchanges ndash

write via LinkedIn to terryfmexpoorg or tweet tex_owen

July 2015 FM 20

issues I would like to think that I as an individual with 35 years within commercial kitchen would be listened too however many tenders especially the electronic auction style offer little scope for the personal touch which is our USP I know the environment the trade and the equipment My approach is to be realistic tell the truth dont promise the undeliverable and submit a viable cost structure I am yet though to be convinced there is scope for this in the world of group tenders

Neil EarnshawRichard keep the faith keep doing the right thing and work with your industry to help it improve

What I see is a disconnect in FM between contractors and clients This disconnect is the contract and selection of an appropriate strategy that drives the right behaviours On a personal level Im doing my bit to help improve things but Im just a lone voice more people from all sides of the FM indus-try need to recognise the problem and the opportunity to improve then well get some real change for the better

Craig ShepheardYou will normally have a mobilisation per-iod where you can get to inspect all of the equipment in order to set up your own asset list I suggest that you use this data to inform the client of any items of equipment that are obsolete or where parts would be difficult to supply The condition report could be used to say whether items that are in poor shape require monies spent on them to get them to a state where they can be maintained If the client refuses to spend that highlighted amount then those individual items do not correspond to the 2-hour SLA and are there-fore exempt from the contract

You base your contract fee on the under-standing that all items on their asset list are currently being maintained and that they are in a reasonable state of order

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSEA reasonable point Craig except like com-missioning and handover the mobilisation period can get eaten away by slippages on other elements For one major mobilisation the 8 months period for seamless transfer was cut to 3 weeks There are risks with the approach suggested

Neil Earnshaw Im with you on that Rob there are risks However from a contractors view point it does mitigate the risk of poor quality asset

data provided by the client at tender stage Are you allowed to caveat your tender submis-sion Even so I think the risk you face is an early disagreement with the client they think theyve passed a risk to you but in actual fact you passed it back to them with your caveat I absolutely would not sign the contract as is and attempt to wriggle out of your obligations post contract Craigs solution sounds sens-ible right up to the point of saying to the client spend or be damned Thats where the dis-agreement will come

Are they aware their data is poor quality or are they just saying price the risk Have they given you the impression that theyd listen to your concerns and maybe consider other more cost-effective solutions

Also what are you being asked to price for Using a simple example you know there is a cooker and extractor in a kitchen (and you know the location of the kitchen) what you dont know is age condition service history make amp model of the cooker or extractor Are you being asked to give them a lump sum fixed price to maintain these items for a num-ber of years with everything apart from end of life replacement to be included in your price

Alan TaylorI would question why a tender document for catering needs to be 250 pages long Sounds like itrsquos been prepared by a purchasing depart-ment that has no realistic awareness of day-to-day operational requirements and is missing some fundamental issues (no change there then)

So if a fat fryer breaks down when the first load is due to go in for a lunch time service a

ldquoWhat I see is a disconnect

in FM between contractors

and clients This disconnect is

the contract and selection of an

appropriate strategy that drives

the right behaviours

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 22

2 hour response will not get that item back and fully operational for the same day lunch time trade as it will be over It will be up to the chef to improvise with the menu and manage the change

A next day fix or 12 hour turnaround would be a better solution but if a restaurant canrsquot improvise and change its menu if one item of plant goes down you need to change the chef and the caterer It wonrsquot hurt the staff to go without chips for a day

Dave ThomasAlso with you Rob have been the recipient of one of those immediate seamless transfers - where the original team were eager to get themselves in another project and have no responsibility for what was a flawed mobilisa-tion

In the same mobilisation period I found that the Asset List I had sweated over was ignored and another fairy tale was imposed missing out over half of my list so inad-equate time allocatedcosted to MampE Also found that the engineers provided were more interested in looking for more lucrative work rather than just doing maintenance

Seems some clients want the contractor to come up with a proper Asset List for them included in the contract ignoring any information regarding past breakdowns on equipment which may lead to a query on the true condition and life hoping a new contract will magically lead to new equipment

Richard JeffryesAlan sounds like you speak from experience your bang on

Neil you make a lot of sense if only clients thought like you Yes we are being asked to price the Risk however an underlying objective of tender winner is to be the most competitive

In respect of the approach we know itrsquos an oven we know where it is we know it is business critical sounds simple but with-out the specific data this is a real lottery Commercial ovens range in value from pound1 000 to pound40 000 we may be able to make an educated guess at what the appliance is but big tenders request parts and labour-in-clusive programmes replacement parts such as a PCB on a Combination Oven can cost pound1 000 to replace so knowing the depth of the liability is essential My belief is if a site has been responsibly maintained a full and updated asset list with condition and service dates should be available If not what has the incumbent been doing and how do we know it was done This information is surely a pre-requisite when contracts are drawing

to conclusion and a renewal is due Is it com-mon practice for this data to be withheld or are companies just poor at maintaining service data

Neil EarnshawRichard I usually work client-side developing the procurement contract strategy and man-aging the tender process

My main observation of FM clients over the years is that they dont think about commer-cial risk just operational They generally dont seem to understand that where theres a risk theres a cost Therefore you end up with very risky contracts being put together and create the environment for protracted commercial negotiations during the life of the contract

Another observation has been that FM contractors do collect and maintain asset data but when it comes to re-tender the data cant be accessed by the client This is sometimes down to the contract not being clear on this but often its also due to many years of mis-management of the contract

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSENeilFor some time it has been my view that the client should own the asset data and condition assessment which it should disclose to the tenderers Similarly the maintenance records and all of these should ideally be in the client-owned CAFM

ldquoMy belief is if a site has

been maintained a full

and updated asset list with

condition and service dates

should be available If not

what has the incumbent been

doing and how do we know it

was done

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 23

When the onus is put on the success-ful bid winner to collect all the asset data confusion can reign with a completely new set of asset numbers and description and of course items can be missed Most FM managers will have come across outgoing contractors where people probably at very junior level ditch all the statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique

Gordon EasingwoodRegards client CAFMs they are generally poor non-existent or compiled by previous contractors with differing motives (ie avoid-ing financial penaltiesfailing SLAs) Same with maintenance records previous contract-ors are again likely to have differing motives as to how these were compiled based on previous SLAs I work on a local contract with very similar limitations though in different areas and trust me itrsquos extremely difficult to meet this level of commitment Ultimately if they can call you out for pound50 (or less) but can impose a SLA penalty of pound200 where is the sense in it And Im talking a 30 mile max-imum radius from a central point 2 hours responses have been missed simply due to travel delayspoor communication Even when these can be resolved in our favour the amount of adminmanagement time all has an associated cost

To put it another way there simply is not enough properly trained and experienced commercial catering equipment engineers in the country to meet such demands I know I am one and I wouldnt go near the industry again in a hurry as I guess you know from experience Add in the level of commitment (more rightly non-commitment) from some manufacturers and itrsquos an absolute night-mare Also bear in mind European rules only require parts to be available 5 years after a product is no longer manufactured Oh and if you have imports or specials just forget it I was involved with work with a well-known Indian type food chain who had special ovens that met no British or European stan-dard and had to be condemned for simply that reason This was despite a CAFM type list being presented stating all maintenance was done to (non-existent) manufacturersrsquo instructions When checked they had created models and serials numbers for the units

Lastly I would investigate what the client can put through as a 2 hour response and if you can object and on what grounds I currently have a client who does so when in 2 hours the building will be fully vacated and emptyequipment wonrsquot be used for 72 hours etc yet we still have to make attend-ance to meet SLAs Its this kind of thing

that give clients a bad nameSadly without proper input from the

client it sounds like this contract would be a financial liability and I would steer clear With proper and decent input it may be possible I would present the proposal of correct and proper information requirements to the client and try build from there If they run with what would be a non-starter you have to walk away itrsquos likely any contract wonrsquot be upheld for long from either side

Rob Farman regards people ditching statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique I have found this is generally from a quite senior level Simply either because a) itrsquos never been kept up to or b) they dont want this information to go to competitors or c) adequate provision has never been made to collate the information in the first place Things are improving in this area as FM managers take things in hand and computer records are better maintained

Peter CarrHaving worked with Rob Farnam I would completely agree I have spent the last five years client side helping to develop CAFM systems and to make sure they are 100 as accurate as the world I work in (now) Investor FM (totally different to Corporate FM) I have worked with a non-licenced sys-tem called Elogbooks for these five years purely because of these issues Tendering is difficult enough without non-existent asset data and performance understanding Good luck

David A ParryLets push for KISS based contracts Then have the inferred SLA KPIs amp effectiveness measurement compared to the actual true bottom line savings to the client and service provider in their partnering endeavours The unit of measurement could be the unem-ployed bean counters Or do they move on to another position in or outside their companies so no real accountability that this measurement in this way would show on this radar screen

Apologies for the frivolous comments but I honestly believe the real value for money is far simpler but has to be based on appro-priate measures and values for the specific situation and is industries dependent The dichotomy of this statement is it adds to complexity because truly experienced and technical trained actuary analysts are required to produce the targets numbers and not the clip board amp wet finger in the air brigade Clients need to bring in-house specialised professional knowledge to the

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

July 2015 FM 6

The massive 131 000msup2 Mall of Africa is sched-uled to open in April 2016 Currently the largest retail develop-

ment being built in a single phase in Africa the expansive retail offering features a distinctive design and an ideal location in the middle of the 173 million square metre mixed-use Waterfall City development in Midrand Gauteng The combination is destined to create a go-to des-tination for both local residents and touristsThe design inspiration for the mall and courts is drawn from the natural and geological beauty of the African continent There will be four courts that depict the different climatic zones on the continent an oleum court depicting the oil rich West Africa a great lakes court depicting East Africa a crystal court depicting the mineral wealth in South Africa and a sand court depicting the desert area of North AfricaldquoThe mallrsquos design also incorporates many unique elements including very high shop fronts wide passages and an undulating roof feature in the centre with specialist animated LED lighting and a large public space with restaurants known as the Town Square The gross leasable area will be 131 000msup2 and 261 tenants will be setting up shop in this new luxury developmentrdquo says architect Tia Kanakakis of MDS Architects the architectural firm for the Mall of Africa

Leading South African property developer and investor Atterbury appointed Aurecon as civil and structural engineers for the iconic development Gerhard Saayman Professional Engineer at Aurecon responsible for managing Aureconrsquos design and construction supervision teams on the project says that the sheer size of the mall is making the Mall of Africa an exceptionally rewarding project to work onldquoThe gross building area is 485 000msup2 which equals 65 rugby pitches The size of the mall that will be occupied by major tenants such as Edgars Woolworths Truworths Checkers Ster Kinekor and Game will equal the size of the entire Middelburg Mallrdquo says SaaymanThe completion of the concrete structure and steel work for the roofs as well as the faccedilades is the projectrsquos next major milestone and is currently on target for com-pletion on programme ldquoThis milestone would enable the interior shop fit outs to proceed putting us another step closer to completionrdquo says SaaymanWhile any large building project will come with its own unique set of challenges the scale of the Mall of Africa means that the project team comprising the professional team and the main contractor had to overcome specific challenges relating to logistics and program-ming of construction sequences

as well as hiring and managing a wide range of subcontractorsA highly unified team was needed to fast-track the con-struction of such a large project Everyonersquos activities and scope from the professional team to the main contractor subcontractors and building services have to be planned and sequenced with precision and attention to detailldquoEverything has to be imple-mented in the correct sequence and with such a large range of activities happening on site this requires dedicated teamwork strict quality control processes and a deep understanding of the timelines and construction sequences of retail develop-mentsrdquo he adds

ldquoMeticulous planning innovative design solutions and ongoing collaboration between all stake-holders has enabled us to keep meeting deadlines and resolving challenges to reach the key milestones of the programme Teamwork between the design professionals and the contract-ors were key to not only meet each deadline but also to design cost consciously at all times and fast track the various stages of constructionrdquo says SaaymanThe main construction period for this massive development is only 32 months This is not only a huge challenge for the main contractor but requires a

massive amount of design and construction documentation to be produced within a very short period of time by the design consultants Six of Aureconrsquos design offices and over 50 engineers tech-nicians and draughters are currently working on this project to ensure designs and quality construction documentation were delivered according to pro-grammeDesigners are committed to continuous value engineering and optimisation throughout the design phase to achieve the most economic design solu-tions For the majority of design requirements various options were tabled in order for the most cost-effective solution to be identified and constructedDedicated involvement from Aureconrsquos four site engineers with the Joint Venture of WBHO and Group 5 ensures construc-tion queries and problems are identified and resolved immedi-ately This relationship between our engineers and the contractor is immensely important and essential to a successful con-struction phase ldquoAurecon is proud to be a part of the project team on such an iconic development here in South Africardquo says Nicol Labuschagne Aureconrsquos Project Director for the Mall of Africa development n

An artistrsquos impression of how the completed mall will look at night

July 2015 FM 7

ISSN 2071-9299 JUNE 2015 FM No 002

I N C O R P O R A T I N G

NEWWhatrsquos Find out at the

FM Expo and Conference

FULL DETAILS INSIDE

FM June Cover 2015indd 1

20150528 101429 AM

Magazine Bulletin Both DigitalSouth Africa R640 R640 R1 155 R640Africa US$175 US$90 US$240 US$90International US$190 US$90 US$255 US$90Please tick

12 +ISSUES

ANNUAL DIRECTORY

24+e-BULLETINS

Facilities Management incorporating Urban

Green File provides cutting-edge information

on the latest issues and procedures regarding

facilities management Our audience is the

facilities-management solution providers and

consultants such as mechanical engineers

electrical engineers architects interior designers

and owneroperators of properties and facilities

business people responsible for fi nancial decisions

about the operation maintenance and expansion

or development of facilities who are interested

in running a profi table and sustainable facility

and keen to learn about new business approaches

and technologies

Ready access to this kind of news is available

through the information platform hosted

by TETrade Events which includes printed

magazines fortnightly email bulletins

as well as an annual business directory Helping you manage better

Todayrsquos decision makers need to stay abreast of the latest industry trends and developments no matter where they are They need the right information at their fi ngertips to ensure the optimal and effi cient use of resources

Email your subscription request to phillipfmexpoorg or Fax to +27 11 781 6079

subsindd 2 20150706 122816 PM

July 2015 FM 8

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

Well-positioned commercial property in outlying areas around South

Africa is proving increasingly attractive to both local and inter-national buyers who continue to find value in sustainable invest-ments says Norman Raad CEO of Broll Auctions and SalesldquoNotably there will always be demand for retail properties where investors in pursuit of yield and income perceive opportun-ities to unlock potentialldquoSuch is the case with our successful sale of the 7530m2 Queenstown Mall in the Eastern Cape which was listed to go on auction but achieved a mar-ket-related price of R62-million prior to our multiple auction held in June (2015)rdquo Raad says with a yield of 10 this is a fair market price from a private investor who has plans

Sustained demand for commercial property

for expansion and is bringing new tenants into the centre Anchored by Pick n Pay and with other tenants including large multi-national groups such as Pep and Standard Bank the local retail centre is very well-positioned in Queenstown on the busy corner of Brewery Lane and the N6The sale of a further 20 000m2 of retail industrial and office space was concluded at the auction These included four lots com-prising a total of over 2300m2 of office space situated in Wynberg in Cape Townrsquos popular Southern Suburbs Napier in the Southern Cape Polokwane in Limpopo and Edenberg in the Free State which were sold by an institu-tional seller Acquired by several private investors these proper-ties achieved a combined price of R9-millionSome of the other properties sold on the auction included

a property consisting of multi-tenanted industrial units in Boksburg ndash which fetched a selling price of R221-million an industrial mini-park in Heriotdale in Johannesburg which sold for R16-million and multi-ten-anted units in Wynberg in Johannesburg which fetched a total price of R924-million A block of ground-floor retail and residential apart-ments above in Norwood in Johannesburg achieved R104-million In Lichtenberg in the North West Province an office building was sold on the auction for R78-million a 4610m2 industrial warehouse in Powerville in Vereeniging was acquired for R65-million while a small retail centre with upstairs office component in Bronkhorstspruit just east of Pretoria and en route to Witbank (eMalahleni) was pur-chased for R61-million

Adds Raad ldquoNot surprisingly particularly in the current eco-nomic climate we have found there is minimal demand for vacant buildings The focus is on sustainable investments where tenants can easily be replaced should they default or depart As a result of lower risk well-positioned properties will always be in demandHe says a trend is seeing listed property funds divest of non-core stock and stock which has been exhausted to its full potential ldquoWhereas they may no longer wish to expend further time nor invest further in these properties the smaller property investor has the energy and vision to turn a fundrsquos rough diamond into a gemrdquoThe positive demand for com-mercial property is borne out by a recent Lightstone report which reveals that transaction activity in the South African commercial

Situated in a busy area of Norwood in Johannesburg this block comprising retail and apartments sold for R104-million through Broll Auctions and Sales

July 2015 FM 9

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

market has increased in recent years The report also highlights the acquisition of properties in non-CBD areasAdds Bradley Stephens MD of Broll Auctions and Sales ldquoWe have also seen investors divest of their smaller commercial property portfolios and invest in the REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) as these offer more liquidity and flexibility with their investments ldquoSimultaneously this has created new opportunities for new players to enter the market The time has never been more opportune for investing in the South African property market as international investors still find huge value in solid bricks and mortar in comparison to other countries The only barrier to entry in the current market is finance and the loan to value conundrumrdquoBroll Auctions and Sales next multiple auc-tion of commercial properties takes place on August 18

087 700 8269 wwwbrollcom n

Queenstown Mall was sold even prior to auction

This commercial property in Main Road in Wynberg in Cape Townrsquos Southern Suburbs sold for R29-million at the recent auction held by Broll Auctions and Sales

Norman Raad CEO of Broll Auctions and Sales

July 2015 FM 10

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

When it comes to flooring needs there are a few significant players in the

South African market but Nouwens Carpets is the oldest local carpet manufacturer owned and run by the same family from the outsetToday this company with its nearly 200 employees is a force to be reckoned with offering global industry leaders some stiff compe-tition in the local market thanks to their solid reputation when it comes to products and service delivery Nouwens is a genuine family business and the only major manufacturer that produces their own spun yarns for the domestic market in South Africa This is not surprising with over 50 years of tradition in carpet craftsmanship Nouwens first opened its doors in Harrismith in the Free State in 1962 when Cornelis Nouwens a carpet craftsman from Tilburg in the Netherlands and his wife started manufacturing carpets in an old garage in the town of Harrismith A

passionate entrepreneur Cornelis instilled the same spirit in his chil-dren Luci and Pieter who took over the running of the business in later years It was clear that a passion for producing top quality products was instilled in Luci Nouwens from a young age setting her to head up the management of this local carpeting empire Throughout the years Nouwens has adapted their practices and processes enabling them to become a vertical carpet mill producing wool and synthetic carpets for the domestic and commercial market Nouwens also extrudes both poly prop and nylon synthetic yarns completing an extremely versatile yarn offering In the current economic climate where many companies are find-ing it difficult to survive it seems the success of this growing family business can be attributed to vari-ous factors According to Oscar Grobler Nouwensrsquo Chairman it is vital to ensure that their solid reputation remains backed up by producing quality products

ldquoConsistency is key when it comes to maintaining our pos-ition in the market We need to make sure that we truly live out the culture of the organisation while remaining relevant when it comes to product offerings and developing new ranges Being

Graffiti Retail Solutions ndash a division of Graffiti ndash has been granted the license for Cr8ive Paint ndash a new

environmentally friendly white board paint that can quickly and easily transform virtually any surface into a high performance dry erase canvas Set to replace easels flip charts and traditional white board screens this cost-effective alternative to the somewhat outdated boards con-ventionally seen in boardrooms is ideal for lecture and class rooms idea creative and strategy walls and meeting rooms Restaurants can even use it to write up menus and specials of the day Graffiti Retail Solutions has mas-tered the technique of applying the paint which comes standard in conveniently packaged units that cover 5m2 A water-based product it is dry to the touch in 24 hours and will be fully cured and

ready to use within five days If correctly applied just one coat is required and using foam paint rollers ensure the smoothest surface possible Like any paint-ing job preparation is key and surfaces should be clean and smooth before painting It can be applied to any sealed surface but a primer should be used before

all applications Lead free itrsquos a non-toxic solution making it even more appealing Suitable for any setting ndash light or dark hot or cold ndash this white board paint is not only available in white and therersquos nothing to stop a creative agency from painting a yellow white board The final finish is glossy and can create a reflec-

tion if a light is shone onto the surfaceOnce the product is fully cured a dry cloth can be used to clean the wall If ink has been on the wall for a long time a wet cloth can be used For cheap and often stubborn to remove markers a whiteboard solution can be used

011 691 8400 wwwGraffiticoza n

vertically integrated also allows us to control the manufacturing process as much as possible ensuring that the final product is of the very best qualityrdquo says Grobler 011 608 4435 wwwnouwenscarpetscoza n

July 2015 FM 12

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

CREFM SURVEY PROVES PEOPLE POWER

Itrsquos all about people

People power is predominant and this is illustrated clearly in a survey that was helmed by Martijn Drost of CBRE in Europe who gave the keynote presenta-

tion at the 2015 SAFMA conferenceThe CREFM survey showed that costs

still naturally play a predominant role but that the focus has shifted from pure cost towards growth with the emphasis being on people more than ever

ldquoGDP is down in South Africa These are uncertain times for many countries The respondents in the survey see the Middle East situation being a catalyst for uncertainty and many see this as the biggest threat for

growthrdquo says Drost ldquoThe scarce availability of talent is also an important factor As far as costs are concerned people are looking for reductions wherever possible and this plays a big role in lease negotiations In South Africa there is far more escalation year on year on property taxes and prices whereas in Europe and the US prop-erty is so widely available that companies have the opportunity to renegotiate price every time that the contract endsrdquo

He says there is a move towards cheaper markets with offshoring and right-shoring playing their hands

ldquoThe most important factor in right-shoring is cost ndash itrsquos essential to know the whole story when you are considering future locations However we

ldquoPeople understandably

donrsquot want to spend hours

commuting just to be seen

to be working in the office ndash

those days are gone Working

smarter is the goal now and

productivity is on the up

July 2015 FM 13

are seeing quite a change in the behaviour of occupiers For instance the UK used to out-source call centres to India but they are now being recalled to the UK due to pressure from customer bases which link to business alignment labour and skillsrdquo

Asia Pacific India and China are seen by far as the most desired locations because of cheap labour good availability of staff and in terms of total occupancy therersquos a motiva-tional cost element to consider

ldquoPeople are seeing South Africa as a growth market and a place to be in the future The availability of talent location and infrastructure are the factors to consider Companies feel that more needs to go into decisions involving the attraction and reten-tion of staffrdquo

Drost says that it is also very clear that workplace strategy is becoming paramount The right route here is not only selecting the building and the location itrsquos situated in but it matters a great deal what happens inside the building ndash and here is the clear link to FM

ldquoThe main pointers are employee attrac-tion and retention How do we make sure we attract the right people and retain them in the business The average time someone stays in a job in South Africa is only two years So looking carefully at this fact while it is import-ant to increase productivity and cost savings improved collaboration is vital Itrsquos all about different ways of working and linking closely to employee satisfaction and therefore retention Find people that you can engage with learn from and collaborate withrdquo

The survey notes that while the indoor environment is very important as well as the workplace itself sustainability strangely appeared low on the agenda

ldquoThe big issue is flexible working (63) We didnrsquot measure this in 2013 but now itrsquos heavily in the red on the radar Flexible work-ing is not necessarily just working from home but working anywhere wherever you are at any time People understandably donrsquot want to spend hours commuting just to be seen to be working in the office ndash those days are gone Working smarter is the goal now and productivity is on the up It doesnrsquot take rocket science to understand whyrdquo

80 said that business integration and alignment with enterprise goals is important

ldquoReal Estate of FM is not separate to the business and canrsquot be seen in that way anymore Decision makers of big companies and organisations throughout the world are seeing Real Estate of FM as a catalyst for future growth of their businesses I see it as part of their total strategic pact which is needed to support corporate growth If the

building does not work and if yoursquore not able to attract the right people by having the cor-rect environment how are you going to grow your company

ldquoAction is needed to achieve these goals Streets ahead on top is data quality and accuracy Companies everywhere are strug-gling with data with different systems and dif-ferent sources They are having a hard time creating information out of the data

ldquoYou have to make the basic elements work ndash organisational structure the govern-ance model that you are working towards the process you use in terms of capital allo-cation planning resourcing and your informa-tion your systems and tools to get the infor-mation from your property into tangible data that actually provides information ndash thatrsquos the goal a must-do You canrsquot do anything with raw data and you need to find a way to turn that data into informationrdquo

Drost says that in examining how FM is going to impact on the business looking at the full life cycle is necessary and what is happening is that companies are moving towards integrated facility management

ldquoThat integration chain is growing longer Whereas some 5 to 10 years ago a company started by outsourcing a single service ndash say for cleaning only ndash wersquove now seen the bundling of services for integrated FM as that has become more and more important Property is now also becoming more and more part of the FM portfolio because is running real estate part of the core business No it isnrsquot So we are seeing a determined move towards fuller integration of the supply chain At the end of the day FM is keeping the business running smoothly It has great impact on the business how it operates and the ability of the business to grow in the future

ldquoMoving on from the very beginning with the outsourcing of a single service we believe that we are moving into the fourth or fifth generation of outsourcing We have people that want to invest in buildings develop the workplace strategy and we will be there if you want to dispose of that build-ing at any pointrdquo

He says that integration is the name of the game in every possible way There canrsquot be any pockets of isolation anymore Full integration in all facets of FM and property management is the priority

ldquoOur enterprise data to move into inte-grated information is going to be of the utmost importance going forward Our decisions should not be based on gut feel or hearsay ndash it should be based on hard numbers In most cases we do have the

numbers but the biggest problem is how to get the information out of the numbers Yoursquoll need to partner with the correct suppler and find a platform that can connect and decode data sourcesrdquo

Here are a couple of questions that can help you work out at what stage your com-pany is atbull Is there a clear vision guiding global and

regional CREFMbull Is your organisation right-sized and shaped

to support your companybull Can the CRM staff engage strategicallybull Do you have workplace strategies that fit

the businessbull How flexible are your portfolio and organisa-

tion when it comes to dealing with changebull How efficient are your processes and can

you achieve speed to marketbull Is your service provider strategy supporting

your objectivesbull Do you have the right balance of centralisa-

tion versus localisationbull Are you leveraging a robust data and tech-

nology set to make good decisions n

Martijn Drost is an FM Operations Director for CBRE the global leader in real estate and invest-mentHe has been active in the FM and Real Estate industry for the past 15 years as a managerdirector He holds university degrees in both marketing and economics and shares his passion and views on the FM industry at many speaking engagementsHe is currently living in the Netherlands but has worked across many continents for a number of the worldrsquos largest companies such as BP Intel France Telecom (Orange) and Johnson ControlsHe lived and worked in Johannesburg for five years prior to returning to Europe

July 2015 FM 14

lsquoPEOPLE FIRST BUILDINGS SECONDrsquo

The people theme continues with Peter Townsendrsquos talk on Sustainability ndash putting people first and buildings secondTownsendrsquos premise is that sustain-

ability is not about the beautiful new buildings ndash itrsquos about the people that work within them

Townsend quotes Henry Ford ldquoYou can take my factories burn my buildings but give me my people and Irsquoll build the business back againrdquo

ldquoWersquove forgotten that these wonderful new buildings are there just to support the work-ers This might sound simplistic and perhaps it is but I think itrsquos a message that needs to be reinforced constantly FMs are not the only people that tend to forget this Itrsquos the archi-tects developers designers ndash in fact everyone in property developmentrdquo

He says that with traditional ways of work-ing yoursquore only going to get 40 occupancy in a traditional building meaning that therersquos a massive inefficient use of space

ldquoNow wersquore redefining the way we work and looking at the best way to design offices We need to stop looking for people who should lsquobe at work at their desk from 9 to 5rsquo and start looking at output Work follows the worker and he or she can be working from anywhere and at any time The more forward-thinking com-panies are starting to understand this Do we need monoliths of inefficiency when we can do the work from coffee shops from home from a clientrsquos space

ldquoWe still need the buildings because they are providing us with fantastic resources I donrsquot think anyone including me is implying that we should start abolishing office blocks but rather they should form part of the new flexible ways of working and the way that we value our workers ndash increasing wellbeing while enhancing productivity

ldquoItrsquos known as activity based working (ABW) which has been in operation in Europe for some time and only 3 of new buildings in the UK are not adopting the new way of working

So this really is a phenomenal trend You are going to vastly reduce the amount of space you need If the building can enable people to move freely around the office space and they are encouraged to do so it will really have remarkable benefits to increasing wellbeingrdquo

He says that research has shown that only 9 of South African employees are engaged at work

ldquoThis is a shocking statistic Engaged companies are achieving 54 which means people are satisfied and staff retention will be high Companies here need to address the fact that employees tend to leave companies after two years You canrsquot build brand aware-ness and entrench adoption with this trend

ldquoCompanies have to start looking at satis-faction and how to have it as a powerful and motivating work ethic They have to look at physical features work activities facilities and services ndash and importantly these can provide lsquoquick fixesrsquo Do you know that what is still the most important motivator whatrsquos right up at the top of the graph What coffee and tea is providedrdquo (Ed I know of a company whose coffee is meant to be the best in town and this is one big attraction for future staff members It has a coffee bar that is open all day)rdquoNaturally other features such as air quality temperature control natural light quiet rooms and get-together areas are also vital

ldquoIf you do all this what does it do to an organisation Firstly yoursquore going to reduce your square metres reduce sick days reduce stress and you will increase productivity staff satisfaction wellness engagement staff retention Seeing as surveys note that one of the most favourite places at home to work is the lounge and with a big plus for the couch why are we not filling offices with couches

ldquoThe buildings are not going to do the work People do and thatrsquos why it is para-mount to provide the right environment and resources for staff If you want growth and retention this is the only way to gordquo n

Managing Director of Know More Peter Townshend has a long history in research and consulting behaviour change and environmental reporting He currently also heads up a publishing house and environmental consultancy Ethical Living At Ethical Living Townshend has researched published and offered consultancy around the ethical nature of consumer products available in South Africa and through his work here he made the connection between sustainable offices and productivity and the effect of workspaces on office moral satis-faction engagement and profitability To this end Townshend dived deeply into workspace theory and is now in a position to establish Know More as an expert in this field in South AfricaTownshend has also helped develop a curriculum on journalism and media studies for the University of Pretoria and has lectured and spoken publically on a range of topics from business ethics to English literature environmental awareness sustainability and workspace theory

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

BLEAK PICTURE OF FM SCENARIO

Dr Samuel Azasu holds a PhD in Real Estate Management as well as Licentiate and MSc degrees in Real Estate Management from the Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm He also holds a BA in Economics with Statistics from the University of GhanaHe has worked as Program Coordinator and Director of Teaching and Learning in Real Estate Management at the Royal Institute of Technology In addition he was responsible for planning and managing the provision of executive training in real estate in collaboration with the Dubai Real Estate Institute in Dubai He is currently in charge of reorganising the real estate programs in Wits University

Dr Samuel Azasu spoke on survey results of Reward Management A survey of the South African FM SectorPeople yet again play a vital role

in this surveyldquoGood people are hard to come by and

retainrdquo he says ldquoThis is all happening in a context of a new generation of employees who are more loyal to their own career paths and are no longer stigmatised by the fre-quency of which jobs are changed

ldquoHow do South African FM companies reward their employees We used an online questionnaire to establish this and other questions The feedback wasnrsquot as good as wersquod hoped but as awareness of the survey grows we hope the next one will provide more respondents Still with the percentage we received we were still able to get a picture of whatrsquos going on

ldquoThe focus was not only on salary but also non-financial rewards We asked employees themselves on what they thought about remuneration in the FM sectorrdquo

What were the first impressionsldquoFirst of all I was shocked by the mere

length and breadth of job titles in the FM sector Once I had wrapped my head around this I took a look at salaries In comparison to some of the industries I know I found very low salaries in this area Bonuses have become the variable component of pay but what really surprised me was the fact that annual bonuses were at the discretion of managers which can be a dangerous way of doing things

ldquoThere were plenty of training courses but not much evidence that all this training translates into better performance We asked people what could be done better in terms of rewards ndash and there were some very angry responses about remuneration People are dissatisfied Too many are unhappy with pay on a number of different dimensionsrdquo

The majority of the respondents to the

questionnaire live in Gauteng and Dr Azasu found that many had been doing their jobs for more than 10 years As far as level of educa-tion is concerned very few had post-bachelor degrees

ldquoSpeaking of salaries itrsquos a fact that obviously money attracts people ndash but what holds staff retention typically is found in the non-financial arena When bonuses are based at the discretion of someone it blurs the line of sight The connection on what people do and what they are rewarded undermines confidence breeds cynicism Non-financials including sick pay loans insurance company cars and vaca-tions are more effective retention tools Benefits at work become very important in places where the state does not provide strong safety nets These benefits include pension RAs medical aid childcare allowance bursaries loans (per-sonal and housing) and study loansrdquo

He says what training is available varies from company to company

ldquoCompanies require employees to contribute 50 of the training costs In many compan-ies there is no goal setting and conditions for proper training does not exist In many instan-ces ldquooutsiderdquo training merely becomes time away from the office the person comes back with no noticeable difference in performance

ldquoHow can companies improve the bene-fit system Some say simple measures like allowing partners to attend year-end func-tions even if the employee needs to pay for it allowing time off for doctor dentist and optometrist visits Basic stuff but very import-ant

ldquoTop people lack leadership and employees are incapacitated There is low morale among employees Policies and procedures are not being reviewed timeously

ldquoThe meaning of pay to the individual employee provides clues to how he or she feels their achievement on the job is being met and how much is being contributed to the organi-sationrsquos goals and how powerful you are within the organisation

ldquoHow knowledgeable are people about their pay systems We found many did not know how the pay system actually works and they donrsquot know how when or if they will qualify for a raise Quite a lot of people are unhappy about their pay even if they are knowledgeable about the pay systemrdquo

Dr Azasu says many only have diplomas therefore it is not surprising that salaries are low yet many are proficient or more in their roles People are unhappy that so much discre-tion is left in the hands of the ldquobossrdquo

ldquoThis is an unfair system and needs to change along with the global picture of the FM working environment Maybe our next ques-tionnaire will provide us with a far broader and more positive picture of the FM scenariordquo n

July 2015 FM 15

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

July 2015 FM 16

FOLLOWING THE FIRE TRACKER TRIUMPHS

Trackerrsquos fire earlier this year which razed the company premises to the ground is a good lesson for all in how to go about managing a disas-ter correctly

In his talk entitled What to do in case of dis-aster a case study Michael du Preez Marketing Director of Tracker Connect says there is probably one significant event that made all the difference to the recovery effort

ldquoThe story of recovery is a simple one but donrsquot be misledrdquo says Du Preez ldquoBehind many simple stories there is lots of hard work and planning organisation and money The reality is that at one of the board meetings six months before the fire after the change of leadership at Tracker the new CEO announced that we did not have a disaster recovery plan The green light for that was given shortly after and the plan out in place ndash which was very auspicious con-sidering what lay ahead

ldquoOn January 17 a Saturday I got a call around 2am to tell me that Tracker was on fire I got there in double time along with the other directors and our chairman and watched in horror as the fire consumed everything in its path It was a significant fire and the devastation was terrifying The building had literally burned down The sad thing is that what the fire doesnrsquot destroy the firefighters will Obviously nothing you can do about that ndash except watch and weep

ldquoThe reality was that the fire was so strong that we couldnrsquot get into the building to retrieve anything The records were all destroyedrdquo

Trackerrsquos phoenix had risen though and the first recovery of a stolen vehicle was at 5am

ldquoOur disaster and recovery plan was in place to ensure that we could deliver the core promise of what our business does and make sure there was continuity Back-up records are essential

ldquoWe had our first disaster meeting at 7am had a discussion about what we were going to tell the media and then started a process which was basically organising a whole string of disaster recovery meetings on the hour through-

out the weekend On Monday morning we deployed all our staff to a new site with 90 business capability so in essence they walked into a new building as if nothing had hap-penedrdquo

Du Preez says that there a couple of things that made this possible The first thing is a plan ndashldquoand if you donrsquot have one yoursquod better get one without delayrdquo Roles and duties must be allocated to specific people Update emergency information and take careful note of that so that the plan can be implemented

ldquoThe next thing you need is a practical disaster recovery site We were lucky in that we stumbled across the correct site which was close to the building that burned down We have a very people-intensive business so we have many call centres We have about 900 people on site and these people rely on public transport to get to work so the first thing we had to consider about the disaster recovery site is to ensure staff can get there Itrsquos a logistical nightmare to expect people to go a further 30km further than what theyrsquore used to

ldquoThe other issue is your technology Trackerrsquos business is very tech-dependent to ensure a quick response system Control measures need to hit our centres immediately so we can take some action at that time processing around 20 million messages a day These come from cars telling us how fast they are driving where they are driving and what events need to be considered The real-ity is that we are protecting peoplersquos assets protecting fixed assets protecting fixed cargo and protecting peoplersquos lives with push-button assistance We needed then to make sure that the disaster recovery plan could have that system up and running immediatelyrdquo

When the decision about the site was made a number of factors had to be taken into account

ldquoWe had to think about the power grid in the area and would outages affect our

telephonic infrastructure would it impact the data infrastructure The only practical site was really the one next to our building which answered all these questions positively So we had been paying every month for this empty space ndash and that essentially was our saving grace

ldquoThe next thing to do is plan how you are going to interact with the customers and implement that part of your plan You need to empower your team to get on with the job and you have to trust them enough to be able to do that You have to have an immediate meeting to spell out the priorities so that everyone is on the same page and everything is in place to get up and running as soon as possiblerdquo

He says that although no-one told the mar-keting manager to make radio ads for Monday morning they were done and ready to flight

ldquoShe knew that we would have to be speak-ing to all our customers partners and so on and the best way to do that was above-the-line marketing The ads proved very effective and kept everyone in the loop as to what was hap-pening

ldquoThe most important thing was just to tell the truth and tell everyone what progress was being made The ads conveyed these messa-ges very well and spread immediate confidence

ldquoShow that yoursquore in control get people as productive as possible and build team spirit I think that crisis has the ability to bring people together which is exactly what happened at Tracker On the Monday and Tuesday we met with our key stakeholders and informed them how we have been affected how our customers have been affected and then throughout the week we continued to provide regular updates as to how the recovery process was progressingrdquo

When staff arrived at work on Monday mor-ning all the work stations had been numbered and all the systems were up and running We briefed them on what to tell customers and allocated them a seat and a phone Depending on what department they would be working in

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

Michael Du Preez is the Marketing Executive and Head of International Business and Strategy for Tracker He is responsible for business product brand and strategy development ndash a position he has held for the past four years Prior to his career with Tracker he was one of the founders and Managing Director of MobileData ndash a vehicle Telematics solutions company acquired by Tracker in 2007 It is this technology that continues to create value and open up new channels of busi-ness for Tracker today For many years he was a loyal member of WesBankrsquos management team serving most recently as Head of Research and Development Michael holds a senior qualification in Business Management from HenleyHis colleagues describe him as an open-minded and creative free-thinker always looking to bring innovation and strategic value to the world of vehicle Telematics His work helped pioneer Insurance Telematics in South Africa and more recently assisted in the breakthrough creation of TomTomrsquos first HD Traffic service in AfricaHe sees his future influence in the area of how technology will enable sustainable mobility models in a world challenged for resources Or simply put ensuring our future ldquofreedom to driverdquo

the staff members were all given T-shirts in dif-ferent colours for different centres They were given coffee mugs pens paper and created a bit of a carnival atmosphere and had coffee and doughnuts in reception It may have been a different site but it was business as usual

ldquoOne very important factor is that you need good supplier relationships who can play a major role in getting you back on your feetrdquo

Which is what Tracker did very effectively People hardly remember the fire because the continuity was immediate

You know how to get the phoenix to fly Give Tracker a ring n

Refense Phuso spoke on Valpreacute Spring Waterrsquos bottling plant She is plant manager of the oper-ation and naturally is proud of the fact that it was awarded the

US green honour (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ndash LEED) of Gold status in 2011

ldquoWhat LEED looks at is how you design your facility and you have to comply with many criteria such as site planning indoor environ-ment water planning energy management and material usedrdquo says Phuso ldquoWe have to use water efficiently and ensure the business is sustainable looking after the environment We are audited every year to ensure that we are still complying with LEED criteriardquo

As far as energy needs go the building runs on solar energy with the PV plant sup-plying 40KW of energy leaving the plant grid independent

ldquoOur water that we bottle has to have a cer-tain profile and we found that in Heidelberg Itrsquos over 200km from our offices but it is good news for the movement of product to Gauteng and beyond The factory has been designed to ensure minimal impact on the environment The roof has been designed to capture sunlight all day and with all the glass used in the factory there is abundant natural light streaming in

ldquoOne of our coups in energy-saving is the Air Wizard which reduces energy when run-ning a compressor The device is inside the compressor It captures the left-over energy from the compressor and takes it back in Aside from this therersquos energy-saving features

such as double-glazed windows so the reli-ance on air-conditioning is reduced The fac-tory is glass-wrapped so therersquos natural light in abundance We also have a 95 recycling effort Whatever we use in the factory we recycle We do the separation of material our-selves and Enviroserv will send different types of trucks for the various waste typesrdquo

She says that after the office block was accredited the factory went through the same process in 2013 Both are accredited to ISO 50 000 and the first plant in South Africa to be awarded this honour

ldquoValpre works continuously to improve energy performance to keep up with stan-dards in ISO 50 000 and the requirements of LEED We have to continually challenge our-selves to find new ways of reducing energy We meet on a monthly basis to discuss how well we are meeting our goals

ldquoWe also have energy meters in machines that we know use a lot of energy to keep track of what is happening there and if there are spikes on those machines it gives us the opportunity to investigate why Any anomalies must be reported and this can also highlight incorrect operator behaviour

ldquoWe have also changed from using boxes for product to trays that are plas-tic-wrapped ndash this is also an energy-saving move and in our view really enhances the product presentationrdquo n

A PLANT WITH GREAT ENERGY POWER

July 2015 FM 17

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

Refense Phuso plant manager

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 18

SLArsquos

WHOrsquoS KIDDING WHO

SLArsquos

July 2015 FM 19

Richard Jeffreys

Having just waded through 250 pages of our latest Tender I must make reference to the Fantasy section noted as SLAs In order to compete

with others I need to guarantee my catering engineers can attend anywhere in the coun-try in under 2 hours and complete resolves in under 24 hours

The standard of facts given on appli-ances service history access condition and status is poor to non-existent but the con-tract conditions are punitive and binding In essence if I have engineers standing around waiting for the next call and I am prepared to deliver at the cheapest cost guarantee parts for an appliance for which I have no data I am in the running If I tell the truth and base costs on worst case scenario due to lack of asset information I am out of the frame

Denise Booth-AlexanderThis is a national contract so presumably they are looking for someone to respond nationally but not necessarily with in-house engineers Is a consortium bid an option where you can join with others who have engineers in local areas to fulfil the 2 hour requirement Alternatively can you sub There are ways of tendering for this if the resolve is a first fix or attendance with a work around or temp solution but I agree not if it is a final fix Catering maintenance is notoriously hard as no- one really wants to carry additional expensive kit in their kitchen Suppliers of products make life very difficult with regard to spares if they themselves also offer a maintenance service We experience long delays wrong diagnoses quotes to repair that make it financially unviable to do so but no innovative thinking such as this is the fix costs and this is the replacement deal etc As customers it is extremely frus-trating but I accept that asking a company to work on a huge variety of makes and models and kit doesnt sit happily with a quick and responsive service if there is no specialityhellip every make within that business and parts are held onto by suppliers I know that a catering maintenance supplier that can

A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its internal or external customers that documents what services the provider will furnish

provide a great service and offers alternative solutions is something that we would all like as customers Perhaps the answer is some sort of industry group which includes sup-pliers to talk it out and come up with a truly customer-oriented service package

I suspect this is a pipe dream much like the closed shop that is Lift maintenance One solution for this particular tender would be to offer to produce an Assetlifecycle register as part of the bid to fully evaluate all the kit and give timescales for replace-ment including possible energy savings to provide some payback etc If you can offer something extra and point out why you can-not provide a proper and cost defined bid in the first instance but set out clearly why and what you could do to turn this around I would certainly be delighted to look at your proposals if I were the customer

Neil EarnshawRichard I concur with the views of others you will be better thought of by pulling out of the process and explaining to the client why It may be that another company out there can deliver what they need its just not your company this time It also may be that other bidders do the same thing in which case the client needs to review their procurement strategy

Im managing a tender process for a FM contract at the moment We had one bidder raise an issue and ask for a change which we respectfully refused since then two other bidders have raised the same issue so were now reconsidering our position Were doing this on the basis that the market is now tell-ing us this contract is too risky as opposed to a single bidder not having the appetite

Richard JeffryesThanks guys for all the replies and yes my gut feeling is not to compete and leave us open to penalties However the issues raised are common I feel that many tenders are have a big element of cut and paste one size fits all As noted by Denise our trade is eclectic a real mix of standards and manu-facturers if a contract is going to work it needs the attention of someone who has complete knowledge of the realities and their

ldquoIn essence if I have engineers

standing around waiting for the

next call and I am prepared

to deliver at the cheapest cost

guarantee parts for an

appliance for which I have

no data I am in the running

If I tell the truth and base costs

on worst case scenario due to

lack of asset information

I am out of the frame

Continuing our series based on posts from the

British Institute of Facility Management (BIFM)

LinkedIn sites South African FMs will find much to

identify with and are encouraged to participate in local exchanges ndash

write via LinkedIn to terryfmexpoorg or tweet tex_owen

July 2015 FM 20

issues I would like to think that I as an individual with 35 years within commercial kitchen would be listened too however many tenders especially the electronic auction style offer little scope for the personal touch which is our USP I know the environment the trade and the equipment My approach is to be realistic tell the truth dont promise the undeliverable and submit a viable cost structure I am yet though to be convinced there is scope for this in the world of group tenders

Neil EarnshawRichard keep the faith keep doing the right thing and work with your industry to help it improve

What I see is a disconnect in FM between contractors and clients This disconnect is the contract and selection of an appropriate strategy that drives the right behaviours On a personal level Im doing my bit to help improve things but Im just a lone voice more people from all sides of the FM indus-try need to recognise the problem and the opportunity to improve then well get some real change for the better

Craig ShepheardYou will normally have a mobilisation per-iod where you can get to inspect all of the equipment in order to set up your own asset list I suggest that you use this data to inform the client of any items of equipment that are obsolete or where parts would be difficult to supply The condition report could be used to say whether items that are in poor shape require monies spent on them to get them to a state where they can be maintained If the client refuses to spend that highlighted amount then those individual items do not correspond to the 2-hour SLA and are there-fore exempt from the contract

You base your contract fee on the under-standing that all items on their asset list are currently being maintained and that they are in a reasonable state of order

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSEA reasonable point Craig except like com-missioning and handover the mobilisation period can get eaten away by slippages on other elements For one major mobilisation the 8 months period for seamless transfer was cut to 3 weeks There are risks with the approach suggested

Neil Earnshaw Im with you on that Rob there are risks However from a contractors view point it does mitigate the risk of poor quality asset

data provided by the client at tender stage Are you allowed to caveat your tender submis-sion Even so I think the risk you face is an early disagreement with the client they think theyve passed a risk to you but in actual fact you passed it back to them with your caveat I absolutely would not sign the contract as is and attempt to wriggle out of your obligations post contract Craigs solution sounds sens-ible right up to the point of saying to the client spend or be damned Thats where the dis-agreement will come

Are they aware their data is poor quality or are they just saying price the risk Have they given you the impression that theyd listen to your concerns and maybe consider other more cost-effective solutions

Also what are you being asked to price for Using a simple example you know there is a cooker and extractor in a kitchen (and you know the location of the kitchen) what you dont know is age condition service history make amp model of the cooker or extractor Are you being asked to give them a lump sum fixed price to maintain these items for a num-ber of years with everything apart from end of life replacement to be included in your price

Alan TaylorI would question why a tender document for catering needs to be 250 pages long Sounds like itrsquos been prepared by a purchasing depart-ment that has no realistic awareness of day-to-day operational requirements and is missing some fundamental issues (no change there then)

So if a fat fryer breaks down when the first load is due to go in for a lunch time service a

ldquoWhat I see is a disconnect

in FM between contractors

and clients This disconnect is

the contract and selection of an

appropriate strategy that drives

the right behaviours

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 22

2 hour response will not get that item back and fully operational for the same day lunch time trade as it will be over It will be up to the chef to improvise with the menu and manage the change

A next day fix or 12 hour turnaround would be a better solution but if a restaurant canrsquot improvise and change its menu if one item of plant goes down you need to change the chef and the caterer It wonrsquot hurt the staff to go without chips for a day

Dave ThomasAlso with you Rob have been the recipient of one of those immediate seamless transfers - where the original team were eager to get themselves in another project and have no responsibility for what was a flawed mobilisa-tion

In the same mobilisation period I found that the Asset List I had sweated over was ignored and another fairy tale was imposed missing out over half of my list so inad-equate time allocatedcosted to MampE Also found that the engineers provided were more interested in looking for more lucrative work rather than just doing maintenance

Seems some clients want the contractor to come up with a proper Asset List for them included in the contract ignoring any information regarding past breakdowns on equipment which may lead to a query on the true condition and life hoping a new contract will magically lead to new equipment

Richard JeffryesAlan sounds like you speak from experience your bang on

Neil you make a lot of sense if only clients thought like you Yes we are being asked to price the Risk however an underlying objective of tender winner is to be the most competitive

In respect of the approach we know itrsquos an oven we know where it is we know it is business critical sounds simple but with-out the specific data this is a real lottery Commercial ovens range in value from pound1 000 to pound40 000 we may be able to make an educated guess at what the appliance is but big tenders request parts and labour-in-clusive programmes replacement parts such as a PCB on a Combination Oven can cost pound1 000 to replace so knowing the depth of the liability is essential My belief is if a site has been responsibly maintained a full and updated asset list with condition and service dates should be available If not what has the incumbent been doing and how do we know it was done This information is surely a pre-requisite when contracts are drawing

to conclusion and a renewal is due Is it com-mon practice for this data to be withheld or are companies just poor at maintaining service data

Neil EarnshawRichard I usually work client-side developing the procurement contract strategy and man-aging the tender process

My main observation of FM clients over the years is that they dont think about commer-cial risk just operational They generally dont seem to understand that where theres a risk theres a cost Therefore you end up with very risky contracts being put together and create the environment for protracted commercial negotiations during the life of the contract

Another observation has been that FM contractors do collect and maintain asset data but when it comes to re-tender the data cant be accessed by the client This is sometimes down to the contract not being clear on this but often its also due to many years of mis-management of the contract

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSENeilFor some time it has been my view that the client should own the asset data and condition assessment which it should disclose to the tenderers Similarly the maintenance records and all of these should ideally be in the client-owned CAFM

ldquoMy belief is if a site has

been maintained a full

and updated asset list with

condition and service dates

should be available If not

what has the incumbent been

doing and how do we know it

was done

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 23

When the onus is put on the success-ful bid winner to collect all the asset data confusion can reign with a completely new set of asset numbers and description and of course items can be missed Most FM managers will have come across outgoing contractors where people probably at very junior level ditch all the statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique

Gordon EasingwoodRegards client CAFMs they are generally poor non-existent or compiled by previous contractors with differing motives (ie avoid-ing financial penaltiesfailing SLAs) Same with maintenance records previous contract-ors are again likely to have differing motives as to how these were compiled based on previous SLAs I work on a local contract with very similar limitations though in different areas and trust me itrsquos extremely difficult to meet this level of commitment Ultimately if they can call you out for pound50 (or less) but can impose a SLA penalty of pound200 where is the sense in it And Im talking a 30 mile max-imum radius from a central point 2 hours responses have been missed simply due to travel delayspoor communication Even when these can be resolved in our favour the amount of adminmanagement time all has an associated cost

To put it another way there simply is not enough properly trained and experienced commercial catering equipment engineers in the country to meet such demands I know I am one and I wouldnt go near the industry again in a hurry as I guess you know from experience Add in the level of commitment (more rightly non-commitment) from some manufacturers and itrsquos an absolute night-mare Also bear in mind European rules only require parts to be available 5 years after a product is no longer manufactured Oh and if you have imports or specials just forget it I was involved with work with a well-known Indian type food chain who had special ovens that met no British or European stan-dard and had to be condemned for simply that reason This was despite a CAFM type list being presented stating all maintenance was done to (non-existent) manufacturersrsquo instructions When checked they had created models and serials numbers for the units

Lastly I would investigate what the client can put through as a 2 hour response and if you can object and on what grounds I currently have a client who does so when in 2 hours the building will be fully vacated and emptyequipment wonrsquot be used for 72 hours etc yet we still have to make attend-ance to meet SLAs Its this kind of thing

that give clients a bad nameSadly without proper input from the

client it sounds like this contract would be a financial liability and I would steer clear With proper and decent input it may be possible I would present the proposal of correct and proper information requirements to the client and try build from there If they run with what would be a non-starter you have to walk away itrsquos likely any contract wonrsquot be upheld for long from either side

Rob Farman regards people ditching statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique I have found this is generally from a quite senior level Simply either because a) itrsquos never been kept up to or b) they dont want this information to go to competitors or c) adequate provision has never been made to collate the information in the first place Things are improving in this area as FM managers take things in hand and computer records are better maintained

Peter CarrHaving worked with Rob Farnam I would completely agree I have spent the last five years client side helping to develop CAFM systems and to make sure they are 100 as accurate as the world I work in (now) Investor FM (totally different to Corporate FM) I have worked with a non-licenced sys-tem called Elogbooks for these five years purely because of these issues Tendering is difficult enough without non-existent asset data and performance understanding Good luck

David A ParryLets push for KISS based contracts Then have the inferred SLA KPIs amp effectiveness measurement compared to the actual true bottom line savings to the client and service provider in their partnering endeavours The unit of measurement could be the unem-ployed bean counters Or do they move on to another position in or outside their companies so no real accountability that this measurement in this way would show on this radar screen

Apologies for the frivolous comments but I honestly believe the real value for money is far simpler but has to be based on appro-priate measures and values for the specific situation and is industries dependent The dichotomy of this statement is it adds to complexity because truly experienced and technical trained actuary analysts are required to produce the targets numbers and not the clip board amp wet finger in the air brigade Clients need to bring in-house specialised professional knowledge to the

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 7

ISSN 2071-9299 JUNE 2015 FM No 002

I N C O R P O R A T I N G

NEWWhatrsquos Find out at the

FM Expo and Conference

FULL DETAILS INSIDE

FM June Cover 2015indd 1

20150528 101429 AM

Magazine Bulletin Both DigitalSouth Africa R640 R640 R1 155 R640Africa US$175 US$90 US$240 US$90International US$190 US$90 US$255 US$90Please tick

12 +ISSUES

ANNUAL DIRECTORY

24+e-BULLETINS

Facilities Management incorporating Urban

Green File provides cutting-edge information

on the latest issues and procedures regarding

facilities management Our audience is the

facilities-management solution providers and

consultants such as mechanical engineers

electrical engineers architects interior designers

and owneroperators of properties and facilities

business people responsible for fi nancial decisions

about the operation maintenance and expansion

or development of facilities who are interested

in running a profi table and sustainable facility

and keen to learn about new business approaches

and technologies

Ready access to this kind of news is available

through the information platform hosted

by TETrade Events which includes printed

magazines fortnightly email bulletins

as well as an annual business directory Helping you manage better

Todayrsquos decision makers need to stay abreast of the latest industry trends and developments no matter where they are They need the right information at their fi ngertips to ensure the optimal and effi cient use of resources

Email your subscription request to phillipfmexpoorg or Fax to +27 11 781 6079

subsindd 2 20150706 122816 PM

July 2015 FM 8

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

Well-positioned commercial property in outlying areas around South

Africa is proving increasingly attractive to both local and inter-national buyers who continue to find value in sustainable invest-ments says Norman Raad CEO of Broll Auctions and SalesldquoNotably there will always be demand for retail properties where investors in pursuit of yield and income perceive opportun-ities to unlock potentialldquoSuch is the case with our successful sale of the 7530m2 Queenstown Mall in the Eastern Cape which was listed to go on auction but achieved a mar-ket-related price of R62-million prior to our multiple auction held in June (2015)rdquo Raad says with a yield of 10 this is a fair market price from a private investor who has plans

Sustained demand for commercial property

for expansion and is bringing new tenants into the centre Anchored by Pick n Pay and with other tenants including large multi-national groups such as Pep and Standard Bank the local retail centre is very well-positioned in Queenstown on the busy corner of Brewery Lane and the N6The sale of a further 20 000m2 of retail industrial and office space was concluded at the auction These included four lots com-prising a total of over 2300m2 of office space situated in Wynberg in Cape Townrsquos popular Southern Suburbs Napier in the Southern Cape Polokwane in Limpopo and Edenberg in the Free State which were sold by an institu-tional seller Acquired by several private investors these proper-ties achieved a combined price of R9-millionSome of the other properties sold on the auction included

a property consisting of multi-tenanted industrial units in Boksburg ndash which fetched a selling price of R221-million an industrial mini-park in Heriotdale in Johannesburg which sold for R16-million and multi-ten-anted units in Wynberg in Johannesburg which fetched a total price of R924-million A block of ground-floor retail and residential apart-ments above in Norwood in Johannesburg achieved R104-million In Lichtenberg in the North West Province an office building was sold on the auction for R78-million a 4610m2 industrial warehouse in Powerville in Vereeniging was acquired for R65-million while a small retail centre with upstairs office component in Bronkhorstspruit just east of Pretoria and en route to Witbank (eMalahleni) was pur-chased for R61-million

Adds Raad ldquoNot surprisingly particularly in the current eco-nomic climate we have found there is minimal demand for vacant buildings The focus is on sustainable investments where tenants can easily be replaced should they default or depart As a result of lower risk well-positioned properties will always be in demandHe says a trend is seeing listed property funds divest of non-core stock and stock which has been exhausted to its full potential ldquoWhereas they may no longer wish to expend further time nor invest further in these properties the smaller property investor has the energy and vision to turn a fundrsquos rough diamond into a gemrdquoThe positive demand for com-mercial property is borne out by a recent Lightstone report which reveals that transaction activity in the South African commercial

Situated in a busy area of Norwood in Johannesburg this block comprising retail and apartments sold for R104-million through Broll Auctions and Sales

July 2015 FM 9

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

market has increased in recent years The report also highlights the acquisition of properties in non-CBD areasAdds Bradley Stephens MD of Broll Auctions and Sales ldquoWe have also seen investors divest of their smaller commercial property portfolios and invest in the REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) as these offer more liquidity and flexibility with their investments ldquoSimultaneously this has created new opportunities for new players to enter the market The time has never been more opportune for investing in the South African property market as international investors still find huge value in solid bricks and mortar in comparison to other countries The only barrier to entry in the current market is finance and the loan to value conundrumrdquoBroll Auctions and Sales next multiple auc-tion of commercial properties takes place on August 18

087 700 8269 wwwbrollcom n

Queenstown Mall was sold even prior to auction

This commercial property in Main Road in Wynberg in Cape Townrsquos Southern Suburbs sold for R29-million at the recent auction held by Broll Auctions and Sales

Norman Raad CEO of Broll Auctions and Sales

July 2015 FM 10

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

When it comes to flooring needs there are a few significant players in the

South African market but Nouwens Carpets is the oldest local carpet manufacturer owned and run by the same family from the outsetToday this company with its nearly 200 employees is a force to be reckoned with offering global industry leaders some stiff compe-tition in the local market thanks to their solid reputation when it comes to products and service delivery Nouwens is a genuine family business and the only major manufacturer that produces their own spun yarns for the domestic market in South Africa This is not surprising with over 50 years of tradition in carpet craftsmanship Nouwens first opened its doors in Harrismith in the Free State in 1962 when Cornelis Nouwens a carpet craftsman from Tilburg in the Netherlands and his wife started manufacturing carpets in an old garage in the town of Harrismith A

passionate entrepreneur Cornelis instilled the same spirit in his chil-dren Luci and Pieter who took over the running of the business in later years It was clear that a passion for producing top quality products was instilled in Luci Nouwens from a young age setting her to head up the management of this local carpeting empire Throughout the years Nouwens has adapted their practices and processes enabling them to become a vertical carpet mill producing wool and synthetic carpets for the domestic and commercial market Nouwens also extrudes both poly prop and nylon synthetic yarns completing an extremely versatile yarn offering In the current economic climate where many companies are find-ing it difficult to survive it seems the success of this growing family business can be attributed to vari-ous factors According to Oscar Grobler Nouwensrsquo Chairman it is vital to ensure that their solid reputation remains backed up by producing quality products

ldquoConsistency is key when it comes to maintaining our pos-ition in the market We need to make sure that we truly live out the culture of the organisation while remaining relevant when it comes to product offerings and developing new ranges Being

Graffiti Retail Solutions ndash a division of Graffiti ndash has been granted the license for Cr8ive Paint ndash a new

environmentally friendly white board paint that can quickly and easily transform virtually any surface into a high performance dry erase canvas Set to replace easels flip charts and traditional white board screens this cost-effective alternative to the somewhat outdated boards con-ventionally seen in boardrooms is ideal for lecture and class rooms idea creative and strategy walls and meeting rooms Restaurants can even use it to write up menus and specials of the day Graffiti Retail Solutions has mas-tered the technique of applying the paint which comes standard in conveniently packaged units that cover 5m2 A water-based product it is dry to the touch in 24 hours and will be fully cured and

ready to use within five days If correctly applied just one coat is required and using foam paint rollers ensure the smoothest surface possible Like any paint-ing job preparation is key and surfaces should be clean and smooth before painting It can be applied to any sealed surface but a primer should be used before

all applications Lead free itrsquos a non-toxic solution making it even more appealing Suitable for any setting ndash light or dark hot or cold ndash this white board paint is not only available in white and therersquos nothing to stop a creative agency from painting a yellow white board The final finish is glossy and can create a reflec-

tion if a light is shone onto the surfaceOnce the product is fully cured a dry cloth can be used to clean the wall If ink has been on the wall for a long time a wet cloth can be used For cheap and often stubborn to remove markers a whiteboard solution can be used

011 691 8400 wwwGraffiticoza n

vertically integrated also allows us to control the manufacturing process as much as possible ensuring that the final product is of the very best qualityrdquo says Grobler 011 608 4435 wwwnouwenscarpetscoza n

July 2015 FM 12

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

CREFM SURVEY PROVES PEOPLE POWER

Itrsquos all about people

People power is predominant and this is illustrated clearly in a survey that was helmed by Martijn Drost of CBRE in Europe who gave the keynote presenta-

tion at the 2015 SAFMA conferenceThe CREFM survey showed that costs

still naturally play a predominant role but that the focus has shifted from pure cost towards growth with the emphasis being on people more than ever

ldquoGDP is down in South Africa These are uncertain times for many countries The respondents in the survey see the Middle East situation being a catalyst for uncertainty and many see this as the biggest threat for

growthrdquo says Drost ldquoThe scarce availability of talent is also an important factor As far as costs are concerned people are looking for reductions wherever possible and this plays a big role in lease negotiations In South Africa there is far more escalation year on year on property taxes and prices whereas in Europe and the US prop-erty is so widely available that companies have the opportunity to renegotiate price every time that the contract endsrdquo

He says there is a move towards cheaper markets with offshoring and right-shoring playing their hands

ldquoThe most important factor in right-shoring is cost ndash itrsquos essential to know the whole story when you are considering future locations However we

ldquoPeople understandably

donrsquot want to spend hours

commuting just to be seen

to be working in the office ndash

those days are gone Working

smarter is the goal now and

productivity is on the up

July 2015 FM 13

are seeing quite a change in the behaviour of occupiers For instance the UK used to out-source call centres to India but they are now being recalled to the UK due to pressure from customer bases which link to business alignment labour and skillsrdquo

Asia Pacific India and China are seen by far as the most desired locations because of cheap labour good availability of staff and in terms of total occupancy therersquos a motiva-tional cost element to consider

ldquoPeople are seeing South Africa as a growth market and a place to be in the future The availability of talent location and infrastructure are the factors to consider Companies feel that more needs to go into decisions involving the attraction and reten-tion of staffrdquo

Drost says that it is also very clear that workplace strategy is becoming paramount The right route here is not only selecting the building and the location itrsquos situated in but it matters a great deal what happens inside the building ndash and here is the clear link to FM

ldquoThe main pointers are employee attrac-tion and retention How do we make sure we attract the right people and retain them in the business The average time someone stays in a job in South Africa is only two years So looking carefully at this fact while it is import-ant to increase productivity and cost savings improved collaboration is vital Itrsquos all about different ways of working and linking closely to employee satisfaction and therefore retention Find people that you can engage with learn from and collaborate withrdquo

The survey notes that while the indoor environment is very important as well as the workplace itself sustainability strangely appeared low on the agenda

ldquoThe big issue is flexible working (63) We didnrsquot measure this in 2013 but now itrsquos heavily in the red on the radar Flexible work-ing is not necessarily just working from home but working anywhere wherever you are at any time People understandably donrsquot want to spend hours commuting just to be seen to be working in the office ndash those days are gone Working smarter is the goal now and productivity is on the up It doesnrsquot take rocket science to understand whyrdquo

80 said that business integration and alignment with enterprise goals is important

ldquoReal Estate of FM is not separate to the business and canrsquot be seen in that way anymore Decision makers of big companies and organisations throughout the world are seeing Real Estate of FM as a catalyst for future growth of their businesses I see it as part of their total strategic pact which is needed to support corporate growth If the

building does not work and if yoursquore not able to attract the right people by having the cor-rect environment how are you going to grow your company

ldquoAction is needed to achieve these goals Streets ahead on top is data quality and accuracy Companies everywhere are strug-gling with data with different systems and dif-ferent sources They are having a hard time creating information out of the data

ldquoYou have to make the basic elements work ndash organisational structure the govern-ance model that you are working towards the process you use in terms of capital allo-cation planning resourcing and your informa-tion your systems and tools to get the infor-mation from your property into tangible data that actually provides information ndash thatrsquos the goal a must-do You canrsquot do anything with raw data and you need to find a way to turn that data into informationrdquo

Drost says that in examining how FM is going to impact on the business looking at the full life cycle is necessary and what is happening is that companies are moving towards integrated facility management

ldquoThat integration chain is growing longer Whereas some 5 to 10 years ago a company started by outsourcing a single service ndash say for cleaning only ndash wersquove now seen the bundling of services for integrated FM as that has become more and more important Property is now also becoming more and more part of the FM portfolio because is running real estate part of the core business No it isnrsquot So we are seeing a determined move towards fuller integration of the supply chain At the end of the day FM is keeping the business running smoothly It has great impact on the business how it operates and the ability of the business to grow in the future

ldquoMoving on from the very beginning with the outsourcing of a single service we believe that we are moving into the fourth or fifth generation of outsourcing We have people that want to invest in buildings develop the workplace strategy and we will be there if you want to dispose of that build-ing at any pointrdquo

He says that integration is the name of the game in every possible way There canrsquot be any pockets of isolation anymore Full integration in all facets of FM and property management is the priority

ldquoOur enterprise data to move into inte-grated information is going to be of the utmost importance going forward Our decisions should not be based on gut feel or hearsay ndash it should be based on hard numbers In most cases we do have the

numbers but the biggest problem is how to get the information out of the numbers Yoursquoll need to partner with the correct suppler and find a platform that can connect and decode data sourcesrdquo

Here are a couple of questions that can help you work out at what stage your com-pany is atbull Is there a clear vision guiding global and

regional CREFMbull Is your organisation right-sized and shaped

to support your companybull Can the CRM staff engage strategicallybull Do you have workplace strategies that fit

the businessbull How flexible are your portfolio and organisa-

tion when it comes to dealing with changebull How efficient are your processes and can

you achieve speed to marketbull Is your service provider strategy supporting

your objectivesbull Do you have the right balance of centralisa-

tion versus localisationbull Are you leveraging a robust data and tech-

nology set to make good decisions n

Martijn Drost is an FM Operations Director for CBRE the global leader in real estate and invest-mentHe has been active in the FM and Real Estate industry for the past 15 years as a managerdirector He holds university degrees in both marketing and economics and shares his passion and views on the FM industry at many speaking engagementsHe is currently living in the Netherlands but has worked across many continents for a number of the worldrsquos largest companies such as BP Intel France Telecom (Orange) and Johnson ControlsHe lived and worked in Johannesburg for five years prior to returning to Europe

July 2015 FM 14

lsquoPEOPLE FIRST BUILDINGS SECONDrsquo

The people theme continues with Peter Townsendrsquos talk on Sustainability ndash putting people first and buildings secondTownsendrsquos premise is that sustain-

ability is not about the beautiful new buildings ndash itrsquos about the people that work within them

Townsend quotes Henry Ford ldquoYou can take my factories burn my buildings but give me my people and Irsquoll build the business back againrdquo

ldquoWersquove forgotten that these wonderful new buildings are there just to support the work-ers This might sound simplistic and perhaps it is but I think itrsquos a message that needs to be reinforced constantly FMs are not the only people that tend to forget this Itrsquos the archi-tects developers designers ndash in fact everyone in property developmentrdquo

He says that with traditional ways of work-ing yoursquore only going to get 40 occupancy in a traditional building meaning that therersquos a massive inefficient use of space

ldquoNow wersquore redefining the way we work and looking at the best way to design offices We need to stop looking for people who should lsquobe at work at their desk from 9 to 5rsquo and start looking at output Work follows the worker and he or she can be working from anywhere and at any time The more forward-thinking com-panies are starting to understand this Do we need monoliths of inefficiency when we can do the work from coffee shops from home from a clientrsquos space

ldquoWe still need the buildings because they are providing us with fantastic resources I donrsquot think anyone including me is implying that we should start abolishing office blocks but rather they should form part of the new flexible ways of working and the way that we value our workers ndash increasing wellbeing while enhancing productivity

ldquoItrsquos known as activity based working (ABW) which has been in operation in Europe for some time and only 3 of new buildings in the UK are not adopting the new way of working

So this really is a phenomenal trend You are going to vastly reduce the amount of space you need If the building can enable people to move freely around the office space and they are encouraged to do so it will really have remarkable benefits to increasing wellbeingrdquo

He says that research has shown that only 9 of South African employees are engaged at work

ldquoThis is a shocking statistic Engaged companies are achieving 54 which means people are satisfied and staff retention will be high Companies here need to address the fact that employees tend to leave companies after two years You canrsquot build brand aware-ness and entrench adoption with this trend

ldquoCompanies have to start looking at satis-faction and how to have it as a powerful and motivating work ethic They have to look at physical features work activities facilities and services ndash and importantly these can provide lsquoquick fixesrsquo Do you know that what is still the most important motivator whatrsquos right up at the top of the graph What coffee and tea is providedrdquo (Ed I know of a company whose coffee is meant to be the best in town and this is one big attraction for future staff members It has a coffee bar that is open all day)rdquoNaturally other features such as air quality temperature control natural light quiet rooms and get-together areas are also vital

ldquoIf you do all this what does it do to an organisation Firstly yoursquore going to reduce your square metres reduce sick days reduce stress and you will increase productivity staff satisfaction wellness engagement staff retention Seeing as surveys note that one of the most favourite places at home to work is the lounge and with a big plus for the couch why are we not filling offices with couches

ldquoThe buildings are not going to do the work People do and thatrsquos why it is para-mount to provide the right environment and resources for staff If you want growth and retention this is the only way to gordquo n

Managing Director of Know More Peter Townshend has a long history in research and consulting behaviour change and environmental reporting He currently also heads up a publishing house and environmental consultancy Ethical Living At Ethical Living Townshend has researched published and offered consultancy around the ethical nature of consumer products available in South Africa and through his work here he made the connection between sustainable offices and productivity and the effect of workspaces on office moral satis-faction engagement and profitability To this end Townshend dived deeply into workspace theory and is now in a position to establish Know More as an expert in this field in South AfricaTownshend has also helped develop a curriculum on journalism and media studies for the University of Pretoria and has lectured and spoken publically on a range of topics from business ethics to English literature environmental awareness sustainability and workspace theory

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

BLEAK PICTURE OF FM SCENARIO

Dr Samuel Azasu holds a PhD in Real Estate Management as well as Licentiate and MSc degrees in Real Estate Management from the Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm He also holds a BA in Economics with Statistics from the University of GhanaHe has worked as Program Coordinator and Director of Teaching and Learning in Real Estate Management at the Royal Institute of Technology In addition he was responsible for planning and managing the provision of executive training in real estate in collaboration with the Dubai Real Estate Institute in Dubai He is currently in charge of reorganising the real estate programs in Wits University

Dr Samuel Azasu spoke on survey results of Reward Management A survey of the South African FM SectorPeople yet again play a vital role

in this surveyldquoGood people are hard to come by and

retainrdquo he says ldquoThis is all happening in a context of a new generation of employees who are more loyal to their own career paths and are no longer stigmatised by the fre-quency of which jobs are changed

ldquoHow do South African FM companies reward their employees We used an online questionnaire to establish this and other questions The feedback wasnrsquot as good as wersquod hoped but as awareness of the survey grows we hope the next one will provide more respondents Still with the percentage we received we were still able to get a picture of whatrsquos going on

ldquoThe focus was not only on salary but also non-financial rewards We asked employees themselves on what they thought about remuneration in the FM sectorrdquo

What were the first impressionsldquoFirst of all I was shocked by the mere

length and breadth of job titles in the FM sector Once I had wrapped my head around this I took a look at salaries In comparison to some of the industries I know I found very low salaries in this area Bonuses have become the variable component of pay but what really surprised me was the fact that annual bonuses were at the discretion of managers which can be a dangerous way of doing things

ldquoThere were plenty of training courses but not much evidence that all this training translates into better performance We asked people what could be done better in terms of rewards ndash and there were some very angry responses about remuneration People are dissatisfied Too many are unhappy with pay on a number of different dimensionsrdquo

The majority of the respondents to the

questionnaire live in Gauteng and Dr Azasu found that many had been doing their jobs for more than 10 years As far as level of educa-tion is concerned very few had post-bachelor degrees

ldquoSpeaking of salaries itrsquos a fact that obviously money attracts people ndash but what holds staff retention typically is found in the non-financial arena When bonuses are based at the discretion of someone it blurs the line of sight The connection on what people do and what they are rewarded undermines confidence breeds cynicism Non-financials including sick pay loans insurance company cars and vaca-tions are more effective retention tools Benefits at work become very important in places where the state does not provide strong safety nets These benefits include pension RAs medical aid childcare allowance bursaries loans (per-sonal and housing) and study loansrdquo

He says what training is available varies from company to company

ldquoCompanies require employees to contribute 50 of the training costs In many compan-ies there is no goal setting and conditions for proper training does not exist In many instan-ces ldquooutsiderdquo training merely becomes time away from the office the person comes back with no noticeable difference in performance

ldquoHow can companies improve the bene-fit system Some say simple measures like allowing partners to attend year-end func-tions even if the employee needs to pay for it allowing time off for doctor dentist and optometrist visits Basic stuff but very import-ant

ldquoTop people lack leadership and employees are incapacitated There is low morale among employees Policies and procedures are not being reviewed timeously

ldquoThe meaning of pay to the individual employee provides clues to how he or she feels their achievement on the job is being met and how much is being contributed to the organi-sationrsquos goals and how powerful you are within the organisation

ldquoHow knowledgeable are people about their pay systems We found many did not know how the pay system actually works and they donrsquot know how when or if they will qualify for a raise Quite a lot of people are unhappy about their pay even if they are knowledgeable about the pay systemrdquo

Dr Azasu says many only have diplomas therefore it is not surprising that salaries are low yet many are proficient or more in their roles People are unhappy that so much discre-tion is left in the hands of the ldquobossrdquo

ldquoThis is an unfair system and needs to change along with the global picture of the FM working environment Maybe our next ques-tionnaire will provide us with a far broader and more positive picture of the FM scenariordquo n

July 2015 FM 15

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

July 2015 FM 16

FOLLOWING THE FIRE TRACKER TRIUMPHS

Trackerrsquos fire earlier this year which razed the company premises to the ground is a good lesson for all in how to go about managing a disas-ter correctly

In his talk entitled What to do in case of dis-aster a case study Michael du Preez Marketing Director of Tracker Connect says there is probably one significant event that made all the difference to the recovery effort

ldquoThe story of recovery is a simple one but donrsquot be misledrdquo says Du Preez ldquoBehind many simple stories there is lots of hard work and planning organisation and money The reality is that at one of the board meetings six months before the fire after the change of leadership at Tracker the new CEO announced that we did not have a disaster recovery plan The green light for that was given shortly after and the plan out in place ndash which was very auspicious con-sidering what lay ahead

ldquoOn January 17 a Saturday I got a call around 2am to tell me that Tracker was on fire I got there in double time along with the other directors and our chairman and watched in horror as the fire consumed everything in its path It was a significant fire and the devastation was terrifying The building had literally burned down The sad thing is that what the fire doesnrsquot destroy the firefighters will Obviously nothing you can do about that ndash except watch and weep

ldquoThe reality was that the fire was so strong that we couldnrsquot get into the building to retrieve anything The records were all destroyedrdquo

Trackerrsquos phoenix had risen though and the first recovery of a stolen vehicle was at 5am

ldquoOur disaster and recovery plan was in place to ensure that we could deliver the core promise of what our business does and make sure there was continuity Back-up records are essential

ldquoWe had our first disaster meeting at 7am had a discussion about what we were going to tell the media and then started a process which was basically organising a whole string of disaster recovery meetings on the hour through-

out the weekend On Monday morning we deployed all our staff to a new site with 90 business capability so in essence they walked into a new building as if nothing had hap-penedrdquo

Du Preez says that there a couple of things that made this possible The first thing is a plan ndashldquoand if you donrsquot have one yoursquod better get one without delayrdquo Roles and duties must be allocated to specific people Update emergency information and take careful note of that so that the plan can be implemented

ldquoThe next thing you need is a practical disaster recovery site We were lucky in that we stumbled across the correct site which was close to the building that burned down We have a very people-intensive business so we have many call centres We have about 900 people on site and these people rely on public transport to get to work so the first thing we had to consider about the disaster recovery site is to ensure staff can get there Itrsquos a logistical nightmare to expect people to go a further 30km further than what theyrsquore used to

ldquoThe other issue is your technology Trackerrsquos business is very tech-dependent to ensure a quick response system Control measures need to hit our centres immediately so we can take some action at that time processing around 20 million messages a day These come from cars telling us how fast they are driving where they are driving and what events need to be considered The real-ity is that we are protecting peoplersquos assets protecting fixed assets protecting fixed cargo and protecting peoplersquos lives with push-button assistance We needed then to make sure that the disaster recovery plan could have that system up and running immediatelyrdquo

When the decision about the site was made a number of factors had to be taken into account

ldquoWe had to think about the power grid in the area and would outages affect our

telephonic infrastructure would it impact the data infrastructure The only practical site was really the one next to our building which answered all these questions positively So we had been paying every month for this empty space ndash and that essentially was our saving grace

ldquoThe next thing to do is plan how you are going to interact with the customers and implement that part of your plan You need to empower your team to get on with the job and you have to trust them enough to be able to do that You have to have an immediate meeting to spell out the priorities so that everyone is on the same page and everything is in place to get up and running as soon as possiblerdquo

He says that although no-one told the mar-keting manager to make radio ads for Monday morning they were done and ready to flight

ldquoShe knew that we would have to be speak-ing to all our customers partners and so on and the best way to do that was above-the-line marketing The ads proved very effective and kept everyone in the loop as to what was hap-pening

ldquoThe most important thing was just to tell the truth and tell everyone what progress was being made The ads conveyed these messa-ges very well and spread immediate confidence

ldquoShow that yoursquore in control get people as productive as possible and build team spirit I think that crisis has the ability to bring people together which is exactly what happened at Tracker On the Monday and Tuesday we met with our key stakeholders and informed them how we have been affected how our customers have been affected and then throughout the week we continued to provide regular updates as to how the recovery process was progressingrdquo

When staff arrived at work on Monday mor-ning all the work stations had been numbered and all the systems were up and running We briefed them on what to tell customers and allocated them a seat and a phone Depending on what department they would be working in

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

Michael Du Preez is the Marketing Executive and Head of International Business and Strategy for Tracker He is responsible for business product brand and strategy development ndash a position he has held for the past four years Prior to his career with Tracker he was one of the founders and Managing Director of MobileData ndash a vehicle Telematics solutions company acquired by Tracker in 2007 It is this technology that continues to create value and open up new channels of busi-ness for Tracker today For many years he was a loyal member of WesBankrsquos management team serving most recently as Head of Research and Development Michael holds a senior qualification in Business Management from HenleyHis colleagues describe him as an open-minded and creative free-thinker always looking to bring innovation and strategic value to the world of vehicle Telematics His work helped pioneer Insurance Telematics in South Africa and more recently assisted in the breakthrough creation of TomTomrsquos first HD Traffic service in AfricaHe sees his future influence in the area of how technology will enable sustainable mobility models in a world challenged for resources Or simply put ensuring our future ldquofreedom to driverdquo

the staff members were all given T-shirts in dif-ferent colours for different centres They were given coffee mugs pens paper and created a bit of a carnival atmosphere and had coffee and doughnuts in reception It may have been a different site but it was business as usual

ldquoOne very important factor is that you need good supplier relationships who can play a major role in getting you back on your feetrdquo

Which is what Tracker did very effectively People hardly remember the fire because the continuity was immediate

You know how to get the phoenix to fly Give Tracker a ring n

Refense Phuso spoke on Valpreacute Spring Waterrsquos bottling plant She is plant manager of the oper-ation and naturally is proud of the fact that it was awarded the

US green honour (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ndash LEED) of Gold status in 2011

ldquoWhat LEED looks at is how you design your facility and you have to comply with many criteria such as site planning indoor environ-ment water planning energy management and material usedrdquo says Phuso ldquoWe have to use water efficiently and ensure the business is sustainable looking after the environment We are audited every year to ensure that we are still complying with LEED criteriardquo

As far as energy needs go the building runs on solar energy with the PV plant sup-plying 40KW of energy leaving the plant grid independent

ldquoOur water that we bottle has to have a cer-tain profile and we found that in Heidelberg Itrsquos over 200km from our offices but it is good news for the movement of product to Gauteng and beyond The factory has been designed to ensure minimal impact on the environment The roof has been designed to capture sunlight all day and with all the glass used in the factory there is abundant natural light streaming in

ldquoOne of our coups in energy-saving is the Air Wizard which reduces energy when run-ning a compressor The device is inside the compressor It captures the left-over energy from the compressor and takes it back in Aside from this therersquos energy-saving features

such as double-glazed windows so the reli-ance on air-conditioning is reduced The fac-tory is glass-wrapped so therersquos natural light in abundance We also have a 95 recycling effort Whatever we use in the factory we recycle We do the separation of material our-selves and Enviroserv will send different types of trucks for the various waste typesrdquo

She says that after the office block was accredited the factory went through the same process in 2013 Both are accredited to ISO 50 000 and the first plant in South Africa to be awarded this honour

ldquoValpre works continuously to improve energy performance to keep up with stan-dards in ISO 50 000 and the requirements of LEED We have to continually challenge our-selves to find new ways of reducing energy We meet on a monthly basis to discuss how well we are meeting our goals

ldquoWe also have energy meters in machines that we know use a lot of energy to keep track of what is happening there and if there are spikes on those machines it gives us the opportunity to investigate why Any anomalies must be reported and this can also highlight incorrect operator behaviour

ldquoWe have also changed from using boxes for product to trays that are plas-tic-wrapped ndash this is also an energy-saving move and in our view really enhances the product presentationrdquo n

A PLANT WITH GREAT ENERGY POWER

July 2015 FM 17

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

Refense Phuso plant manager

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 18

SLArsquos

WHOrsquoS KIDDING WHO

SLArsquos

July 2015 FM 19

Richard Jeffreys

Having just waded through 250 pages of our latest Tender I must make reference to the Fantasy section noted as SLAs In order to compete

with others I need to guarantee my catering engineers can attend anywhere in the coun-try in under 2 hours and complete resolves in under 24 hours

The standard of facts given on appli-ances service history access condition and status is poor to non-existent but the con-tract conditions are punitive and binding In essence if I have engineers standing around waiting for the next call and I am prepared to deliver at the cheapest cost guarantee parts for an appliance for which I have no data I am in the running If I tell the truth and base costs on worst case scenario due to lack of asset information I am out of the frame

Denise Booth-AlexanderThis is a national contract so presumably they are looking for someone to respond nationally but not necessarily with in-house engineers Is a consortium bid an option where you can join with others who have engineers in local areas to fulfil the 2 hour requirement Alternatively can you sub There are ways of tendering for this if the resolve is a first fix or attendance with a work around or temp solution but I agree not if it is a final fix Catering maintenance is notoriously hard as no- one really wants to carry additional expensive kit in their kitchen Suppliers of products make life very difficult with regard to spares if they themselves also offer a maintenance service We experience long delays wrong diagnoses quotes to repair that make it financially unviable to do so but no innovative thinking such as this is the fix costs and this is the replacement deal etc As customers it is extremely frus-trating but I accept that asking a company to work on a huge variety of makes and models and kit doesnt sit happily with a quick and responsive service if there is no specialityhellip every make within that business and parts are held onto by suppliers I know that a catering maintenance supplier that can

A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its internal or external customers that documents what services the provider will furnish

provide a great service and offers alternative solutions is something that we would all like as customers Perhaps the answer is some sort of industry group which includes sup-pliers to talk it out and come up with a truly customer-oriented service package

I suspect this is a pipe dream much like the closed shop that is Lift maintenance One solution for this particular tender would be to offer to produce an Assetlifecycle register as part of the bid to fully evaluate all the kit and give timescales for replace-ment including possible energy savings to provide some payback etc If you can offer something extra and point out why you can-not provide a proper and cost defined bid in the first instance but set out clearly why and what you could do to turn this around I would certainly be delighted to look at your proposals if I were the customer

Neil EarnshawRichard I concur with the views of others you will be better thought of by pulling out of the process and explaining to the client why It may be that another company out there can deliver what they need its just not your company this time It also may be that other bidders do the same thing in which case the client needs to review their procurement strategy

Im managing a tender process for a FM contract at the moment We had one bidder raise an issue and ask for a change which we respectfully refused since then two other bidders have raised the same issue so were now reconsidering our position Were doing this on the basis that the market is now tell-ing us this contract is too risky as opposed to a single bidder not having the appetite

Richard JeffryesThanks guys for all the replies and yes my gut feeling is not to compete and leave us open to penalties However the issues raised are common I feel that many tenders are have a big element of cut and paste one size fits all As noted by Denise our trade is eclectic a real mix of standards and manu-facturers if a contract is going to work it needs the attention of someone who has complete knowledge of the realities and their

ldquoIn essence if I have engineers

standing around waiting for the

next call and I am prepared

to deliver at the cheapest cost

guarantee parts for an

appliance for which I have

no data I am in the running

If I tell the truth and base costs

on worst case scenario due to

lack of asset information

I am out of the frame

Continuing our series based on posts from the

British Institute of Facility Management (BIFM)

LinkedIn sites South African FMs will find much to

identify with and are encouraged to participate in local exchanges ndash

write via LinkedIn to terryfmexpoorg or tweet tex_owen

July 2015 FM 20

issues I would like to think that I as an individual with 35 years within commercial kitchen would be listened too however many tenders especially the electronic auction style offer little scope for the personal touch which is our USP I know the environment the trade and the equipment My approach is to be realistic tell the truth dont promise the undeliverable and submit a viable cost structure I am yet though to be convinced there is scope for this in the world of group tenders

Neil EarnshawRichard keep the faith keep doing the right thing and work with your industry to help it improve

What I see is a disconnect in FM between contractors and clients This disconnect is the contract and selection of an appropriate strategy that drives the right behaviours On a personal level Im doing my bit to help improve things but Im just a lone voice more people from all sides of the FM indus-try need to recognise the problem and the opportunity to improve then well get some real change for the better

Craig ShepheardYou will normally have a mobilisation per-iod where you can get to inspect all of the equipment in order to set up your own asset list I suggest that you use this data to inform the client of any items of equipment that are obsolete or where parts would be difficult to supply The condition report could be used to say whether items that are in poor shape require monies spent on them to get them to a state where they can be maintained If the client refuses to spend that highlighted amount then those individual items do not correspond to the 2-hour SLA and are there-fore exempt from the contract

You base your contract fee on the under-standing that all items on their asset list are currently being maintained and that they are in a reasonable state of order

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSEA reasonable point Craig except like com-missioning and handover the mobilisation period can get eaten away by slippages on other elements For one major mobilisation the 8 months period for seamless transfer was cut to 3 weeks There are risks with the approach suggested

Neil Earnshaw Im with you on that Rob there are risks However from a contractors view point it does mitigate the risk of poor quality asset

data provided by the client at tender stage Are you allowed to caveat your tender submis-sion Even so I think the risk you face is an early disagreement with the client they think theyve passed a risk to you but in actual fact you passed it back to them with your caveat I absolutely would not sign the contract as is and attempt to wriggle out of your obligations post contract Craigs solution sounds sens-ible right up to the point of saying to the client spend or be damned Thats where the dis-agreement will come

Are they aware their data is poor quality or are they just saying price the risk Have they given you the impression that theyd listen to your concerns and maybe consider other more cost-effective solutions

Also what are you being asked to price for Using a simple example you know there is a cooker and extractor in a kitchen (and you know the location of the kitchen) what you dont know is age condition service history make amp model of the cooker or extractor Are you being asked to give them a lump sum fixed price to maintain these items for a num-ber of years with everything apart from end of life replacement to be included in your price

Alan TaylorI would question why a tender document for catering needs to be 250 pages long Sounds like itrsquos been prepared by a purchasing depart-ment that has no realistic awareness of day-to-day operational requirements and is missing some fundamental issues (no change there then)

So if a fat fryer breaks down when the first load is due to go in for a lunch time service a

ldquoWhat I see is a disconnect

in FM between contractors

and clients This disconnect is

the contract and selection of an

appropriate strategy that drives

the right behaviours

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 22

2 hour response will not get that item back and fully operational for the same day lunch time trade as it will be over It will be up to the chef to improvise with the menu and manage the change

A next day fix or 12 hour turnaround would be a better solution but if a restaurant canrsquot improvise and change its menu if one item of plant goes down you need to change the chef and the caterer It wonrsquot hurt the staff to go without chips for a day

Dave ThomasAlso with you Rob have been the recipient of one of those immediate seamless transfers - where the original team were eager to get themselves in another project and have no responsibility for what was a flawed mobilisa-tion

In the same mobilisation period I found that the Asset List I had sweated over was ignored and another fairy tale was imposed missing out over half of my list so inad-equate time allocatedcosted to MampE Also found that the engineers provided were more interested in looking for more lucrative work rather than just doing maintenance

Seems some clients want the contractor to come up with a proper Asset List for them included in the contract ignoring any information regarding past breakdowns on equipment which may lead to a query on the true condition and life hoping a new contract will magically lead to new equipment

Richard JeffryesAlan sounds like you speak from experience your bang on

Neil you make a lot of sense if only clients thought like you Yes we are being asked to price the Risk however an underlying objective of tender winner is to be the most competitive

In respect of the approach we know itrsquos an oven we know where it is we know it is business critical sounds simple but with-out the specific data this is a real lottery Commercial ovens range in value from pound1 000 to pound40 000 we may be able to make an educated guess at what the appliance is but big tenders request parts and labour-in-clusive programmes replacement parts such as a PCB on a Combination Oven can cost pound1 000 to replace so knowing the depth of the liability is essential My belief is if a site has been responsibly maintained a full and updated asset list with condition and service dates should be available If not what has the incumbent been doing and how do we know it was done This information is surely a pre-requisite when contracts are drawing

to conclusion and a renewal is due Is it com-mon practice for this data to be withheld or are companies just poor at maintaining service data

Neil EarnshawRichard I usually work client-side developing the procurement contract strategy and man-aging the tender process

My main observation of FM clients over the years is that they dont think about commer-cial risk just operational They generally dont seem to understand that where theres a risk theres a cost Therefore you end up with very risky contracts being put together and create the environment for protracted commercial negotiations during the life of the contract

Another observation has been that FM contractors do collect and maintain asset data but when it comes to re-tender the data cant be accessed by the client This is sometimes down to the contract not being clear on this but often its also due to many years of mis-management of the contract

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSENeilFor some time it has been my view that the client should own the asset data and condition assessment which it should disclose to the tenderers Similarly the maintenance records and all of these should ideally be in the client-owned CAFM

ldquoMy belief is if a site has

been maintained a full

and updated asset list with

condition and service dates

should be available If not

what has the incumbent been

doing and how do we know it

was done

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 23

When the onus is put on the success-ful bid winner to collect all the asset data confusion can reign with a completely new set of asset numbers and description and of course items can be missed Most FM managers will have come across outgoing contractors where people probably at very junior level ditch all the statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique

Gordon EasingwoodRegards client CAFMs they are generally poor non-existent or compiled by previous contractors with differing motives (ie avoid-ing financial penaltiesfailing SLAs) Same with maintenance records previous contract-ors are again likely to have differing motives as to how these were compiled based on previous SLAs I work on a local contract with very similar limitations though in different areas and trust me itrsquos extremely difficult to meet this level of commitment Ultimately if they can call you out for pound50 (or less) but can impose a SLA penalty of pound200 where is the sense in it And Im talking a 30 mile max-imum radius from a central point 2 hours responses have been missed simply due to travel delayspoor communication Even when these can be resolved in our favour the amount of adminmanagement time all has an associated cost

To put it another way there simply is not enough properly trained and experienced commercial catering equipment engineers in the country to meet such demands I know I am one and I wouldnt go near the industry again in a hurry as I guess you know from experience Add in the level of commitment (more rightly non-commitment) from some manufacturers and itrsquos an absolute night-mare Also bear in mind European rules only require parts to be available 5 years after a product is no longer manufactured Oh and if you have imports or specials just forget it I was involved with work with a well-known Indian type food chain who had special ovens that met no British or European stan-dard and had to be condemned for simply that reason This was despite a CAFM type list being presented stating all maintenance was done to (non-existent) manufacturersrsquo instructions When checked they had created models and serials numbers for the units

Lastly I would investigate what the client can put through as a 2 hour response and if you can object and on what grounds I currently have a client who does so when in 2 hours the building will be fully vacated and emptyequipment wonrsquot be used for 72 hours etc yet we still have to make attend-ance to meet SLAs Its this kind of thing

that give clients a bad nameSadly without proper input from the

client it sounds like this contract would be a financial liability and I would steer clear With proper and decent input it may be possible I would present the proposal of correct and proper information requirements to the client and try build from there If they run with what would be a non-starter you have to walk away itrsquos likely any contract wonrsquot be upheld for long from either side

Rob Farman regards people ditching statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique I have found this is generally from a quite senior level Simply either because a) itrsquos never been kept up to or b) they dont want this information to go to competitors or c) adequate provision has never been made to collate the information in the first place Things are improving in this area as FM managers take things in hand and computer records are better maintained

Peter CarrHaving worked with Rob Farnam I would completely agree I have spent the last five years client side helping to develop CAFM systems and to make sure they are 100 as accurate as the world I work in (now) Investor FM (totally different to Corporate FM) I have worked with a non-licenced sys-tem called Elogbooks for these five years purely because of these issues Tendering is difficult enough without non-existent asset data and performance understanding Good luck

David A ParryLets push for KISS based contracts Then have the inferred SLA KPIs amp effectiveness measurement compared to the actual true bottom line savings to the client and service provider in their partnering endeavours The unit of measurement could be the unem-ployed bean counters Or do they move on to another position in or outside their companies so no real accountability that this measurement in this way would show on this radar screen

Apologies for the frivolous comments but I honestly believe the real value for money is far simpler but has to be based on appro-priate measures and values for the specific situation and is industries dependent The dichotomy of this statement is it adds to complexity because truly experienced and technical trained actuary analysts are required to produce the targets numbers and not the clip board amp wet finger in the air brigade Clients need to bring in-house specialised professional knowledge to the

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 8

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

Well-positioned commercial property in outlying areas around South

Africa is proving increasingly attractive to both local and inter-national buyers who continue to find value in sustainable invest-ments says Norman Raad CEO of Broll Auctions and SalesldquoNotably there will always be demand for retail properties where investors in pursuit of yield and income perceive opportun-ities to unlock potentialldquoSuch is the case with our successful sale of the 7530m2 Queenstown Mall in the Eastern Cape which was listed to go on auction but achieved a mar-ket-related price of R62-million prior to our multiple auction held in June (2015)rdquo Raad says with a yield of 10 this is a fair market price from a private investor who has plans

Sustained demand for commercial property

for expansion and is bringing new tenants into the centre Anchored by Pick n Pay and with other tenants including large multi-national groups such as Pep and Standard Bank the local retail centre is very well-positioned in Queenstown on the busy corner of Brewery Lane and the N6The sale of a further 20 000m2 of retail industrial and office space was concluded at the auction These included four lots com-prising a total of over 2300m2 of office space situated in Wynberg in Cape Townrsquos popular Southern Suburbs Napier in the Southern Cape Polokwane in Limpopo and Edenberg in the Free State which were sold by an institu-tional seller Acquired by several private investors these proper-ties achieved a combined price of R9-millionSome of the other properties sold on the auction included

a property consisting of multi-tenanted industrial units in Boksburg ndash which fetched a selling price of R221-million an industrial mini-park in Heriotdale in Johannesburg which sold for R16-million and multi-ten-anted units in Wynberg in Johannesburg which fetched a total price of R924-million A block of ground-floor retail and residential apart-ments above in Norwood in Johannesburg achieved R104-million In Lichtenberg in the North West Province an office building was sold on the auction for R78-million a 4610m2 industrial warehouse in Powerville in Vereeniging was acquired for R65-million while a small retail centre with upstairs office component in Bronkhorstspruit just east of Pretoria and en route to Witbank (eMalahleni) was pur-chased for R61-million

Adds Raad ldquoNot surprisingly particularly in the current eco-nomic climate we have found there is minimal demand for vacant buildings The focus is on sustainable investments where tenants can easily be replaced should they default or depart As a result of lower risk well-positioned properties will always be in demandHe says a trend is seeing listed property funds divest of non-core stock and stock which has been exhausted to its full potential ldquoWhereas they may no longer wish to expend further time nor invest further in these properties the smaller property investor has the energy and vision to turn a fundrsquos rough diamond into a gemrdquoThe positive demand for com-mercial property is borne out by a recent Lightstone report which reveals that transaction activity in the South African commercial

Situated in a busy area of Norwood in Johannesburg this block comprising retail and apartments sold for R104-million through Broll Auctions and Sales

July 2015 FM 9

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

market has increased in recent years The report also highlights the acquisition of properties in non-CBD areasAdds Bradley Stephens MD of Broll Auctions and Sales ldquoWe have also seen investors divest of their smaller commercial property portfolios and invest in the REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) as these offer more liquidity and flexibility with their investments ldquoSimultaneously this has created new opportunities for new players to enter the market The time has never been more opportune for investing in the South African property market as international investors still find huge value in solid bricks and mortar in comparison to other countries The only barrier to entry in the current market is finance and the loan to value conundrumrdquoBroll Auctions and Sales next multiple auc-tion of commercial properties takes place on August 18

087 700 8269 wwwbrollcom n

Queenstown Mall was sold even prior to auction

This commercial property in Main Road in Wynberg in Cape Townrsquos Southern Suburbs sold for R29-million at the recent auction held by Broll Auctions and Sales

Norman Raad CEO of Broll Auctions and Sales

July 2015 FM 10

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

When it comes to flooring needs there are a few significant players in the

South African market but Nouwens Carpets is the oldest local carpet manufacturer owned and run by the same family from the outsetToday this company with its nearly 200 employees is a force to be reckoned with offering global industry leaders some stiff compe-tition in the local market thanks to their solid reputation when it comes to products and service delivery Nouwens is a genuine family business and the only major manufacturer that produces their own spun yarns for the domestic market in South Africa This is not surprising with over 50 years of tradition in carpet craftsmanship Nouwens first opened its doors in Harrismith in the Free State in 1962 when Cornelis Nouwens a carpet craftsman from Tilburg in the Netherlands and his wife started manufacturing carpets in an old garage in the town of Harrismith A

passionate entrepreneur Cornelis instilled the same spirit in his chil-dren Luci and Pieter who took over the running of the business in later years It was clear that a passion for producing top quality products was instilled in Luci Nouwens from a young age setting her to head up the management of this local carpeting empire Throughout the years Nouwens has adapted their practices and processes enabling them to become a vertical carpet mill producing wool and synthetic carpets for the domestic and commercial market Nouwens also extrudes both poly prop and nylon synthetic yarns completing an extremely versatile yarn offering In the current economic climate where many companies are find-ing it difficult to survive it seems the success of this growing family business can be attributed to vari-ous factors According to Oscar Grobler Nouwensrsquo Chairman it is vital to ensure that their solid reputation remains backed up by producing quality products

ldquoConsistency is key when it comes to maintaining our pos-ition in the market We need to make sure that we truly live out the culture of the organisation while remaining relevant when it comes to product offerings and developing new ranges Being

Graffiti Retail Solutions ndash a division of Graffiti ndash has been granted the license for Cr8ive Paint ndash a new

environmentally friendly white board paint that can quickly and easily transform virtually any surface into a high performance dry erase canvas Set to replace easels flip charts and traditional white board screens this cost-effective alternative to the somewhat outdated boards con-ventionally seen in boardrooms is ideal for lecture and class rooms idea creative and strategy walls and meeting rooms Restaurants can even use it to write up menus and specials of the day Graffiti Retail Solutions has mas-tered the technique of applying the paint which comes standard in conveniently packaged units that cover 5m2 A water-based product it is dry to the touch in 24 hours and will be fully cured and

ready to use within five days If correctly applied just one coat is required and using foam paint rollers ensure the smoothest surface possible Like any paint-ing job preparation is key and surfaces should be clean and smooth before painting It can be applied to any sealed surface but a primer should be used before

all applications Lead free itrsquos a non-toxic solution making it even more appealing Suitable for any setting ndash light or dark hot or cold ndash this white board paint is not only available in white and therersquos nothing to stop a creative agency from painting a yellow white board The final finish is glossy and can create a reflec-

tion if a light is shone onto the surfaceOnce the product is fully cured a dry cloth can be used to clean the wall If ink has been on the wall for a long time a wet cloth can be used For cheap and often stubborn to remove markers a whiteboard solution can be used

011 691 8400 wwwGraffiticoza n

vertically integrated also allows us to control the manufacturing process as much as possible ensuring that the final product is of the very best qualityrdquo says Grobler 011 608 4435 wwwnouwenscarpetscoza n

July 2015 FM 12

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

CREFM SURVEY PROVES PEOPLE POWER

Itrsquos all about people

People power is predominant and this is illustrated clearly in a survey that was helmed by Martijn Drost of CBRE in Europe who gave the keynote presenta-

tion at the 2015 SAFMA conferenceThe CREFM survey showed that costs

still naturally play a predominant role but that the focus has shifted from pure cost towards growth with the emphasis being on people more than ever

ldquoGDP is down in South Africa These are uncertain times for many countries The respondents in the survey see the Middle East situation being a catalyst for uncertainty and many see this as the biggest threat for

growthrdquo says Drost ldquoThe scarce availability of talent is also an important factor As far as costs are concerned people are looking for reductions wherever possible and this plays a big role in lease negotiations In South Africa there is far more escalation year on year on property taxes and prices whereas in Europe and the US prop-erty is so widely available that companies have the opportunity to renegotiate price every time that the contract endsrdquo

He says there is a move towards cheaper markets with offshoring and right-shoring playing their hands

ldquoThe most important factor in right-shoring is cost ndash itrsquos essential to know the whole story when you are considering future locations However we

ldquoPeople understandably

donrsquot want to spend hours

commuting just to be seen

to be working in the office ndash

those days are gone Working

smarter is the goal now and

productivity is on the up

July 2015 FM 13

are seeing quite a change in the behaviour of occupiers For instance the UK used to out-source call centres to India but they are now being recalled to the UK due to pressure from customer bases which link to business alignment labour and skillsrdquo

Asia Pacific India and China are seen by far as the most desired locations because of cheap labour good availability of staff and in terms of total occupancy therersquos a motiva-tional cost element to consider

ldquoPeople are seeing South Africa as a growth market and a place to be in the future The availability of talent location and infrastructure are the factors to consider Companies feel that more needs to go into decisions involving the attraction and reten-tion of staffrdquo

Drost says that it is also very clear that workplace strategy is becoming paramount The right route here is not only selecting the building and the location itrsquos situated in but it matters a great deal what happens inside the building ndash and here is the clear link to FM

ldquoThe main pointers are employee attrac-tion and retention How do we make sure we attract the right people and retain them in the business The average time someone stays in a job in South Africa is only two years So looking carefully at this fact while it is import-ant to increase productivity and cost savings improved collaboration is vital Itrsquos all about different ways of working and linking closely to employee satisfaction and therefore retention Find people that you can engage with learn from and collaborate withrdquo

The survey notes that while the indoor environment is very important as well as the workplace itself sustainability strangely appeared low on the agenda

ldquoThe big issue is flexible working (63) We didnrsquot measure this in 2013 but now itrsquos heavily in the red on the radar Flexible work-ing is not necessarily just working from home but working anywhere wherever you are at any time People understandably donrsquot want to spend hours commuting just to be seen to be working in the office ndash those days are gone Working smarter is the goal now and productivity is on the up It doesnrsquot take rocket science to understand whyrdquo

80 said that business integration and alignment with enterprise goals is important

ldquoReal Estate of FM is not separate to the business and canrsquot be seen in that way anymore Decision makers of big companies and organisations throughout the world are seeing Real Estate of FM as a catalyst for future growth of their businesses I see it as part of their total strategic pact which is needed to support corporate growth If the

building does not work and if yoursquore not able to attract the right people by having the cor-rect environment how are you going to grow your company

ldquoAction is needed to achieve these goals Streets ahead on top is data quality and accuracy Companies everywhere are strug-gling with data with different systems and dif-ferent sources They are having a hard time creating information out of the data

ldquoYou have to make the basic elements work ndash organisational structure the govern-ance model that you are working towards the process you use in terms of capital allo-cation planning resourcing and your informa-tion your systems and tools to get the infor-mation from your property into tangible data that actually provides information ndash thatrsquos the goal a must-do You canrsquot do anything with raw data and you need to find a way to turn that data into informationrdquo

Drost says that in examining how FM is going to impact on the business looking at the full life cycle is necessary and what is happening is that companies are moving towards integrated facility management

ldquoThat integration chain is growing longer Whereas some 5 to 10 years ago a company started by outsourcing a single service ndash say for cleaning only ndash wersquove now seen the bundling of services for integrated FM as that has become more and more important Property is now also becoming more and more part of the FM portfolio because is running real estate part of the core business No it isnrsquot So we are seeing a determined move towards fuller integration of the supply chain At the end of the day FM is keeping the business running smoothly It has great impact on the business how it operates and the ability of the business to grow in the future

ldquoMoving on from the very beginning with the outsourcing of a single service we believe that we are moving into the fourth or fifth generation of outsourcing We have people that want to invest in buildings develop the workplace strategy and we will be there if you want to dispose of that build-ing at any pointrdquo

He says that integration is the name of the game in every possible way There canrsquot be any pockets of isolation anymore Full integration in all facets of FM and property management is the priority

ldquoOur enterprise data to move into inte-grated information is going to be of the utmost importance going forward Our decisions should not be based on gut feel or hearsay ndash it should be based on hard numbers In most cases we do have the

numbers but the biggest problem is how to get the information out of the numbers Yoursquoll need to partner with the correct suppler and find a platform that can connect and decode data sourcesrdquo

Here are a couple of questions that can help you work out at what stage your com-pany is atbull Is there a clear vision guiding global and

regional CREFMbull Is your organisation right-sized and shaped

to support your companybull Can the CRM staff engage strategicallybull Do you have workplace strategies that fit

the businessbull How flexible are your portfolio and organisa-

tion when it comes to dealing with changebull How efficient are your processes and can

you achieve speed to marketbull Is your service provider strategy supporting

your objectivesbull Do you have the right balance of centralisa-

tion versus localisationbull Are you leveraging a robust data and tech-

nology set to make good decisions n

Martijn Drost is an FM Operations Director for CBRE the global leader in real estate and invest-mentHe has been active in the FM and Real Estate industry for the past 15 years as a managerdirector He holds university degrees in both marketing and economics and shares his passion and views on the FM industry at many speaking engagementsHe is currently living in the Netherlands but has worked across many continents for a number of the worldrsquos largest companies such as BP Intel France Telecom (Orange) and Johnson ControlsHe lived and worked in Johannesburg for five years prior to returning to Europe

July 2015 FM 14

lsquoPEOPLE FIRST BUILDINGS SECONDrsquo

The people theme continues with Peter Townsendrsquos talk on Sustainability ndash putting people first and buildings secondTownsendrsquos premise is that sustain-

ability is not about the beautiful new buildings ndash itrsquos about the people that work within them

Townsend quotes Henry Ford ldquoYou can take my factories burn my buildings but give me my people and Irsquoll build the business back againrdquo

ldquoWersquove forgotten that these wonderful new buildings are there just to support the work-ers This might sound simplistic and perhaps it is but I think itrsquos a message that needs to be reinforced constantly FMs are not the only people that tend to forget this Itrsquos the archi-tects developers designers ndash in fact everyone in property developmentrdquo

He says that with traditional ways of work-ing yoursquore only going to get 40 occupancy in a traditional building meaning that therersquos a massive inefficient use of space

ldquoNow wersquore redefining the way we work and looking at the best way to design offices We need to stop looking for people who should lsquobe at work at their desk from 9 to 5rsquo and start looking at output Work follows the worker and he or she can be working from anywhere and at any time The more forward-thinking com-panies are starting to understand this Do we need monoliths of inefficiency when we can do the work from coffee shops from home from a clientrsquos space

ldquoWe still need the buildings because they are providing us with fantastic resources I donrsquot think anyone including me is implying that we should start abolishing office blocks but rather they should form part of the new flexible ways of working and the way that we value our workers ndash increasing wellbeing while enhancing productivity

ldquoItrsquos known as activity based working (ABW) which has been in operation in Europe for some time and only 3 of new buildings in the UK are not adopting the new way of working

So this really is a phenomenal trend You are going to vastly reduce the amount of space you need If the building can enable people to move freely around the office space and they are encouraged to do so it will really have remarkable benefits to increasing wellbeingrdquo

He says that research has shown that only 9 of South African employees are engaged at work

ldquoThis is a shocking statistic Engaged companies are achieving 54 which means people are satisfied and staff retention will be high Companies here need to address the fact that employees tend to leave companies after two years You canrsquot build brand aware-ness and entrench adoption with this trend

ldquoCompanies have to start looking at satis-faction and how to have it as a powerful and motivating work ethic They have to look at physical features work activities facilities and services ndash and importantly these can provide lsquoquick fixesrsquo Do you know that what is still the most important motivator whatrsquos right up at the top of the graph What coffee and tea is providedrdquo (Ed I know of a company whose coffee is meant to be the best in town and this is one big attraction for future staff members It has a coffee bar that is open all day)rdquoNaturally other features such as air quality temperature control natural light quiet rooms and get-together areas are also vital

ldquoIf you do all this what does it do to an organisation Firstly yoursquore going to reduce your square metres reduce sick days reduce stress and you will increase productivity staff satisfaction wellness engagement staff retention Seeing as surveys note that one of the most favourite places at home to work is the lounge and with a big plus for the couch why are we not filling offices with couches

ldquoThe buildings are not going to do the work People do and thatrsquos why it is para-mount to provide the right environment and resources for staff If you want growth and retention this is the only way to gordquo n

Managing Director of Know More Peter Townshend has a long history in research and consulting behaviour change and environmental reporting He currently also heads up a publishing house and environmental consultancy Ethical Living At Ethical Living Townshend has researched published and offered consultancy around the ethical nature of consumer products available in South Africa and through his work here he made the connection between sustainable offices and productivity and the effect of workspaces on office moral satis-faction engagement and profitability To this end Townshend dived deeply into workspace theory and is now in a position to establish Know More as an expert in this field in South AfricaTownshend has also helped develop a curriculum on journalism and media studies for the University of Pretoria and has lectured and spoken publically on a range of topics from business ethics to English literature environmental awareness sustainability and workspace theory

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

BLEAK PICTURE OF FM SCENARIO

Dr Samuel Azasu holds a PhD in Real Estate Management as well as Licentiate and MSc degrees in Real Estate Management from the Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm He also holds a BA in Economics with Statistics from the University of GhanaHe has worked as Program Coordinator and Director of Teaching and Learning in Real Estate Management at the Royal Institute of Technology In addition he was responsible for planning and managing the provision of executive training in real estate in collaboration with the Dubai Real Estate Institute in Dubai He is currently in charge of reorganising the real estate programs in Wits University

Dr Samuel Azasu spoke on survey results of Reward Management A survey of the South African FM SectorPeople yet again play a vital role

in this surveyldquoGood people are hard to come by and

retainrdquo he says ldquoThis is all happening in a context of a new generation of employees who are more loyal to their own career paths and are no longer stigmatised by the fre-quency of which jobs are changed

ldquoHow do South African FM companies reward their employees We used an online questionnaire to establish this and other questions The feedback wasnrsquot as good as wersquod hoped but as awareness of the survey grows we hope the next one will provide more respondents Still with the percentage we received we were still able to get a picture of whatrsquos going on

ldquoThe focus was not only on salary but also non-financial rewards We asked employees themselves on what they thought about remuneration in the FM sectorrdquo

What were the first impressionsldquoFirst of all I was shocked by the mere

length and breadth of job titles in the FM sector Once I had wrapped my head around this I took a look at salaries In comparison to some of the industries I know I found very low salaries in this area Bonuses have become the variable component of pay but what really surprised me was the fact that annual bonuses were at the discretion of managers which can be a dangerous way of doing things

ldquoThere were plenty of training courses but not much evidence that all this training translates into better performance We asked people what could be done better in terms of rewards ndash and there were some very angry responses about remuneration People are dissatisfied Too many are unhappy with pay on a number of different dimensionsrdquo

The majority of the respondents to the

questionnaire live in Gauteng and Dr Azasu found that many had been doing their jobs for more than 10 years As far as level of educa-tion is concerned very few had post-bachelor degrees

ldquoSpeaking of salaries itrsquos a fact that obviously money attracts people ndash but what holds staff retention typically is found in the non-financial arena When bonuses are based at the discretion of someone it blurs the line of sight The connection on what people do and what they are rewarded undermines confidence breeds cynicism Non-financials including sick pay loans insurance company cars and vaca-tions are more effective retention tools Benefits at work become very important in places where the state does not provide strong safety nets These benefits include pension RAs medical aid childcare allowance bursaries loans (per-sonal and housing) and study loansrdquo

He says what training is available varies from company to company

ldquoCompanies require employees to contribute 50 of the training costs In many compan-ies there is no goal setting and conditions for proper training does not exist In many instan-ces ldquooutsiderdquo training merely becomes time away from the office the person comes back with no noticeable difference in performance

ldquoHow can companies improve the bene-fit system Some say simple measures like allowing partners to attend year-end func-tions even if the employee needs to pay for it allowing time off for doctor dentist and optometrist visits Basic stuff but very import-ant

ldquoTop people lack leadership and employees are incapacitated There is low morale among employees Policies and procedures are not being reviewed timeously

ldquoThe meaning of pay to the individual employee provides clues to how he or she feels their achievement on the job is being met and how much is being contributed to the organi-sationrsquos goals and how powerful you are within the organisation

ldquoHow knowledgeable are people about their pay systems We found many did not know how the pay system actually works and they donrsquot know how when or if they will qualify for a raise Quite a lot of people are unhappy about their pay even if they are knowledgeable about the pay systemrdquo

Dr Azasu says many only have diplomas therefore it is not surprising that salaries are low yet many are proficient or more in their roles People are unhappy that so much discre-tion is left in the hands of the ldquobossrdquo

ldquoThis is an unfair system and needs to change along with the global picture of the FM working environment Maybe our next ques-tionnaire will provide us with a far broader and more positive picture of the FM scenariordquo n

July 2015 FM 15

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

July 2015 FM 16

FOLLOWING THE FIRE TRACKER TRIUMPHS

Trackerrsquos fire earlier this year which razed the company premises to the ground is a good lesson for all in how to go about managing a disas-ter correctly

In his talk entitled What to do in case of dis-aster a case study Michael du Preez Marketing Director of Tracker Connect says there is probably one significant event that made all the difference to the recovery effort

ldquoThe story of recovery is a simple one but donrsquot be misledrdquo says Du Preez ldquoBehind many simple stories there is lots of hard work and planning organisation and money The reality is that at one of the board meetings six months before the fire after the change of leadership at Tracker the new CEO announced that we did not have a disaster recovery plan The green light for that was given shortly after and the plan out in place ndash which was very auspicious con-sidering what lay ahead

ldquoOn January 17 a Saturday I got a call around 2am to tell me that Tracker was on fire I got there in double time along with the other directors and our chairman and watched in horror as the fire consumed everything in its path It was a significant fire and the devastation was terrifying The building had literally burned down The sad thing is that what the fire doesnrsquot destroy the firefighters will Obviously nothing you can do about that ndash except watch and weep

ldquoThe reality was that the fire was so strong that we couldnrsquot get into the building to retrieve anything The records were all destroyedrdquo

Trackerrsquos phoenix had risen though and the first recovery of a stolen vehicle was at 5am

ldquoOur disaster and recovery plan was in place to ensure that we could deliver the core promise of what our business does and make sure there was continuity Back-up records are essential

ldquoWe had our first disaster meeting at 7am had a discussion about what we were going to tell the media and then started a process which was basically organising a whole string of disaster recovery meetings on the hour through-

out the weekend On Monday morning we deployed all our staff to a new site with 90 business capability so in essence they walked into a new building as if nothing had hap-penedrdquo

Du Preez says that there a couple of things that made this possible The first thing is a plan ndashldquoand if you donrsquot have one yoursquod better get one without delayrdquo Roles and duties must be allocated to specific people Update emergency information and take careful note of that so that the plan can be implemented

ldquoThe next thing you need is a practical disaster recovery site We were lucky in that we stumbled across the correct site which was close to the building that burned down We have a very people-intensive business so we have many call centres We have about 900 people on site and these people rely on public transport to get to work so the first thing we had to consider about the disaster recovery site is to ensure staff can get there Itrsquos a logistical nightmare to expect people to go a further 30km further than what theyrsquore used to

ldquoThe other issue is your technology Trackerrsquos business is very tech-dependent to ensure a quick response system Control measures need to hit our centres immediately so we can take some action at that time processing around 20 million messages a day These come from cars telling us how fast they are driving where they are driving and what events need to be considered The real-ity is that we are protecting peoplersquos assets protecting fixed assets protecting fixed cargo and protecting peoplersquos lives with push-button assistance We needed then to make sure that the disaster recovery plan could have that system up and running immediatelyrdquo

When the decision about the site was made a number of factors had to be taken into account

ldquoWe had to think about the power grid in the area and would outages affect our

telephonic infrastructure would it impact the data infrastructure The only practical site was really the one next to our building which answered all these questions positively So we had been paying every month for this empty space ndash and that essentially was our saving grace

ldquoThe next thing to do is plan how you are going to interact with the customers and implement that part of your plan You need to empower your team to get on with the job and you have to trust them enough to be able to do that You have to have an immediate meeting to spell out the priorities so that everyone is on the same page and everything is in place to get up and running as soon as possiblerdquo

He says that although no-one told the mar-keting manager to make radio ads for Monday morning they were done and ready to flight

ldquoShe knew that we would have to be speak-ing to all our customers partners and so on and the best way to do that was above-the-line marketing The ads proved very effective and kept everyone in the loop as to what was hap-pening

ldquoThe most important thing was just to tell the truth and tell everyone what progress was being made The ads conveyed these messa-ges very well and spread immediate confidence

ldquoShow that yoursquore in control get people as productive as possible and build team spirit I think that crisis has the ability to bring people together which is exactly what happened at Tracker On the Monday and Tuesday we met with our key stakeholders and informed them how we have been affected how our customers have been affected and then throughout the week we continued to provide regular updates as to how the recovery process was progressingrdquo

When staff arrived at work on Monday mor-ning all the work stations had been numbered and all the systems were up and running We briefed them on what to tell customers and allocated them a seat and a phone Depending on what department they would be working in

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

Michael Du Preez is the Marketing Executive and Head of International Business and Strategy for Tracker He is responsible for business product brand and strategy development ndash a position he has held for the past four years Prior to his career with Tracker he was one of the founders and Managing Director of MobileData ndash a vehicle Telematics solutions company acquired by Tracker in 2007 It is this technology that continues to create value and open up new channels of busi-ness for Tracker today For many years he was a loyal member of WesBankrsquos management team serving most recently as Head of Research and Development Michael holds a senior qualification in Business Management from HenleyHis colleagues describe him as an open-minded and creative free-thinker always looking to bring innovation and strategic value to the world of vehicle Telematics His work helped pioneer Insurance Telematics in South Africa and more recently assisted in the breakthrough creation of TomTomrsquos first HD Traffic service in AfricaHe sees his future influence in the area of how technology will enable sustainable mobility models in a world challenged for resources Or simply put ensuring our future ldquofreedom to driverdquo

the staff members were all given T-shirts in dif-ferent colours for different centres They were given coffee mugs pens paper and created a bit of a carnival atmosphere and had coffee and doughnuts in reception It may have been a different site but it was business as usual

ldquoOne very important factor is that you need good supplier relationships who can play a major role in getting you back on your feetrdquo

Which is what Tracker did very effectively People hardly remember the fire because the continuity was immediate

You know how to get the phoenix to fly Give Tracker a ring n

Refense Phuso spoke on Valpreacute Spring Waterrsquos bottling plant She is plant manager of the oper-ation and naturally is proud of the fact that it was awarded the

US green honour (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ndash LEED) of Gold status in 2011

ldquoWhat LEED looks at is how you design your facility and you have to comply with many criteria such as site planning indoor environ-ment water planning energy management and material usedrdquo says Phuso ldquoWe have to use water efficiently and ensure the business is sustainable looking after the environment We are audited every year to ensure that we are still complying with LEED criteriardquo

As far as energy needs go the building runs on solar energy with the PV plant sup-plying 40KW of energy leaving the plant grid independent

ldquoOur water that we bottle has to have a cer-tain profile and we found that in Heidelberg Itrsquos over 200km from our offices but it is good news for the movement of product to Gauteng and beyond The factory has been designed to ensure minimal impact on the environment The roof has been designed to capture sunlight all day and with all the glass used in the factory there is abundant natural light streaming in

ldquoOne of our coups in energy-saving is the Air Wizard which reduces energy when run-ning a compressor The device is inside the compressor It captures the left-over energy from the compressor and takes it back in Aside from this therersquos energy-saving features

such as double-glazed windows so the reli-ance on air-conditioning is reduced The fac-tory is glass-wrapped so therersquos natural light in abundance We also have a 95 recycling effort Whatever we use in the factory we recycle We do the separation of material our-selves and Enviroserv will send different types of trucks for the various waste typesrdquo

She says that after the office block was accredited the factory went through the same process in 2013 Both are accredited to ISO 50 000 and the first plant in South Africa to be awarded this honour

ldquoValpre works continuously to improve energy performance to keep up with stan-dards in ISO 50 000 and the requirements of LEED We have to continually challenge our-selves to find new ways of reducing energy We meet on a monthly basis to discuss how well we are meeting our goals

ldquoWe also have energy meters in machines that we know use a lot of energy to keep track of what is happening there and if there are spikes on those machines it gives us the opportunity to investigate why Any anomalies must be reported and this can also highlight incorrect operator behaviour

ldquoWe have also changed from using boxes for product to trays that are plas-tic-wrapped ndash this is also an energy-saving move and in our view really enhances the product presentationrdquo n

A PLANT WITH GREAT ENERGY POWER

July 2015 FM 17

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

Refense Phuso plant manager

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 18

SLArsquos

WHOrsquoS KIDDING WHO

SLArsquos

July 2015 FM 19

Richard Jeffreys

Having just waded through 250 pages of our latest Tender I must make reference to the Fantasy section noted as SLAs In order to compete

with others I need to guarantee my catering engineers can attend anywhere in the coun-try in under 2 hours and complete resolves in under 24 hours

The standard of facts given on appli-ances service history access condition and status is poor to non-existent but the con-tract conditions are punitive and binding In essence if I have engineers standing around waiting for the next call and I am prepared to deliver at the cheapest cost guarantee parts for an appliance for which I have no data I am in the running If I tell the truth and base costs on worst case scenario due to lack of asset information I am out of the frame

Denise Booth-AlexanderThis is a national contract so presumably they are looking for someone to respond nationally but not necessarily with in-house engineers Is a consortium bid an option where you can join with others who have engineers in local areas to fulfil the 2 hour requirement Alternatively can you sub There are ways of tendering for this if the resolve is a first fix or attendance with a work around or temp solution but I agree not if it is a final fix Catering maintenance is notoriously hard as no- one really wants to carry additional expensive kit in their kitchen Suppliers of products make life very difficult with regard to spares if they themselves also offer a maintenance service We experience long delays wrong diagnoses quotes to repair that make it financially unviable to do so but no innovative thinking such as this is the fix costs and this is the replacement deal etc As customers it is extremely frus-trating but I accept that asking a company to work on a huge variety of makes and models and kit doesnt sit happily with a quick and responsive service if there is no specialityhellip every make within that business and parts are held onto by suppliers I know that a catering maintenance supplier that can

A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its internal or external customers that documents what services the provider will furnish

provide a great service and offers alternative solutions is something that we would all like as customers Perhaps the answer is some sort of industry group which includes sup-pliers to talk it out and come up with a truly customer-oriented service package

I suspect this is a pipe dream much like the closed shop that is Lift maintenance One solution for this particular tender would be to offer to produce an Assetlifecycle register as part of the bid to fully evaluate all the kit and give timescales for replace-ment including possible energy savings to provide some payback etc If you can offer something extra and point out why you can-not provide a proper and cost defined bid in the first instance but set out clearly why and what you could do to turn this around I would certainly be delighted to look at your proposals if I were the customer

Neil EarnshawRichard I concur with the views of others you will be better thought of by pulling out of the process and explaining to the client why It may be that another company out there can deliver what they need its just not your company this time It also may be that other bidders do the same thing in which case the client needs to review their procurement strategy

Im managing a tender process for a FM contract at the moment We had one bidder raise an issue and ask for a change which we respectfully refused since then two other bidders have raised the same issue so were now reconsidering our position Were doing this on the basis that the market is now tell-ing us this contract is too risky as opposed to a single bidder not having the appetite

Richard JeffryesThanks guys for all the replies and yes my gut feeling is not to compete and leave us open to penalties However the issues raised are common I feel that many tenders are have a big element of cut and paste one size fits all As noted by Denise our trade is eclectic a real mix of standards and manu-facturers if a contract is going to work it needs the attention of someone who has complete knowledge of the realities and their

ldquoIn essence if I have engineers

standing around waiting for the

next call and I am prepared

to deliver at the cheapest cost

guarantee parts for an

appliance for which I have

no data I am in the running

If I tell the truth and base costs

on worst case scenario due to

lack of asset information

I am out of the frame

Continuing our series based on posts from the

British Institute of Facility Management (BIFM)

LinkedIn sites South African FMs will find much to

identify with and are encouraged to participate in local exchanges ndash

write via LinkedIn to terryfmexpoorg or tweet tex_owen

July 2015 FM 20

issues I would like to think that I as an individual with 35 years within commercial kitchen would be listened too however many tenders especially the electronic auction style offer little scope for the personal touch which is our USP I know the environment the trade and the equipment My approach is to be realistic tell the truth dont promise the undeliverable and submit a viable cost structure I am yet though to be convinced there is scope for this in the world of group tenders

Neil EarnshawRichard keep the faith keep doing the right thing and work with your industry to help it improve

What I see is a disconnect in FM between contractors and clients This disconnect is the contract and selection of an appropriate strategy that drives the right behaviours On a personal level Im doing my bit to help improve things but Im just a lone voice more people from all sides of the FM indus-try need to recognise the problem and the opportunity to improve then well get some real change for the better

Craig ShepheardYou will normally have a mobilisation per-iod where you can get to inspect all of the equipment in order to set up your own asset list I suggest that you use this data to inform the client of any items of equipment that are obsolete or where parts would be difficult to supply The condition report could be used to say whether items that are in poor shape require monies spent on them to get them to a state where they can be maintained If the client refuses to spend that highlighted amount then those individual items do not correspond to the 2-hour SLA and are there-fore exempt from the contract

You base your contract fee on the under-standing that all items on their asset list are currently being maintained and that they are in a reasonable state of order

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSEA reasonable point Craig except like com-missioning and handover the mobilisation period can get eaten away by slippages on other elements For one major mobilisation the 8 months period for seamless transfer was cut to 3 weeks There are risks with the approach suggested

Neil Earnshaw Im with you on that Rob there are risks However from a contractors view point it does mitigate the risk of poor quality asset

data provided by the client at tender stage Are you allowed to caveat your tender submis-sion Even so I think the risk you face is an early disagreement with the client they think theyve passed a risk to you but in actual fact you passed it back to them with your caveat I absolutely would not sign the contract as is and attempt to wriggle out of your obligations post contract Craigs solution sounds sens-ible right up to the point of saying to the client spend or be damned Thats where the dis-agreement will come

Are they aware their data is poor quality or are they just saying price the risk Have they given you the impression that theyd listen to your concerns and maybe consider other more cost-effective solutions

Also what are you being asked to price for Using a simple example you know there is a cooker and extractor in a kitchen (and you know the location of the kitchen) what you dont know is age condition service history make amp model of the cooker or extractor Are you being asked to give them a lump sum fixed price to maintain these items for a num-ber of years with everything apart from end of life replacement to be included in your price

Alan TaylorI would question why a tender document for catering needs to be 250 pages long Sounds like itrsquos been prepared by a purchasing depart-ment that has no realistic awareness of day-to-day operational requirements and is missing some fundamental issues (no change there then)

So if a fat fryer breaks down when the first load is due to go in for a lunch time service a

ldquoWhat I see is a disconnect

in FM between contractors

and clients This disconnect is

the contract and selection of an

appropriate strategy that drives

the right behaviours

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 22

2 hour response will not get that item back and fully operational for the same day lunch time trade as it will be over It will be up to the chef to improvise with the menu and manage the change

A next day fix or 12 hour turnaround would be a better solution but if a restaurant canrsquot improvise and change its menu if one item of plant goes down you need to change the chef and the caterer It wonrsquot hurt the staff to go without chips for a day

Dave ThomasAlso with you Rob have been the recipient of one of those immediate seamless transfers - where the original team were eager to get themselves in another project and have no responsibility for what was a flawed mobilisa-tion

In the same mobilisation period I found that the Asset List I had sweated over was ignored and another fairy tale was imposed missing out over half of my list so inad-equate time allocatedcosted to MampE Also found that the engineers provided were more interested in looking for more lucrative work rather than just doing maintenance

Seems some clients want the contractor to come up with a proper Asset List for them included in the contract ignoring any information regarding past breakdowns on equipment which may lead to a query on the true condition and life hoping a new contract will magically lead to new equipment

Richard JeffryesAlan sounds like you speak from experience your bang on

Neil you make a lot of sense if only clients thought like you Yes we are being asked to price the Risk however an underlying objective of tender winner is to be the most competitive

In respect of the approach we know itrsquos an oven we know where it is we know it is business critical sounds simple but with-out the specific data this is a real lottery Commercial ovens range in value from pound1 000 to pound40 000 we may be able to make an educated guess at what the appliance is but big tenders request parts and labour-in-clusive programmes replacement parts such as a PCB on a Combination Oven can cost pound1 000 to replace so knowing the depth of the liability is essential My belief is if a site has been responsibly maintained a full and updated asset list with condition and service dates should be available If not what has the incumbent been doing and how do we know it was done This information is surely a pre-requisite when contracts are drawing

to conclusion and a renewal is due Is it com-mon practice for this data to be withheld or are companies just poor at maintaining service data

Neil EarnshawRichard I usually work client-side developing the procurement contract strategy and man-aging the tender process

My main observation of FM clients over the years is that they dont think about commer-cial risk just operational They generally dont seem to understand that where theres a risk theres a cost Therefore you end up with very risky contracts being put together and create the environment for protracted commercial negotiations during the life of the contract

Another observation has been that FM contractors do collect and maintain asset data but when it comes to re-tender the data cant be accessed by the client This is sometimes down to the contract not being clear on this but often its also due to many years of mis-management of the contract

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSENeilFor some time it has been my view that the client should own the asset data and condition assessment which it should disclose to the tenderers Similarly the maintenance records and all of these should ideally be in the client-owned CAFM

ldquoMy belief is if a site has

been maintained a full

and updated asset list with

condition and service dates

should be available If not

what has the incumbent been

doing and how do we know it

was done

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 23

When the onus is put on the success-ful bid winner to collect all the asset data confusion can reign with a completely new set of asset numbers and description and of course items can be missed Most FM managers will have come across outgoing contractors where people probably at very junior level ditch all the statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique

Gordon EasingwoodRegards client CAFMs they are generally poor non-existent or compiled by previous contractors with differing motives (ie avoid-ing financial penaltiesfailing SLAs) Same with maintenance records previous contract-ors are again likely to have differing motives as to how these were compiled based on previous SLAs I work on a local contract with very similar limitations though in different areas and trust me itrsquos extremely difficult to meet this level of commitment Ultimately if they can call you out for pound50 (or less) but can impose a SLA penalty of pound200 where is the sense in it And Im talking a 30 mile max-imum radius from a central point 2 hours responses have been missed simply due to travel delayspoor communication Even when these can be resolved in our favour the amount of adminmanagement time all has an associated cost

To put it another way there simply is not enough properly trained and experienced commercial catering equipment engineers in the country to meet such demands I know I am one and I wouldnt go near the industry again in a hurry as I guess you know from experience Add in the level of commitment (more rightly non-commitment) from some manufacturers and itrsquos an absolute night-mare Also bear in mind European rules only require parts to be available 5 years after a product is no longer manufactured Oh and if you have imports or specials just forget it I was involved with work with a well-known Indian type food chain who had special ovens that met no British or European stan-dard and had to be condemned for simply that reason This was despite a CAFM type list being presented stating all maintenance was done to (non-existent) manufacturersrsquo instructions When checked they had created models and serials numbers for the units

Lastly I would investigate what the client can put through as a 2 hour response and if you can object and on what grounds I currently have a client who does so when in 2 hours the building will be fully vacated and emptyequipment wonrsquot be used for 72 hours etc yet we still have to make attend-ance to meet SLAs Its this kind of thing

that give clients a bad nameSadly without proper input from the

client it sounds like this contract would be a financial liability and I would steer clear With proper and decent input it may be possible I would present the proposal of correct and proper information requirements to the client and try build from there If they run with what would be a non-starter you have to walk away itrsquos likely any contract wonrsquot be upheld for long from either side

Rob Farman regards people ditching statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique I have found this is generally from a quite senior level Simply either because a) itrsquos never been kept up to or b) they dont want this information to go to competitors or c) adequate provision has never been made to collate the information in the first place Things are improving in this area as FM managers take things in hand and computer records are better maintained

Peter CarrHaving worked with Rob Farnam I would completely agree I have spent the last five years client side helping to develop CAFM systems and to make sure they are 100 as accurate as the world I work in (now) Investor FM (totally different to Corporate FM) I have worked with a non-licenced sys-tem called Elogbooks for these five years purely because of these issues Tendering is difficult enough without non-existent asset data and performance understanding Good luck

David A ParryLets push for KISS based contracts Then have the inferred SLA KPIs amp effectiveness measurement compared to the actual true bottom line savings to the client and service provider in their partnering endeavours The unit of measurement could be the unem-ployed bean counters Or do they move on to another position in or outside their companies so no real accountability that this measurement in this way would show on this radar screen

Apologies for the frivolous comments but I honestly believe the real value for money is far simpler but has to be based on appro-priate measures and values for the specific situation and is industries dependent The dichotomy of this statement is it adds to complexity because truly experienced and technical trained actuary analysts are required to produce the targets numbers and not the clip board amp wet finger in the air brigade Clients need to bring in-house specialised professional knowledge to the

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 9

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

market has increased in recent years The report also highlights the acquisition of properties in non-CBD areasAdds Bradley Stephens MD of Broll Auctions and Sales ldquoWe have also seen investors divest of their smaller commercial property portfolios and invest in the REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) as these offer more liquidity and flexibility with their investments ldquoSimultaneously this has created new opportunities for new players to enter the market The time has never been more opportune for investing in the South African property market as international investors still find huge value in solid bricks and mortar in comparison to other countries The only barrier to entry in the current market is finance and the loan to value conundrumrdquoBroll Auctions and Sales next multiple auc-tion of commercial properties takes place on August 18

087 700 8269 wwwbrollcom n

Queenstown Mall was sold even prior to auction

This commercial property in Main Road in Wynberg in Cape Townrsquos Southern Suburbs sold for R29-million at the recent auction held by Broll Auctions and Sales

Norman Raad CEO of Broll Auctions and Sales

July 2015 FM 10

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

When it comes to flooring needs there are a few significant players in the

South African market but Nouwens Carpets is the oldest local carpet manufacturer owned and run by the same family from the outsetToday this company with its nearly 200 employees is a force to be reckoned with offering global industry leaders some stiff compe-tition in the local market thanks to their solid reputation when it comes to products and service delivery Nouwens is a genuine family business and the only major manufacturer that produces their own spun yarns for the domestic market in South Africa This is not surprising with over 50 years of tradition in carpet craftsmanship Nouwens first opened its doors in Harrismith in the Free State in 1962 when Cornelis Nouwens a carpet craftsman from Tilburg in the Netherlands and his wife started manufacturing carpets in an old garage in the town of Harrismith A

passionate entrepreneur Cornelis instilled the same spirit in his chil-dren Luci and Pieter who took over the running of the business in later years It was clear that a passion for producing top quality products was instilled in Luci Nouwens from a young age setting her to head up the management of this local carpeting empire Throughout the years Nouwens has adapted their practices and processes enabling them to become a vertical carpet mill producing wool and synthetic carpets for the domestic and commercial market Nouwens also extrudes both poly prop and nylon synthetic yarns completing an extremely versatile yarn offering In the current economic climate where many companies are find-ing it difficult to survive it seems the success of this growing family business can be attributed to vari-ous factors According to Oscar Grobler Nouwensrsquo Chairman it is vital to ensure that their solid reputation remains backed up by producing quality products

ldquoConsistency is key when it comes to maintaining our pos-ition in the market We need to make sure that we truly live out the culture of the organisation while remaining relevant when it comes to product offerings and developing new ranges Being

Graffiti Retail Solutions ndash a division of Graffiti ndash has been granted the license for Cr8ive Paint ndash a new

environmentally friendly white board paint that can quickly and easily transform virtually any surface into a high performance dry erase canvas Set to replace easels flip charts and traditional white board screens this cost-effective alternative to the somewhat outdated boards con-ventionally seen in boardrooms is ideal for lecture and class rooms idea creative and strategy walls and meeting rooms Restaurants can even use it to write up menus and specials of the day Graffiti Retail Solutions has mas-tered the technique of applying the paint which comes standard in conveniently packaged units that cover 5m2 A water-based product it is dry to the touch in 24 hours and will be fully cured and

ready to use within five days If correctly applied just one coat is required and using foam paint rollers ensure the smoothest surface possible Like any paint-ing job preparation is key and surfaces should be clean and smooth before painting It can be applied to any sealed surface but a primer should be used before

all applications Lead free itrsquos a non-toxic solution making it even more appealing Suitable for any setting ndash light or dark hot or cold ndash this white board paint is not only available in white and therersquos nothing to stop a creative agency from painting a yellow white board The final finish is glossy and can create a reflec-

tion if a light is shone onto the surfaceOnce the product is fully cured a dry cloth can be used to clean the wall If ink has been on the wall for a long time a wet cloth can be used For cheap and often stubborn to remove markers a whiteboard solution can be used

011 691 8400 wwwGraffiticoza n

vertically integrated also allows us to control the manufacturing process as much as possible ensuring that the final product is of the very best qualityrdquo says Grobler 011 608 4435 wwwnouwenscarpetscoza n

July 2015 FM 12

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

CREFM SURVEY PROVES PEOPLE POWER

Itrsquos all about people

People power is predominant and this is illustrated clearly in a survey that was helmed by Martijn Drost of CBRE in Europe who gave the keynote presenta-

tion at the 2015 SAFMA conferenceThe CREFM survey showed that costs

still naturally play a predominant role but that the focus has shifted from pure cost towards growth with the emphasis being on people more than ever

ldquoGDP is down in South Africa These are uncertain times for many countries The respondents in the survey see the Middle East situation being a catalyst for uncertainty and many see this as the biggest threat for

growthrdquo says Drost ldquoThe scarce availability of talent is also an important factor As far as costs are concerned people are looking for reductions wherever possible and this plays a big role in lease negotiations In South Africa there is far more escalation year on year on property taxes and prices whereas in Europe and the US prop-erty is so widely available that companies have the opportunity to renegotiate price every time that the contract endsrdquo

He says there is a move towards cheaper markets with offshoring and right-shoring playing their hands

ldquoThe most important factor in right-shoring is cost ndash itrsquos essential to know the whole story when you are considering future locations However we

ldquoPeople understandably

donrsquot want to spend hours

commuting just to be seen

to be working in the office ndash

those days are gone Working

smarter is the goal now and

productivity is on the up

July 2015 FM 13

are seeing quite a change in the behaviour of occupiers For instance the UK used to out-source call centres to India but they are now being recalled to the UK due to pressure from customer bases which link to business alignment labour and skillsrdquo

Asia Pacific India and China are seen by far as the most desired locations because of cheap labour good availability of staff and in terms of total occupancy therersquos a motiva-tional cost element to consider

ldquoPeople are seeing South Africa as a growth market and a place to be in the future The availability of talent location and infrastructure are the factors to consider Companies feel that more needs to go into decisions involving the attraction and reten-tion of staffrdquo

Drost says that it is also very clear that workplace strategy is becoming paramount The right route here is not only selecting the building and the location itrsquos situated in but it matters a great deal what happens inside the building ndash and here is the clear link to FM

ldquoThe main pointers are employee attrac-tion and retention How do we make sure we attract the right people and retain them in the business The average time someone stays in a job in South Africa is only two years So looking carefully at this fact while it is import-ant to increase productivity and cost savings improved collaboration is vital Itrsquos all about different ways of working and linking closely to employee satisfaction and therefore retention Find people that you can engage with learn from and collaborate withrdquo

The survey notes that while the indoor environment is very important as well as the workplace itself sustainability strangely appeared low on the agenda

ldquoThe big issue is flexible working (63) We didnrsquot measure this in 2013 but now itrsquos heavily in the red on the radar Flexible work-ing is not necessarily just working from home but working anywhere wherever you are at any time People understandably donrsquot want to spend hours commuting just to be seen to be working in the office ndash those days are gone Working smarter is the goal now and productivity is on the up It doesnrsquot take rocket science to understand whyrdquo

80 said that business integration and alignment with enterprise goals is important

ldquoReal Estate of FM is not separate to the business and canrsquot be seen in that way anymore Decision makers of big companies and organisations throughout the world are seeing Real Estate of FM as a catalyst for future growth of their businesses I see it as part of their total strategic pact which is needed to support corporate growth If the

building does not work and if yoursquore not able to attract the right people by having the cor-rect environment how are you going to grow your company

ldquoAction is needed to achieve these goals Streets ahead on top is data quality and accuracy Companies everywhere are strug-gling with data with different systems and dif-ferent sources They are having a hard time creating information out of the data

ldquoYou have to make the basic elements work ndash organisational structure the govern-ance model that you are working towards the process you use in terms of capital allo-cation planning resourcing and your informa-tion your systems and tools to get the infor-mation from your property into tangible data that actually provides information ndash thatrsquos the goal a must-do You canrsquot do anything with raw data and you need to find a way to turn that data into informationrdquo

Drost says that in examining how FM is going to impact on the business looking at the full life cycle is necessary and what is happening is that companies are moving towards integrated facility management

ldquoThat integration chain is growing longer Whereas some 5 to 10 years ago a company started by outsourcing a single service ndash say for cleaning only ndash wersquove now seen the bundling of services for integrated FM as that has become more and more important Property is now also becoming more and more part of the FM portfolio because is running real estate part of the core business No it isnrsquot So we are seeing a determined move towards fuller integration of the supply chain At the end of the day FM is keeping the business running smoothly It has great impact on the business how it operates and the ability of the business to grow in the future

ldquoMoving on from the very beginning with the outsourcing of a single service we believe that we are moving into the fourth or fifth generation of outsourcing We have people that want to invest in buildings develop the workplace strategy and we will be there if you want to dispose of that build-ing at any pointrdquo

He says that integration is the name of the game in every possible way There canrsquot be any pockets of isolation anymore Full integration in all facets of FM and property management is the priority

ldquoOur enterprise data to move into inte-grated information is going to be of the utmost importance going forward Our decisions should not be based on gut feel or hearsay ndash it should be based on hard numbers In most cases we do have the

numbers but the biggest problem is how to get the information out of the numbers Yoursquoll need to partner with the correct suppler and find a platform that can connect and decode data sourcesrdquo

Here are a couple of questions that can help you work out at what stage your com-pany is atbull Is there a clear vision guiding global and

regional CREFMbull Is your organisation right-sized and shaped

to support your companybull Can the CRM staff engage strategicallybull Do you have workplace strategies that fit

the businessbull How flexible are your portfolio and organisa-

tion when it comes to dealing with changebull How efficient are your processes and can

you achieve speed to marketbull Is your service provider strategy supporting

your objectivesbull Do you have the right balance of centralisa-

tion versus localisationbull Are you leveraging a robust data and tech-

nology set to make good decisions n

Martijn Drost is an FM Operations Director for CBRE the global leader in real estate and invest-mentHe has been active in the FM and Real Estate industry for the past 15 years as a managerdirector He holds university degrees in both marketing and economics and shares his passion and views on the FM industry at many speaking engagementsHe is currently living in the Netherlands but has worked across many continents for a number of the worldrsquos largest companies such as BP Intel France Telecom (Orange) and Johnson ControlsHe lived and worked in Johannesburg for five years prior to returning to Europe

July 2015 FM 14

lsquoPEOPLE FIRST BUILDINGS SECONDrsquo

The people theme continues with Peter Townsendrsquos talk on Sustainability ndash putting people first and buildings secondTownsendrsquos premise is that sustain-

ability is not about the beautiful new buildings ndash itrsquos about the people that work within them

Townsend quotes Henry Ford ldquoYou can take my factories burn my buildings but give me my people and Irsquoll build the business back againrdquo

ldquoWersquove forgotten that these wonderful new buildings are there just to support the work-ers This might sound simplistic and perhaps it is but I think itrsquos a message that needs to be reinforced constantly FMs are not the only people that tend to forget this Itrsquos the archi-tects developers designers ndash in fact everyone in property developmentrdquo

He says that with traditional ways of work-ing yoursquore only going to get 40 occupancy in a traditional building meaning that therersquos a massive inefficient use of space

ldquoNow wersquore redefining the way we work and looking at the best way to design offices We need to stop looking for people who should lsquobe at work at their desk from 9 to 5rsquo and start looking at output Work follows the worker and he or she can be working from anywhere and at any time The more forward-thinking com-panies are starting to understand this Do we need monoliths of inefficiency when we can do the work from coffee shops from home from a clientrsquos space

ldquoWe still need the buildings because they are providing us with fantastic resources I donrsquot think anyone including me is implying that we should start abolishing office blocks but rather they should form part of the new flexible ways of working and the way that we value our workers ndash increasing wellbeing while enhancing productivity

ldquoItrsquos known as activity based working (ABW) which has been in operation in Europe for some time and only 3 of new buildings in the UK are not adopting the new way of working

So this really is a phenomenal trend You are going to vastly reduce the amount of space you need If the building can enable people to move freely around the office space and they are encouraged to do so it will really have remarkable benefits to increasing wellbeingrdquo

He says that research has shown that only 9 of South African employees are engaged at work

ldquoThis is a shocking statistic Engaged companies are achieving 54 which means people are satisfied and staff retention will be high Companies here need to address the fact that employees tend to leave companies after two years You canrsquot build brand aware-ness and entrench adoption with this trend

ldquoCompanies have to start looking at satis-faction and how to have it as a powerful and motivating work ethic They have to look at physical features work activities facilities and services ndash and importantly these can provide lsquoquick fixesrsquo Do you know that what is still the most important motivator whatrsquos right up at the top of the graph What coffee and tea is providedrdquo (Ed I know of a company whose coffee is meant to be the best in town and this is one big attraction for future staff members It has a coffee bar that is open all day)rdquoNaturally other features such as air quality temperature control natural light quiet rooms and get-together areas are also vital

ldquoIf you do all this what does it do to an organisation Firstly yoursquore going to reduce your square metres reduce sick days reduce stress and you will increase productivity staff satisfaction wellness engagement staff retention Seeing as surveys note that one of the most favourite places at home to work is the lounge and with a big plus for the couch why are we not filling offices with couches

ldquoThe buildings are not going to do the work People do and thatrsquos why it is para-mount to provide the right environment and resources for staff If you want growth and retention this is the only way to gordquo n

Managing Director of Know More Peter Townshend has a long history in research and consulting behaviour change and environmental reporting He currently also heads up a publishing house and environmental consultancy Ethical Living At Ethical Living Townshend has researched published and offered consultancy around the ethical nature of consumer products available in South Africa and through his work here he made the connection between sustainable offices and productivity and the effect of workspaces on office moral satis-faction engagement and profitability To this end Townshend dived deeply into workspace theory and is now in a position to establish Know More as an expert in this field in South AfricaTownshend has also helped develop a curriculum on journalism and media studies for the University of Pretoria and has lectured and spoken publically on a range of topics from business ethics to English literature environmental awareness sustainability and workspace theory

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

BLEAK PICTURE OF FM SCENARIO

Dr Samuel Azasu holds a PhD in Real Estate Management as well as Licentiate and MSc degrees in Real Estate Management from the Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm He also holds a BA in Economics with Statistics from the University of GhanaHe has worked as Program Coordinator and Director of Teaching and Learning in Real Estate Management at the Royal Institute of Technology In addition he was responsible for planning and managing the provision of executive training in real estate in collaboration with the Dubai Real Estate Institute in Dubai He is currently in charge of reorganising the real estate programs in Wits University

Dr Samuel Azasu spoke on survey results of Reward Management A survey of the South African FM SectorPeople yet again play a vital role

in this surveyldquoGood people are hard to come by and

retainrdquo he says ldquoThis is all happening in a context of a new generation of employees who are more loyal to their own career paths and are no longer stigmatised by the fre-quency of which jobs are changed

ldquoHow do South African FM companies reward their employees We used an online questionnaire to establish this and other questions The feedback wasnrsquot as good as wersquod hoped but as awareness of the survey grows we hope the next one will provide more respondents Still with the percentage we received we were still able to get a picture of whatrsquos going on

ldquoThe focus was not only on salary but also non-financial rewards We asked employees themselves on what they thought about remuneration in the FM sectorrdquo

What were the first impressionsldquoFirst of all I was shocked by the mere

length and breadth of job titles in the FM sector Once I had wrapped my head around this I took a look at salaries In comparison to some of the industries I know I found very low salaries in this area Bonuses have become the variable component of pay but what really surprised me was the fact that annual bonuses were at the discretion of managers which can be a dangerous way of doing things

ldquoThere were plenty of training courses but not much evidence that all this training translates into better performance We asked people what could be done better in terms of rewards ndash and there were some very angry responses about remuneration People are dissatisfied Too many are unhappy with pay on a number of different dimensionsrdquo

The majority of the respondents to the

questionnaire live in Gauteng and Dr Azasu found that many had been doing their jobs for more than 10 years As far as level of educa-tion is concerned very few had post-bachelor degrees

ldquoSpeaking of salaries itrsquos a fact that obviously money attracts people ndash but what holds staff retention typically is found in the non-financial arena When bonuses are based at the discretion of someone it blurs the line of sight The connection on what people do and what they are rewarded undermines confidence breeds cynicism Non-financials including sick pay loans insurance company cars and vaca-tions are more effective retention tools Benefits at work become very important in places where the state does not provide strong safety nets These benefits include pension RAs medical aid childcare allowance bursaries loans (per-sonal and housing) and study loansrdquo

He says what training is available varies from company to company

ldquoCompanies require employees to contribute 50 of the training costs In many compan-ies there is no goal setting and conditions for proper training does not exist In many instan-ces ldquooutsiderdquo training merely becomes time away from the office the person comes back with no noticeable difference in performance

ldquoHow can companies improve the bene-fit system Some say simple measures like allowing partners to attend year-end func-tions even if the employee needs to pay for it allowing time off for doctor dentist and optometrist visits Basic stuff but very import-ant

ldquoTop people lack leadership and employees are incapacitated There is low morale among employees Policies and procedures are not being reviewed timeously

ldquoThe meaning of pay to the individual employee provides clues to how he or she feels their achievement on the job is being met and how much is being contributed to the organi-sationrsquos goals and how powerful you are within the organisation

ldquoHow knowledgeable are people about their pay systems We found many did not know how the pay system actually works and they donrsquot know how when or if they will qualify for a raise Quite a lot of people are unhappy about their pay even if they are knowledgeable about the pay systemrdquo

Dr Azasu says many only have diplomas therefore it is not surprising that salaries are low yet many are proficient or more in their roles People are unhappy that so much discre-tion is left in the hands of the ldquobossrdquo

ldquoThis is an unfair system and needs to change along with the global picture of the FM working environment Maybe our next ques-tionnaire will provide us with a far broader and more positive picture of the FM scenariordquo n

July 2015 FM 15

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

July 2015 FM 16

FOLLOWING THE FIRE TRACKER TRIUMPHS

Trackerrsquos fire earlier this year which razed the company premises to the ground is a good lesson for all in how to go about managing a disas-ter correctly

In his talk entitled What to do in case of dis-aster a case study Michael du Preez Marketing Director of Tracker Connect says there is probably one significant event that made all the difference to the recovery effort

ldquoThe story of recovery is a simple one but donrsquot be misledrdquo says Du Preez ldquoBehind many simple stories there is lots of hard work and planning organisation and money The reality is that at one of the board meetings six months before the fire after the change of leadership at Tracker the new CEO announced that we did not have a disaster recovery plan The green light for that was given shortly after and the plan out in place ndash which was very auspicious con-sidering what lay ahead

ldquoOn January 17 a Saturday I got a call around 2am to tell me that Tracker was on fire I got there in double time along with the other directors and our chairman and watched in horror as the fire consumed everything in its path It was a significant fire and the devastation was terrifying The building had literally burned down The sad thing is that what the fire doesnrsquot destroy the firefighters will Obviously nothing you can do about that ndash except watch and weep

ldquoThe reality was that the fire was so strong that we couldnrsquot get into the building to retrieve anything The records were all destroyedrdquo

Trackerrsquos phoenix had risen though and the first recovery of a stolen vehicle was at 5am

ldquoOur disaster and recovery plan was in place to ensure that we could deliver the core promise of what our business does and make sure there was continuity Back-up records are essential

ldquoWe had our first disaster meeting at 7am had a discussion about what we were going to tell the media and then started a process which was basically organising a whole string of disaster recovery meetings on the hour through-

out the weekend On Monday morning we deployed all our staff to a new site with 90 business capability so in essence they walked into a new building as if nothing had hap-penedrdquo

Du Preez says that there a couple of things that made this possible The first thing is a plan ndashldquoand if you donrsquot have one yoursquod better get one without delayrdquo Roles and duties must be allocated to specific people Update emergency information and take careful note of that so that the plan can be implemented

ldquoThe next thing you need is a practical disaster recovery site We were lucky in that we stumbled across the correct site which was close to the building that burned down We have a very people-intensive business so we have many call centres We have about 900 people on site and these people rely on public transport to get to work so the first thing we had to consider about the disaster recovery site is to ensure staff can get there Itrsquos a logistical nightmare to expect people to go a further 30km further than what theyrsquore used to

ldquoThe other issue is your technology Trackerrsquos business is very tech-dependent to ensure a quick response system Control measures need to hit our centres immediately so we can take some action at that time processing around 20 million messages a day These come from cars telling us how fast they are driving where they are driving and what events need to be considered The real-ity is that we are protecting peoplersquos assets protecting fixed assets protecting fixed cargo and protecting peoplersquos lives with push-button assistance We needed then to make sure that the disaster recovery plan could have that system up and running immediatelyrdquo

When the decision about the site was made a number of factors had to be taken into account

ldquoWe had to think about the power grid in the area and would outages affect our

telephonic infrastructure would it impact the data infrastructure The only practical site was really the one next to our building which answered all these questions positively So we had been paying every month for this empty space ndash and that essentially was our saving grace

ldquoThe next thing to do is plan how you are going to interact with the customers and implement that part of your plan You need to empower your team to get on with the job and you have to trust them enough to be able to do that You have to have an immediate meeting to spell out the priorities so that everyone is on the same page and everything is in place to get up and running as soon as possiblerdquo

He says that although no-one told the mar-keting manager to make radio ads for Monday morning they were done and ready to flight

ldquoShe knew that we would have to be speak-ing to all our customers partners and so on and the best way to do that was above-the-line marketing The ads proved very effective and kept everyone in the loop as to what was hap-pening

ldquoThe most important thing was just to tell the truth and tell everyone what progress was being made The ads conveyed these messa-ges very well and spread immediate confidence

ldquoShow that yoursquore in control get people as productive as possible and build team spirit I think that crisis has the ability to bring people together which is exactly what happened at Tracker On the Monday and Tuesday we met with our key stakeholders and informed them how we have been affected how our customers have been affected and then throughout the week we continued to provide regular updates as to how the recovery process was progressingrdquo

When staff arrived at work on Monday mor-ning all the work stations had been numbered and all the systems were up and running We briefed them on what to tell customers and allocated them a seat and a phone Depending on what department they would be working in

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

Michael Du Preez is the Marketing Executive and Head of International Business and Strategy for Tracker He is responsible for business product brand and strategy development ndash a position he has held for the past four years Prior to his career with Tracker he was one of the founders and Managing Director of MobileData ndash a vehicle Telematics solutions company acquired by Tracker in 2007 It is this technology that continues to create value and open up new channels of busi-ness for Tracker today For many years he was a loyal member of WesBankrsquos management team serving most recently as Head of Research and Development Michael holds a senior qualification in Business Management from HenleyHis colleagues describe him as an open-minded and creative free-thinker always looking to bring innovation and strategic value to the world of vehicle Telematics His work helped pioneer Insurance Telematics in South Africa and more recently assisted in the breakthrough creation of TomTomrsquos first HD Traffic service in AfricaHe sees his future influence in the area of how technology will enable sustainable mobility models in a world challenged for resources Or simply put ensuring our future ldquofreedom to driverdquo

the staff members were all given T-shirts in dif-ferent colours for different centres They were given coffee mugs pens paper and created a bit of a carnival atmosphere and had coffee and doughnuts in reception It may have been a different site but it was business as usual

ldquoOne very important factor is that you need good supplier relationships who can play a major role in getting you back on your feetrdquo

Which is what Tracker did very effectively People hardly remember the fire because the continuity was immediate

You know how to get the phoenix to fly Give Tracker a ring n

Refense Phuso spoke on Valpreacute Spring Waterrsquos bottling plant She is plant manager of the oper-ation and naturally is proud of the fact that it was awarded the

US green honour (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ndash LEED) of Gold status in 2011

ldquoWhat LEED looks at is how you design your facility and you have to comply with many criteria such as site planning indoor environ-ment water planning energy management and material usedrdquo says Phuso ldquoWe have to use water efficiently and ensure the business is sustainable looking after the environment We are audited every year to ensure that we are still complying with LEED criteriardquo

As far as energy needs go the building runs on solar energy with the PV plant sup-plying 40KW of energy leaving the plant grid independent

ldquoOur water that we bottle has to have a cer-tain profile and we found that in Heidelberg Itrsquos over 200km from our offices but it is good news for the movement of product to Gauteng and beyond The factory has been designed to ensure minimal impact on the environment The roof has been designed to capture sunlight all day and with all the glass used in the factory there is abundant natural light streaming in

ldquoOne of our coups in energy-saving is the Air Wizard which reduces energy when run-ning a compressor The device is inside the compressor It captures the left-over energy from the compressor and takes it back in Aside from this therersquos energy-saving features

such as double-glazed windows so the reli-ance on air-conditioning is reduced The fac-tory is glass-wrapped so therersquos natural light in abundance We also have a 95 recycling effort Whatever we use in the factory we recycle We do the separation of material our-selves and Enviroserv will send different types of trucks for the various waste typesrdquo

She says that after the office block was accredited the factory went through the same process in 2013 Both are accredited to ISO 50 000 and the first plant in South Africa to be awarded this honour

ldquoValpre works continuously to improve energy performance to keep up with stan-dards in ISO 50 000 and the requirements of LEED We have to continually challenge our-selves to find new ways of reducing energy We meet on a monthly basis to discuss how well we are meeting our goals

ldquoWe also have energy meters in machines that we know use a lot of energy to keep track of what is happening there and if there are spikes on those machines it gives us the opportunity to investigate why Any anomalies must be reported and this can also highlight incorrect operator behaviour

ldquoWe have also changed from using boxes for product to trays that are plas-tic-wrapped ndash this is also an energy-saving move and in our view really enhances the product presentationrdquo n

A PLANT WITH GREAT ENERGY POWER

July 2015 FM 17

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

Refense Phuso plant manager

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 18

SLArsquos

WHOrsquoS KIDDING WHO

SLArsquos

July 2015 FM 19

Richard Jeffreys

Having just waded through 250 pages of our latest Tender I must make reference to the Fantasy section noted as SLAs In order to compete

with others I need to guarantee my catering engineers can attend anywhere in the coun-try in under 2 hours and complete resolves in under 24 hours

The standard of facts given on appli-ances service history access condition and status is poor to non-existent but the con-tract conditions are punitive and binding In essence if I have engineers standing around waiting for the next call and I am prepared to deliver at the cheapest cost guarantee parts for an appliance for which I have no data I am in the running If I tell the truth and base costs on worst case scenario due to lack of asset information I am out of the frame

Denise Booth-AlexanderThis is a national contract so presumably they are looking for someone to respond nationally but not necessarily with in-house engineers Is a consortium bid an option where you can join with others who have engineers in local areas to fulfil the 2 hour requirement Alternatively can you sub There are ways of tendering for this if the resolve is a first fix or attendance with a work around or temp solution but I agree not if it is a final fix Catering maintenance is notoriously hard as no- one really wants to carry additional expensive kit in their kitchen Suppliers of products make life very difficult with regard to spares if they themselves also offer a maintenance service We experience long delays wrong diagnoses quotes to repair that make it financially unviable to do so but no innovative thinking such as this is the fix costs and this is the replacement deal etc As customers it is extremely frus-trating but I accept that asking a company to work on a huge variety of makes and models and kit doesnt sit happily with a quick and responsive service if there is no specialityhellip every make within that business and parts are held onto by suppliers I know that a catering maintenance supplier that can

A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its internal or external customers that documents what services the provider will furnish

provide a great service and offers alternative solutions is something that we would all like as customers Perhaps the answer is some sort of industry group which includes sup-pliers to talk it out and come up with a truly customer-oriented service package

I suspect this is a pipe dream much like the closed shop that is Lift maintenance One solution for this particular tender would be to offer to produce an Assetlifecycle register as part of the bid to fully evaluate all the kit and give timescales for replace-ment including possible energy savings to provide some payback etc If you can offer something extra and point out why you can-not provide a proper and cost defined bid in the first instance but set out clearly why and what you could do to turn this around I would certainly be delighted to look at your proposals if I were the customer

Neil EarnshawRichard I concur with the views of others you will be better thought of by pulling out of the process and explaining to the client why It may be that another company out there can deliver what they need its just not your company this time It also may be that other bidders do the same thing in which case the client needs to review their procurement strategy

Im managing a tender process for a FM contract at the moment We had one bidder raise an issue and ask for a change which we respectfully refused since then two other bidders have raised the same issue so were now reconsidering our position Were doing this on the basis that the market is now tell-ing us this contract is too risky as opposed to a single bidder not having the appetite

Richard JeffryesThanks guys for all the replies and yes my gut feeling is not to compete and leave us open to penalties However the issues raised are common I feel that many tenders are have a big element of cut and paste one size fits all As noted by Denise our trade is eclectic a real mix of standards and manu-facturers if a contract is going to work it needs the attention of someone who has complete knowledge of the realities and their

ldquoIn essence if I have engineers

standing around waiting for the

next call and I am prepared

to deliver at the cheapest cost

guarantee parts for an

appliance for which I have

no data I am in the running

If I tell the truth and base costs

on worst case scenario due to

lack of asset information

I am out of the frame

Continuing our series based on posts from the

British Institute of Facility Management (BIFM)

LinkedIn sites South African FMs will find much to

identify with and are encouraged to participate in local exchanges ndash

write via LinkedIn to terryfmexpoorg or tweet tex_owen

July 2015 FM 20

issues I would like to think that I as an individual with 35 years within commercial kitchen would be listened too however many tenders especially the electronic auction style offer little scope for the personal touch which is our USP I know the environment the trade and the equipment My approach is to be realistic tell the truth dont promise the undeliverable and submit a viable cost structure I am yet though to be convinced there is scope for this in the world of group tenders

Neil EarnshawRichard keep the faith keep doing the right thing and work with your industry to help it improve

What I see is a disconnect in FM between contractors and clients This disconnect is the contract and selection of an appropriate strategy that drives the right behaviours On a personal level Im doing my bit to help improve things but Im just a lone voice more people from all sides of the FM indus-try need to recognise the problem and the opportunity to improve then well get some real change for the better

Craig ShepheardYou will normally have a mobilisation per-iod where you can get to inspect all of the equipment in order to set up your own asset list I suggest that you use this data to inform the client of any items of equipment that are obsolete or where parts would be difficult to supply The condition report could be used to say whether items that are in poor shape require monies spent on them to get them to a state where they can be maintained If the client refuses to spend that highlighted amount then those individual items do not correspond to the 2-hour SLA and are there-fore exempt from the contract

You base your contract fee on the under-standing that all items on their asset list are currently being maintained and that they are in a reasonable state of order

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSEA reasonable point Craig except like com-missioning and handover the mobilisation period can get eaten away by slippages on other elements For one major mobilisation the 8 months period for seamless transfer was cut to 3 weeks There are risks with the approach suggested

Neil Earnshaw Im with you on that Rob there are risks However from a contractors view point it does mitigate the risk of poor quality asset

data provided by the client at tender stage Are you allowed to caveat your tender submis-sion Even so I think the risk you face is an early disagreement with the client they think theyve passed a risk to you but in actual fact you passed it back to them with your caveat I absolutely would not sign the contract as is and attempt to wriggle out of your obligations post contract Craigs solution sounds sens-ible right up to the point of saying to the client spend or be damned Thats where the dis-agreement will come

Are they aware their data is poor quality or are they just saying price the risk Have they given you the impression that theyd listen to your concerns and maybe consider other more cost-effective solutions

Also what are you being asked to price for Using a simple example you know there is a cooker and extractor in a kitchen (and you know the location of the kitchen) what you dont know is age condition service history make amp model of the cooker or extractor Are you being asked to give them a lump sum fixed price to maintain these items for a num-ber of years with everything apart from end of life replacement to be included in your price

Alan TaylorI would question why a tender document for catering needs to be 250 pages long Sounds like itrsquos been prepared by a purchasing depart-ment that has no realistic awareness of day-to-day operational requirements and is missing some fundamental issues (no change there then)

So if a fat fryer breaks down when the first load is due to go in for a lunch time service a

ldquoWhat I see is a disconnect

in FM between contractors

and clients This disconnect is

the contract and selection of an

appropriate strategy that drives

the right behaviours

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 22

2 hour response will not get that item back and fully operational for the same day lunch time trade as it will be over It will be up to the chef to improvise with the menu and manage the change

A next day fix or 12 hour turnaround would be a better solution but if a restaurant canrsquot improvise and change its menu if one item of plant goes down you need to change the chef and the caterer It wonrsquot hurt the staff to go without chips for a day

Dave ThomasAlso with you Rob have been the recipient of one of those immediate seamless transfers - where the original team were eager to get themselves in another project and have no responsibility for what was a flawed mobilisa-tion

In the same mobilisation period I found that the Asset List I had sweated over was ignored and another fairy tale was imposed missing out over half of my list so inad-equate time allocatedcosted to MampE Also found that the engineers provided were more interested in looking for more lucrative work rather than just doing maintenance

Seems some clients want the contractor to come up with a proper Asset List for them included in the contract ignoring any information regarding past breakdowns on equipment which may lead to a query on the true condition and life hoping a new contract will magically lead to new equipment

Richard JeffryesAlan sounds like you speak from experience your bang on

Neil you make a lot of sense if only clients thought like you Yes we are being asked to price the Risk however an underlying objective of tender winner is to be the most competitive

In respect of the approach we know itrsquos an oven we know where it is we know it is business critical sounds simple but with-out the specific data this is a real lottery Commercial ovens range in value from pound1 000 to pound40 000 we may be able to make an educated guess at what the appliance is but big tenders request parts and labour-in-clusive programmes replacement parts such as a PCB on a Combination Oven can cost pound1 000 to replace so knowing the depth of the liability is essential My belief is if a site has been responsibly maintained a full and updated asset list with condition and service dates should be available If not what has the incumbent been doing and how do we know it was done This information is surely a pre-requisite when contracts are drawing

to conclusion and a renewal is due Is it com-mon practice for this data to be withheld or are companies just poor at maintaining service data

Neil EarnshawRichard I usually work client-side developing the procurement contract strategy and man-aging the tender process

My main observation of FM clients over the years is that they dont think about commer-cial risk just operational They generally dont seem to understand that where theres a risk theres a cost Therefore you end up with very risky contracts being put together and create the environment for protracted commercial negotiations during the life of the contract

Another observation has been that FM contractors do collect and maintain asset data but when it comes to re-tender the data cant be accessed by the client This is sometimes down to the contract not being clear on this but often its also due to many years of mis-management of the contract

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSENeilFor some time it has been my view that the client should own the asset data and condition assessment which it should disclose to the tenderers Similarly the maintenance records and all of these should ideally be in the client-owned CAFM

ldquoMy belief is if a site has

been maintained a full

and updated asset list with

condition and service dates

should be available If not

what has the incumbent been

doing and how do we know it

was done

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 23

When the onus is put on the success-ful bid winner to collect all the asset data confusion can reign with a completely new set of asset numbers and description and of course items can be missed Most FM managers will have come across outgoing contractors where people probably at very junior level ditch all the statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique

Gordon EasingwoodRegards client CAFMs they are generally poor non-existent or compiled by previous contractors with differing motives (ie avoid-ing financial penaltiesfailing SLAs) Same with maintenance records previous contract-ors are again likely to have differing motives as to how these were compiled based on previous SLAs I work on a local contract with very similar limitations though in different areas and trust me itrsquos extremely difficult to meet this level of commitment Ultimately if they can call you out for pound50 (or less) but can impose a SLA penalty of pound200 where is the sense in it And Im talking a 30 mile max-imum radius from a central point 2 hours responses have been missed simply due to travel delayspoor communication Even when these can be resolved in our favour the amount of adminmanagement time all has an associated cost

To put it another way there simply is not enough properly trained and experienced commercial catering equipment engineers in the country to meet such demands I know I am one and I wouldnt go near the industry again in a hurry as I guess you know from experience Add in the level of commitment (more rightly non-commitment) from some manufacturers and itrsquos an absolute night-mare Also bear in mind European rules only require parts to be available 5 years after a product is no longer manufactured Oh and if you have imports or specials just forget it I was involved with work with a well-known Indian type food chain who had special ovens that met no British or European stan-dard and had to be condemned for simply that reason This was despite a CAFM type list being presented stating all maintenance was done to (non-existent) manufacturersrsquo instructions When checked they had created models and serials numbers for the units

Lastly I would investigate what the client can put through as a 2 hour response and if you can object and on what grounds I currently have a client who does so when in 2 hours the building will be fully vacated and emptyequipment wonrsquot be used for 72 hours etc yet we still have to make attend-ance to meet SLAs Its this kind of thing

that give clients a bad nameSadly without proper input from the

client it sounds like this contract would be a financial liability and I would steer clear With proper and decent input it may be possible I would present the proposal of correct and proper information requirements to the client and try build from there If they run with what would be a non-starter you have to walk away itrsquos likely any contract wonrsquot be upheld for long from either side

Rob Farman regards people ditching statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique I have found this is generally from a quite senior level Simply either because a) itrsquos never been kept up to or b) they dont want this information to go to competitors or c) adequate provision has never been made to collate the information in the first place Things are improving in this area as FM managers take things in hand and computer records are better maintained

Peter CarrHaving worked with Rob Farnam I would completely agree I have spent the last five years client side helping to develop CAFM systems and to make sure they are 100 as accurate as the world I work in (now) Investor FM (totally different to Corporate FM) I have worked with a non-licenced sys-tem called Elogbooks for these five years purely because of these issues Tendering is difficult enough without non-existent asset data and performance understanding Good luck

David A ParryLets push for KISS based contracts Then have the inferred SLA KPIs amp effectiveness measurement compared to the actual true bottom line savings to the client and service provider in their partnering endeavours The unit of measurement could be the unem-ployed bean counters Or do they move on to another position in or outside their companies so no real accountability that this measurement in this way would show on this radar screen

Apologies for the frivolous comments but I honestly believe the real value for money is far simpler but has to be based on appro-priate measures and values for the specific situation and is industries dependent The dichotomy of this statement is it adds to complexity because truly experienced and technical trained actuary analysts are required to produce the targets numbers and not the clip board amp wet finger in the air brigade Clients need to bring in-house specialised professional knowledge to the

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 10

NEWS amp PRODUCTS

When it comes to flooring needs there are a few significant players in the

South African market but Nouwens Carpets is the oldest local carpet manufacturer owned and run by the same family from the outsetToday this company with its nearly 200 employees is a force to be reckoned with offering global industry leaders some stiff compe-tition in the local market thanks to their solid reputation when it comes to products and service delivery Nouwens is a genuine family business and the only major manufacturer that produces their own spun yarns for the domestic market in South Africa This is not surprising with over 50 years of tradition in carpet craftsmanship Nouwens first opened its doors in Harrismith in the Free State in 1962 when Cornelis Nouwens a carpet craftsman from Tilburg in the Netherlands and his wife started manufacturing carpets in an old garage in the town of Harrismith A

passionate entrepreneur Cornelis instilled the same spirit in his chil-dren Luci and Pieter who took over the running of the business in later years It was clear that a passion for producing top quality products was instilled in Luci Nouwens from a young age setting her to head up the management of this local carpeting empire Throughout the years Nouwens has adapted their practices and processes enabling them to become a vertical carpet mill producing wool and synthetic carpets for the domestic and commercial market Nouwens also extrudes both poly prop and nylon synthetic yarns completing an extremely versatile yarn offering In the current economic climate where many companies are find-ing it difficult to survive it seems the success of this growing family business can be attributed to vari-ous factors According to Oscar Grobler Nouwensrsquo Chairman it is vital to ensure that their solid reputation remains backed up by producing quality products

ldquoConsistency is key when it comes to maintaining our pos-ition in the market We need to make sure that we truly live out the culture of the organisation while remaining relevant when it comes to product offerings and developing new ranges Being

Graffiti Retail Solutions ndash a division of Graffiti ndash has been granted the license for Cr8ive Paint ndash a new

environmentally friendly white board paint that can quickly and easily transform virtually any surface into a high performance dry erase canvas Set to replace easels flip charts and traditional white board screens this cost-effective alternative to the somewhat outdated boards con-ventionally seen in boardrooms is ideal for lecture and class rooms idea creative and strategy walls and meeting rooms Restaurants can even use it to write up menus and specials of the day Graffiti Retail Solutions has mas-tered the technique of applying the paint which comes standard in conveniently packaged units that cover 5m2 A water-based product it is dry to the touch in 24 hours and will be fully cured and

ready to use within five days If correctly applied just one coat is required and using foam paint rollers ensure the smoothest surface possible Like any paint-ing job preparation is key and surfaces should be clean and smooth before painting It can be applied to any sealed surface but a primer should be used before

all applications Lead free itrsquos a non-toxic solution making it even more appealing Suitable for any setting ndash light or dark hot or cold ndash this white board paint is not only available in white and therersquos nothing to stop a creative agency from painting a yellow white board The final finish is glossy and can create a reflec-

tion if a light is shone onto the surfaceOnce the product is fully cured a dry cloth can be used to clean the wall If ink has been on the wall for a long time a wet cloth can be used For cheap and often stubborn to remove markers a whiteboard solution can be used

011 691 8400 wwwGraffiticoza n

vertically integrated also allows us to control the manufacturing process as much as possible ensuring that the final product is of the very best qualityrdquo says Grobler 011 608 4435 wwwnouwenscarpetscoza n

July 2015 FM 12

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

CREFM SURVEY PROVES PEOPLE POWER

Itrsquos all about people

People power is predominant and this is illustrated clearly in a survey that was helmed by Martijn Drost of CBRE in Europe who gave the keynote presenta-

tion at the 2015 SAFMA conferenceThe CREFM survey showed that costs

still naturally play a predominant role but that the focus has shifted from pure cost towards growth with the emphasis being on people more than ever

ldquoGDP is down in South Africa These are uncertain times for many countries The respondents in the survey see the Middle East situation being a catalyst for uncertainty and many see this as the biggest threat for

growthrdquo says Drost ldquoThe scarce availability of talent is also an important factor As far as costs are concerned people are looking for reductions wherever possible and this plays a big role in lease negotiations In South Africa there is far more escalation year on year on property taxes and prices whereas in Europe and the US prop-erty is so widely available that companies have the opportunity to renegotiate price every time that the contract endsrdquo

He says there is a move towards cheaper markets with offshoring and right-shoring playing their hands

ldquoThe most important factor in right-shoring is cost ndash itrsquos essential to know the whole story when you are considering future locations However we

ldquoPeople understandably

donrsquot want to spend hours

commuting just to be seen

to be working in the office ndash

those days are gone Working

smarter is the goal now and

productivity is on the up

July 2015 FM 13

are seeing quite a change in the behaviour of occupiers For instance the UK used to out-source call centres to India but they are now being recalled to the UK due to pressure from customer bases which link to business alignment labour and skillsrdquo

Asia Pacific India and China are seen by far as the most desired locations because of cheap labour good availability of staff and in terms of total occupancy therersquos a motiva-tional cost element to consider

ldquoPeople are seeing South Africa as a growth market and a place to be in the future The availability of talent location and infrastructure are the factors to consider Companies feel that more needs to go into decisions involving the attraction and reten-tion of staffrdquo

Drost says that it is also very clear that workplace strategy is becoming paramount The right route here is not only selecting the building and the location itrsquos situated in but it matters a great deal what happens inside the building ndash and here is the clear link to FM

ldquoThe main pointers are employee attrac-tion and retention How do we make sure we attract the right people and retain them in the business The average time someone stays in a job in South Africa is only two years So looking carefully at this fact while it is import-ant to increase productivity and cost savings improved collaboration is vital Itrsquos all about different ways of working and linking closely to employee satisfaction and therefore retention Find people that you can engage with learn from and collaborate withrdquo

The survey notes that while the indoor environment is very important as well as the workplace itself sustainability strangely appeared low on the agenda

ldquoThe big issue is flexible working (63) We didnrsquot measure this in 2013 but now itrsquos heavily in the red on the radar Flexible work-ing is not necessarily just working from home but working anywhere wherever you are at any time People understandably donrsquot want to spend hours commuting just to be seen to be working in the office ndash those days are gone Working smarter is the goal now and productivity is on the up It doesnrsquot take rocket science to understand whyrdquo

80 said that business integration and alignment with enterprise goals is important

ldquoReal Estate of FM is not separate to the business and canrsquot be seen in that way anymore Decision makers of big companies and organisations throughout the world are seeing Real Estate of FM as a catalyst for future growth of their businesses I see it as part of their total strategic pact which is needed to support corporate growth If the

building does not work and if yoursquore not able to attract the right people by having the cor-rect environment how are you going to grow your company

ldquoAction is needed to achieve these goals Streets ahead on top is data quality and accuracy Companies everywhere are strug-gling with data with different systems and dif-ferent sources They are having a hard time creating information out of the data

ldquoYou have to make the basic elements work ndash organisational structure the govern-ance model that you are working towards the process you use in terms of capital allo-cation planning resourcing and your informa-tion your systems and tools to get the infor-mation from your property into tangible data that actually provides information ndash thatrsquos the goal a must-do You canrsquot do anything with raw data and you need to find a way to turn that data into informationrdquo

Drost says that in examining how FM is going to impact on the business looking at the full life cycle is necessary and what is happening is that companies are moving towards integrated facility management

ldquoThat integration chain is growing longer Whereas some 5 to 10 years ago a company started by outsourcing a single service ndash say for cleaning only ndash wersquove now seen the bundling of services for integrated FM as that has become more and more important Property is now also becoming more and more part of the FM portfolio because is running real estate part of the core business No it isnrsquot So we are seeing a determined move towards fuller integration of the supply chain At the end of the day FM is keeping the business running smoothly It has great impact on the business how it operates and the ability of the business to grow in the future

ldquoMoving on from the very beginning with the outsourcing of a single service we believe that we are moving into the fourth or fifth generation of outsourcing We have people that want to invest in buildings develop the workplace strategy and we will be there if you want to dispose of that build-ing at any pointrdquo

He says that integration is the name of the game in every possible way There canrsquot be any pockets of isolation anymore Full integration in all facets of FM and property management is the priority

ldquoOur enterprise data to move into inte-grated information is going to be of the utmost importance going forward Our decisions should not be based on gut feel or hearsay ndash it should be based on hard numbers In most cases we do have the

numbers but the biggest problem is how to get the information out of the numbers Yoursquoll need to partner with the correct suppler and find a platform that can connect and decode data sourcesrdquo

Here are a couple of questions that can help you work out at what stage your com-pany is atbull Is there a clear vision guiding global and

regional CREFMbull Is your organisation right-sized and shaped

to support your companybull Can the CRM staff engage strategicallybull Do you have workplace strategies that fit

the businessbull How flexible are your portfolio and organisa-

tion when it comes to dealing with changebull How efficient are your processes and can

you achieve speed to marketbull Is your service provider strategy supporting

your objectivesbull Do you have the right balance of centralisa-

tion versus localisationbull Are you leveraging a robust data and tech-

nology set to make good decisions n

Martijn Drost is an FM Operations Director for CBRE the global leader in real estate and invest-mentHe has been active in the FM and Real Estate industry for the past 15 years as a managerdirector He holds university degrees in both marketing and economics and shares his passion and views on the FM industry at many speaking engagementsHe is currently living in the Netherlands but has worked across many continents for a number of the worldrsquos largest companies such as BP Intel France Telecom (Orange) and Johnson ControlsHe lived and worked in Johannesburg for five years prior to returning to Europe

July 2015 FM 14

lsquoPEOPLE FIRST BUILDINGS SECONDrsquo

The people theme continues with Peter Townsendrsquos talk on Sustainability ndash putting people first and buildings secondTownsendrsquos premise is that sustain-

ability is not about the beautiful new buildings ndash itrsquos about the people that work within them

Townsend quotes Henry Ford ldquoYou can take my factories burn my buildings but give me my people and Irsquoll build the business back againrdquo

ldquoWersquove forgotten that these wonderful new buildings are there just to support the work-ers This might sound simplistic and perhaps it is but I think itrsquos a message that needs to be reinforced constantly FMs are not the only people that tend to forget this Itrsquos the archi-tects developers designers ndash in fact everyone in property developmentrdquo

He says that with traditional ways of work-ing yoursquore only going to get 40 occupancy in a traditional building meaning that therersquos a massive inefficient use of space

ldquoNow wersquore redefining the way we work and looking at the best way to design offices We need to stop looking for people who should lsquobe at work at their desk from 9 to 5rsquo and start looking at output Work follows the worker and he or she can be working from anywhere and at any time The more forward-thinking com-panies are starting to understand this Do we need monoliths of inefficiency when we can do the work from coffee shops from home from a clientrsquos space

ldquoWe still need the buildings because they are providing us with fantastic resources I donrsquot think anyone including me is implying that we should start abolishing office blocks but rather they should form part of the new flexible ways of working and the way that we value our workers ndash increasing wellbeing while enhancing productivity

ldquoItrsquos known as activity based working (ABW) which has been in operation in Europe for some time and only 3 of new buildings in the UK are not adopting the new way of working

So this really is a phenomenal trend You are going to vastly reduce the amount of space you need If the building can enable people to move freely around the office space and they are encouraged to do so it will really have remarkable benefits to increasing wellbeingrdquo

He says that research has shown that only 9 of South African employees are engaged at work

ldquoThis is a shocking statistic Engaged companies are achieving 54 which means people are satisfied and staff retention will be high Companies here need to address the fact that employees tend to leave companies after two years You canrsquot build brand aware-ness and entrench adoption with this trend

ldquoCompanies have to start looking at satis-faction and how to have it as a powerful and motivating work ethic They have to look at physical features work activities facilities and services ndash and importantly these can provide lsquoquick fixesrsquo Do you know that what is still the most important motivator whatrsquos right up at the top of the graph What coffee and tea is providedrdquo (Ed I know of a company whose coffee is meant to be the best in town and this is one big attraction for future staff members It has a coffee bar that is open all day)rdquoNaturally other features such as air quality temperature control natural light quiet rooms and get-together areas are also vital

ldquoIf you do all this what does it do to an organisation Firstly yoursquore going to reduce your square metres reduce sick days reduce stress and you will increase productivity staff satisfaction wellness engagement staff retention Seeing as surveys note that one of the most favourite places at home to work is the lounge and with a big plus for the couch why are we not filling offices with couches

ldquoThe buildings are not going to do the work People do and thatrsquos why it is para-mount to provide the right environment and resources for staff If you want growth and retention this is the only way to gordquo n

Managing Director of Know More Peter Townshend has a long history in research and consulting behaviour change and environmental reporting He currently also heads up a publishing house and environmental consultancy Ethical Living At Ethical Living Townshend has researched published and offered consultancy around the ethical nature of consumer products available in South Africa and through his work here he made the connection between sustainable offices and productivity and the effect of workspaces on office moral satis-faction engagement and profitability To this end Townshend dived deeply into workspace theory and is now in a position to establish Know More as an expert in this field in South AfricaTownshend has also helped develop a curriculum on journalism and media studies for the University of Pretoria and has lectured and spoken publically on a range of topics from business ethics to English literature environmental awareness sustainability and workspace theory

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

BLEAK PICTURE OF FM SCENARIO

Dr Samuel Azasu holds a PhD in Real Estate Management as well as Licentiate and MSc degrees in Real Estate Management from the Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm He also holds a BA in Economics with Statistics from the University of GhanaHe has worked as Program Coordinator and Director of Teaching and Learning in Real Estate Management at the Royal Institute of Technology In addition he was responsible for planning and managing the provision of executive training in real estate in collaboration with the Dubai Real Estate Institute in Dubai He is currently in charge of reorganising the real estate programs in Wits University

Dr Samuel Azasu spoke on survey results of Reward Management A survey of the South African FM SectorPeople yet again play a vital role

in this surveyldquoGood people are hard to come by and

retainrdquo he says ldquoThis is all happening in a context of a new generation of employees who are more loyal to their own career paths and are no longer stigmatised by the fre-quency of which jobs are changed

ldquoHow do South African FM companies reward their employees We used an online questionnaire to establish this and other questions The feedback wasnrsquot as good as wersquod hoped but as awareness of the survey grows we hope the next one will provide more respondents Still with the percentage we received we were still able to get a picture of whatrsquos going on

ldquoThe focus was not only on salary but also non-financial rewards We asked employees themselves on what they thought about remuneration in the FM sectorrdquo

What were the first impressionsldquoFirst of all I was shocked by the mere

length and breadth of job titles in the FM sector Once I had wrapped my head around this I took a look at salaries In comparison to some of the industries I know I found very low salaries in this area Bonuses have become the variable component of pay but what really surprised me was the fact that annual bonuses were at the discretion of managers which can be a dangerous way of doing things

ldquoThere were plenty of training courses but not much evidence that all this training translates into better performance We asked people what could be done better in terms of rewards ndash and there were some very angry responses about remuneration People are dissatisfied Too many are unhappy with pay on a number of different dimensionsrdquo

The majority of the respondents to the

questionnaire live in Gauteng and Dr Azasu found that many had been doing their jobs for more than 10 years As far as level of educa-tion is concerned very few had post-bachelor degrees

ldquoSpeaking of salaries itrsquos a fact that obviously money attracts people ndash but what holds staff retention typically is found in the non-financial arena When bonuses are based at the discretion of someone it blurs the line of sight The connection on what people do and what they are rewarded undermines confidence breeds cynicism Non-financials including sick pay loans insurance company cars and vaca-tions are more effective retention tools Benefits at work become very important in places where the state does not provide strong safety nets These benefits include pension RAs medical aid childcare allowance bursaries loans (per-sonal and housing) and study loansrdquo

He says what training is available varies from company to company

ldquoCompanies require employees to contribute 50 of the training costs In many compan-ies there is no goal setting and conditions for proper training does not exist In many instan-ces ldquooutsiderdquo training merely becomes time away from the office the person comes back with no noticeable difference in performance

ldquoHow can companies improve the bene-fit system Some say simple measures like allowing partners to attend year-end func-tions even if the employee needs to pay for it allowing time off for doctor dentist and optometrist visits Basic stuff but very import-ant

ldquoTop people lack leadership and employees are incapacitated There is low morale among employees Policies and procedures are not being reviewed timeously

ldquoThe meaning of pay to the individual employee provides clues to how he or she feels their achievement on the job is being met and how much is being contributed to the organi-sationrsquos goals and how powerful you are within the organisation

ldquoHow knowledgeable are people about their pay systems We found many did not know how the pay system actually works and they donrsquot know how when or if they will qualify for a raise Quite a lot of people are unhappy about their pay even if they are knowledgeable about the pay systemrdquo

Dr Azasu says many only have diplomas therefore it is not surprising that salaries are low yet many are proficient or more in their roles People are unhappy that so much discre-tion is left in the hands of the ldquobossrdquo

ldquoThis is an unfair system and needs to change along with the global picture of the FM working environment Maybe our next ques-tionnaire will provide us with a far broader and more positive picture of the FM scenariordquo n

July 2015 FM 15

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

July 2015 FM 16

FOLLOWING THE FIRE TRACKER TRIUMPHS

Trackerrsquos fire earlier this year which razed the company premises to the ground is a good lesson for all in how to go about managing a disas-ter correctly

In his talk entitled What to do in case of dis-aster a case study Michael du Preez Marketing Director of Tracker Connect says there is probably one significant event that made all the difference to the recovery effort

ldquoThe story of recovery is a simple one but donrsquot be misledrdquo says Du Preez ldquoBehind many simple stories there is lots of hard work and planning organisation and money The reality is that at one of the board meetings six months before the fire after the change of leadership at Tracker the new CEO announced that we did not have a disaster recovery plan The green light for that was given shortly after and the plan out in place ndash which was very auspicious con-sidering what lay ahead

ldquoOn January 17 a Saturday I got a call around 2am to tell me that Tracker was on fire I got there in double time along with the other directors and our chairman and watched in horror as the fire consumed everything in its path It was a significant fire and the devastation was terrifying The building had literally burned down The sad thing is that what the fire doesnrsquot destroy the firefighters will Obviously nothing you can do about that ndash except watch and weep

ldquoThe reality was that the fire was so strong that we couldnrsquot get into the building to retrieve anything The records were all destroyedrdquo

Trackerrsquos phoenix had risen though and the first recovery of a stolen vehicle was at 5am

ldquoOur disaster and recovery plan was in place to ensure that we could deliver the core promise of what our business does and make sure there was continuity Back-up records are essential

ldquoWe had our first disaster meeting at 7am had a discussion about what we were going to tell the media and then started a process which was basically organising a whole string of disaster recovery meetings on the hour through-

out the weekend On Monday morning we deployed all our staff to a new site with 90 business capability so in essence they walked into a new building as if nothing had hap-penedrdquo

Du Preez says that there a couple of things that made this possible The first thing is a plan ndashldquoand if you donrsquot have one yoursquod better get one without delayrdquo Roles and duties must be allocated to specific people Update emergency information and take careful note of that so that the plan can be implemented

ldquoThe next thing you need is a practical disaster recovery site We were lucky in that we stumbled across the correct site which was close to the building that burned down We have a very people-intensive business so we have many call centres We have about 900 people on site and these people rely on public transport to get to work so the first thing we had to consider about the disaster recovery site is to ensure staff can get there Itrsquos a logistical nightmare to expect people to go a further 30km further than what theyrsquore used to

ldquoThe other issue is your technology Trackerrsquos business is very tech-dependent to ensure a quick response system Control measures need to hit our centres immediately so we can take some action at that time processing around 20 million messages a day These come from cars telling us how fast they are driving where they are driving and what events need to be considered The real-ity is that we are protecting peoplersquos assets protecting fixed assets protecting fixed cargo and protecting peoplersquos lives with push-button assistance We needed then to make sure that the disaster recovery plan could have that system up and running immediatelyrdquo

When the decision about the site was made a number of factors had to be taken into account

ldquoWe had to think about the power grid in the area and would outages affect our

telephonic infrastructure would it impact the data infrastructure The only practical site was really the one next to our building which answered all these questions positively So we had been paying every month for this empty space ndash and that essentially was our saving grace

ldquoThe next thing to do is plan how you are going to interact with the customers and implement that part of your plan You need to empower your team to get on with the job and you have to trust them enough to be able to do that You have to have an immediate meeting to spell out the priorities so that everyone is on the same page and everything is in place to get up and running as soon as possiblerdquo

He says that although no-one told the mar-keting manager to make radio ads for Monday morning they were done and ready to flight

ldquoShe knew that we would have to be speak-ing to all our customers partners and so on and the best way to do that was above-the-line marketing The ads proved very effective and kept everyone in the loop as to what was hap-pening

ldquoThe most important thing was just to tell the truth and tell everyone what progress was being made The ads conveyed these messa-ges very well and spread immediate confidence

ldquoShow that yoursquore in control get people as productive as possible and build team spirit I think that crisis has the ability to bring people together which is exactly what happened at Tracker On the Monday and Tuesday we met with our key stakeholders and informed them how we have been affected how our customers have been affected and then throughout the week we continued to provide regular updates as to how the recovery process was progressingrdquo

When staff arrived at work on Monday mor-ning all the work stations had been numbered and all the systems were up and running We briefed them on what to tell customers and allocated them a seat and a phone Depending on what department they would be working in

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

Michael Du Preez is the Marketing Executive and Head of International Business and Strategy for Tracker He is responsible for business product brand and strategy development ndash a position he has held for the past four years Prior to his career with Tracker he was one of the founders and Managing Director of MobileData ndash a vehicle Telematics solutions company acquired by Tracker in 2007 It is this technology that continues to create value and open up new channels of busi-ness for Tracker today For many years he was a loyal member of WesBankrsquos management team serving most recently as Head of Research and Development Michael holds a senior qualification in Business Management from HenleyHis colleagues describe him as an open-minded and creative free-thinker always looking to bring innovation and strategic value to the world of vehicle Telematics His work helped pioneer Insurance Telematics in South Africa and more recently assisted in the breakthrough creation of TomTomrsquos first HD Traffic service in AfricaHe sees his future influence in the area of how technology will enable sustainable mobility models in a world challenged for resources Or simply put ensuring our future ldquofreedom to driverdquo

the staff members were all given T-shirts in dif-ferent colours for different centres They were given coffee mugs pens paper and created a bit of a carnival atmosphere and had coffee and doughnuts in reception It may have been a different site but it was business as usual

ldquoOne very important factor is that you need good supplier relationships who can play a major role in getting you back on your feetrdquo

Which is what Tracker did very effectively People hardly remember the fire because the continuity was immediate

You know how to get the phoenix to fly Give Tracker a ring n

Refense Phuso spoke on Valpreacute Spring Waterrsquos bottling plant She is plant manager of the oper-ation and naturally is proud of the fact that it was awarded the

US green honour (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ndash LEED) of Gold status in 2011

ldquoWhat LEED looks at is how you design your facility and you have to comply with many criteria such as site planning indoor environ-ment water planning energy management and material usedrdquo says Phuso ldquoWe have to use water efficiently and ensure the business is sustainable looking after the environment We are audited every year to ensure that we are still complying with LEED criteriardquo

As far as energy needs go the building runs on solar energy with the PV plant sup-plying 40KW of energy leaving the plant grid independent

ldquoOur water that we bottle has to have a cer-tain profile and we found that in Heidelberg Itrsquos over 200km from our offices but it is good news for the movement of product to Gauteng and beyond The factory has been designed to ensure minimal impact on the environment The roof has been designed to capture sunlight all day and with all the glass used in the factory there is abundant natural light streaming in

ldquoOne of our coups in energy-saving is the Air Wizard which reduces energy when run-ning a compressor The device is inside the compressor It captures the left-over energy from the compressor and takes it back in Aside from this therersquos energy-saving features

such as double-glazed windows so the reli-ance on air-conditioning is reduced The fac-tory is glass-wrapped so therersquos natural light in abundance We also have a 95 recycling effort Whatever we use in the factory we recycle We do the separation of material our-selves and Enviroserv will send different types of trucks for the various waste typesrdquo

She says that after the office block was accredited the factory went through the same process in 2013 Both are accredited to ISO 50 000 and the first plant in South Africa to be awarded this honour

ldquoValpre works continuously to improve energy performance to keep up with stan-dards in ISO 50 000 and the requirements of LEED We have to continually challenge our-selves to find new ways of reducing energy We meet on a monthly basis to discuss how well we are meeting our goals

ldquoWe also have energy meters in machines that we know use a lot of energy to keep track of what is happening there and if there are spikes on those machines it gives us the opportunity to investigate why Any anomalies must be reported and this can also highlight incorrect operator behaviour

ldquoWe have also changed from using boxes for product to trays that are plas-tic-wrapped ndash this is also an energy-saving move and in our view really enhances the product presentationrdquo n

A PLANT WITH GREAT ENERGY POWER

July 2015 FM 17

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

Refense Phuso plant manager

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 18

SLArsquos

WHOrsquoS KIDDING WHO

SLArsquos

July 2015 FM 19

Richard Jeffreys

Having just waded through 250 pages of our latest Tender I must make reference to the Fantasy section noted as SLAs In order to compete

with others I need to guarantee my catering engineers can attend anywhere in the coun-try in under 2 hours and complete resolves in under 24 hours

The standard of facts given on appli-ances service history access condition and status is poor to non-existent but the con-tract conditions are punitive and binding In essence if I have engineers standing around waiting for the next call and I am prepared to deliver at the cheapest cost guarantee parts for an appliance for which I have no data I am in the running If I tell the truth and base costs on worst case scenario due to lack of asset information I am out of the frame

Denise Booth-AlexanderThis is a national contract so presumably they are looking for someone to respond nationally but not necessarily with in-house engineers Is a consortium bid an option where you can join with others who have engineers in local areas to fulfil the 2 hour requirement Alternatively can you sub There are ways of tendering for this if the resolve is a first fix or attendance with a work around or temp solution but I agree not if it is a final fix Catering maintenance is notoriously hard as no- one really wants to carry additional expensive kit in their kitchen Suppliers of products make life very difficult with regard to spares if they themselves also offer a maintenance service We experience long delays wrong diagnoses quotes to repair that make it financially unviable to do so but no innovative thinking such as this is the fix costs and this is the replacement deal etc As customers it is extremely frus-trating but I accept that asking a company to work on a huge variety of makes and models and kit doesnt sit happily with a quick and responsive service if there is no specialityhellip every make within that business and parts are held onto by suppliers I know that a catering maintenance supplier that can

A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its internal or external customers that documents what services the provider will furnish

provide a great service and offers alternative solutions is something that we would all like as customers Perhaps the answer is some sort of industry group which includes sup-pliers to talk it out and come up with a truly customer-oriented service package

I suspect this is a pipe dream much like the closed shop that is Lift maintenance One solution for this particular tender would be to offer to produce an Assetlifecycle register as part of the bid to fully evaluate all the kit and give timescales for replace-ment including possible energy savings to provide some payback etc If you can offer something extra and point out why you can-not provide a proper and cost defined bid in the first instance but set out clearly why and what you could do to turn this around I would certainly be delighted to look at your proposals if I were the customer

Neil EarnshawRichard I concur with the views of others you will be better thought of by pulling out of the process and explaining to the client why It may be that another company out there can deliver what they need its just not your company this time It also may be that other bidders do the same thing in which case the client needs to review their procurement strategy

Im managing a tender process for a FM contract at the moment We had one bidder raise an issue and ask for a change which we respectfully refused since then two other bidders have raised the same issue so were now reconsidering our position Were doing this on the basis that the market is now tell-ing us this contract is too risky as opposed to a single bidder not having the appetite

Richard JeffryesThanks guys for all the replies and yes my gut feeling is not to compete and leave us open to penalties However the issues raised are common I feel that many tenders are have a big element of cut and paste one size fits all As noted by Denise our trade is eclectic a real mix of standards and manu-facturers if a contract is going to work it needs the attention of someone who has complete knowledge of the realities and their

ldquoIn essence if I have engineers

standing around waiting for the

next call and I am prepared

to deliver at the cheapest cost

guarantee parts for an

appliance for which I have

no data I am in the running

If I tell the truth and base costs

on worst case scenario due to

lack of asset information

I am out of the frame

Continuing our series based on posts from the

British Institute of Facility Management (BIFM)

LinkedIn sites South African FMs will find much to

identify with and are encouraged to participate in local exchanges ndash

write via LinkedIn to terryfmexpoorg or tweet tex_owen

July 2015 FM 20

issues I would like to think that I as an individual with 35 years within commercial kitchen would be listened too however many tenders especially the electronic auction style offer little scope for the personal touch which is our USP I know the environment the trade and the equipment My approach is to be realistic tell the truth dont promise the undeliverable and submit a viable cost structure I am yet though to be convinced there is scope for this in the world of group tenders

Neil EarnshawRichard keep the faith keep doing the right thing and work with your industry to help it improve

What I see is a disconnect in FM between contractors and clients This disconnect is the contract and selection of an appropriate strategy that drives the right behaviours On a personal level Im doing my bit to help improve things but Im just a lone voice more people from all sides of the FM indus-try need to recognise the problem and the opportunity to improve then well get some real change for the better

Craig ShepheardYou will normally have a mobilisation per-iod where you can get to inspect all of the equipment in order to set up your own asset list I suggest that you use this data to inform the client of any items of equipment that are obsolete or where parts would be difficult to supply The condition report could be used to say whether items that are in poor shape require monies spent on them to get them to a state where they can be maintained If the client refuses to spend that highlighted amount then those individual items do not correspond to the 2-hour SLA and are there-fore exempt from the contract

You base your contract fee on the under-standing that all items on their asset list are currently being maintained and that they are in a reasonable state of order

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSEA reasonable point Craig except like com-missioning and handover the mobilisation period can get eaten away by slippages on other elements For one major mobilisation the 8 months period for seamless transfer was cut to 3 weeks There are risks with the approach suggested

Neil Earnshaw Im with you on that Rob there are risks However from a contractors view point it does mitigate the risk of poor quality asset

data provided by the client at tender stage Are you allowed to caveat your tender submis-sion Even so I think the risk you face is an early disagreement with the client they think theyve passed a risk to you but in actual fact you passed it back to them with your caveat I absolutely would not sign the contract as is and attempt to wriggle out of your obligations post contract Craigs solution sounds sens-ible right up to the point of saying to the client spend or be damned Thats where the dis-agreement will come

Are they aware their data is poor quality or are they just saying price the risk Have they given you the impression that theyd listen to your concerns and maybe consider other more cost-effective solutions

Also what are you being asked to price for Using a simple example you know there is a cooker and extractor in a kitchen (and you know the location of the kitchen) what you dont know is age condition service history make amp model of the cooker or extractor Are you being asked to give them a lump sum fixed price to maintain these items for a num-ber of years with everything apart from end of life replacement to be included in your price

Alan TaylorI would question why a tender document for catering needs to be 250 pages long Sounds like itrsquos been prepared by a purchasing depart-ment that has no realistic awareness of day-to-day operational requirements and is missing some fundamental issues (no change there then)

So if a fat fryer breaks down when the first load is due to go in for a lunch time service a

ldquoWhat I see is a disconnect

in FM between contractors

and clients This disconnect is

the contract and selection of an

appropriate strategy that drives

the right behaviours

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 22

2 hour response will not get that item back and fully operational for the same day lunch time trade as it will be over It will be up to the chef to improvise with the menu and manage the change

A next day fix or 12 hour turnaround would be a better solution but if a restaurant canrsquot improvise and change its menu if one item of plant goes down you need to change the chef and the caterer It wonrsquot hurt the staff to go without chips for a day

Dave ThomasAlso with you Rob have been the recipient of one of those immediate seamless transfers - where the original team were eager to get themselves in another project and have no responsibility for what was a flawed mobilisa-tion

In the same mobilisation period I found that the Asset List I had sweated over was ignored and another fairy tale was imposed missing out over half of my list so inad-equate time allocatedcosted to MampE Also found that the engineers provided were more interested in looking for more lucrative work rather than just doing maintenance

Seems some clients want the contractor to come up with a proper Asset List for them included in the contract ignoring any information regarding past breakdowns on equipment which may lead to a query on the true condition and life hoping a new contract will magically lead to new equipment

Richard JeffryesAlan sounds like you speak from experience your bang on

Neil you make a lot of sense if only clients thought like you Yes we are being asked to price the Risk however an underlying objective of tender winner is to be the most competitive

In respect of the approach we know itrsquos an oven we know where it is we know it is business critical sounds simple but with-out the specific data this is a real lottery Commercial ovens range in value from pound1 000 to pound40 000 we may be able to make an educated guess at what the appliance is but big tenders request parts and labour-in-clusive programmes replacement parts such as a PCB on a Combination Oven can cost pound1 000 to replace so knowing the depth of the liability is essential My belief is if a site has been responsibly maintained a full and updated asset list with condition and service dates should be available If not what has the incumbent been doing and how do we know it was done This information is surely a pre-requisite when contracts are drawing

to conclusion and a renewal is due Is it com-mon practice for this data to be withheld or are companies just poor at maintaining service data

Neil EarnshawRichard I usually work client-side developing the procurement contract strategy and man-aging the tender process

My main observation of FM clients over the years is that they dont think about commer-cial risk just operational They generally dont seem to understand that where theres a risk theres a cost Therefore you end up with very risky contracts being put together and create the environment for protracted commercial negotiations during the life of the contract

Another observation has been that FM contractors do collect and maintain asset data but when it comes to re-tender the data cant be accessed by the client This is sometimes down to the contract not being clear on this but often its also due to many years of mis-management of the contract

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSENeilFor some time it has been my view that the client should own the asset data and condition assessment which it should disclose to the tenderers Similarly the maintenance records and all of these should ideally be in the client-owned CAFM

ldquoMy belief is if a site has

been maintained a full

and updated asset list with

condition and service dates

should be available If not

what has the incumbent been

doing and how do we know it

was done

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 23

When the onus is put on the success-ful bid winner to collect all the asset data confusion can reign with a completely new set of asset numbers and description and of course items can be missed Most FM managers will have come across outgoing contractors where people probably at very junior level ditch all the statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique

Gordon EasingwoodRegards client CAFMs they are generally poor non-existent or compiled by previous contractors with differing motives (ie avoid-ing financial penaltiesfailing SLAs) Same with maintenance records previous contract-ors are again likely to have differing motives as to how these were compiled based on previous SLAs I work on a local contract with very similar limitations though in different areas and trust me itrsquos extremely difficult to meet this level of commitment Ultimately if they can call you out for pound50 (or less) but can impose a SLA penalty of pound200 where is the sense in it And Im talking a 30 mile max-imum radius from a central point 2 hours responses have been missed simply due to travel delayspoor communication Even when these can be resolved in our favour the amount of adminmanagement time all has an associated cost

To put it another way there simply is not enough properly trained and experienced commercial catering equipment engineers in the country to meet such demands I know I am one and I wouldnt go near the industry again in a hurry as I guess you know from experience Add in the level of commitment (more rightly non-commitment) from some manufacturers and itrsquos an absolute night-mare Also bear in mind European rules only require parts to be available 5 years after a product is no longer manufactured Oh and if you have imports or specials just forget it I was involved with work with a well-known Indian type food chain who had special ovens that met no British or European stan-dard and had to be condemned for simply that reason This was despite a CAFM type list being presented stating all maintenance was done to (non-existent) manufacturersrsquo instructions When checked they had created models and serials numbers for the units

Lastly I would investigate what the client can put through as a 2 hour response and if you can object and on what grounds I currently have a client who does so when in 2 hours the building will be fully vacated and emptyequipment wonrsquot be used for 72 hours etc yet we still have to make attend-ance to meet SLAs Its this kind of thing

that give clients a bad nameSadly without proper input from the

client it sounds like this contract would be a financial liability and I would steer clear With proper and decent input it may be possible I would present the proposal of correct and proper information requirements to the client and try build from there If they run with what would be a non-starter you have to walk away itrsquos likely any contract wonrsquot be upheld for long from either side

Rob Farman regards people ditching statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique I have found this is generally from a quite senior level Simply either because a) itrsquos never been kept up to or b) they dont want this information to go to competitors or c) adequate provision has never been made to collate the information in the first place Things are improving in this area as FM managers take things in hand and computer records are better maintained

Peter CarrHaving worked with Rob Farnam I would completely agree I have spent the last five years client side helping to develop CAFM systems and to make sure they are 100 as accurate as the world I work in (now) Investor FM (totally different to Corporate FM) I have worked with a non-licenced sys-tem called Elogbooks for these five years purely because of these issues Tendering is difficult enough without non-existent asset data and performance understanding Good luck

David A ParryLets push for KISS based contracts Then have the inferred SLA KPIs amp effectiveness measurement compared to the actual true bottom line savings to the client and service provider in their partnering endeavours The unit of measurement could be the unem-ployed bean counters Or do they move on to another position in or outside their companies so no real accountability that this measurement in this way would show on this radar screen

Apologies for the frivolous comments but I honestly believe the real value for money is far simpler but has to be based on appro-priate measures and values for the specific situation and is industries dependent The dichotomy of this statement is it adds to complexity because truly experienced and technical trained actuary analysts are required to produce the targets numbers and not the clip board amp wet finger in the air brigade Clients need to bring in-house specialised professional knowledge to the

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 12

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

CREFM SURVEY PROVES PEOPLE POWER

Itrsquos all about people

People power is predominant and this is illustrated clearly in a survey that was helmed by Martijn Drost of CBRE in Europe who gave the keynote presenta-

tion at the 2015 SAFMA conferenceThe CREFM survey showed that costs

still naturally play a predominant role but that the focus has shifted from pure cost towards growth with the emphasis being on people more than ever

ldquoGDP is down in South Africa These are uncertain times for many countries The respondents in the survey see the Middle East situation being a catalyst for uncertainty and many see this as the biggest threat for

growthrdquo says Drost ldquoThe scarce availability of talent is also an important factor As far as costs are concerned people are looking for reductions wherever possible and this plays a big role in lease negotiations In South Africa there is far more escalation year on year on property taxes and prices whereas in Europe and the US prop-erty is so widely available that companies have the opportunity to renegotiate price every time that the contract endsrdquo

He says there is a move towards cheaper markets with offshoring and right-shoring playing their hands

ldquoThe most important factor in right-shoring is cost ndash itrsquos essential to know the whole story when you are considering future locations However we

ldquoPeople understandably

donrsquot want to spend hours

commuting just to be seen

to be working in the office ndash

those days are gone Working

smarter is the goal now and

productivity is on the up

July 2015 FM 13

are seeing quite a change in the behaviour of occupiers For instance the UK used to out-source call centres to India but they are now being recalled to the UK due to pressure from customer bases which link to business alignment labour and skillsrdquo

Asia Pacific India and China are seen by far as the most desired locations because of cheap labour good availability of staff and in terms of total occupancy therersquos a motiva-tional cost element to consider

ldquoPeople are seeing South Africa as a growth market and a place to be in the future The availability of talent location and infrastructure are the factors to consider Companies feel that more needs to go into decisions involving the attraction and reten-tion of staffrdquo

Drost says that it is also very clear that workplace strategy is becoming paramount The right route here is not only selecting the building and the location itrsquos situated in but it matters a great deal what happens inside the building ndash and here is the clear link to FM

ldquoThe main pointers are employee attrac-tion and retention How do we make sure we attract the right people and retain them in the business The average time someone stays in a job in South Africa is only two years So looking carefully at this fact while it is import-ant to increase productivity and cost savings improved collaboration is vital Itrsquos all about different ways of working and linking closely to employee satisfaction and therefore retention Find people that you can engage with learn from and collaborate withrdquo

The survey notes that while the indoor environment is very important as well as the workplace itself sustainability strangely appeared low on the agenda

ldquoThe big issue is flexible working (63) We didnrsquot measure this in 2013 but now itrsquos heavily in the red on the radar Flexible work-ing is not necessarily just working from home but working anywhere wherever you are at any time People understandably donrsquot want to spend hours commuting just to be seen to be working in the office ndash those days are gone Working smarter is the goal now and productivity is on the up It doesnrsquot take rocket science to understand whyrdquo

80 said that business integration and alignment with enterprise goals is important

ldquoReal Estate of FM is not separate to the business and canrsquot be seen in that way anymore Decision makers of big companies and organisations throughout the world are seeing Real Estate of FM as a catalyst for future growth of their businesses I see it as part of their total strategic pact which is needed to support corporate growth If the

building does not work and if yoursquore not able to attract the right people by having the cor-rect environment how are you going to grow your company

ldquoAction is needed to achieve these goals Streets ahead on top is data quality and accuracy Companies everywhere are strug-gling with data with different systems and dif-ferent sources They are having a hard time creating information out of the data

ldquoYou have to make the basic elements work ndash organisational structure the govern-ance model that you are working towards the process you use in terms of capital allo-cation planning resourcing and your informa-tion your systems and tools to get the infor-mation from your property into tangible data that actually provides information ndash thatrsquos the goal a must-do You canrsquot do anything with raw data and you need to find a way to turn that data into informationrdquo

Drost says that in examining how FM is going to impact on the business looking at the full life cycle is necessary and what is happening is that companies are moving towards integrated facility management

ldquoThat integration chain is growing longer Whereas some 5 to 10 years ago a company started by outsourcing a single service ndash say for cleaning only ndash wersquove now seen the bundling of services for integrated FM as that has become more and more important Property is now also becoming more and more part of the FM portfolio because is running real estate part of the core business No it isnrsquot So we are seeing a determined move towards fuller integration of the supply chain At the end of the day FM is keeping the business running smoothly It has great impact on the business how it operates and the ability of the business to grow in the future

ldquoMoving on from the very beginning with the outsourcing of a single service we believe that we are moving into the fourth or fifth generation of outsourcing We have people that want to invest in buildings develop the workplace strategy and we will be there if you want to dispose of that build-ing at any pointrdquo

He says that integration is the name of the game in every possible way There canrsquot be any pockets of isolation anymore Full integration in all facets of FM and property management is the priority

ldquoOur enterprise data to move into inte-grated information is going to be of the utmost importance going forward Our decisions should not be based on gut feel or hearsay ndash it should be based on hard numbers In most cases we do have the

numbers but the biggest problem is how to get the information out of the numbers Yoursquoll need to partner with the correct suppler and find a platform that can connect and decode data sourcesrdquo

Here are a couple of questions that can help you work out at what stage your com-pany is atbull Is there a clear vision guiding global and

regional CREFMbull Is your organisation right-sized and shaped

to support your companybull Can the CRM staff engage strategicallybull Do you have workplace strategies that fit

the businessbull How flexible are your portfolio and organisa-

tion when it comes to dealing with changebull How efficient are your processes and can

you achieve speed to marketbull Is your service provider strategy supporting

your objectivesbull Do you have the right balance of centralisa-

tion versus localisationbull Are you leveraging a robust data and tech-

nology set to make good decisions n

Martijn Drost is an FM Operations Director for CBRE the global leader in real estate and invest-mentHe has been active in the FM and Real Estate industry for the past 15 years as a managerdirector He holds university degrees in both marketing and economics and shares his passion and views on the FM industry at many speaking engagementsHe is currently living in the Netherlands but has worked across many continents for a number of the worldrsquos largest companies such as BP Intel France Telecom (Orange) and Johnson ControlsHe lived and worked in Johannesburg for five years prior to returning to Europe

July 2015 FM 14

lsquoPEOPLE FIRST BUILDINGS SECONDrsquo

The people theme continues with Peter Townsendrsquos talk on Sustainability ndash putting people first and buildings secondTownsendrsquos premise is that sustain-

ability is not about the beautiful new buildings ndash itrsquos about the people that work within them

Townsend quotes Henry Ford ldquoYou can take my factories burn my buildings but give me my people and Irsquoll build the business back againrdquo

ldquoWersquove forgotten that these wonderful new buildings are there just to support the work-ers This might sound simplistic and perhaps it is but I think itrsquos a message that needs to be reinforced constantly FMs are not the only people that tend to forget this Itrsquos the archi-tects developers designers ndash in fact everyone in property developmentrdquo

He says that with traditional ways of work-ing yoursquore only going to get 40 occupancy in a traditional building meaning that therersquos a massive inefficient use of space

ldquoNow wersquore redefining the way we work and looking at the best way to design offices We need to stop looking for people who should lsquobe at work at their desk from 9 to 5rsquo and start looking at output Work follows the worker and he or she can be working from anywhere and at any time The more forward-thinking com-panies are starting to understand this Do we need monoliths of inefficiency when we can do the work from coffee shops from home from a clientrsquos space

ldquoWe still need the buildings because they are providing us with fantastic resources I donrsquot think anyone including me is implying that we should start abolishing office blocks but rather they should form part of the new flexible ways of working and the way that we value our workers ndash increasing wellbeing while enhancing productivity

ldquoItrsquos known as activity based working (ABW) which has been in operation in Europe for some time and only 3 of new buildings in the UK are not adopting the new way of working

So this really is a phenomenal trend You are going to vastly reduce the amount of space you need If the building can enable people to move freely around the office space and they are encouraged to do so it will really have remarkable benefits to increasing wellbeingrdquo

He says that research has shown that only 9 of South African employees are engaged at work

ldquoThis is a shocking statistic Engaged companies are achieving 54 which means people are satisfied and staff retention will be high Companies here need to address the fact that employees tend to leave companies after two years You canrsquot build brand aware-ness and entrench adoption with this trend

ldquoCompanies have to start looking at satis-faction and how to have it as a powerful and motivating work ethic They have to look at physical features work activities facilities and services ndash and importantly these can provide lsquoquick fixesrsquo Do you know that what is still the most important motivator whatrsquos right up at the top of the graph What coffee and tea is providedrdquo (Ed I know of a company whose coffee is meant to be the best in town and this is one big attraction for future staff members It has a coffee bar that is open all day)rdquoNaturally other features such as air quality temperature control natural light quiet rooms and get-together areas are also vital

ldquoIf you do all this what does it do to an organisation Firstly yoursquore going to reduce your square metres reduce sick days reduce stress and you will increase productivity staff satisfaction wellness engagement staff retention Seeing as surveys note that one of the most favourite places at home to work is the lounge and with a big plus for the couch why are we not filling offices with couches

ldquoThe buildings are not going to do the work People do and thatrsquos why it is para-mount to provide the right environment and resources for staff If you want growth and retention this is the only way to gordquo n

Managing Director of Know More Peter Townshend has a long history in research and consulting behaviour change and environmental reporting He currently also heads up a publishing house and environmental consultancy Ethical Living At Ethical Living Townshend has researched published and offered consultancy around the ethical nature of consumer products available in South Africa and through his work here he made the connection between sustainable offices and productivity and the effect of workspaces on office moral satis-faction engagement and profitability To this end Townshend dived deeply into workspace theory and is now in a position to establish Know More as an expert in this field in South AfricaTownshend has also helped develop a curriculum on journalism and media studies for the University of Pretoria and has lectured and spoken publically on a range of topics from business ethics to English literature environmental awareness sustainability and workspace theory

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

BLEAK PICTURE OF FM SCENARIO

Dr Samuel Azasu holds a PhD in Real Estate Management as well as Licentiate and MSc degrees in Real Estate Management from the Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm He also holds a BA in Economics with Statistics from the University of GhanaHe has worked as Program Coordinator and Director of Teaching and Learning in Real Estate Management at the Royal Institute of Technology In addition he was responsible for planning and managing the provision of executive training in real estate in collaboration with the Dubai Real Estate Institute in Dubai He is currently in charge of reorganising the real estate programs in Wits University

Dr Samuel Azasu spoke on survey results of Reward Management A survey of the South African FM SectorPeople yet again play a vital role

in this surveyldquoGood people are hard to come by and

retainrdquo he says ldquoThis is all happening in a context of a new generation of employees who are more loyal to their own career paths and are no longer stigmatised by the fre-quency of which jobs are changed

ldquoHow do South African FM companies reward their employees We used an online questionnaire to establish this and other questions The feedback wasnrsquot as good as wersquod hoped but as awareness of the survey grows we hope the next one will provide more respondents Still with the percentage we received we were still able to get a picture of whatrsquos going on

ldquoThe focus was not only on salary but also non-financial rewards We asked employees themselves on what they thought about remuneration in the FM sectorrdquo

What were the first impressionsldquoFirst of all I was shocked by the mere

length and breadth of job titles in the FM sector Once I had wrapped my head around this I took a look at salaries In comparison to some of the industries I know I found very low salaries in this area Bonuses have become the variable component of pay but what really surprised me was the fact that annual bonuses were at the discretion of managers which can be a dangerous way of doing things

ldquoThere were plenty of training courses but not much evidence that all this training translates into better performance We asked people what could be done better in terms of rewards ndash and there were some very angry responses about remuneration People are dissatisfied Too many are unhappy with pay on a number of different dimensionsrdquo

The majority of the respondents to the

questionnaire live in Gauteng and Dr Azasu found that many had been doing their jobs for more than 10 years As far as level of educa-tion is concerned very few had post-bachelor degrees

ldquoSpeaking of salaries itrsquos a fact that obviously money attracts people ndash but what holds staff retention typically is found in the non-financial arena When bonuses are based at the discretion of someone it blurs the line of sight The connection on what people do and what they are rewarded undermines confidence breeds cynicism Non-financials including sick pay loans insurance company cars and vaca-tions are more effective retention tools Benefits at work become very important in places where the state does not provide strong safety nets These benefits include pension RAs medical aid childcare allowance bursaries loans (per-sonal and housing) and study loansrdquo

He says what training is available varies from company to company

ldquoCompanies require employees to contribute 50 of the training costs In many compan-ies there is no goal setting and conditions for proper training does not exist In many instan-ces ldquooutsiderdquo training merely becomes time away from the office the person comes back with no noticeable difference in performance

ldquoHow can companies improve the bene-fit system Some say simple measures like allowing partners to attend year-end func-tions even if the employee needs to pay for it allowing time off for doctor dentist and optometrist visits Basic stuff but very import-ant

ldquoTop people lack leadership and employees are incapacitated There is low morale among employees Policies and procedures are not being reviewed timeously

ldquoThe meaning of pay to the individual employee provides clues to how he or she feels their achievement on the job is being met and how much is being contributed to the organi-sationrsquos goals and how powerful you are within the organisation

ldquoHow knowledgeable are people about their pay systems We found many did not know how the pay system actually works and they donrsquot know how when or if they will qualify for a raise Quite a lot of people are unhappy about their pay even if they are knowledgeable about the pay systemrdquo

Dr Azasu says many only have diplomas therefore it is not surprising that salaries are low yet many are proficient or more in their roles People are unhappy that so much discre-tion is left in the hands of the ldquobossrdquo

ldquoThis is an unfair system and needs to change along with the global picture of the FM working environment Maybe our next ques-tionnaire will provide us with a far broader and more positive picture of the FM scenariordquo n

July 2015 FM 15

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

July 2015 FM 16

FOLLOWING THE FIRE TRACKER TRIUMPHS

Trackerrsquos fire earlier this year which razed the company premises to the ground is a good lesson for all in how to go about managing a disas-ter correctly

In his talk entitled What to do in case of dis-aster a case study Michael du Preez Marketing Director of Tracker Connect says there is probably one significant event that made all the difference to the recovery effort

ldquoThe story of recovery is a simple one but donrsquot be misledrdquo says Du Preez ldquoBehind many simple stories there is lots of hard work and planning organisation and money The reality is that at one of the board meetings six months before the fire after the change of leadership at Tracker the new CEO announced that we did not have a disaster recovery plan The green light for that was given shortly after and the plan out in place ndash which was very auspicious con-sidering what lay ahead

ldquoOn January 17 a Saturday I got a call around 2am to tell me that Tracker was on fire I got there in double time along with the other directors and our chairman and watched in horror as the fire consumed everything in its path It was a significant fire and the devastation was terrifying The building had literally burned down The sad thing is that what the fire doesnrsquot destroy the firefighters will Obviously nothing you can do about that ndash except watch and weep

ldquoThe reality was that the fire was so strong that we couldnrsquot get into the building to retrieve anything The records were all destroyedrdquo

Trackerrsquos phoenix had risen though and the first recovery of a stolen vehicle was at 5am

ldquoOur disaster and recovery plan was in place to ensure that we could deliver the core promise of what our business does and make sure there was continuity Back-up records are essential

ldquoWe had our first disaster meeting at 7am had a discussion about what we were going to tell the media and then started a process which was basically organising a whole string of disaster recovery meetings on the hour through-

out the weekend On Monday morning we deployed all our staff to a new site with 90 business capability so in essence they walked into a new building as if nothing had hap-penedrdquo

Du Preez says that there a couple of things that made this possible The first thing is a plan ndashldquoand if you donrsquot have one yoursquod better get one without delayrdquo Roles and duties must be allocated to specific people Update emergency information and take careful note of that so that the plan can be implemented

ldquoThe next thing you need is a practical disaster recovery site We were lucky in that we stumbled across the correct site which was close to the building that burned down We have a very people-intensive business so we have many call centres We have about 900 people on site and these people rely on public transport to get to work so the first thing we had to consider about the disaster recovery site is to ensure staff can get there Itrsquos a logistical nightmare to expect people to go a further 30km further than what theyrsquore used to

ldquoThe other issue is your technology Trackerrsquos business is very tech-dependent to ensure a quick response system Control measures need to hit our centres immediately so we can take some action at that time processing around 20 million messages a day These come from cars telling us how fast they are driving where they are driving and what events need to be considered The real-ity is that we are protecting peoplersquos assets protecting fixed assets protecting fixed cargo and protecting peoplersquos lives with push-button assistance We needed then to make sure that the disaster recovery plan could have that system up and running immediatelyrdquo

When the decision about the site was made a number of factors had to be taken into account

ldquoWe had to think about the power grid in the area and would outages affect our

telephonic infrastructure would it impact the data infrastructure The only practical site was really the one next to our building which answered all these questions positively So we had been paying every month for this empty space ndash and that essentially was our saving grace

ldquoThe next thing to do is plan how you are going to interact with the customers and implement that part of your plan You need to empower your team to get on with the job and you have to trust them enough to be able to do that You have to have an immediate meeting to spell out the priorities so that everyone is on the same page and everything is in place to get up and running as soon as possiblerdquo

He says that although no-one told the mar-keting manager to make radio ads for Monday morning they were done and ready to flight

ldquoShe knew that we would have to be speak-ing to all our customers partners and so on and the best way to do that was above-the-line marketing The ads proved very effective and kept everyone in the loop as to what was hap-pening

ldquoThe most important thing was just to tell the truth and tell everyone what progress was being made The ads conveyed these messa-ges very well and spread immediate confidence

ldquoShow that yoursquore in control get people as productive as possible and build team spirit I think that crisis has the ability to bring people together which is exactly what happened at Tracker On the Monday and Tuesday we met with our key stakeholders and informed them how we have been affected how our customers have been affected and then throughout the week we continued to provide regular updates as to how the recovery process was progressingrdquo

When staff arrived at work on Monday mor-ning all the work stations had been numbered and all the systems were up and running We briefed them on what to tell customers and allocated them a seat and a phone Depending on what department they would be working in

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

Michael Du Preez is the Marketing Executive and Head of International Business and Strategy for Tracker He is responsible for business product brand and strategy development ndash a position he has held for the past four years Prior to his career with Tracker he was one of the founders and Managing Director of MobileData ndash a vehicle Telematics solutions company acquired by Tracker in 2007 It is this technology that continues to create value and open up new channels of busi-ness for Tracker today For many years he was a loyal member of WesBankrsquos management team serving most recently as Head of Research and Development Michael holds a senior qualification in Business Management from HenleyHis colleagues describe him as an open-minded and creative free-thinker always looking to bring innovation and strategic value to the world of vehicle Telematics His work helped pioneer Insurance Telematics in South Africa and more recently assisted in the breakthrough creation of TomTomrsquos first HD Traffic service in AfricaHe sees his future influence in the area of how technology will enable sustainable mobility models in a world challenged for resources Or simply put ensuring our future ldquofreedom to driverdquo

the staff members were all given T-shirts in dif-ferent colours for different centres They were given coffee mugs pens paper and created a bit of a carnival atmosphere and had coffee and doughnuts in reception It may have been a different site but it was business as usual

ldquoOne very important factor is that you need good supplier relationships who can play a major role in getting you back on your feetrdquo

Which is what Tracker did very effectively People hardly remember the fire because the continuity was immediate

You know how to get the phoenix to fly Give Tracker a ring n

Refense Phuso spoke on Valpreacute Spring Waterrsquos bottling plant She is plant manager of the oper-ation and naturally is proud of the fact that it was awarded the

US green honour (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ndash LEED) of Gold status in 2011

ldquoWhat LEED looks at is how you design your facility and you have to comply with many criteria such as site planning indoor environ-ment water planning energy management and material usedrdquo says Phuso ldquoWe have to use water efficiently and ensure the business is sustainable looking after the environment We are audited every year to ensure that we are still complying with LEED criteriardquo

As far as energy needs go the building runs on solar energy with the PV plant sup-plying 40KW of energy leaving the plant grid independent

ldquoOur water that we bottle has to have a cer-tain profile and we found that in Heidelberg Itrsquos over 200km from our offices but it is good news for the movement of product to Gauteng and beyond The factory has been designed to ensure minimal impact on the environment The roof has been designed to capture sunlight all day and with all the glass used in the factory there is abundant natural light streaming in

ldquoOne of our coups in energy-saving is the Air Wizard which reduces energy when run-ning a compressor The device is inside the compressor It captures the left-over energy from the compressor and takes it back in Aside from this therersquos energy-saving features

such as double-glazed windows so the reli-ance on air-conditioning is reduced The fac-tory is glass-wrapped so therersquos natural light in abundance We also have a 95 recycling effort Whatever we use in the factory we recycle We do the separation of material our-selves and Enviroserv will send different types of trucks for the various waste typesrdquo

She says that after the office block was accredited the factory went through the same process in 2013 Both are accredited to ISO 50 000 and the first plant in South Africa to be awarded this honour

ldquoValpre works continuously to improve energy performance to keep up with stan-dards in ISO 50 000 and the requirements of LEED We have to continually challenge our-selves to find new ways of reducing energy We meet on a monthly basis to discuss how well we are meeting our goals

ldquoWe also have energy meters in machines that we know use a lot of energy to keep track of what is happening there and if there are spikes on those machines it gives us the opportunity to investigate why Any anomalies must be reported and this can also highlight incorrect operator behaviour

ldquoWe have also changed from using boxes for product to trays that are plas-tic-wrapped ndash this is also an energy-saving move and in our view really enhances the product presentationrdquo n

A PLANT WITH GREAT ENERGY POWER

July 2015 FM 17

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

Refense Phuso plant manager

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 18

SLArsquos

WHOrsquoS KIDDING WHO

SLArsquos

July 2015 FM 19

Richard Jeffreys

Having just waded through 250 pages of our latest Tender I must make reference to the Fantasy section noted as SLAs In order to compete

with others I need to guarantee my catering engineers can attend anywhere in the coun-try in under 2 hours and complete resolves in under 24 hours

The standard of facts given on appli-ances service history access condition and status is poor to non-existent but the con-tract conditions are punitive and binding In essence if I have engineers standing around waiting for the next call and I am prepared to deliver at the cheapest cost guarantee parts for an appliance for which I have no data I am in the running If I tell the truth and base costs on worst case scenario due to lack of asset information I am out of the frame

Denise Booth-AlexanderThis is a national contract so presumably they are looking for someone to respond nationally but not necessarily with in-house engineers Is a consortium bid an option where you can join with others who have engineers in local areas to fulfil the 2 hour requirement Alternatively can you sub There are ways of tendering for this if the resolve is a first fix or attendance with a work around or temp solution but I agree not if it is a final fix Catering maintenance is notoriously hard as no- one really wants to carry additional expensive kit in their kitchen Suppliers of products make life very difficult with regard to spares if they themselves also offer a maintenance service We experience long delays wrong diagnoses quotes to repair that make it financially unviable to do so but no innovative thinking such as this is the fix costs and this is the replacement deal etc As customers it is extremely frus-trating but I accept that asking a company to work on a huge variety of makes and models and kit doesnt sit happily with a quick and responsive service if there is no specialityhellip every make within that business and parts are held onto by suppliers I know that a catering maintenance supplier that can

A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its internal or external customers that documents what services the provider will furnish

provide a great service and offers alternative solutions is something that we would all like as customers Perhaps the answer is some sort of industry group which includes sup-pliers to talk it out and come up with a truly customer-oriented service package

I suspect this is a pipe dream much like the closed shop that is Lift maintenance One solution for this particular tender would be to offer to produce an Assetlifecycle register as part of the bid to fully evaluate all the kit and give timescales for replace-ment including possible energy savings to provide some payback etc If you can offer something extra and point out why you can-not provide a proper and cost defined bid in the first instance but set out clearly why and what you could do to turn this around I would certainly be delighted to look at your proposals if I were the customer

Neil EarnshawRichard I concur with the views of others you will be better thought of by pulling out of the process and explaining to the client why It may be that another company out there can deliver what they need its just not your company this time It also may be that other bidders do the same thing in which case the client needs to review their procurement strategy

Im managing a tender process for a FM contract at the moment We had one bidder raise an issue and ask for a change which we respectfully refused since then two other bidders have raised the same issue so were now reconsidering our position Were doing this on the basis that the market is now tell-ing us this contract is too risky as opposed to a single bidder not having the appetite

Richard JeffryesThanks guys for all the replies and yes my gut feeling is not to compete and leave us open to penalties However the issues raised are common I feel that many tenders are have a big element of cut and paste one size fits all As noted by Denise our trade is eclectic a real mix of standards and manu-facturers if a contract is going to work it needs the attention of someone who has complete knowledge of the realities and their

ldquoIn essence if I have engineers

standing around waiting for the

next call and I am prepared

to deliver at the cheapest cost

guarantee parts for an

appliance for which I have

no data I am in the running

If I tell the truth and base costs

on worst case scenario due to

lack of asset information

I am out of the frame

Continuing our series based on posts from the

British Institute of Facility Management (BIFM)

LinkedIn sites South African FMs will find much to

identify with and are encouraged to participate in local exchanges ndash

write via LinkedIn to terryfmexpoorg or tweet tex_owen

July 2015 FM 20

issues I would like to think that I as an individual with 35 years within commercial kitchen would be listened too however many tenders especially the electronic auction style offer little scope for the personal touch which is our USP I know the environment the trade and the equipment My approach is to be realistic tell the truth dont promise the undeliverable and submit a viable cost structure I am yet though to be convinced there is scope for this in the world of group tenders

Neil EarnshawRichard keep the faith keep doing the right thing and work with your industry to help it improve

What I see is a disconnect in FM between contractors and clients This disconnect is the contract and selection of an appropriate strategy that drives the right behaviours On a personal level Im doing my bit to help improve things but Im just a lone voice more people from all sides of the FM indus-try need to recognise the problem and the opportunity to improve then well get some real change for the better

Craig ShepheardYou will normally have a mobilisation per-iod where you can get to inspect all of the equipment in order to set up your own asset list I suggest that you use this data to inform the client of any items of equipment that are obsolete or where parts would be difficult to supply The condition report could be used to say whether items that are in poor shape require monies spent on them to get them to a state where they can be maintained If the client refuses to spend that highlighted amount then those individual items do not correspond to the 2-hour SLA and are there-fore exempt from the contract

You base your contract fee on the under-standing that all items on their asset list are currently being maintained and that they are in a reasonable state of order

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSEA reasonable point Craig except like com-missioning and handover the mobilisation period can get eaten away by slippages on other elements For one major mobilisation the 8 months period for seamless transfer was cut to 3 weeks There are risks with the approach suggested

Neil Earnshaw Im with you on that Rob there are risks However from a contractors view point it does mitigate the risk of poor quality asset

data provided by the client at tender stage Are you allowed to caveat your tender submis-sion Even so I think the risk you face is an early disagreement with the client they think theyve passed a risk to you but in actual fact you passed it back to them with your caveat I absolutely would not sign the contract as is and attempt to wriggle out of your obligations post contract Craigs solution sounds sens-ible right up to the point of saying to the client spend or be damned Thats where the dis-agreement will come

Are they aware their data is poor quality or are they just saying price the risk Have they given you the impression that theyd listen to your concerns and maybe consider other more cost-effective solutions

Also what are you being asked to price for Using a simple example you know there is a cooker and extractor in a kitchen (and you know the location of the kitchen) what you dont know is age condition service history make amp model of the cooker or extractor Are you being asked to give them a lump sum fixed price to maintain these items for a num-ber of years with everything apart from end of life replacement to be included in your price

Alan TaylorI would question why a tender document for catering needs to be 250 pages long Sounds like itrsquos been prepared by a purchasing depart-ment that has no realistic awareness of day-to-day operational requirements and is missing some fundamental issues (no change there then)

So if a fat fryer breaks down when the first load is due to go in for a lunch time service a

ldquoWhat I see is a disconnect

in FM between contractors

and clients This disconnect is

the contract and selection of an

appropriate strategy that drives

the right behaviours

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 22

2 hour response will not get that item back and fully operational for the same day lunch time trade as it will be over It will be up to the chef to improvise with the menu and manage the change

A next day fix or 12 hour turnaround would be a better solution but if a restaurant canrsquot improvise and change its menu if one item of plant goes down you need to change the chef and the caterer It wonrsquot hurt the staff to go without chips for a day

Dave ThomasAlso with you Rob have been the recipient of one of those immediate seamless transfers - where the original team were eager to get themselves in another project and have no responsibility for what was a flawed mobilisa-tion

In the same mobilisation period I found that the Asset List I had sweated over was ignored and another fairy tale was imposed missing out over half of my list so inad-equate time allocatedcosted to MampE Also found that the engineers provided were more interested in looking for more lucrative work rather than just doing maintenance

Seems some clients want the contractor to come up with a proper Asset List for them included in the contract ignoring any information regarding past breakdowns on equipment which may lead to a query on the true condition and life hoping a new contract will magically lead to new equipment

Richard JeffryesAlan sounds like you speak from experience your bang on

Neil you make a lot of sense if only clients thought like you Yes we are being asked to price the Risk however an underlying objective of tender winner is to be the most competitive

In respect of the approach we know itrsquos an oven we know where it is we know it is business critical sounds simple but with-out the specific data this is a real lottery Commercial ovens range in value from pound1 000 to pound40 000 we may be able to make an educated guess at what the appliance is but big tenders request parts and labour-in-clusive programmes replacement parts such as a PCB on a Combination Oven can cost pound1 000 to replace so knowing the depth of the liability is essential My belief is if a site has been responsibly maintained a full and updated asset list with condition and service dates should be available If not what has the incumbent been doing and how do we know it was done This information is surely a pre-requisite when contracts are drawing

to conclusion and a renewal is due Is it com-mon practice for this data to be withheld or are companies just poor at maintaining service data

Neil EarnshawRichard I usually work client-side developing the procurement contract strategy and man-aging the tender process

My main observation of FM clients over the years is that they dont think about commer-cial risk just operational They generally dont seem to understand that where theres a risk theres a cost Therefore you end up with very risky contracts being put together and create the environment for protracted commercial negotiations during the life of the contract

Another observation has been that FM contractors do collect and maintain asset data but when it comes to re-tender the data cant be accessed by the client This is sometimes down to the contract not being clear on this but often its also due to many years of mis-management of the contract

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSENeilFor some time it has been my view that the client should own the asset data and condition assessment which it should disclose to the tenderers Similarly the maintenance records and all of these should ideally be in the client-owned CAFM

ldquoMy belief is if a site has

been maintained a full

and updated asset list with

condition and service dates

should be available If not

what has the incumbent been

doing and how do we know it

was done

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 23

When the onus is put on the success-ful bid winner to collect all the asset data confusion can reign with a completely new set of asset numbers and description and of course items can be missed Most FM managers will have come across outgoing contractors where people probably at very junior level ditch all the statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique

Gordon EasingwoodRegards client CAFMs they are generally poor non-existent or compiled by previous contractors with differing motives (ie avoid-ing financial penaltiesfailing SLAs) Same with maintenance records previous contract-ors are again likely to have differing motives as to how these were compiled based on previous SLAs I work on a local contract with very similar limitations though in different areas and trust me itrsquos extremely difficult to meet this level of commitment Ultimately if they can call you out for pound50 (or less) but can impose a SLA penalty of pound200 where is the sense in it And Im talking a 30 mile max-imum radius from a central point 2 hours responses have been missed simply due to travel delayspoor communication Even when these can be resolved in our favour the amount of adminmanagement time all has an associated cost

To put it another way there simply is not enough properly trained and experienced commercial catering equipment engineers in the country to meet such demands I know I am one and I wouldnt go near the industry again in a hurry as I guess you know from experience Add in the level of commitment (more rightly non-commitment) from some manufacturers and itrsquos an absolute night-mare Also bear in mind European rules only require parts to be available 5 years after a product is no longer manufactured Oh and if you have imports or specials just forget it I was involved with work with a well-known Indian type food chain who had special ovens that met no British or European stan-dard and had to be condemned for simply that reason This was despite a CAFM type list being presented stating all maintenance was done to (non-existent) manufacturersrsquo instructions When checked they had created models and serials numbers for the units

Lastly I would investigate what the client can put through as a 2 hour response and if you can object and on what grounds I currently have a client who does so when in 2 hours the building will be fully vacated and emptyequipment wonrsquot be used for 72 hours etc yet we still have to make attend-ance to meet SLAs Its this kind of thing

that give clients a bad nameSadly without proper input from the

client it sounds like this contract would be a financial liability and I would steer clear With proper and decent input it may be possible I would present the proposal of correct and proper information requirements to the client and try build from there If they run with what would be a non-starter you have to walk away itrsquos likely any contract wonrsquot be upheld for long from either side

Rob Farman regards people ditching statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique I have found this is generally from a quite senior level Simply either because a) itrsquos never been kept up to or b) they dont want this information to go to competitors or c) adequate provision has never been made to collate the information in the first place Things are improving in this area as FM managers take things in hand and computer records are better maintained

Peter CarrHaving worked with Rob Farnam I would completely agree I have spent the last five years client side helping to develop CAFM systems and to make sure they are 100 as accurate as the world I work in (now) Investor FM (totally different to Corporate FM) I have worked with a non-licenced sys-tem called Elogbooks for these five years purely because of these issues Tendering is difficult enough without non-existent asset data and performance understanding Good luck

David A ParryLets push for KISS based contracts Then have the inferred SLA KPIs amp effectiveness measurement compared to the actual true bottom line savings to the client and service provider in their partnering endeavours The unit of measurement could be the unem-ployed bean counters Or do they move on to another position in or outside their companies so no real accountability that this measurement in this way would show on this radar screen

Apologies for the frivolous comments but I honestly believe the real value for money is far simpler but has to be based on appro-priate measures and values for the specific situation and is industries dependent The dichotomy of this statement is it adds to complexity because truly experienced and technical trained actuary analysts are required to produce the targets numbers and not the clip board amp wet finger in the air brigade Clients need to bring in-house specialised professional knowledge to the

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 13

are seeing quite a change in the behaviour of occupiers For instance the UK used to out-source call centres to India but they are now being recalled to the UK due to pressure from customer bases which link to business alignment labour and skillsrdquo

Asia Pacific India and China are seen by far as the most desired locations because of cheap labour good availability of staff and in terms of total occupancy therersquos a motiva-tional cost element to consider

ldquoPeople are seeing South Africa as a growth market and a place to be in the future The availability of talent location and infrastructure are the factors to consider Companies feel that more needs to go into decisions involving the attraction and reten-tion of staffrdquo

Drost says that it is also very clear that workplace strategy is becoming paramount The right route here is not only selecting the building and the location itrsquos situated in but it matters a great deal what happens inside the building ndash and here is the clear link to FM

ldquoThe main pointers are employee attrac-tion and retention How do we make sure we attract the right people and retain them in the business The average time someone stays in a job in South Africa is only two years So looking carefully at this fact while it is import-ant to increase productivity and cost savings improved collaboration is vital Itrsquos all about different ways of working and linking closely to employee satisfaction and therefore retention Find people that you can engage with learn from and collaborate withrdquo

The survey notes that while the indoor environment is very important as well as the workplace itself sustainability strangely appeared low on the agenda

ldquoThe big issue is flexible working (63) We didnrsquot measure this in 2013 but now itrsquos heavily in the red on the radar Flexible work-ing is not necessarily just working from home but working anywhere wherever you are at any time People understandably donrsquot want to spend hours commuting just to be seen to be working in the office ndash those days are gone Working smarter is the goal now and productivity is on the up It doesnrsquot take rocket science to understand whyrdquo

80 said that business integration and alignment with enterprise goals is important

ldquoReal Estate of FM is not separate to the business and canrsquot be seen in that way anymore Decision makers of big companies and organisations throughout the world are seeing Real Estate of FM as a catalyst for future growth of their businesses I see it as part of their total strategic pact which is needed to support corporate growth If the

building does not work and if yoursquore not able to attract the right people by having the cor-rect environment how are you going to grow your company

ldquoAction is needed to achieve these goals Streets ahead on top is data quality and accuracy Companies everywhere are strug-gling with data with different systems and dif-ferent sources They are having a hard time creating information out of the data

ldquoYou have to make the basic elements work ndash organisational structure the govern-ance model that you are working towards the process you use in terms of capital allo-cation planning resourcing and your informa-tion your systems and tools to get the infor-mation from your property into tangible data that actually provides information ndash thatrsquos the goal a must-do You canrsquot do anything with raw data and you need to find a way to turn that data into informationrdquo

Drost says that in examining how FM is going to impact on the business looking at the full life cycle is necessary and what is happening is that companies are moving towards integrated facility management

ldquoThat integration chain is growing longer Whereas some 5 to 10 years ago a company started by outsourcing a single service ndash say for cleaning only ndash wersquove now seen the bundling of services for integrated FM as that has become more and more important Property is now also becoming more and more part of the FM portfolio because is running real estate part of the core business No it isnrsquot So we are seeing a determined move towards fuller integration of the supply chain At the end of the day FM is keeping the business running smoothly It has great impact on the business how it operates and the ability of the business to grow in the future

ldquoMoving on from the very beginning with the outsourcing of a single service we believe that we are moving into the fourth or fifth generation of outsourcing We have people that want to invest in buildings develop the workplace strategy and we will be there if you want to dispose of that build-ing at any pointrdquo

He says that integration is the name of the game in every possible way There canrsquot be any pockets of isolation anymore Full integration in all facets of FM and property management is the priority

ldquoOur enterprise data to move into inte-grated information is going to be of the utmost importance going forward Our decisions should not be based on gut feel or hearsay ndash it should be based on hard numbers In most cases we do have the

numbers but the biggest problem is how to get the information out of the numbers Yoursquoll need to partner with the correct suppler and find a platform that can connect and decode data sourcesrdquo

Here are a couple of questions that can help you work out at what stage your com-pany is atbull Is there a clear vision guiding global and

regional CREFMbull Is your organisation right-sized and shaped

to support your companybull Can the CRM staff engage strategicallybull Do you have workplace strategies that fit

the businessbull How flexible are your portfolio and organisa-

tion when it comes to dealing with changebull How efficient are your processes and can

you achieve speed to marketbull Is your service provider strategy supporting

your objectivesbull Do you have the right balance of centralisa-

tion versus localisationbull Are you leveraging a robust data and tech-

nology set to make good decisions n

Martijn Drost is an FM Operations Director for CBRE the global leader in real estate and invest-mentHe has been active in the FM and Real Estate industry for the past 15 years as a managerdirector He holds university degrees in both marketing and economics and shares his passion and views on the FM industry at many speaking engagementsHe is currently living in the Netherlands but has worked across many continents for a number of the worldrsquos largest companies such as BP Intel France Telecom (Orange) and Johnson ControlsHe lived and worked in Johannesburg for five years prior to returning to Europe

July 2015 FM 14

lsquoPEOPLE FIRST BUILDINGS SECONDrsquo

The people theme continues with Peter Townsendrsquos talk on Sustainability ndash putting people first and buildings secondTownsendrsquos premise is that sustain-

ability is not about the beautiful new buildings ndash itrsquos about the people that work within them

Townsend quotes Henry Ford ldquoYou can take my factories burn my buildings but give me my people and Irsquoll build the business back againrdquo

ldquoWersquove forgotten that these wonderful new buildings are there just to support the work-ers This might sound simplistic and perhaps it is but I think itrsquos a message that needs to be reinforced constantly FMs are not the only people that tend to forget this Itrsquos the archi-tects developers designers ndash in fact everyone in property developmentrdquo

He says that with traditional ways of work-ing yoursquore only going to get 40 occupancy in a traditional building meaning that therersquos a massive inefficient use of space

ldquoNow wersquore redefining the way we work and looking at the best way to design offices We need to stop looking for people who should lsquobe at work at their desk from 9 to 5rsquo and start looking at output Work follows the worker and he or she can be working from anywhere and at any time The more forward-thinking com-panies are starting to understand this Do we need monoliths of inefficiency when we can do the work from coffee shops from home from a clientrsquos space

ldquoWe still need the buildings because they are providing us with fantastic resources I donrsquot think anyone including me is implying that we should start abolishing office blocks but rather they should form part of the new flexible ways of working and the way that we value our workers ndash increasing wellbeing while enhancing productivity

ldquoItrsquos known as activity based working (ABW) which has been in operation in Europe for some time and only 3 of new buildings in the UK are not adopting the new way of working

So this really is a phenomenal trend You are going to vastly reduce the amount of space you need If the building can enable people to move freely around the office space and they are encouraged to do so it will really have remarkable benefits to increasing wellbeingrdquo

He says that research has shown that only 9 of South African employees are engaged at work

ldquoThis is a shocking statistic Engaged companies are achieving 54 which means people are satisfied and staff retention will be high Companies here need to address the fact that employees tend to leave companies after two years You canrsquot build brand aware-ness and entrench adoption with this trend

ldquoCompanies have to start looking at satis-faction and how to have it as a powerful and motivating work ethic They have to look at physical features work activities facilities and services ndash and importantly these can provide lsquoquick fixesrsquo Do you know that what is still the most important motivator whatrsquos right up at the top of the graph What coffee and tea is providedrdquo (Ed I know of a company whose coffee is meant to be the best in town and this is one big attraction for future staff members It has a coffee bar that is open all day)rdquoNaturally other features such as air quality temperature control natural light quiet rooms and get-together areas are also vital

ldquoIf you do all this what does it do to an organisation Firstly yoursquore going to reduce your square metres reduce sick days reduce stress and you will increase productivity staff satisfaction wellness engagement staff retention Seeing as surveys note that one of the most favourite places at home to work is the lounge and with a big plus for the couch why are we not filling offices with couches

ldquoThe buildings are not going to do the work People do and thatrsquos why it is para-mount to provide the right environment and resources for staff If you want growth and retention this is the only way to gordquo n

Managing Director of Know More Peter Townshend has a long history in research and consulting behaviour change and environmental reporting He currently also heads up a publishing house and environmental consultancy Ethical Living At Ethical Living Townshend has researched published and offered consultancy around the ethical nature of consumer products available in South Africa and through his work here he made the connection between sustainable offices and productivity and the effect of workspaces on office moral satis-faction engagement and profitability To this end Townshend dived deeply into workspace theory and is now in a position to establish Know More as an expert in this field in South AfricaTownshend has also helped develop a curriculum on journalism and media studies for the University of Pretoria and has lectured and spoken publically on a range of topics from business ethics to English literature environmental awareness sustainability and workspace theory

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

BLEAK PICTURE OF FM SCENARIO

Dr Samuel Azasu holds a PhD in Real Estate Management as well as Licentiate and MSc degrees in Real Estate Management from the Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm He also holds a BA in Economics with Statistics from the University of GhanaHe has worked as Program Coordinator and Director of Teaching and Learning in Real Estate Management at the Royal Institute of Technology In addition he was responsible for planning and managing the provision of executive training in real estate in collaboration with the Dubai Real Estate Institute in Dubai He is currently in charge of reorganising the real estate programs in Wits University

Dr Samuel Azasu spoke on survey results of Reward Management A survey of the South African FM SectorPeople yet again play a vital role

in this surveyldquoGood people are hard to come by and

retainrdquo he says ldquoThis is all happening in a context of a new generation of employees who are more loyal to their own career paths and are no longer stigmatised by the fre-quency of which jobs are changed

ldquoHow do South African FM companies reward their employees We used an online questionnaire to establish this and other questions The feedback wasnrsquot as good as wersquod hoped but as awareness of the survey grows we hope the next one will provide more respondents Still with the percentage we received we were still able to get a picture of whatrsquos going on

ldquoThe focus was not only on salary but also non-financial rewards We asked employees themselves on what they thought about remuneration in the FM sectorrdquo

What were the first impressionsldquoFirst of all I was shocked by the mere

length and breadth of job titles in the FM sector Once I had wrapped my head around this I took a look at salaries In comparison to some of the industries I know I found very low salaries in this area Bonuses have become the variable component of pay but what really surprised me was the fact that annual bonuses were at the discretion of managers which can be a dangerous way of doing things

ldquoThere were plenty of training courses but not much evidence that all this training translates into better performance We asked people what could be done better in terms of rewards ndash and there were some very angry responses about remuneration People are dissatisfied Too many are unhappy with pay on a number of different dimensionsrdquo

The majority of the respondents to the

questionnaire live in Gauteng and Dr Azasu found that many had been doing their jobs for more than 10 years As far as level of educa-tion is concerned very few had post-bachelor degrees

ldquoSpeaking of salaries itrsquos a fact that obviously money attracts people ndash but what holds staff retention typically is found in the non-financial arena When bonuses are based at the discretion of someone it blurs the line of sight The connection on what people do and what they are rewarded undermines confidence breeds cynicism Non-financials including sick pay loans insurance company cars and vaca-tions are more effective retention tools Benefits at work become very important in places where the state does not provide strong safety nets These benefits include pension RAs medical aid childcare allowance bursaries loans (per-sonal and housing) and study loansrdquo

He says what training is available varies from company to company

ldquoCompanies require employees to contribute 50 of the training costs In many compan-ies there is no goal setting and conditions for proper training does not exist In many instan-ces ldquooutsiderdquo training merely becomes time away from the office the person comes back with no noticeable difference in performance

ldquoHow can companies improve the bene-fit system Some say simple measures like allowing partners to attend year-end func-tions even if the employee needs to pay for it allowing time off for doctor dentist and optometrist visits Basic stuff but very import-ant

ldquoTop people lack leadership and employees are incapacitated There is low morale among employees Policies and procedures are not being reviewed timeously

ldquoThe meaning of pay to the individual employee provides clues to how he or she feels their achievement on the job is being met and how much is being contributed to the organi-sationrsquos goals and how powerful you are within the organisation

ldquoHow knowledgeable are people about their pay systems We found many did not know how the pay system actually works and they donrsquot know how when or if they will qualify for a raise Quite a lot of people are unhappy about their pay even if they are knowledgeable about the pay systemrdquo

Dr Azasu says many only have diplomas therefore it is not surprising that salaries are low yet many are proficient or more in their roles People are unhappy that so much discre-tion is left in the hands of the ldquobossrdquo

ldquoThis is an unfair system and needs to change along with the global picture of the FM working environment Maybe our next ques-tionnaire will provide us with a far broader and more positive picture of the FM scenariordquo n

July 2015 FM 15

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

July 2015 FM 16

FOLLOWING THE FIRE TRACKER TRIUMPHS

Trackerrsquos fire earlier this year which razed the company premises to the ground is a good lesson for all in how to go about managing a disas-ter correctly

In his talk entitled What to do in case of dis-aster a case study Michael du Preez Marketing Director of Tracker Connect says there is probably one significant event that made all the difference to the recovery effort

ldquoThe story of recovery is a simple one but donrsquot be misledrdquo says Du Preez ldquoBehind many simple stories there is lots of hard work and planning organisation and money The reality is that at one of the board meetings six months before the fire after the change of leadership at Tracker the new CEO announced that we did not have a disaster recovery plan The green light for that was given shortly after and the plan out in place ndash which was very auspicious con-sidering what lay ahead

ldquoOn January 17 a Saturday I got a call around 2am to tell me that Tracker was on fire I got there in double time along with the other directors and our chairman and watched in horror as the fire consumed everything in its path It was a significant fire and the devastation was terrifying The building had literally burned down The sad thing is that what the fire doesnrsquot destroy the firefighters will Obviously nothing you can do about that ndash except watch and weep

ldquoThe reality was that the fire was so strong that we couldnrsquot get into the building to retrieve anything The records were all destroyedrdquo

Trackerrsquos phoenix had risen though and the first recovery of a stolen vehicle was at 5am

ldquoOur disaster and recovery plan was in place to ensure that we could deliver the core promise of what our business does and make sure there was continuity Back-up records are essential

ldquoWe had our first disaster meeting at 7am had a discussion about what we were going to tell the media and then started a process which was basically organising a whole string of disaster recovery meetings on the hour through-

out the weekend On Monday morning we deployed all our staff to a new site with 90 business capability so in essence they walked into a new building as if nothing had hap-penedrdquo

Du Preez says that there a couple of things that made this possible The first thing is a plan ndashldquoand if you donrsquot have one yoursquod better get one without delayrdquo Roles and duties must be allocated to specific people Update emergency information and take careful note of that so that the plan can be implemented

ldquoThe next thing you need is a practical disaster recovery site We were lucky in that we stumbled across the correct site which was close to the building that burned down We have a very people-intensive business so we have many call centres We have about 900 people on site and these people rely on public transport to get to work so the first thing we had to consider about the disaster recovery site is to ensure staff can get there Itrsquos a logistical nightmare to expect people to go a further 30km further than what theyrsquore used to

ldquoThe other issue is your technology Trackerrsquos business is very tech-dependent to ensure a quick response system Control measures need to hit our centres immediately so we can take some action at that time processing around 20 million messages a day These come from cars telling us how fast they are driving where they are driving and what events need to be considered The real-ity is that we are protecting peoplersquos assets protecting fixed assets protecting fixed cargo and protecting peoplersquos lives with push-button assistance We needed then to make sure that the disaster recovery plan could have that system up and running immediatelyrdquo

When the decision about the site was made a number of factors had to be taken into account

ldquoWe had to think about the power grid in the area and would outages affect our

telephonic infrastructure would it impact the data infrastructure The only practical site was really the one next to our building which answered all these questions positively So we had been paying every month for this empty space ndash and that essentially was our saving grace

ldquoThe next thing to do is plan how you are going to interact with the customers and implement that part of your plan You need to empower your team to get on with the job and you have to trust them enough to be able to do that You have to have an immediate meeting to spell out the priorities so that everyone is on the same page and everything is in place to get up and running as soon as possiblerdquo

He says that although no-one told the mar-keting manager to make radio ads for Monday morning they were done and ready to flight

ldquoShe knew that we would have to be speak-ing to all our customers partners and so on and the best way to do that was above-the-line marketing The ads proved very effective and kept everyone in the loop as to what was hap-pening

ldquoThe most important thing was just to tell the truth and tell everyone what progress was being made The ads conveyed these messa-ges very well and spread immediate confidence

ldquoShow that yoursquore in control get people as productive as possible and build team spirit I think that crisis has the ability to bring people together which is exactly what happened at Tracker On the Monday and Tuesday we met with our key stakeholders and informed them how we have been affected how our customers have been affected and then throughout the week we continued to provide regular updates as to how the recovery process was progressingrdquo

When staff arrived at work on Monday mor-ning all the work stations had been numbered and all the systems were up and running We briefed them on what to tell customers and allocated them a seat and a phone Depending on what department they would be working in

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

Michael Du Preez is the Marketing Executive and Head of International Business and Strategy for Tracker He is responsible for business product brand and strategy development ndash a position he has held for the past four years Prior to his career with Tracker he was one of the founders and Managing Director of MobileData ndash a vehicle Telematics solutions company acquired by Tracker in 2007 It is this technology that continues to create value and open up new channels of busi-ness for Tracker today For many years he was a loyal member of WesBankrsquos management team serving most recently as Head of Research and Development Michael holds a senior qualification in Business Management from HenleyHis colleagues describe him as an open-minded and creative free-thinker always looking to bring innovation and strategic value to the world of vehicle Telematics His work helped pioneer Insurance Telematics in South Africa and more recently assisted in the breakthrough creation of TomTomrsquos first HD Traffic service in AfricaHe sees his future influence in the area of how technology will enable sustainable mobility models in a world challenged for resources Or simply put ensuring our future ldquofreedom to driverdquo

the staff members were all given T-shirts in dif-ferent colours for different centres They were given coffee mugs pens paper and created a bit of a carnival atmosphere and had coffee and doughnuts in reception It may have been a different site but it was business as usual

ldquoOne very important factor is that you need good supplier relationships who can play a major role in getting you back on your feetrdquo

Which is what Tracker did very effectively People hardly remember the fire because the continuity was immediate

You know how to get the phoenix to fly Give Tracker a ring n

Refense Phuso spoke on Valpreacute Spring Waterrsquos bottling plant She is plant manager of the oper-ation and naturally is proud of the fact that it was awarded the

US green honour (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ndash LEED) of Gold status in 2011

ldquoWhat LEED looks at is how you design your facility and you have to comply with many criteria such as site planning indoor environ-ment water planning energy management and material usedrdquo says Phuso ldquoWe have to use water efficiently and ensure the business is sustainable looking after the environment We are audited every year to ensure that we are still complying with LEED criteriardquo

As far as energy needs go the building runs on solar energy with the PV plant sup-plying 40KW of energy leaving the plant grid independent

ldquoOur water that we bottle has to have a cer-tain profile and we found that in Heidelberg Itrsquos over 200km from our offices but it is good news for the movement of product to Gauteng and beyond The factory has been designed to ensure minimal impact on the environment The roof has been designed to capture sunlight all day and with all the glass used in the factory there is abundant natural light streaming in

ldquoOne of our coups in energy-saving is the Air Wizard which reduces energy when run-ning a compressor The device is inside the compressor It captures the left-over energy from the compressor and takes it back in Aside from this therersquos energy-saving features

such as double-glazed windows so the reli-ance on air-conditioning is reduced The fac-tory is glass-wrapped so therersquos natural light in abundance We also have a 95 recycling effort Whatever we use in the factory we recycle We do the separation of material our-selves and Enviroserv will send different types of trucks for the various waste typesrdquo

She says that after the office block was accredited the factory went through the same process in 2013 Both are accredited to ISO 50 000 and the first plant in South Africa to be awarded this honour

ldquoValpre works continuously to improve energy performance to keep up with stan-dards in ISO 50 000 and the requirements of LEED We have to continually challenge our-selves to find new ways of reducing energy We meet on a monthly basis to discuss how well we are meeting our goals

ldquoWe also have energy meters in machines that we know use a lot of energy to keep track of what is happening there and if there are spikes on those machines it gives us the opportunity to investigate why Any anomalies must be reported and this can also highlight incorrect operator behaviour

ldquoWe have also changed from using boxes for product to trays that are plas-tic-wrapped ndash this is also an energy-saving move and in our view really enhances the product presentationrdquo n

A PLANT WITH GREAT ENERGY POWER

July 2015 FM 17

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

Refense Phuso plant manager

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 18

SLArsquos

WHOrsquoS KIDDING WHO

SLArsquos

July 2015 FM 19

Richard Jeffreys

Having just waded through 250 pages of our latest Tender I must make reference to the Fantasy section noted as SLAs In order to compete

with others I need to guarantee my catering engineers can attend anywhere in the coun-try in under 2 hours and complete resolves in under 24 hours

The standard of facts given on appli-ances service history access condition and status is poor to non-existent but the con-tract conditions are punitive and binding In essence if I have engineers standing around waiting for the next call and I am prepared to deliver at the cheapest cost guarantee parts for an appliance for which I have no data I am in the running If I tell the truth and base costs on worst case scenario due to lack of asset information I am out of the frame

Denise Booth-AlexanderThis is a national contract so presumably they are looking for someone to respond nationally but not necessarily with in-house engineers Is a consortium bid an option where you can join with others who have engineers in local areas to fulfil the 2 hour requirement Alternatively can you sub There are ways of tendering for this if the resolve is a first fix or attendance with a work around or temp solution but I agree not if it is a final fix Catering maintenance is notoriously hard as no- one really wants to carry additional expensive kit in their kitchen Suppliers of products make life very difficult with regard to spares if they themselves also offer a maintenance service We experience long delays wrong diagnoses quotes to repair that make it financially unviable to do so but no innovative thinking such as this is the fix costs and this is the replacement deal etc As customers it is extremely frus-trating but I accept that asking a company to work on a huge variety of makes and models and kit doesnt sit happily with a quick and responsive service if there is no specialityhellip every make within that business and parts are held onto by suppliers I know that a catering maintenance supplier that can

A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its internal or external customers that documents what services the provider will furnish

provide a great service and offers alternative solutions is something that we would all like as customers Perhaps the answer is some sort of industry group which includes sup-pliers to talk it out and come up with a truly customer-oriented service package

I suspect this is a pipe dream much like the closed shop that is Lift maintenance One solution for this particular tender would be to offer to produce an Assetlifecycle register as part of the bid to fully evaluate all the kit and give timescales for replace-ment including possible energy savings to provide some payback etc If you can offer something extra and point out why you can-not provide a proper and cost defined bid in the first instance but set out clearly why and what you could do to turn this around I would certainly be delighted to look at your proposals if I were the customer

Neil EarnshawRichard I concur with the views of others you will be better thought of by pulling out of the process and explaining to the client why It may be that another company out there can deliver what they need its just not your company this time It also may be that other bidders do the same thing in which case the client needs to review their procurement strategy

Im managing a tender process for a FM contract at the moment We had one bidder raise an issue and ask for a change which we respectfully refused since then two other bidders have raised the same issue so were now reconsidering our position Were doing this on the basis that the market is now tell-ing us this contract is too risky as opposed to a single bidder not having the appetite

Richard JeffryesThanks guys for all the replies and yes my gut feeling is not to compete and leave us open to penalties However the issues raised are common I feel that many tenders are have a big element of cut and paste one size fits all As noted by Denise our trade is eclectic a real mix of standards and manu-facturers if a contract is going to work it needs the attention of someone who has complete knowledge of the realities and their

ldquoIn essence if I have engineers

standing around waiting for the

next call and I am prepared

to deliver at the cheapest cost

guarantee parts for an

appliance for which I have

no data I am in the running

If I tell the truth and base costs

on worst case scenario due to

lack of asset information

I am out of the frame

Continuing our series based on posts from the

British Institute of Facility Management (BIFM)

LinkedIn sites South African FMs will find much to

identify with and are encouraged to participate in local exchanges ndash

write via LinkedIn to terryfmexpoorg or tweet tex_owen

July 2015 FM 20

issues I would like to think that I as an individual with 35 years within commercial kitchen would be listened too however many tenders especially the electronic auction style offer little scope for the personal touch which is our USP I know the environment the trade and the equipment My approach is to be realistic tell the truth dont promise the undeliverable and submit a viable cost structure I am yet though to be convinced there is scope for this in the world of group tenders

Neil EarnshawRichard keep the faith keep doing the right thing and work with your industry to help it improve

What I see is a disconnect in FM between contractors and clients This disconnect is the contract and selection of an appropriate strategy that drives the right behaviours On a personal level Im doing my bit to help improve things but Im just a lone voice more people from all sides of the FM indus-try need to recognise the problem and the opportunity to improve then well get some real change for the better

Craig ShepheardYou will normally have a mobilisation per-iod where you can get to inspect all of the equipment in order to set up your own asset list I suggest that you use this data to inform the client of any items of equipment that are obsolete or where parts would be difficult to supply The condition report could be used to say whether items that are in poor shape require monies spent on them to get them to a state where they can be maintained If the client refuses to spend that highlighted amount then those individual items do not correspond to the 2-hour SLA and are there-fore exempt from the contract

You base your contract fee on the under-standing that all items on their asset list are currently being maintained and that they are in a reasonable state of order

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSEA reasonable point Craig except like com-missioning and handover the mobilisation period can get eaten away by slippages on other elements For one major mobilisation the 8 months period for seamless transfer was cut to 3 weeks There are risks with the approach suggested

Neil Earnshaw Im with you on that Rob there are risks However from a contractors view point it does mitigate the risk of poor quality asset

data provided by the client at tender stage Are you allowed to caveat your tender submis-sion Even so I think the risk you face is an early disagreement with the client they think theyve passed a risk to you but in actual fact you passed it back to them with your caveat I absolutely would not sign the contract as is and attempt to wriggle out of your obligations post contract Craigs solution sounds sens-ible right up to the point of saying to the client spend or be damned Thats where the dis-agreement will come

Are they aware their data is poor quality or are they just saying price the risk Have they given you the impression that theyd listen to your concerns and maybe consider other more cost-effective solutions

Also what are you being asked to price for Using a simple example you know there is a cooker and extractor in a kitchen (and you know the location of the kitchen) what you dont know is age condition service history make amp model of the cooker or extractor Are you being asked to give them a lump sum fixed price to maintain these items for a num-ber of years with everything apart from end of life replacement to be included in your price

Alan TaylorI would question why a tender document for catering needs to be 250 pages long Sounds like itrsquos been prepared by a purchasing depart-ment that has no realistic awareness of day-to-day operational requirements and is missing some fundamental issues (no change there then)

So if a fat fryer breaks down when the first load is due to go in for a lunch time service a

ldquoWhat I see is a disconnect

in FM between contractors

and clients This disconnect is

the contract and selection of an

appropriate strategy that drives

the right behaviours

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 22

2 hour response will not get that item back and fully operational for the same day lunch time trade as it will be over It will be up to the chef to improvise with the menu and manage the change

A next day fix or 12 hour turnaround would be a better solution but if a restaurant canrsquot improvise and change its menu if one item of plant goes down you need to change the chef and the caterer It wonrsquot hurt the staff to go without chips for a day

Dave ThomasAlso with you Rob have been the recipient of one of those immediate seamless transfers - where the original team were eager to get themselves in another project and have no responsibility for what was a flawed mobilisa-tion

In the same mobilisation period I found that the Asset List I had sweated over was ignored and another fairy tale was imposed missing out over half of my list so inad-equate time allocatedcosted to MampE Also found that the engineers provided were more interested in looking for more lucrative work rather than just doing maintenance

Seems some clients want the contractor to come up with a proper Asset List for them included in the contract ignoring any information regarding past breakdowns on equipment which may lead to a query on the true condition and life hoping a new contract will magically lead to new equipment

Richard JeffryesAlan sounds like you speak from experience your bang on

Neil you make a lot of sense if only clients thought like you Yes we are being asked to price the Risk however an underlying objective of tender winner is to be the most competitive

In respect of the approach we know itrsquos an oven we know where it is we know it is business critical sounds simple but with-out the specific data this is a real lottery Commercial ovens range in value from pound1 000 to pound40 000 we may be able to make an educated guess at what the appliance is but big tenders request parts and labour-in-clusive programmes replacement parts such as a PCB on a Combination Oven can cost pound1 000 to replace so knowing the depth of the liability is essential My belief is if a site has been responsibly maintained a full and updated asset list with condition and service dates should be available If not what has the incumbent been doing and how do we know it was done This information is surely a pre-requisite when contracts are drawing

to conclusion and a renewal is due Is it com-mon practice for this data to be withheld or are companies just poor at maintaining service data

Neil EarnshawRichard I usually work client-side developing the procurement contract strategy and man-aging the tender process

My main observation of FM clients over the years is that they dont think about commer-cial risk just operational They generally dont seem to understand that where theres a risk theres a cost Therefore you end up with very risky contracts being put together and create the environment for protracted commercial negotiations during the life of the contract

Another observation has been that FM contractors do collect and maintain asset data but when it comes to re-tender the data cant be accessed by the client This is sometimes down to the contract not being clear on this but often its also due to many years of mis-management of the contract

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSENeilFor some time it has been my view that the client should own the asset data and condition assessment which it should disclose to the tenderers Similarly the maintenance records and all of these should ideally be in the client-owned CAFM

ldquoMy belief is if a site has

been maintained a full

and updated asset list with

condition and service dates

should be available If not

what has the incumbent been

doing and how do we know it

was done

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 23

When the onus is put on the success-ful bid winner to collect all the asset data confusion can reign with a completely new set of asset numbers and description and of course items can be missed Most FM managers will have come across outgoing contractors where people probably at very junior level ditch all the statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique

Gordon EasingwoodRegards client CAFMs they are generally poor non-existent or compiled by previous contractors with differing motives (ie avoid-ing financial penaltiesfailing SLAs) Same with maintenance records previous contract-ors are again likely to have differing motives as to how these were compiled based on previous SLAs I work on a local contract with very similar limitations though in different areas and trust me itrsquos extremely difficult to meet this level of commitment Ultimately if they can call you out for pound50 (or less) but can impose a SLA penalty of pound200 where is the sense in it And Im talking a 30 mile max-imum radius from a central point 2 hours responses have been missed simply due to travel delayspoor communication Even when these can be resolved in our favour the amount of adminmanagement time all has an associated cost

To put it another way there simply is not enough properly trained and experienced commercial catering equipment engineers in the country to meet such demands I know I am one and I wouldnt go near the industry again in a hurry as I guess you know from experience Add in the level of commitment (more rightly non-commitment) from some manufacturers and itrsquos an absolute night-mare Also bear in mind European rules only require parts to be available 5 years after a product is no longer manufactured Oh and if you have imports or specials just forget it I was involved with work with a well-known Indian type food chain who had special ovens that met no British or European stan-dard and had to be condemned for simply that reason This was despite a CAFM type list being presented stating all maintenance was done to (non-existent) manufacturersrsquo instructions When checked they had created models and serials numbers for the units

Lastly I would investigate what the client can put through as a 2 hour response and if you can object and on what grounds I currently have a client who does so when in 2 hours the building will be fully vacated and emptyequipment wonrsquot be used for 72 hours etc yet we still have to make attend-ance to meet SLAs Its this kind of thing

that give clients a bad nameSadly without proper input from the

client it sounds like this contract would be a financial liability and I would steer clear With proper and decent input it may be possible I would present the proposal of correct and proper information requirements to the client and try build from there If they run with what would be a non-starter you have to walk away itrsquos likely any contract wonrsquot be upheld for long from either side

Rob Farman regards people ditching statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique I have found this is generally from a quite senior level Simply either because a) itrsquos never been kept up to or b) they dont want this information to go to competitors or c) adequate provision has never been made to collate the information in the first place Things are improving in this area as FM managers take things in hand and computer records are better maintained

Peter CarrHaving worked with Rob Farnam I would completely agree I have spent the last five years client side helping to develop CAFM systems and to make sure they are 100 as accurate as the world I work in (now) Investor FM (totally different to Corporate FM) I have worked with a non-licenced sys-tem called Elogbooks for these five years purely because of these issues Tendering is difficult enough without non-existent asset data and performance understanding Good luck

David A ParryLets push for KISS based contracts Then have the inferred SLA KPIs amp effectiveness measurement compared to the actual true bottom line savings to the client and service provider in their partnering endeavours The unit of measurement could be the unem-ployed bean counters Or do they move on to another position in or outside their companies so no real accountability that this measurement in this way would show on this radar screen

Apologies for the frivolous comments but I honestly believe the real value for money is far simpler but has to be based on appro-priate measures and values for the specific situation and is industries dependent The dichotomy of this statement is it adds to complexity because truly experienced and technical trained actuary analysts are required to produce the targets numbers and not the clip board amp wet finger in the air brigade Clients need to bring in-house specialised professional knowledge to the

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 14

lsquoPEOPLE FIRST BUILDINGS SECONDrsquo

The people theme continues with Peter Townsendrsquos talk on Sustainability ndash putting people first and buildings secondTownsendrsquos premise is that sustain-

ability is not about the beautiful new buildings ndash itrsquos about the people that work within them

Townsend quotes Henry Ford ldquoYou can take my factories burn my buildings but give me my people and Irsquoll build the business back againrdquo

ldquoWersquove forgotten that these wonderful new buildings are there just to support the work-ers This might sound simplistic and perhaps it is but I think itrsquos a message that needs to be reinforced constantly FMs are not the only people that tend to forget this Itrsquos the archi-tects developers designers ndash in fact everyone in property developmentrdquo

He says that with traditional ways of work-ing yoursquore only going to get 40 occupancy in a traditional building meaning that therersquos a massive inefficient use of space

ldquoNow wersquore redefining the way we work and looking at the best way to design offices We need to stop looking for people who should lsquobe at work at their desk from 9 to 5rsquo and start looking at output Work follows the worker and he or she can be working from anywhere and at any time The more forward-thinking com-panies are starting to understand this Do we need monoliths of inefficiency when we can do the work from coffee shops from home from a clientrsquos space

ldquoWe still need the buildings because they are providing us with fantastic resources I donrsquot think anyone including me is implying that we should start abolishing office blocks but rather they should form part of the new flexible ways of working and the way that we value our workers ndash increasing wellbeing while enhancing productivity

ldquoItrsquos known as activity based working (ABW) which has been in operation in Europe for some time and only 3 of new buildings in the UK are not adopting the new way of working

So this really is a phenomenal trend You are going to vastly reduce the amount of space you need If the building can enable people to move freely around the office space and they are encouraged to do so it will really have remarkable benefits to increasing wellbeingrdquo

He says that research has shown that only 9 of South African employees are engaged at work

ldquoThis is a shocking statistic Engaged companies are achieving 54 which means people are satisfied and staff retention will be high Companies here need to address the fact that employees tend to leave companies after two years You canrsquot build brand aware-ness and entrench adoption with this trend

ldquoCompanies have to start looking at satis-faction and how to have it as a powerful and motivating work ethic They have to look at physical features work activities facilities and services ndash and importantly these can provide lsquoquick fixesrsquo Do you know that what is still the most important motivator whatrsquos right up at the top of the graph What coffee and tea is providedrdquo (Ed I know of a company whose coffee is meant to be the best in town and this is one big attraction for future staff members It has a coffee bar that is open all day)rdquoNaturally other features such as air quality temperature control natural light quiet rooms and get-together areas are also vital

ldquoIf you do all this what does it do to an organisation Firstly yoursquore going to reduce your square metres reduce sick days reduce stress and you will increase productivity staff satisfaction wellness engagement staff retention Seeing as surveys note that one of the most favourite places at home to work is the lounge and with a big plus for the couch why are we not filling offices with couches

ldquoThe buildings are not going to do the work People do and thatrsquos why it is para-mount to provide the right environment and resources for staff If you want growth and retention this is the only way to gordquo n

Managing Director of Know More Peter Townshend has a long history in research and consulting behaviour change and environmental reporting He currently also heads up a publishing house and environmental consultancy Ethical Living At Ethical Living Townshend has researched published and offered consultancy around the ethical nature of consumer products available in South Africa and through his work here he made the connection between sustainable offices and productivity and the effect of workspaces on office moral satis-faction engagement and profitability To this end Townshend dived deeply into workspace theory and is now in a position to establish Know More as an expert in this field in South AfricaTownshend has also helped develop a curriculum on journalism and media studies for the University of Pretoria and has lectured and spoken publically on a range of topics from business ethics to English literature environmental awareness sustainability and workspace theory

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

BLEAK PICTURE OF FM SCENARIO

Dr Samuel Azasu holds a PhD in Real Estate Management as well as Licentiate and MSc degrees in Real Estate Management from the Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm He also holds a BA in Economics with Statistics from the University of GhanaHe has worked as Program Coordinator and Director of Teaching and Learning in Real Estate Management at the Royal Institute of Technology In addition he was responsible for planning and managing the provision of executive training in real estate in collaboration with the Dubai Real Estate Institute in Dubai He is currently in charge of reorganising the real estate programs in Wits University

Dr Samuel Azasu spoke on survey results of Reward Management A survey of the South African FM SectorPeople yet again play a vital role

in this surveyldquoGood people are hard to come by and

retainrdquo he says ldquoThis is all happening in a context of a new generation of employees who are more loyal to their own career paths and are no longer stigmatised by the fre-quency of which jobs are changed

ldquoHow do South African FM companies reward their employees We used an online questionnaire to establish this and other questions The feedback wasnrsquot as good as wersquod hoped but as awareness of the survey grows we hope the next one will provide more respondents Still with the percentage we received we were still able to get a picture of whatrsquos going on

ldquoThe focus was not only on salary but also non-financial rewards We asked employees themselves on what they thought about remuneration in the FM sectorrdquo

What were the first impressionsldquoFirst of all I was shocked by the mere

length and breadth of job titles in the FM sector Once I had wrapped my head around this I took a look at salaries In comparison to some of the industries I know I found very low salaries in this area Bonuses have become the variable component of pay but what really surprised me was the fact that annual bonuses were at the discretion of managers which can be a dangerous way of doing things

ldquoThere were plenty of training courses but not much evidence that all this training translates into better performance We asked people what could be done better in terms of rewards ndash and there were some very angry responses about remuneration People are dissatisfied Too many are unhappy with pay on a number of different dimensionsrdquo

The majority of the respondents to the

questionnaire live in Gauteng and Dr Azasu found that many had been doing their jobs for more than 10 years As far as level of educa-tion is concerned very few had post-bachelor degrees

ldquoSpeaking of salaries itrsquos a fact that obviously money attracts people ndash but what holds staff retention typically is found in the non-financial arena When bonuses are based at the discretion of someone it blurs the line of sight The connection on what people do and what they are rewarded undermines confidence breeds cynicism Non-financials including sick pay loans insurance company cars and vaca-tions are more effective retention tools Benefits at work become very important in places where the state does not provide strong safety nets These benefits include pension RAs medical aid childcare allowance bursaries loans (per-sonal and housing) and study loansrdquo

He says what training is available varies from company to company

ldquoCompanies require employees to contribute 50 of the training costs In many compan-ies there is no goal setting and conditions for proper training does not exist In many instan-ces ldquooutsiderdquo training merely becomes time away from the office the person comes back with no noticeable difference in performance

ldquoHow can companies improve the bene-fit system Some say simple measures like allowing partners to attend year-end func-tions even if the employee needs to pay for it allowing time off for doctor dentist and optometrist visits Basic stuff but very import-ant

ldquoTop people lack leadership and employees are incapacitated There is low morale among employees Policies and procedures are not being reviewed timeously

ldquoThe meaning of pay to the individual employee provides clues to how he or she feels their achievement on the job is being met and how much is being contributed to the organi-sationrsquos goals and how powerful you are within the organisation

ldquoHow knowledgeable are people about their pay systems We found many did not know how the pay system actually works and they donrsquot know how when or if they will qualify for a raise Quite a lot of people are unhappy about their pay even if they are knowledgeable about the pay systemrdquo

Dr Azasu says many only have diplomas therefore it is not surprising that salaries are low yet many are proficient or more in their roles People are unhappy that so much discre-tion is left in the hands of the ldquobossrdquo

ldquoThis is an unfair system and needs to change along with the global picture of the FM working environment Maybe our next ques-tionnaire will provide us with a far broader and more positive picture of the FM scenariordquo n

July 2015 FM 15

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

July 2015 FM 16

FOLLOWING THE FIRE TRACKER TRIUMPHS

Trackerrsquos fire earlier this year which razed the company premises to the ground is a good lesson for all in how to go about managing a disas-ter correctly

In his talk entitled What to do in case of dis-aster a case study Michael du Preez Marketing Director of Tracker Connect says there is probably one significant event that made all the difference to the recovery effort

ldquoThe story of recovery is a simple one but donrsquot be misledrdquo says Du Preez ldquoBehind many simple stories there is lots of hard work and planning organisation and money The reality is that at one of the board meetings six months before the fire after the change of leadership at Tracker the new CEO announced that we did not have a disaster recovery plan The green light for that was given shortly after and the plan out in place ndash which was very auspicious con-sidering what lay ahead

ldquoOn January 17 a Saturday I got a call around 2am to tell me that Tracker was on fire I got there in double time along with the other directors and our chairman and watched in horror as the fire consumed everything in its path It was a significant fire and the devastation was terrifying The building had literally burned down The sad thing is that what the fire doesnrsquot destroy the firefighters will Obviously nothing you can do about that ndash except watch and weep

ldquoThe reality was that the fire was so strong that we couldnrsquot get into the building to retrieve anything The records were all destroyedrdquo

Trackerrsquos phoenix had risen though and the first recovery of a stolen vehicle was at 5am

ldquoOur disaster and recovery plan was in place to ensure that we could deliver the core promise of what our business does and make sure there was continuity Back-up records are essential

ldquoWe had our first disaster meeting at 7am had a discussion about what we were going to tell the media and then started a process which was basically organising a whole string of disaster recovery meetings on the hour through-

out the weekend On Monday morning we deployed all our staff to a new site with 90 business capability so in essence they walked into a new building as if nothing had hap-penedrdquo

Du Preez says that there a couple of things that made this possible The first thing is a plan ndashldquoand if you donrsquot have one yoursquod better get one without delayrdquo Roles and duties must be allocated to specific people Update emergency information and take careful note of that so that the plan can be implemented

ldquoThe next thing you need is a practical disaster recovery site We were lucky in that we stumbled across the correct site which was close to the building that burned down We have a very people-intensive business so we have many call centres We have about 900 people on site and these people rely on public transport to get to work so the first thing we had to consider about the disaster recovery site is to ensure staff can get there Itrsquos a logistical nightmare to expect people to go a further 30km further than what theyrsquore used to

ldquoThe other issue is your technology Trackerrsquos business is very tech-dependent to ensure a quick response system Control measures need to hit our centres immediately so we can take some action at that time processing around 20 million messages a day These come from cars telling us how fast they are driving where they are driving and what events need to be considered The real-ity is that we are protecting peoplersquos assets protecting fixed assets protecting fixed cargo and protecting peoplersquos lives with push-button assistance We needed then to make sure that the disaster recovery plan could have that system up and running immediatelyrdquo

When the decision about the site was made a number of factors had to be taken into account

ldquoWe had to think about the power grid in the area and would outages affect our

telephonic infrastructure would it impact the data infrastructure The only practical site was really the one next to our building which answered all these questions positively So we had been paying every month for this empty space ndash and that essentially was our saving grace

ldquoThe next thing to do is plan how you are going to interact with the customers and implement that part of your plan You need to empower your team to get on with the job and you have to trust them enough to be able to do that You have to have an immediate meeting to spell out the priorities so that everyone is on the same page and everything is in place to get up and running as soon as possiblerdquo

He says that although no-one told the mar-keting manager to make radio ads for Monday morning they were done and ready to flight

ldquoShe knew that we would have to be speak-ing to all our customers partners and so on and the best way to do that was above-the-line marketing The ads proved very effective and kept everyone in the loop as to what was hap-pening

ldquoThe most important thing was just to tell the truth and tell everyone what progress was being made The ads conveyed these messa-ges very well and spread immediate confidence

ldquoShow that yoursquore in control get people as productive as possible and build team spirit I think that crisis has the ability to bring people together which is exactly what happened at Tracker On the Monday and Tuesday we met with our key stakeholders and informed them how we have been affected how our customers have been affected and then throughout the week we continued to provide regular updates as to how the recovery process was progressingrdquo

When staff arrived at work on Monday mor-ning all the work stations had been numbered and all the systems were up and running We briefed them on what to tell customers and allocated them a seat and a phone Depending on what department they would be working in

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

Michael Du Preez is the Marketing Executive and Head of International Business and Strategy for Tracker He is responsible for business product brand and strategy development ndash a position he has held for the past four years Prior to his career with Tracker he was one of the founders and Managing Director of MobileData ndash a vehicle Telematics solutions company acquired by Tracker in 2007 It is this technology that continues to create value and open up new channels of busi-ness for Tracker today For many years he was a loyal member of WesBankrsquos management team serving most recently as Head of Research and Development Michael holds a senior qualification in Business Management from HenleyHis colleagues describe him as an open-minded and creative free-thinker always looking to bring innovation and strategic value to the world of vehicle Telematics His work helped pioneer Insurance Telematics in South Africa and more recently assisted in the breakthrough creation of TomTomrsquos first HD Traffic service in AfricaHe sees his future influence in the area of how technology will enable sustainable mobility models in a world challenged for resources Or simply put ensuring our future ldquofreedom to driverdquo

the staff members were all given T-shirts in dif-ferent colours for different centres They were given coffee mugs pens paper and created a bit of a carnival atmosphere and had coffee and doughnuts in reception It may have been a different site but it was business as usual

ldquoOne very important factor is that you need good supplier relationships who can play a major role in getting you back on your feetrdquo

Which is what Tracker did very effectively People hardly remember the fire because the continuity was immediate

You know how to get the phoenix to fly Give Tracker a ring n

Refense Phuso spoke on Valpreacute Spring Waterrsquos bottling plant She is plant manager of the oper-ation and naturally is proud of the fact that it was awarded the

US green honour (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ndash LEED) of Gold status in 2011

ldquoWhat LEED looks at is how you design your facility and you have to comply with many criteria such as site planning indoor environ-ment water planning energy management and material usedrdquo says Phuso ldquoWe have to use water efficiently and ensure the business is sustainable looking after the environment We are audited every year to ensure that we are still complying with LEED criteriardquo

As far as energy needs go the building runs on solar energy with the PV plant sup-plying 40KW of energy leaving the plant grid independent

ldquoOur water that we bottle has to have a cer-tain profile and we found that in Heidelberg Itrsquos over 200km from our offices but it is good news for the movement of product to Gauteng and beyond The factory has been designed to ensure minimal impact on the environment The roof has been designed to capture sunlight all day and with all the glass used in the factory there is abundant natural light streaming in

ldquoOne of our coups in energy-saving is the Air Wizard which reduces energy when run-ning a compressor The device is inside the compressor It captures the left-over energy from the compressor and takes it back in Aside from this therersquos energy-saving features

such as double-glazed windows so the reli-ance on air-conditioning is reduced The fac-tory is glass-wrapped so therersquos natural light in abundance We also have a 95 recycling effort Whatever we use in the factory we recycle We do the separation of material our-selves and Enviroserv will send different types of trucks for the various waste typesrdquo

She says that after the office block was accredited the factory went through the same process in 2013 Both are accredited to ISO 50 000 and the first plant in South Africa to be awarded this honour

ldquoValpre works continuously to improve energy performance to keep up with stan-dards in ISO 50 000 and the requirements of LEED We have to continually challenge our-selves to find new ways of reducing energy We meet on a monthly basis to discuss how well we are meeting our goals

ldquoWe also have energy meters in machines that we know use a lot of energy to keep track of what is happening there and if there are spikes on those machines it gives us the opportunity to investigate why Any anomalies must be reported and this can also highlight incorrect operator behaviour

ldquoWe have also changed from using boxes for product to trays that are plas-tic-wrapped ndash this is also an energy-saving move and in our view really enhances the product presentationrdquo n

A PLANT WITH GREAT ENERGY POWER

July 2015 FM 17

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

Refense Phuso plant manager

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 18

SLArsquos

WHOrsquoS KIDDING WHO

SLArsquos

July 2015 FM 19

Richard Jeffreys

Having just waded through 250 pages of our latest Tender I must make reference to the Fantasy section noted as SLAs In order to compete

with others I need to guarantee my catering engineers can attend anywhere in the coun-try in under 2 hours and complete resolves in under 24 hours

The standard of facts given on appli-ances service history access condition and status is poor to non-existent but the con-tract conditions are punitive and binding In essence if I have engineers standing around waiting for the next call and I am prepared to deliver at the cheapest cost guarantee parts for an appliance for which I have no data I am in the running If I tell the truth and base costs on worst case scenario due to lack of asset information I am out of the frame

Denise Booth-AlexanderThis is a national contract so presumably they are looking for someone to respond nationally but not necessarily with in-house engineers Is a consortium bid an option where you can join with others who have engineers in local areas to fulfil the 2 hour requirement Alternatively can you sub There are ways of tendering for this if the resolve is a first fix or attendance with a work around or temp solution but I agree not if it is a final fix Catering maintenance is notoriously hard as no- one really wants to carry additional expensive kit in their kitchen Suppliers of products make life very difficult with regard to spares if they themselves also offer a maintenance service We experience long delays wrong diagnoses quotes to repair that make it financially unviable to do so but no innovative thinking such as this is the fix costs and this is the replacement deal etc As customers it is extremely frus-trating but I accept that asking a company to work on a huge variety of makes and models and kit doesnt sit happily with a quick and responsive service if there is no specialityhellip every make within that business and parts are held onto by suppliers I know that a catering maintenance supplier that can

A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its internal or external customers that documents what services the provider will furnish

provide a great service and offers alternative solutions is something that we would all like as customers Perhaps the answer is some sort of industry group which includes sup-pliers to talk it out and come up with a truly customer-oriented service package

I suspect this is a pipe dream much like the closed shop that is Lift maintenance One solution for this particular tender would be to offer to produce an Assetlifecycle register as part of the bid to fully evaluate all the kit and give timescales for replace-ment including possible energy savings to provide some payback etc If you can offer something extra and point out why you can-not provide a proper and cost defined bid in the first instance but set out clearly why and what you could do to turn this around I would certainly be delighted to look at your proposals if I were the customer

Neil EarnshawRichard I concur with the views of others you will be better thought of by pulling out of the process and explaining to the client why It may be that another company out there can deliver what they need its just not your company this time It also may be that other bidders do the same thing in which case the client needs to review their procurement strategy

Im managing a tender process for a FM contract at the moment We had one bidder raise an issue and ask for a change which we respectfully refused since then two other bidders have raised the same issue so were now reconsidering our position Were doing this on the basis that the market is now tell-ing us this contract is too risky as opposed to a single bidder not having the appetite

Richard JeffryesThanks guys for all the replies and yes my gut feeling is not to compete and leave us open to penalties However the issues raised are common I feel that many tenders are have a big element of cut and paste one size fits all As noted by Denise our trade is eclectic a real mix of standards and manu-facturers if a contract is going to work it needs the attention of someone who has complete knowledge of the realities and their

ldquoIn essence if I have engineers

standing around waiting for the

next call and I am prepared

to deliver at the cheapest cost

guarantee parts for an

appliance for which I have

no data I am in the running

If I tell the truth and base costs

on worst case scenario due to

lack of asset information

I am out of the frame

Continuing our series based on posts from the

British Institute of Facility Management (BIFM)

LinkedIn sites South African FMs will find much to

identify with and are encouraged to participate in local exchanges ndash

write via LinkedIn to terryfmexpoorg or tweet tex_owen

July 2015 FM 20

issues I would like to think that I as an individual with 35 years within commercial kitchen would be listened too however many tenders especially the electronic auction style offer little scope for the personal touch which is our USP I know the environment the trade and the equipment My approach is to be realistic tell the truth dont promise the undeliverable and submit a viable cost structure I am yet though to be convinced there is scope for this in the world of group tenders

Neil EarnshawRichard keep the faith keep doing the right thing and work with your industry to help it improve

What I see is a disconnect in FM between contractors and clients This disconnect is the contract and selection of an appropriate strategy that drives the right behaviours On a personal level Im doing my bit to help improve things but Im just a lone voice more people from all sides of the FM indus-try need to recognise the problem and the opportunity to improve then well get some real change for the better

Craig ShepheardYou will normally have a mobilisation per-iod where you can get to inspect all of the equipment in order to set up your own asset list I suggest that you use this data to inform the client of any items of equipment that are obsolete or where parts would be difficult to supply The condition report could be used to say whether items that are in poor shape require monies spent on them to get them to a state where they can be maintained If the client refuses to spend that highlighted amount then those individual items do not correspond to the 2-hour SLA and are there-fore exempt from the contract

You base your contract fee on the under-standing that all items on their asset list are currently being maintained and that they are in a reasonable state of order

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSEA reasonable point Craig except like com-missioning and handover the mobilisation period can get eaten away by slippages on other elements For one major mobilisation the 8 months period for seamless transfer was cut to 3 weeks There are risks with the approach suggested

Neil Earnshaw Im with you on that Rob there are risks However from a contractors view point it does mitigate the risk of poor quality asset

data provided by the client at tender stage Are you allowed to caveat your tender submis-sion Even so I think the risk you face is an early disagreement with the client they think theyve passed a risk to you but in actual fact you passed it back to them with your caveat I absolutely would not sign the contract as is and attempt to wriggle out of your obligations post contract Craigs solution sounds sens-ible right up to the point of saying to the client spend or be damned Thats where the dis-agreement will come

Are they aware their data is poor quality or are they just saying price the risk Have they given you the impression that theyd listen to your concerns and maybe consider other more cost-effective solutions

Also what are you being asked to price for Using a simple example you know there is a cooker and extractor in a kitchen (and you know the location of the kitchen) what you dont know is age condition service history make amp model of the cooker or extractor Are you being asked to give them a lump sum fixed price to maintain these items for a num-ber of years with everything apart from end of life replacement to be included in your price

Alan TaylorI would question why a tender document for catering needs to be 250 pages long Sounds like itrsquos been prepared by a purchasing depart-ment that has no realistic awareness of day-to-day operational requirements and is missing some fundamental issues (no change there then)

So if a fat fryer breaks down when the first load is due to go in for a lunch time service a

ldquoWhat I see is a disconnect

in FM between contractors

and clients This disconnect is

the contract and selection of an

appropriate strategy that drives

the right behaviours

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 22

2 hour response will not get that item back and fully operational for the same day lunch time trade as it will be over It will be up to the chef to improvise with the menu and manage the change

A next day fix or 12 hour turnaround would be a better solution but if a restaurant canrsquot improvise and change its menu if one item of plant goes down you need to change the chef and the caterer It wonrsquot hurt the staff to go without chips for a day

Dave ThomasAlso with you Rob have been the recipient of one of those immediate seamless transfers - where the original team were eager to get themselves in another project and have no responsibility for what was a flawed mobilisa-tion

In the same mobilisation period I found that the Asset List I had sweated over was ignored and another fairy tale was imposed missing out over half of my list so inad-equate time allocatedcosted to MampE Also found that the engineers provided were more interested in looking for more lucrative work rather than just doing maintenance

Seems some clients want the contractor to come up with a proper Asset List for them included in the contract ignoring any information regarding past breakdowns on equipment which may lead to a query on the true condition and life hoping a new contract will magically lead to new equipment

Richard JeffryesAlan sounds like you speak from experience your bang on

Neil you make a lot of sense if only clients thought like you Yes we are being asked to price the Risk however an underlying objective of tender winner is to be the most competitive

In respect of the approach we know itrsquos an oven we know where it is we know it is business critical sounds simple but with-out the specific data this is a real lottery Commercial ovens range in value from pound1 000 to pound40 000 we may be able to make an educated guess at what the appliance is but big tenders request parts and labour-in-clusive programmes replacement parts such as a PCB on a Combination Oven can cost pound1 000 to replace so knowing the depth of the liability is essential My belief is if a site has been responsibly maintained a full and updated asset list with condition and service dates should be available If not what has the incumbent been doing and how do we know it was done This information is surely a pre-requisite when contracts are drawing

to conclusion and a renewal is due Is it com-mon practice for this data to be withheld or are companies just poor at maintaining service data

Neil EarnshawRichard I usually work client-side developing the procurement contract strategy and man-aging the tender process

My main observation of FM clients over the years is that they dont think about commer-cial risk just operational They generally dont seem to understand that where theres a risk theres a cost Therefore you end up with very risky contracts being put together and create the environment for protracted commercial negotiations during the life of the contract

Another observation has been that FM contractors do collect and maintain asset data but when it comes to re-tender the data cant be accessed by the client This is sometimes down to the contract not being clear on this but often its also due to many years of mis-management of the contract

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSENeilFor some time it has been my view that the client should own the asset data and condition assessment which it should disclose to the tenderers Similarly the maintenance records and all of these should ideally be in the client-owned CAFM

ldquoMy belief is if a site has

been maintained a full

and updated asset list with

condition and service dates

should be available If not

what has the incumbent been

doing and how do we know it

was done

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 23

When the onus is put on the success-ful bid winner to collect all the asset data confusion can reign with a completely new set of asset numbers and description and of course items can be missed Most FM managers will have come across outgoing contractors where people probably at very junior level ditch all the statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique

Gordon EasingwoodRegards client CAFMs they are generally poor non-existent or compiled by previous contractors with differing motives (ie avoid-ing financial penaltiesfailing SLAs) Same with maintenance records previous contract-ors are again likely to have differing motives as to how these were compiled based on previous SLAs I work on a local contract with very similar limitations though in different areas and trust me itrsquos extremely difficult to meet this level of commitment Ultimately if they can call you out for pound50 (or less) but can impose a SLA penalty of pound200 where is the sense in it And Im talking a 30 mile max-imum radius from a central point 2 hours responses have been missed simply due to travel delayspoor communication Even when these can be resolved in our favour the amount of adminmanagement time all has an associated cost

To put it another way there simply is not enough properly trained and experienced commercial catering equipment engineers in the country to meet such demands I know I am one and I wouldnt go near the industry again in a hurry as I guess you know from experience Add in the level of commitment (more rightly non-commitment) from some manufacturers and itrsquos an absolute night-mare Also bear in mind European rules only require parts to be available 5 years after a product is no longer manufactured Oh and if you have imports or specials just forget it I was involved with work with a well-known Indian type food chain who had special ovens that met no British or European stan-dard and had to be condemned for simply that reason This was despite a CAFM type list being presented stating all maintenance was done to (non-existent) manufacturersrsquo instructions When checked they had created models and serials numbers for the units

Lastly I would investigate what the client can put through as a 2 hour response and if you can object and on what grounds I currently have a client who does so when in 2 hours the building will be fully vacated and emptyequipment wonrsquot be used for 72 hours etc yet we still have to make attend-ance to meet SLAs Its this kind of thing

that give clients a bad nameSadly without proper input from the

client it sounds like this contract would be a financial liability and I would steer clear With proper and decent input it may be possible I would present the proposal of correct and proper information requirements to the client and try build from there If they run with what would be a non-starter you have to walk away itrsquos likely any contract wonrsquot be upheld for long from either side

Rob Farman regards people ditching statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique I have found this is generally from a quite senior level Simply either because a) itrsquos never been kept up to or b) they dont want this information to go to competitors or c) adequate provision has never been made to collate the information in the first place Things are improving in this area as FM managers take things in hand and computer records are better maintained

Peter CarrHaving worked with Rob Farnam I would completely agree I have spent the last five years client side helping to develop CAFM systems and to make sure they are 100 as accurate as the world I work in (now) Investor FM (totally different to Corporate FM) I have worked with a non-licenced sys-tem called Elogbooks for these five years purely because of these issues Tendering is difficult enough without non-existent asset data and performance understanding Good luck

David A ParryLets push for KISS based contracts Then have the inferred SLA KPIs amp effectiveness measurement compared to the actual true bottom line savings to the client and service provider in their partnering endeavours The unit of measurement could be the unem-ployed bean counters Or do they move on to another position in or outside their companies so no real accountability that this measurement in this way would show on this radar screen

Apologies for the frivolous comments but I honestly believe the real value for money is far simpler but has to be based on appro-priate measures and values for the specific situation and is industries dependent The dichotomy of this statement is it adds to complexity because truly experienced and technical trained actuary analysts are required to produce the targets numbers and not the clip board amp wet finger in the air brigade Clients need to bring in-house specialised professional knowledge to the

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

BLEAK PICTURE OF FM SCENARIO

Dr Samuel Azasu holds a PhD in Real Estate Management as well as Licentiate and MSc degrees in Real Estate Management from the Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm He also holds a BA in Economics with Statistics from the University of GhanaHe has worked as Program Coordinator and Director of Teaching and Learning in Real Estate Management at the Royal Institute of Technology In addition he was responsible for planning and managing the provision of executive training in real estate in collaboration with the Dubai Real Estate Institute in Dubai He is currently in charge of reorganising the real estate programs in Wits University

Dr Samuel Azasu spoke on survey results of Reward Management A survey of the South African FM SectorPeople yet again play a vital role

in this surveyldquoGood people are hard to come by and

retainrdquo he says ldquoThis is all happening in a context of a new generation of employees who are more loyal to their own career paths and are no longer stigmatised by the fre-quency of which jobs are changed

ldquoHow do South African FM companies reward their employees We used an online questionnaire to establish this and other questions The feedback wasnrsquot as good as wersquod hoped but as awareness of the survey grows we hope the next one will provide more respondents Still with the percentage we received we were still able to get a picture of whatrsquos going on

ldquoThe focus was not only on salary but also non-financial rewards We asked employees themselves on what they thought about remuneration in the FM sectorrdquo

What were the first impressionsldquoFirst of all I was shocked by the mere

length and breadth of job titles in the FM sector Once I had wrapped my head around this I took a look at salaries In comparison to some of the industries I know I found very low salaries in this area Bonuses have become the variable component of pay but what really surprised me was the fact that annual bonuses were at the discretion of managers which can be a dangerous way of doing things

ldquoThere were plenty of training courses but not much evidence that all this training translates into better performance We asked people what could be done better in terms of rewards ndash and there were some very angry responses about remuneration People are dissatisfied Too many are unhappy with pay on a number of different dimensionsrdquo

The majority of the respondents to the

questionnaire live in Gauteng and Dr Azasu found that many had been doing their jobs for more than 10 years As far as level of educa-tion is concerned very few had post-bachelor degrees

ldquoSpeaking of salaries itrsquos a fact that obviously money attracts people ndash but what holds staff retention typically is found in the non-financial arena When bonuses are based at the discretion of someone it blurs the line of sight The connection on what people do and what they are rewarded undermines confidence breeds cynicism Non-financials including sick pay loans insurance company cars and vaca-tions are more effective retention tools Benefits at work become very important in places where the state does not provide strong safety nets These benefits include pension RAs medical aid childcare allowance bursaries loans (per-sonal and housing) and study loansrdquo

He says what training is available varies from company to company

ldquoCompanies require employees to contribute 50 of the training costs In many compan-ies there is no goal setting and conditions for proper training does not exist In many instan-ces ldquooutsiderdquo training merely becomes time away from the office the person comes back with no noticeable difference in performance

ldquoHow can companies improve the bene-fit system Some say simple measures like allowing partners to attend year-end func-tions even if the employee needs to pay for it allowing time off for doctor dentist and optometrist visits Basic stuff but very import-ant

ldquoTop people lack leadership and employees are incapacitated There is low morale among employees Policies and procedures are not being reviewed timeously

ldquoThe meaning of pay to the individual employee provides clues to how he or she feels their achievement on the job is being met and how much is being contributed to the organi-sationrsquos goals and how powerful you are within the organisation

ldquoHow knowledgeable are people about their pay systems We found many did not know how the pay system actually works and they donrsquot know how when or if they will qualify for a raise Quite a lot of people are unhappy about their pay even if they are knowledgeable about the pay systemrdquo

Dr Azasu says many only have diplomas therefore it is not surprising that salaries are low yet many are proficient or more in their roles People are unhappy that so much discre-tion is left in the hands of the ldquobossrdquo

ldquoThis is an unfair system and needs to change along with the global picture of the FM working environment Maybe our next ques-tionnaire will provide us with a far broader and more positive picture of the FM scenariordquo n

July 2015 FM 15

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

July 2015 FM 16

FOLLOWING THE FIRE TRACKER TRIUMPHS

Trackerrsquos fire earlier this year which razed the company premises to the ground is a good lesson for all in how to go about managing a disas-ter correctly

In his talk entitled What to do in case of dis-aster a case study Michael du Preez Marketing Director of Tracker Connect says there is probably one significant event that made all the difference to the recovery effort

ldquoThe story of recovery is a simple one but donrsquot be misledrdquo says Du Preez ldquoBehind many simple stories there is lots of hard work and planning organisation and money The reality is that at one of the board meetings six months before the fire after the change of leadership at Tracker the new CEO announced that we did not have a disaster recovery plan The green light for that was given shortly after and the plan out in place ndash which was very auspicious con-sidering what lay ahead

ldquoOn January 17 a Saturday I got a call around 2am to tell me that Tracker was on fire I got there in double time along with the other directors and our chairman and watched in horror as the fire consumed everything in its path It was a significant fire and the devastation was terrifying The building had literally burned down The sad thing is that what the fire doesnrsquot destroy the firefighters will Obviously nothing you can do about that ndash except watch and weep

ldquoThe reality was that the fire was so strong that we couldnrsquot get into the building to retrieve anything The records were all destroyedrdquo

Trackerrsquos phoenix had risen though and the first recovery of a stolen vehicle was at 5am

ldquoOur disaster and recovery plan was in place to ensure that we could deliver the core promise of what our business does and make sure there was continuity Back-up records are essential

ldquoWe had our first disaster meeting at 7am had a discussion about what we were going to tell the media and then started a process which was basically organising a whole string of disaster recovery meetings on the hour through-

out the weekend On Monday morning we deployed all our staff to a new site with 90 business capability so in essence they walked into a new building as if nothing had hap-penedrdquo

Du Preez says that there a couple of things that made this possible The first thing is a plan ndashldquoand if you donrsquot have one yoursquod better get one without delayrdquo Roles and duties must be allocated to specific people Update emergency information and take careful note of that so that the plan can be implemented

ldquoThe next thing you need is a practical disaster recovery site We were lucky in that we stumbled across the correct site which was close to the building that burned down We have a very people-intensive business so we have many call centres We have about 900 people on site and these people rely on public transport to get to work so the first thing we had to consider about the disaster recovery site is to ensure staff can get there Itrsquos a logistical nightmare to expect people to go a further 30km further than what theyrsquore used to

ldquoThe other issue is your technology Trackerrsquos business is very tech-dependent to ensure a quick response system Control measures need to hit our centres immediately so we can take some action at that time processing around 20 million messages a day These come from cars telling us how fast they are driving where they are driving and what events need to be considered The real-ity is that we are protecting peoplersquos assets protecting fixed assets protecting fixed cargo and protecting peoplersquos lives with push-button assistance We needed then to make sure that the disaster recovery plan could have that system up and running immediatelyrdquo

When the decision about the site was made a number of factors had to be taken into account

ldquoWe had to think about the power grid in the area and would outages affect our

telephonic infrastructure would it impact the data infrastructure The only practical site was really the one next to our building which answered all these questions positively So we had been paying every month for this empty space ndash and that essentially was our saving grace

ldquoThe next thing to do is plan how you are going to interact with the customers and implement that part of your plan You need to empower your team to get on with the job and you have to trust them enough to be able to do that You have to have an immediate meeting to spell out the priorities so that everyone is on the same page and everything is in place to get up and running as soon as possiblerdquo

He says that although no-one told the mar-keting manager to make radio ads for Monday morning they were done and ready to flight

ldquoShe knew that we would have to be speak-ing to all our customers partners and so on and the best way to do that was above-the-line marketing The ads proved very effective and kept everyone in the loop as to what was hap-pening

ldquoThe most important thing was just to tell the truth and tell everyone what progress was being made The ads conveyed these messa-ges very well and spread immediate confidence

ldquoShow that yoursquore in control get people as productive as possible and build team spirit I think that crisis has the ability to bring people together which is exactly what happened at Tracker On the Monday and Tuesday we met with our key stakeholders and informed them how we have been affected how our customers have been affected and then throughout the week we continued to provide regular updates as to how the recovery process was progressingrdquo

When staff arrived at work on Monday mor-ning all the work stations had been numbered and all the systems were up and running We briefed them on what to tell customers and allocated them a seat and a phone Depending on what department they would be working in

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

Michael Du Preez is the Marketing Executive and Head of International Business and Strategy for Tracker He is responsible for business product brand and strategy development ndash a position he has held for the past four years Prior to his career with Tracker he was one of the founders and Managing Director of MobileData ndash a vehicle Telematics solutions company acquired by Tracker in 2007 It is this technology that continues to create value and open up new channels of busi-ness for Tracker today For many years he was a loyal member of WesBankrsquos management team serving most recently as Head of Research and Development Michael holds a senior qualification in Business Management from HenleyHis colleagues describe him as an open-minded and creative free-thinker always looking to bring innovation and strategic value to the world of vehicle Telematics His work helped pioneer Insurance Telematics in South Africa and more recently assisted in the breakthrough creation of TomTomrsquos first HD Traffic service in AfricaHe sees his future influence in the area of how technology will enable sustainable mobility models in a world challenged for resources Or simply put ensuring our future ldquofreedom to driverdquo

the staff members were all given T-shirts in dif-ferent colours for different centres They were given coffee mugs pens paper and created a bit of a carnival atmosphere and had coffee and doughnuts in reception It may have been a different site but it was business as usual

ldquoOne very important factor is that you need good supplier relationships who can play a major role in getting you back on your feetrdquo

Which is what Tracker did very effectively People hardly remember the fire because the continuity was immediate

You know how to get the phoenix to fly Give Tracker a ring n

Refense Phuso spoke on Valpreacute Spring Waterrsquos bottling plant She is plant manager of the oper-ation and naturally is proud of the fact that it was awarded the

US green honour (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ndash LEED) of Gold status in 2011

ldquoWhat LEED looks at is how you design your facility and you have to comply with many criteria such as site planning indoor environ-ment water planning energy management and material usedrdquo says Phuso ldquoWe have to use water efficiently and ensure the business is sustainable looking after the environment We are audited every year to ensure that we are still complying with LEED criteriardquo

As far as energy needs go the building runs on solar energy with the PV plant sup-plying 40KW of energy leaving the plant grid independent

ldquoOur water that we bottle has to have a cer-tain profile and we found that in Heidelberg Itrsquos over 200km from our offices but it is good news for the movement of product to Gauteng and beyond The factory has been designed to ensure minimal impact on the environment The roof has been designed to capture sunlight all day and with all the glass used in the factory there is abundant natural light streaming in

ldquoOne of our coups in energy-saving is the Air Wizard which reduces energy when run-ning a compressor The device is inside the compressor It captures the left-over energy from the compressor and takes it back in Aside from this therersquos energy-saving features

such as double-glazed windows so the reli-ance on air-conditioning is reduced The fac-tory is glass-wrapped so therersquos natural light in abundance We also have a 95 recycling effort Whatever we use in the factory we recycle We do the separation of material our-selves and Enviroserv will send different types of trucks for the various waste typesrdquo

She says that after the office block was accredited the factory went through the same process in 2013 Both are accredited to ISO 50 000 and the first plant in South Africa to be awarded this honour

ldquoValpre works continuously to improve energy performance to keep up with stan-dards in ISO 50 000 and the requirements of LEED We have to continually challenge our-selves to find new ways of reducing energy We meet on a monthly basis to discuss how well we are meeting our goals

ldquoWe also have energy meters in machines that we know use a lot of energy to keep track of what is happening there and if there are spikes on those machines it gives us the opportunity to investigate why Any anomalies must be reported and this can also highlight incorrect operator behaviour

ldquoWe have also changed from using boxes for product to trays that are plas-tic-wrapped ndash this is also an energy-saving move and in our view really enhances the product presentationrdquo n

A PLANT WITH GREAT ENERGY POWER

July 2015 FM 17

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

Refense Phuso plant manager

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 18

SLArsquos

WHOrsquoS KIDDING WHO

SLArsquos

July 2015 FM 19

Richard Jeffreys

Having just waded through 250 pages of our latest Tender I must make reference to the Fantasy section noted as SLAs In order to compete

with others I need to guarantee my catering engineers can attend anywhere in the coun-try in under 2 hours and complete resolves in under 24 hours

The standard of facts given on appli-ances service history access condition and status is poor to non-existent but the con-tract conditions are punitive and binding In essence if I have engineers standing around waiting for the next call and I am prepared to deliver at the cheapest cost guarantee parts for an appliance for which I have no data I am in the running If I tell the truth and base costs on worst case scenario due to lack of asset information I am out of the frame

Denise Booth-AlexanderThis is a national contract so presumably they are looking for someone to respond nationally but not necessarily with in-house engineers Is a consortium bid an option where you can join with others who have engineers in local areas to fulfil the 2 hour requirement Alternatively can you sub There are ways of tendering for this if the resolve is a first fix or attendance with a work around or temp solution but I agree not if it is a final fix Catering maintenance is notoriously hard as no- one really wants to carry additional expensive kit in their kitchen Suppliers of products make life very difficult with regard to spares if they themselves also offer a maintenance service We experience long delays wrong diagnoses quotes to repair that make it financially unviable to do so but no innovative thinking such as this is the fix costs and this is the replacement deal etc As customers it is extremely frus-trating but I accept that asking a company to work on a huge variety of makes and models and kit doesnt sit happily with a quick and responsive service if there is no specialityhellip every make within that business and parts are held onto by suppliers I know that a catering maintenance supplier that can

A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its internal or external customers that documents what services the provider will furnish

provide a great service and offers alternative solutions is something that we would all like as customers Perhaps the answer is some sort of industry group which includes sup-pliers to talk it out and come up with a truly customer-oriented service package

I suspect this is a pipe dream much like the closed shop that is Lift maintenance One solution for this particular tender would be to offer to produce an Assetlifecycle register as part of the bid to fully evaluate all the kit and give timescales for replace-ment including possible energy savings to provide some payback etc If you can offer something extra and point out why you can-not provide a proper and cost defined bid in the first instance but set out clearly why and what you could do to turn this around I would certainly be delighted to look at your proposals if I were the customer

Neil EarnshawRichard I concur with the views of others you will be better thought of by pulling out of the process and explaining to the client why It may be that another company out there can deliver what they need its just not your company this time It also may be that other bidders do the same thing in which case the client needs to review their procurement strategy

Im managing a tender process for a FM contract at the moment We had one bidder raise an issue and ask for a change which we respectfully refused since then two other bidders have raised the same issue so were now reconsidering our position Were doing this on the basis that the market is now tell-ing us this contract is too risky as opposed to a single bidder not having the appetite

Richard JeffryesThanks guys for all the replies and yes my gut feeling is not to compete and leave us open to penalties However the issues raised are common I feel that many tenders are have a big element of cut and paste one size fits all As noted by Denise our trade is eclectic a real mix of standards and manu-facturers if a contract is going to work it needs the attention of someone who has complete knowledge of the realities and their

ldquoIn essence if I have engineers

standing around waiting for the

next call and I am prepared

to deliver at the cheapest cost

guarantee parts for an

appliance for which I have

no data I am in the running

If I tell the truth and base costs

on worst case scenario due to

lack of asset information

I am out of the frame

Continuing our series based on posts from the

British Institute of Facility Management (BIFM)

LinkedIn sites South African FMs will find much to

identify with and are encouraged to participate in local exchanges ndash

write via LinkedIn to terryfmexpoorg or tweet tex_owen

July 2015 FM 20

issues I would like to think that I as an individual with 35 years within commercial kitchen would be listened too however many tenders especially the electronic auction style offer little scope for the personal touch which is our USP I know the environment the trade and the equipment My approach is to be realistic tell the truth dont promise the undeliverable and submit a viable cost structure I am yet though to be convinced there is scope for this in the world of group tenders

Neil EarnshawRichard keep the faith keep doing the right thing and work with your industry to help it improve

What I see is a disconnect in FM between contractors and clients This disconnect is the contract and selection of an appropriate strategy that drives the right behaviours On a personal level Im doing my bit to help improve things but Im just a lone voice more people from all sides of the FM indus-try need to recognise the problem and the opportunity to improve then well get some real change for the better

Craig ShepheardYou will normally have a mobilisation per-iod where you can get to inspect all of the equipment in order to set up your own asset list I suggest that you use this data to inform the client of any items of equipment that are obsolete or where parts would be difficult to supply The condition report could be used to say whether items that are in poor shape require monies spent on them to get them to a state where they can be maintained If the client refuses to spend that highlighted amount then those individual items do not correspond to the 2-hour SLA and are there-fore exempt from the contract

You base your contract fee on the under-standing that all items on their asset list are currently being maintained and that they are in a reasonable state of order

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSEA reasonable point Craig except like com-missioning and handover the mobilisation period can get eaten away by slippages on other elements For one major mobilisation the 8 months period for seamless transfer was cut to 3 weeks There are risks with the approach suggested

Neil Earnshaw Im with you on that Rob there are risks However from a contractors view point it does mitigate the risk of poor quality asset

data provided by the client at tender stage Are you allowed to caveat your tender submis-sion Even so I think the risk you face is an early disagreement with the client they think theyve passed a risk to you but in actual fact you passed it back to them with your caveat I absolutely would not sign the contract as is and attempt to wriggle out of your obligations post contract Craigs solution sounds sens-ible right up to the point of saying to the client spend or be damned Thats where the dis-agreement will come

Are they aware their data is poor quality or are they just saying price the risk Have they given you the impression that theyd listen to your concerns and maybe consider other more cost-effective solutions

Also what are you being asked to price for Using a simple example you know there is a cooker and extractor in a kitchen (and you know the location of the kitchen) what you dont know is age condition service history make amp model of the cooker or extractor Are you being asked to give them a lump sum fixed price to maintain these items for a num-ber of years with everything apart from end of life replacement to be included in your price

Alan TaylorI would question why a tender document for catering needs to be 250 pages long Sounds like itrsquos been prepared by a purchasing depart-ment that has no realistic awareness of day-to-day operational requirements and is missing some fundamental issues (no change there then)

So if a fat fryer breaks down when the first load is due to go in for a lunch time service a

ldquoWhat I see is a disconnect

in FM between contractors

and clients This disconnect is

the contract and selection of an

appropriate strategy that drives

the right behaviours

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 22

2 hour response will not get that item back and fully operational for the same day lunch time trade as it will be over It will be up to the chef to improvise with the menu and manage the change

A next day fix or 12 hour turnaround would be a better solution but if a restaurant canrsquot improvise and change its menu if one item of plant goes down you need to change the chef and the caterer It wonrsquot hurt the staff to go without chips for a day

Dave ThomasAlso with you Rob have been the recipient of one of those immediate seamless transfers - where the original team were eager to get themselves in another project and have no responsibility for what was a flawed mobilisa-tion

In the same mobilisation period I found that the Asset List I had sweated over was ignored and another fairy tale was imposed missing out over half of my list so inad-equate time allocatedcosted to MampE Also found that the engineers provided were more interested in looking for more lucrative work rather than just doing maintenance

Seems some clients want the contractor to come up with a proper Asset List for them included in the contract ignoring any information regarding past breakdowns on equipment which may lead to a query on the true condition and life hoping a new contract will magically lead to new equipment

Richard JeffryesAlan sounds like you speak from experience your bang on

Neil you make a lot of sense if only clients thought like you Yes we are being asked to price the Risk however an underlying objective of tender winner is to be the most competitive

In respect of the approach we know itrsquos an oven we know where it is we know it is business critical sounds simple but with-out the specific data this is a real lottery Commercial ovens range in value from pound1 000 to pound40 000 we may be able to make an educated guess at what the appliance is but big tenders request parts and labour-in-clusive programmes replacement parts such as a PCB on a Combination Oven can cost pound1 000 to replace so knowing the depth of the liability is essential My belief is if a site has been responsibly maintained a full and updated asset list with condition and service dates should be available If not what has the incumbent been doing and how do we know it was done This information is surely a pre-requisite when contracts are drawing

to conclusion and a renewal is due Is it com-mon practice for this data to be withheld or are companies just poor at maintaining service data

Neil EarnshawRichard I usually work client-side developing the procurement contract strategy and man-aging the tender process

My main observation of FM clients over the years is that they dont think about commer-cial risk just operational They generally dont seem to understand that where theres a risk theres a cost Therefore you end up with very risky contracts being put together and create the environment for protracted commercial negotiations during the life of the contract

Another observation has been that FM contractors do collect and maintain asset data but when it comes to re-tender the data cant be accessed by the client This is sometimes down to the contract not being clear on this but often its also due to many years of mis-management of the contract

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSENeilFor some time it has been my view that the client should own the asset data and condition assessment which it should disclose to the tenderers Similarly the maintenance records and all of these should ideally be in the client-owned CAFM

ldquoMy belief is if a site has

been maintained a full

and updated asset list with

condition and service dates

should be available If not

what has the incumbent been

doing and how do we know it

was done

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 23

When the onus is put on the success-ful bid winner to collect all the asset data confusion can reign with a completely new set of asset numbers and description and of course items can be missed Most FM managers will have come across outgoing contractors where people probably at very junior level ditch all the statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique

Gordon EasingwoodRegards client CAFMs they are generally poor non-existent or compiled by previous contractors with differing motives (ie avoid-ing financial penaltiesfailing SLAs) Same with maintenance records previous contract-ors are again likely to have differing motives as to how these were compiled based on previous SLAs I work on a local contract with very similar limitations though in different areas and trust me itrsquos extremely difficult to meet this level of commitment Ultimately if they can call you out for pound50 (or less) but can impose a SLA penalty of pound200 where is the sense in it And Im talking a 30 mile max-imum radius from a central point 2 hours responses have been missed simply due to travel delayspoor communication Even when these can be resolved in our favour the amount of adminmanagement time all has an associated cost

To put it another way there simply is not enough properly trained and experienced commercial catering equipment engineers in the country to meet such demands I know I am one and I wouldnt go near the industry again in a hurry as I guess you know from experience Add in the level of commitment (more rightly non-commitment) from some manufacturers and itrsquos an absolute night-mare Also bear in mind European rules only require parts to be available 5 years after a product is no longer manufactured Oh and if you have imports or specials just forget it I was involved with work with a well-known Indian type food chain who had special ovens that met no British or European stan-dard and had to be condemned for simply that reason This was despite a CAFM type list being presented stating all maintenance was done to (non-existent) manufacturersrsquo instructions When checked they had created models and serials numbers for the units

Lastly I would investigate what the client can put through as a 2 hour response and if you can object and on what grounds I currently have a client who does so when in 2 hours the building will be fully vacated and emptyequipment wonrsquot be used for 72 hours etc yet we still have to make attend-ance to meet SLAs Its this kind of thing

that give clients a bad nameSadly without proper input from the

client it sounds like this contract would be a financial liability and I would steer clear With proper and decent input it may be possible I would present the proposal of correct and proper information requirements to the client and try build from there If they run with what would be a non-starter you have to walk away itrsquos likely any contract wonrsquot be upheld for long from either side

Rob Farman regards people ditching statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique I have found this is generally from a quite senior level Simply either because a) itrsquos never been kept up to or b) they dont want this information to go to competitors or c) adequate provision has never been made to collate the information in the first place Things are improving in this area as FM managers take things in hand and computer records are better maintained

Peter CarrHaving worked with Rob Farnam I would completely agree I have spent the last five years client side helping to develop CAFM systems and to make sure they are 100 as accurate as the world I work in (now) Investor FM (totally different to Corporate FM) I have worked with a non-licenced sys-tem called Elogbooks for these five years purely because of these issues Tendering is difficult enough without non-existent asset data and performance understanding Good luck

David A ParryLets push for KISS based contracts Then have the inferred SLA KPIs amp effectiveness measurement compared to the actual true bottom line savings to the client and service provider in their partnering endeavours The unit of measurement could be the unem-ployed bean counters Or do they move on to another position in or outside their companies so no real accountability that this measurement in this way would show on this radar screen

Apologies for the frivolous comments but I honestly believe the real value for money is far simpler but has to be based on appro-priate measures and values for the specific situation and is industries dependent The dichotomy of this statement is it adds to complexity because truly experienced and technical trained actuary analysts are required to produce the targets numbers and not the clip board amp wet finger in the air brigade Clients need to bring in-house specialised professional knowledge to the

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 16

FOLLOWING THE FIRE TRACKER TRIUMPHS

Trackerrsquos fire earlier this year which razed the company premises to the ground is a good lesson for all in how to go about managing a disas-ter correctly

In his talk entitled What to do in case of dis-aster a case study Michael du Preez Marketing Director of Tracker Connect says there is probably one significant event that made all the difference to the recovery effort

ldquoThe story of recovery is a simple one but donrsquot be misledrdquo says Du Preez ldquoBehind many simple stories there is lots of hard work and planning organisation and money The reality is that at one of the board meetings six months before the fire after the change of leadership at Tracker the new CEO announced that we did not have a disaster recovery plan The green light for that was given shortly after and the plan out in place ndash which was very auspicious con-sidering what lay ahead

ldquoOn January 17 a Saturday I got a call around 2am to tell me that Tracker was on fire I got there in double time along with the other directors and our chairman and watched in horror as the fire consumed everything in its path It was a significant fire and the devastation was terrifying The building had literally burned down The sad thing is that what the fire doesnrsquot destroy the firefighters will Obviously nothing you can do about that ndash except watch and weep

ldquoThe reality was that the fire was so strong that we couldnrsquot get into the building to retrieve anything The records were all destroyedrdquo

Trackerrsquos phoenix had risen though and the first recovery of a stolen vehicle was at 5am

ldquoOur disaster and recovery plan was in place to ensure that we could deliver the core promise of what our business does and make sure there was continuity Back-up records are essential

ldquoWe had our first disaster meeting at 7am had a discussion about what we were going to tell the media and then started a process which was basically organising a whole string of disaster recovery meetings on the hour through-

out the weekend On Monday morning we deployed all our staff to a new site with 90 business capability so in essence they walked into a new building as if nothing had hap-penedrdquo

Du Preez says that there a couple of things that made this possible The first thing is a plan ndashldquoand if you donrsquot have one yoursquod better get one without delayrdquo Roles and duties must be allocated to specific people Update emergency information and take careful note of that so that the plan can be implemented

ldquoThe next thing you need is a practical disaster recovery site We were lucky in that we stumbled across the correct site which was close to the building that burned down We have a very people-intensive business so we have many call centres We have about 900 people on site and these people rely on public transport to get to work so the first thing we had to consider about the disaster recovery site is to ensure staff can get there Itrsquos a logistical nightmare to expect people to go a further 30km further than what theyrsquore used to

ldquoThe other issue is your technology Trackerrsquos business is very tech-dependent to ensure a quick response system Control measures need to hit our centres immediately so we can take some action at that time processing around 20 million messages a day These come from cars telling us how fast they are driving where they are driving and what events need to be considered The real-ity is that we are protecting peoplersquos assets protecting fixed assets protecting fixed cargo and protecting peoplersquos lives with push-button assistance We needed then to make sure that the disaster recovery plan could have that system up and running immediatelyrdquo

When the decision about the site was made a number of factors had to be taken into account

ldquoWe had to think about the power grid in the area and would outages affect our

telephonic infrastructure would it impact the data infrastructure The only practical site was really the one next to our building which answered all these questions positively So we had been paying every month for this empty space ndash and that essentially was our saving grace

ldquoThe next thing to do is plan how you are going to interact with the customers and implement that part of your plan You need to empower your team to get on with the job and you have to trust them enough to be able to do that You have to have an immediate meeting to spell out the priorities so that everyone is on the same page and everything is in place to get up and running as soon as possiblerdquo

He says that although no-one told the mar-keting manager to make radio ads for Monday morning they were done and ready to flight

ldquoShe knew that we would have to be speak-ing to all our customers partners and so on and the best way to do that was above-the-line marketing The ads proved very effective and kept everyone in the loop as to what was hap-pening

ldquoThe most important thing was just to tell the truth and tell everyone what progress was being made The ads conveyed these messa-ges very well and spread immediate confidence

ldquoShow that yoursquore in control get people as productive as possible and build team spirit I think that crisis has the ability to bring people together which is exactly what happened at Tracker On the Monday and Tuesday we met with our key stakeholders and informed them how we have been affected how our customers have been affected and then throughout the week we continued to provide regular updates as to how the recovery process was progressingrdquo

When staff arrived at work on Monday mor-ning all the work stations had been numbered and all the systems were up and running We briefed them on what to tell customers and allocated them a seat and a phone Depending on what department they would be working in

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

SAFMA CONFERENCE 2015

Michael Du Preez is the Marketing Executive and Head of International Business and Strategy for Tracker He is responsible for business product brand and strategy development ndash a position he has held for the past four years Prior to his career with Tracker he was one of the founders and Managing Director of MobileData ndash a vehicle Telematics solutions company acquired by Tracker in 2007 It is this technology that continues to create value and open up new channels of busi-ness for Tracker today For many years he was a loyal member of WesBankrsquos management team serving most recently as Head of Research and Development Michael holds a senior qualification in Business Management from HenleyHis colleagues describe him as an open-minded and creative free-thinker always looking to bring innovation and strategic value to the world of vehicle Telematics His work helped pioneer Insurance Telematics in South Africa and more recently assisted in the breakthrough creation of TomTomrsquos first HD Traffic service in AfricaHe sees his future influence in the area of how technology will enable sustainable mobility models in a world challenged for resources Or simply put ensuring our future ldquofreedom to driverdquo

the staff members were all given T-shirts in dif-ferent colours for different centres They were given coffee mugs pens paper and created a bit of a carnival atmosphere and had coffee and doughnuts in reception It may have been a different site but it was business as usual

ldquoOne very important factor is that you need good supplier relationships who can play a major role in getting you back on your feetrdquo

Which is what Tracker did very effectively People hardly remember the fire because the continuity was immediate

You know how to get the phoenix to fly Give Tracker a ring n

Refense Phuso spoke on Valpreacute Spring Waterrsquos bottling plant She is plant manager of the oper-ation and naturally is proud of the fact that it was awarded the

US green honour (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ndash LEED) of Gold status in 2011

ldquoWhat LEED looks at is how you design your facility and you have to comply with many criteria such as site planning indoor environ-ment water planning energy management and material usedrdquo says Phuso ldquoWe have to use water efficiently and ensure the business is sustainable looking after the environment We are audited every year to ensure that we are still complying with LEED criteriardquo

As far as energy needs go the building runs on solar energy with the PV plant sup-plying 40KW of energy leaving the plant grid independent

ldquoOur water that we bottle has to have a cer-tain profile and we found that in Heidelberg Itrsquos over 200km from our offices but it is good news for the movement of product to Gauteng and beyond The factory has been designed to ensure minimal impact on the environment The roof has been designed to capture sunlight all day and with all the glass used in the factory there is abundant natural light streaming in

ldquoOne of our coups in energy-saving is the Air Wizard which reduces energy when run-ning a compressor The device is inside the compressor It captures the left-over energy from the compressor and takes it back in Aside from this therersquos energy-saving features

such as double-glazed windows so the reli-ance on air-conditioning is reduced The fac-tory is glass-wrapped so therersquos natural light in abundance We also have a 95 recycling effort Whatever we use in the factory we recycle We do the separation of material our-selves and Enviroserv will send different types of trucks for the various waste typesrdquo

She says that after the office block was accredited the factory went through the same process in 2013 Both are accredited to ISO 50 000 and the first plant in South Africa to be awarded this honour

ldquoValpre works continuously to improve energy performance to keep up with stan-dards in ISO 50 000 and the requirements of LEED We have to continually challenge our-selves to find new ways of reducing energy We meet on a monthly basis to discuss how well we are meeting our goals

ldquoWe also have energy meters in machines that we know use a lot of energy to keep track of what is happening there and if there are spikes on those machines it gives us the opportunity to investigate why Any anomalies must be reported and this can also highlight incorrect operator behaviour

ldquoWe have also changed from using boxes for product to trays that are plas-tic-wrapped ndash this is also an energy-saving move and in our view really enhances the product presentationrdquo n

A PLANT WITH GREAT ENERGY POWER

July 2015 FM 17

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

Refense Phuso plant manager

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 18

SLArsquos

WHOrsquoS KIDDING WHO

SLArsquos

July 2015 FM 19

Richard Jeffreys

Having just waded through 250 pages of our latest Tender I must make reference to the Fantasy section noted as SLAs In order to compete

with others I need to guarantee my catering engineers can attend anywhere in the coun-try in under 2 hours and complete resolves in under 24 hours

The standard of facts given on appli-ances service history access condition and status is poor to non-existent but the con-tract conditions are punitive and binding In essence if I have engineers standing around waiting for the next call and I am prepared to deliver at the cheapest cost guarantee parts for an appliance for which I have no data I am in the running If I tell the truth and base costs on worst case scenario due to lack of asset information I am out of the frame

Denise Booth-AlexanderThis is a national contract so presumably they are looking for someone to respond nationally but not necessarily with in-house engineers Is a consortium bid an option where you can join with others who have engineers in local areas to fulfil the 2 hour requirement Alternatively can you sub There are ways of tendering for this if the resolve is a first fix or attendance with a work around or temp solution but I agree not if it is a final fix Catering maintenance is notoriously hard as no- one really wants to carry additional expensive kit in their kitchen Suppliers of products make life very difficult with regard to spares if they themselves also offer a maintenance service We experience long delays wrong diagnoses quotes to repair that make it financially unviable to do so but no innovative thinking such as this is the fix costs and this is the replacement deal etc As customers it is extremely frus-trating but I accept that asking a company to work on a huge variety of makes and models and kit doesnt sit happily with a quick and responsive service if there is no specialityhellip every make within that business and parts are held onto by suppliers I know that a catering maintenance supplier that can

A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its internal or external customers that documents what services the provider will furnish

provide a great service and offers alternative solutions is something that we would all like as customers Perhaps the answer is some sort of industry group which includes sup-pliers to talk it out and come up with a truly customer-oriented service package

I suspect this is a pipe dream much like the closed shop that is Lift maintenance One solution for this particular tender would be to offer to produce an Assetlifecycle register as part of the bid to fully evaluate all the kit and give timescales for replace-ment including possible energy savings to provide some payback etc If you can offer something extra and point out why you can-not provide a proper and cost defined bid in the first instance but set out clearly why and what you could do to turn this around I would certainly be delighted to look at your proposals if I were the customer

Neil EarnshawRichard I concur with the views of others you will be better thought of by pulling out of the process and explaining to the client why It may be that another company out there can deliver what they need its just not your company this time It also may be that other bidders do the same thing in which case the client needs to review their procurement strategy

Im managing a tender process for a FM contract at the moment We had one bidder raise an issue and ask for a change which we respectfully refused since then two other bidders have raised the same issue so were now reconsidering our position Were doing this on the basis that the market is now tell-ing us this contract is too risky as opposed to a single bidder not having the appetite

Richard JeffryesThanks guys for all the replies and yes my gut feeling is not to compete and leave us open to penalties However the issues raised are common I feel that many tenders are have a big element of cut and paste one size fits all As noted by Denise our trade is eclectic a real mix of standards and manu-facturers if a contract is going to work it needs the attention of someone who has complete knowledge of the realities and their

ldquoIn essence if I have engineers

standing around waiting for the

next call and I am prepared

to deliver at the cheapest cost

guarantee parts for an

appliance for which I have

no data I am in the running

If I tell the truth and base costs

on worst case scenario due to

lack of asset information

I am out of the frame

Continuing our series based on posts from the

British Institute of Facility Management (BIFM)

LinkedIn sites South African FMs will find much to

identify with and are encouraged to participate in local exchanges ndash

write via LinkedIn to terryfmexpoorg or tweet tex_owen

July 2015 FM 20

issues I would like to think that I as an individual with 35 years within commercial kitchen would be listened too however many tenders especially the electronic auction style offer little scope for the personal touch which is our USP I know the environment the trade and the equipment My approach is to be realistic tell the truth dont promise the undeliverable and submit a viable cost structure I am yet though to be convinced there is scope for this in the world of group tenders

Neil EarnshawRichard keep the faith keep doing the right thing and work with your industry to help it improve

What I see is a disconnect in FM between contractors and clients This disconnect is the contract and selection of an appropriate strategy that drives the right behaviours On a personal level Im doing my bit to help improve things but Im just a lone voice more people from all sides of the FM indus-try need to recognise the problem and the opportunity to improve then well get some real change for the better

Craig ShepheardYou will normally have a mobilisation per-iod where you can get to inspect all of the equipment in order to set up your own asset list I suggest that you use this data to inform the client of any items of equipment that are obsolete or where parts would be difficult to supply The condition report could be used to say whether items that are in poor shape require monies spent on them to get them to a state where they can be maintained If the client refuses to spend that highlighted amount then those individual items do not correspond to the 2-hour SLA and are there-fore exempt from the contract

You base your contract fee on the under-standing that all items on their asset list are currently being maintained and that they are in a reasonable state of order

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSEA reasonable point Craig except like com-missioning and handover the mobilisation period can get eaten away by slippages on other elements For one major mobilisation the 8 months period for seamless transfer was cut to 3 weeks There are risks with the approach suggested

Neil Earnshaw Im with you on that Rob there are risks However from a contractors view point it does mitigate the risk of poor quality asset

data provided by the client at tender stage Are you allowed to caveat your tender submis-sion Even so I think the risk you face is an early disagreement with the client they think theyve passed a risk to you but in actual fact you passed it back to them with your caveat I absolutely would not sign the contract as is and attempt to wriggle out of your obligations post contract Craigs solution sounds sens-ible right up to the point of saying to the client spend or be damned Thats where the dis-agreement will come

Are they aware their data is poor quality or are they just saying price the risk Have they given you the impression that theyd listen to your concerns and maybe consider other more cost-effective solutions

Also what are you being asked to price for Using a simple example you know there is a cooker and extractor in a kitchen (and you know the location of the kitchen) what you dont know is age condition service history make amp model of the cooker or extractor Are you being asked to give them a lump sum fixed price to maintain these items for a num-ber of years with everything apart from end of life replacement to be included in your price

Alan TaylorI would question why a tender document for catering needs to be 250 pages long Sounds like itrsquos been prepared by a purchasing depart-ment that has no realistic awareness of day-to-day operational requirements and is missing some fundamental issues (no change there then)

So if a fat fryer breaks down when the first load is due to go in for a lunch time service a

ldquoWhat I see is a disconnect

in FM between contractors

and clients This disconnect is

the contract and selection of an

appropriate strategy that drives

the right behaviours

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 22

2 hour response will not get that item back and fully operational for the same day lunch time trade as it will be over It will be up to the chef to improvise with the menu and manage the change

A next day fix or 12 hour turnaround would be a better solution but if a restaurant canrsquot improvise and change its menu if one item of plant goes down you need to change the chef and the caterer It wonrsquot hurt the staff to go without chips for a day

Dave ThomasAlso with you Rob have been the recipient of one of those immediate seamless transfers - where the original team were eager to get themselves in another project and have no responsibility for what was a flawed mobilisa-tion

In the same mobilisation period I found that the Asset List I had sweated over was ignored and another fairy tale was imposed missing out over half of my list so inad-equate time allocatedcosted to MampE Also found that the engineers provided were more interested in looking for more lucrative work rather than just doing maintenance

Seems some clients want the contractor to come up with a proper Asset List for them included in the contract ignoring any information regarding past breakdowns on equipment which may lead to a query on the true condition and life hoping a new contract will magically lead to new equipment

Richard JeffryesAlan sounds like you speak from experience your bang on

Neil you make a lot of sense if only clients thought like you Yes we are being asked to price the Risk however an underlying objective of tender winner is to be the most competitive

In respect of the approach we know itrsquos an oven we know where it is we know it is business critical sounds simple but with-out the specific data this is a real lottery Commercial ovens range in value from pound1 000 to pound40 000 we may be able to make an educated guess at what the appliance is but big tenders request parts and labour-in-clusive programmes replacement parts such as a PCB on a Combination Oven can cost pound1 000 to replace so knowing the depth of the liability is essential My belief is if a site has been responsibly maintained a full and updated asset list with condition and service dates should be available If not what has the incumbent been doing and how do we know it was done This information is surely a pre-requisite when contracts are drawing

to conclusion and a renewal is due Is it com-mon practice for this data to be withheld or are companies just poor at maintaining service data

Neil EarnshawRichard I usually work client-side developing the procurement contract strategy and man-aging the tender process

My main observation of FM clients over the years is that they dont think about commer-cial risk just operational They generally dont seem to understand that where theres a risk theres a cost Therefore you end up with very risky contracts being put together and create the environment for protracted commercial negotiations during the life of the contract

Another observation has been that FM contractors do collect and maintain asset data but when it comes to re-tender the data cant be accessed by the client This is sometimes down to the contract not being clear on this but often its also due to many years of mis-management of the contract

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSENeilFor some time it has been my view that the client should own the asset data and condition assessment which it should disclose to the tenderers Similarly the maintenance records and all of these should ideally be in the client-owned CAFM

ldquoMy belief is if a site has

been maintained a full

and updated asset list with

condition and service dates

should be available If not

what has the incumbent been

doing and how do we know it

was done

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 23

When the onus is put on the success-ful bid winner to collect all the asset data confusion can reign with a completely new set of asset numbers and description and of course items can be missed Most FM managers will have come across outgoing contractors where people probably at very junior level ditch all the statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique

Gordon EasingwoodRegards client CAFMs they are generally poor non-existent or compiled by previous contractors with differing motives (ie avoid-ing financial penaltiesfailing SLAs) Same with maintenance records previous contract-ors are again likely to have differing motives as to how these were compiled based on previous SLAs I work on a local contract with very similar limitations though in different areas and trust me itrsquos extremely difficult to meet this level of commitment Ultimately if they can call you out for pound50 (or less) but can impose a SLA penalty of pound200 where is the sense in it And Im talking a 30 mile max-imum radius from a central point 2 hours responses have been missed simply due to travel delayspoor communication Even when these can be resolved in our favour the amount of adminmanagement time all has an associated cost

To put it another way there simply is not enough properly trained and experienced commercial catering equipment engineers in the country to meet such demands I know I am one and I wouldnt go near the industry again in a hurry as I guess you know from experience Add in the level of commitment (more rightly non-commitment) from some manufacturers and itrsquos an absolute night-mare Also bear in mind European rules only require parts to be available 5 years after a product is no longer manufactured Oh and if you have imports or specials just forget it I was involved with work with a well-known Indian type food chain who had special ovens that met no British or European stan-dard and had to be condemned for simply that reason This was despite a CAFM type list being presented stating all maintenance was done to (non-existent) manufacturersrsquo instructions When checked they had created models and serials numbers for the units

Lastly I would investigate what the client can put through as a 2 hour response and if you can object and on what grounds I currently have a client who does so when in 2 hours the building will be fully vacated and emptyequipment wonrsquot be used for 72 hours etc yet we still have to make attend-ance to meet SLAs Its this kind of thing

that give clients a bad nameSadly without proper input from the

client it sounds like this contract would be a financial liability and I would steer clear With proper and decent input it may be possible I would present the proposal of correct and proper information requirements to the client and try build from there If they run with what would be a non-starter you have to walk away itrsquos likely any contract wonrsquot be upheld for long from either side

Rob Farman regards people ditching statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique I have found this is generally from a quite senior level Simply either because a) itrsquos never been kept up to or b) they dont want this information to go to competitors or c) adequate provision has never been made to collate the information in the first place Things are improving in this area as FM managers take things in hand and computer records are better maintained

Peter CarrHaving worked with Rob Farnam I would completely agree I have spent the last five years client side helping to develop CAFM systems and to make sure they are 100 as accurate as the world I work in (now) Investor FM (totally different to Corporate FM) I have worked with a non-licenced sys-tem called Elogbooks for these five years purely because of these issues Tendering is difficult enough without non-existent asset data and performance understanding Good luck

David A ParryLets push for KISS based contracts Then have the inferred SLA KPIs amp effectiveness measurement compared to the actual true bottom line savings to the client and service provider in their partnering endeavours The unit of measurement could be the unem-ployed bean counters Or do they move on to another position in or outside their companies so no real accountability that this measurement in this way would show on this radar screen

Apologies for the frivolous comments but I honestly believe the real value for money is far simpler but has to be based on appro-priate measures and values for the specific situation and is industries dependent The dichotomy of this statement is it adds to complexity because truly experienced and technical trained actuary analysts are required to produce the targets numbers and not the clip board amp wet finger in the air brigade Clients need to bring in-house specialised professional knowledge to the

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

Michael Du Preez is the Marketing Executive and Head of International Business and Strategy for Tracker He is responsible for business product brand and strategy development ndash a position he has held for the past four years Prior to his career with Tracker he was one of the founders and Managing Director of MobileData ndash a vehicle Telematics solutions company acquired by Tracker in 2007 It is this technology that continues to create value and open up new channels of busi-ness for Tracker today For many years he was a loyal member of WesBankrsquos management team serving most recently as Head of Research and Development Michael holds a senior qualification in Business Management from HenleyHis colleagues describe him as an open-minded and creative free-thinker always looking to bring innovation and strategic value to the world of vehicle Telematics His work helped pioneer Insurance Telematics in South Africa and more recently assisted in the breakthrough creation of TomTomrsquos first HD Traffic service in AfricaHe sees his future influence in the area of how technology will enable sustainable mobility models in a world challenged for resources Or simply put ensuring our future ldquofreedom to driverdquo

the staff members were all given T-shirts in dif-ferent colours for different centres They were given coffee mugs pens paper and created a bit of a carnival atmosphere and had coffee and doughnuts in reception It may have been a different site but it was business as usual

ldquoOne very important factor is that you need good supplier relationships who can play a major role in getting you back on your feetrdquo

Which is what Tracker did very effectively People hardly remember the fire because the continuity was immediate

You know how to get the phoenix to fly Give Tracker a ring n

Refense Phuso spoke on Valpreacute Spring Waterrsquos bottling plant She is plant manager of the oper-ation and naturally is proud of the fact that it was awarded the

US green honour (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ndash LEED) of Gold status in 2011

ldquoWhat LEED looks at is how you design your facility and you have to comply with many criteria such as site planning indoor environ-ment water planning energy management and material usedrdquo says Phuso ldquoWe have to use water efficiently and ensure the business is sustainable looking after the environment We are audited every year to ensure that we are still complying with LEED criteriardquo

As far as energy needs go the building runs on solar energy with the PV plant sup-plying 40KW of energy leaving the plant grid independent

ldquoOur water that we bottle has to have a cer-tain profile and we found that in Heidelberg Itrsquos over 200km from our offices but it is good news for the movement of product to Gauteng and beyond The factory has been designed to ensure minimal impact on the environment The roof has been designed to capture sunlight all day and with all the glass used in the factory there is abundant natural light streaming in

ldquoOne of our coups in energy-saving is the Air Wizard which reduces energy when run-ning a compressor The device is inside the compressor It captures the left-over energy from the compressor and takes it back in Aside from this therersquos energy-saving features

such as double-glazed windows so the reli-ance on air-conditioning is reduced The fac-tory is glass-wrapped so therersquos natural light in abundance We also have a 95 recycling effort Whatever we use in the factory we recycle We do the separation of material our-selves and Enviroserv will send different types of trucks for the various waste typesrdquo

She says that after the office block was accredited the factory went through the same process in 2013 Both are accredited to ISO 50 000 and the first plant in South Africa to be awarded this honour

ldquoValpre works continuously to improve energy performance to keep up with stan-dards in ISO 50 000 and the requirements of LEED We have to continually challenge our-selves to find new ways of reducing energy We meet on a monthly basis to discuss how well we are meeting our goals

ldquoWe also have energy meters in machines that we know use a lot of energy to keep track of what is happening there and if there are spikes on those machines it gives us the opportunity to investigate why Any anomalies must be reported and this can also highlight incorrect operator behaviour

ldquoWe have also changed from using boxes for product to trays that are plas-tic-wrapped ndash this is also an energy-saving move and in our view really enhances the product presentationrdquo n

A PLANT WITH GREAT ENERGY POWER

July 2015 FM 17

SAFMA CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTS

Refense Phuso plant manager

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 18

SLArsquos

WHOrsquoS KIDDING WHO

SLArsquos

July 2015 FM 19

Richard Jeffreys

Having just waded through 250 pages of our latest Tender I must make reference to the Fantasy section noted as SLAs In order to compete

with others I need to guarantee my catering engineers can attend anywhere in the coun-try in under 2 hours and complete resolves in under 24 hours

The standard of facts given on appli-ances service history access condition and status is poor to non-existent but the con-tract conditions are punitive and binding In essence if I have engineers standing around waiting for the next call and I am prepared to deliver at the cheapest cost guarantee parts for an appliance for which I have no data I am in the running If I tell the truth and base costs on worst case scenario due to lack of asset information I am out of the frame

Denise Booth-AlexanderThis is a national contract so presumably they are looking for someone to respond nationally but not necessarily with in-house engineers Is a consortium bid an option where you can join with others who have engineers in local areas to fulfil the 2 hour requirement Alternatively can you sub There are ways of tendering for this if the resolve is a first fix or attendance with a work around or temp solution but I agree not if it is a final fix Catering maintenance is notoriously hard as no- one really wants to carry additional expensive kit in their kitchen Suppliers of products make life very difficult with regard to spares if they themselves also offer a maintenance service We experience long delays wrong diagnoses quotes to repair that make it financially unviable to do so but no innovative thinking such as this is the fix costs and this is the replacement deal etc As customers it is extremely frus-trating but I accept that asking a company to work on a huge variety of makes and models and kit doesnt sit happily with a quick and responsive service if there is no specialityhellip every make within that business and parts are held onto by suppliers I know that a catering maintenance supplier that can

A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its internal or external customers that documents what services the provider will furnish

provide a great service and offers alternative solutions is something that we would all like as customers Perhaps the answer is some sort of industry group which includes sup-pliers to talk it out and come up with a truly customer-oriented service package

I suspect this is a pipe dream much like the closed shop that is Lift maintenance One solution for this particular tender would be to offer to produce an Assetlifecycle register as part of the bid to fully evaluate all the kit and give timescales for replace-ment including possible energy savings to provide some payback etc If you can offer something extra and point out why you can-not provide a proper and cost defined bid in the first instance but set out clearly why and what you could do to turn this around I would certainly be delighted to look at your proposals if I were the customer

Neil EarnshawRichard I concur with the views of others you will be better thought of by pulling out of the process and explaining to the client why It may be that another company out there can deliver what they need its just not your company this time It also may be that other bidders do the same thing in which case the client needs to review their procurement strategy

Im managing a tender process for a FM contract at the moment We had one bidder raise an issue and ask for a change which we respectfully refused since then two other bidders have raised the same issue so were now reconsidering our position Were doing this on the basis that the market is now tell-ing us this contract is too risky as opposed to a single bidder not having the appetite

Richard JeffryesThanks guys for all the replies and yes my gut feeling is not to compete and leave us open to penalties However the issues raised are common I feel that many tenders are have a big element of cut and paste one size fits all As noted by Denise our trade is eclectic a real mix of standards and manu-facturers if a contract is going to work it needs the attention of someone who has complete knowledge of the realities and their

ldquoIn essence if I have engineers

standing around waiting for the

next call and I am prepared

to deliver at the cheapest cost

guarantee parts for an

appliance for which I have

no data I am in the running

If I tell the truth and base costs

on worst case scenario due to

lack of asset information

I am out of the frame

Continuing our series based on posts from the

British Institute of Facility Management (BIFM)

LinkedIn sites South African FMs will find much to

identify with and are encouraged to participate in local exchanges ndash

write via LinkedIn to terryfmexpoorg or tweet tex_owen

July 2015 FM 20

issues I would like to think that I as an individual with 35 years within commercial kitchen would be listened too however many tenders especially the electronic auction style offer little scope for the personal touch which is our USP I know the environment the trade and the equipment My approach is to be realistic tell the truth dont promise the undeliverable and submit a viable cost structure I am yet though to be convinced there is scope for this in the world of group tenders

Neil EarnshawRichard keep the faith keep doing the right thing and work with your industry to help it improve

What I see is a disconnect in FM between contractors and clients This disconnect is the contract and selection of an appropriate strategy that drives the right behaviours On a personal level Im doing my bit to help improve things but Im just a lone voice more people from all sides of the FM indus-try need to recognise the problem and the opportunity to improve then well get some real change for the better

Craig ShepheardYou will normally have a mobilisation per-iod where you can get to inspect all of the equipment in order to set up your own asset list I suggest that you use this data to inform the client of any items of equipment that are obsolete or where parts would be difficult to supply The condition report could be used to say whether items that are in poor shape require monies spent on them to get them to a state where they can be maintained If the client refuses to spend that highlighted amount then those individual items do not correspond to the 2-hour SLA and are there-fore exempt from the contract

You base your contract fee on the under-standing that all items on their asset list are currently being maintained and that they are in a reasonable state of order

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSEA reasonable point Craig except like com-missioning and handover the mobilisation period can get eaten away by slippages on other elements For one major mobilisation the 8 months period for seamless transfer was cut to 3 weeks There are risks with the approach suggested

Neil Earnshaw Im with you on that Rob there are risks However from a contractors view point it does mitigate the risk of poor quality asset

data provided by the client at tender stage Are you allowed to caveat your tender submis-sion Even so I think the risk you face is an early disagreement with the client they think theyve passed a risk to you but in actual fact you passed it back to them with your caveat I absolutely would not sign the contract as is and attempt to wriggle out of your obligations post contract Craigs solution sounds sens-ible right up to the point of saying to the client spend or be damned Thats where the dis-agreement will come

Are they aware their data is poor quality or are they just saying price the risk Have they given you the impression that theyd listen to your concerns and maybe consider other more cost-effective solutions

Also what are you being asked to price for Using a simple example you know there is a cooker and extractor in a kitchen (and you know the location of the kitchen) what you dont know is age condition service history make amp model of the cooker or extractor Are you being asked to give them a lump sum fixed price to maintain these items for a num-ber of years with everything apart from end of life replacement to be included in your price

Alan TaylorI would question why a tender document for catering needs to be 250 pages long Sounds like itrsquos been prepared by a purchasing depart-ment that has no realistic awareness of day-to-day operational requirements and is missing some fundamental issues (no change there then)

So if a fat fryer breaks down when the first load is due to go in for a lunch time service a

ldquoWhat I see is a disconnect

in FM between contractors

and clients This disconnect is

the contract and selection of an

appropriate strategy that drives

the right behaviours

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 22

2 hour response will not get that item back and fully operational for the same day lunch time trade as it will be over It will be up to the chef to improvise with the menu and manage the change

A next day fix or 12 hour turnaround would be a better solution but if a restaurant canrsquot improvise and change its menu if one item of plant goes down you need to change the chef and the caterer It wonrsquot hurt the staff to go without chips for a day

Dave ThomasAlso with you Rob have been the recipient of one of those immediate seamless transfers - where the original team were eager to get themselves in another project and have no responsibility for what was a flawed mobilisa-tion

In the same mobilisation period I found that the Asset List I had sweated over was ignored and another fairy tale was imposed missing out over half of my list so inad-equate time allocatedcosted to MampE Also found that the engineers provided were more interested in looking for more lucrative work rather than just doing maintenance

Seems some clients want the contractor to come up with a proper Asset List for them included in the contract ignoring any information regarding past breakdowns on equipment which may lead to a query on the true condition and life hoping a new contract will magically lead to new equipment

Richard JeffryesAlan sounds like you speak from experience your bang on

Neil you make a lot of sense if only clients thought like you Yes we are being asked to price the Risk however an underlying objective of tender winner is to be the most competitive

In respect of the approach we know itrsquos an oven we know where it is we know it is business critical sounds simple but with-out the specific data this is a real lottery Commercial ovens range in value from pound1 000 to pound40 000 we may be able to make an educated guess at what the appliance is but big tenders request parts and labour-in-clusive programmes replacement parts such as a PCB on a Combination Oven can cost pound1 000 to replace so knowing the depth of the liability is essential My belief is if a site has been responsibly maintained a full and updated asset list with condition and service dates should be available If not what has the incumbent been doing and how do we know it was done This information is surely a pre-requisite when contracts are drawing

to conclusion and a renewal is due Is it com-mon practice for this data to be withheld or are companies just poor at maintaining service data

Neil EarnshawRichard I usually work client-side developing the procurement contract strategy and man-aging the tender process

My main observation of FM clients over the years is that they dont think about commer-cial risk just operational They generally dont seem to understand that where theres a risk theres a cost Therefore you end up with very risky contracts being put together and create the environment for protracted commercial negotiations during the life of the contract

Another observation has been that FM contractors do collect and maintain asset data but when it comes to re-tender the data cant be accessed by the client This is sometimes down to the contract not being clear on this but often its also due to many years of mis-management of the contract

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSENeilFor some time it has been my view that the client should own the asset data and condition assessment which it should disclose to the tenderers Similarly the maintenance records and all of these should ideally be in the client-owned CAFM

ldquoMy belief is if a site has

been maintained a full

and updated asset list with

condition and service dates

should be available If not

what has the incumbent been

doing and how do we know it

was done

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 23

When the onus is put on the success-ful bid winner to collect all the asset data confusion can reign with a completely new set of asset numbers and description and of course items can be missed Most FM managers will have come across outgoing contractors where people probably at very junior level ditch all the statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique

Gordon EasingwoodRegards client CAFMs they are generally poor non-existent or compiled by previous contractors with differing motives (ie avoid-ing financial penaltiesfailing SLAs) Same with maintenance records previous contract-ors are again likely to have differing motives as to how these were compiled based on previous SLAs I work on a local contract with very similar limitations though in different areas and trust me itrsquos extremely difficult to meet this level of commitment Ultimately if they can call you out for pound50 (or less) but can impose a SLA penalty of pound200 where is the sense in it And Im talking a 30 mile max-imum radius from a central point 2 hours responses have been missed simply due to travel delayspoor communication Even when these can be resolved in our favour the amount of adminmanagement time all has an associated cost

To put it another way there simply is not enough properly trained and experienced commercial catering equipment engineers in the country to meet such demands I know I am one and I wouldnt go near the industry again in a hurry as I guess you know from experience Add in the level of commitment (more rightly non-commitment) from some manufacturers and itrsquos an absolute night-mare Also bear in mind European rules only require parts to be available 5 years after a product is no longer manufactured Oh and if you have imports or specials just forget it I was involved with work with a well-known Indian type food chain who had special ovens that met no British or European stan-dard and had to be condemned for simply that reason This was despite a CAFM type list being presented stating all maintenance was done to (non-existent) manufacturersrsquo instructions When checked they had created models and serials numbers for the units

Lastly I would investigate what the client can put through as a 2 hour response and if you can object and on what grounds I currently have a client who does so when in 2 hours the building will be fully vacated and emptyequipment wonrsquot be used for 72 hours etc yet we still have to make attend-ance to meet SLAs Its this kind of thing

that give clients a bad nameSadly without proper input from the

client it sounds like this contract would be a financial liability and I would steer clear With proper and decent input it may be possible I would present the proposal of correct and proper information requirements to the client and try build from there If they run with what would be a non-starter you have to walk away itrsquos likely any contract wonrsquot be upheld for long from either side

Rob Farman regards people ditching statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique I have found this is generally from a quite senior level Simply either because a) itrsquos never been kept up to or b) they dont want this information to go to competitors or c) adequate provision has never been made to collate the information in the first place Things are improving in this area as FM managers take things in hand and computer records are better maintained

Peter CarrHaving worked with Rob Farnam I would completely agree I have spent the last five years client side helping to develop CAFM systems and to make sure they are 100 as accurate as the world I work in (now) Investor FM (totally different to Corporate FM) I have worked with a non-licenced sys-tem called Elogbooks for these five years purely because of these issues Tendering is difficult enough without non-existent asset data and performance understanding Good luck

David A ParryLets push for KISS based contracts Then have the inferred SLA KPIs amp effectiveness measurement compared to the actual true bottom line savings to the client and service provider in their partnering endeavours The unit of measurement could be the unem-ployed bean counters Or do they move on to another position in or outside their companies so no real accountability that this measurement in this way would show on this radar screen

Apologies for the frivolous comments but I honestly believe the real value for money is far simpler but has to be based on appro-priate measures and values for the specific situation and is industries dependent The dichotomy of this statement is it adds to complexity because truly experienced and technical trained actuary analysts are required to produce the targets numbers and not the clip board amp wet finger in the air brigade Clients need to bring in-house specialised professional knowledge to the

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 18

SLArsquos

WHOrsquoS KIDDING WHO

SLArsquos

July 2015 FM 19

Richard Jeffreys

Having just waded through 250 pages of our latest Tender I must make reference to the Fantasy section noted as SLAs In order to compete

with others I need to guarantee my catering engineers can attend anywhere in the coun-try in under 2 hours and complete resolves in under 24 hours

The standard of facts given on appli-ances service history access condition and status is poor to non-existent but the con-tract conditions are punitive and binding In essence if I have engineers standing around waiting for the next call and I am prepared to deliver at the cheapest cost guarantee parts for an appliance for which I have no data I am in the running If I tell the truth and base costs on worst case scenario due to lack of asset information I am out of the frame

Denise Booth-AlexanderThis is a national contract so presumably they are looking for someone to respond nationally but not necessarily with in-house engineers Is a consortium bid an option where you can join with others who have engineers in local areas to fulfil the 2 hour requirement Alternatively can you sub There are ways of tendering for this if the resolve is a first fix or attendance with a work around or temp solution but I agree not if it is a final fix Catering maintenance is notoriously hard as no- one really wants to carry additional expensive kit in their kitchen Suppliers of products make life very difficult with regard to spares if they themselves also offer a maintenance service We experience long delays wrong diagnoses quotes to repair that make it financially unviable to do so but no innovative thinking such as this is the fix costs and this is the replacement deal etc As customers it is extremely frus-trating but I accept that asking a company to work on a huge variety of makes and models and kit doesnt sit happily with a quick and responsive service if there is no specialityhellip every make within that business and parts are held onto by suppliers I know that a catering maintenance supplier that can

A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its internal or external customers that documents what services the provider will furnish

provide a great service and offers alternative solutions is something that we would all like as customers Perhaps the answer is some sort of industry group which includes sup-pliers to talk it out and come up with a truly customer-oriented service package

I suspect this is a pipe dream much like the closed shop that is Lift maintenance One solution for this particular tender would be to offer to produce an Assetlifecycle register as part of the bid to fully evaluate all the kit and give timescales for replace-ment including possible energy savings to provide some payback etc If you can offer something extra and point out why you can-not provide a proper and cost defined bid in the first instance but set out clearly why and what you could do to turn this around I would certainly be delighted to look at your proposals if I were the customer

Neil EarnshawRichard I concur with the views of others you will be better thought of by pulling out of the process and explaining to the client why It may be that another company out there can deliver what they need its just not your company this time It also may be that other bidders do the same thing in which case the client needs to review their procurement strategy

Im managing a tender process for a FM contract at the moment We had one bidder raise an issue and ask for a change which we respectfully refused since then two other bidders have raised the same issue so were now reconsidering our position Were doing this on the basis that the market is now tell-ing us this contract is too risky as opposed to a single bidder not having the appetite

Richard JeffryesThanks guys for all the replies and yes my gut feeling is not to compete and leave us open to penalties However the issues raised are common I feel that many tenders are have a big element of cut and paste one size fits all As noted by Denise our trade is eclectic a real mix of standards and manu-facturers if a contract is going to work it needs the attention of someone who has complete knowledge of the realities and their

ldquoIn essence if I have engineers

standing around waiting for the

next call and I am prepared

to deliver at the cheapest cost

guarantee parts for an

appliance for which I have

no data I am in the running

If I tell the truth and base costs

on worst case scenario due to

lack of asset information

I am out of the frame

Continuing our series based on posts from the

British Institute of Facility Management (BIFM)

LinkedIn sites South African FMs will find much to

identify with and are encouraged to participate in local exchanges ndash

write via LinkedIn to terryfmexpoorg or tweet tex_owen

July 2015 FM 20

issues I would like to think that I as an individual with 35 years within commercial kitchen would be listened too however many tenders especially the electronic auction style offer little scope for the personal touch which is our USP I know the environment the trade and the equipment My approach is to be realistic tell the truth dont promise the undeliverable and submit a viable cost structure I am yet though to be convinced there is scope for this in the world of group tenders

Neil EarnshawRichard keep the faith keep doing the right thing and work with your industry to help it improve

What I see is a disconnect in FM between contractors and clients This disconnect is the contract and selection of an appropriate strategy that drives the right behaviours On a personal level Im doing my bit to help improve things but Im just a lone voice more people from all sides of the FM indus-try need to recognise the problem and the opportunity to improve then well get some real change for the better

Craig ShepheardYou will normally have a mobilisation per-iod where you can get to inspect all of the equipment in order to set up your own asset list I suggest that you use this data to inform the client of any items of equipment that are obsolete or where parts would be difficult to supply The condition report could be used to say whether items that are in poor shape require monies spent on them to get them to a state where they can be maintained If the client refuses to spend that highlighted amount then those individual items do not correspond to the 2-hour SLA and are there-fore exempt from the contract

You base your contract fee on the under-standing that all items on their asset list are currently being maintained and that they are in a reasonable state of order

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSEA reasonable point Craig except like com-missioning and handover the mobilisation period can get eaten away by slippages on other elements For one major mobilisation the 8 months period for seamless transfer was cut to 3 weeks There are risks with the approach suggested

Neil Earnshaw Im with you on that Rob there are risks However from a contractors view point it does mitigate the risk of poor quality asset

data provided by the client at tender stage Are you allowed to caveat your tender submis-sion Even so I think the risk you face is an early disagreement with the client they think theyve passed a risk to you but in actual fact you passed it back to them with your caveat I absolutely would not sign the contract as is and attempt to wriggle out of your obligations post contract Craigs solution sounds sens-ible right up to the point of saying to the client spend or be damned Thats where the dis-agreement will come

Are they aware their data is poor quality or are they just saying price the risk Have they given you the impression that theyd listen to your concerns and maybe consider other more cost-effective solutions

Also what are you being asked to price for Using a simple example you know there is a cooker and extractor in a kitchen (and you know the location of the kitchen) what you dont know is age condition service history make amp model of the cooker or extractor Are you being asked to give them a lump sum fixed price to maintain these items for a num-ber of years with everything apart from end of life replacement to be included in your price

Alan TaylorI would question why a tender document for catering needs to be 250 pages long Sounds like itrsquos been prepared by a purchasing depart-ment that has no realistic awareness of day-to-day operational requirements and is missing some fundamental issues (no change there then)

So if a fat fryer breaks down when the first load is due to go in for a lunch time service a

ldquoWhat I see is a disconnect

in FM between contractors

and clients This disconnect is

the contract and selection of an

appropriate strategy that drives

the right behaviours

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 22

2 hour response will not get that item back and fully operational for the same day lunch time trade as it will be over It will be up to the chef to improvise with the menu and manage the change

A next day fix or 12 hour turnaround would be a better solution but if a restaurant canrsquot improvise and change its menu if one item of plant goes down you need to change the chef and the caterer It wonrsquot hurt the staff to go without chips for a day

Dave ThomasAlso with you Rob have been the recipient of one of those immediate seamless transfers - where the original team were eager to get themselves in another project and have no responsibility for what was a flawed mobilisa-tion

In the same mobilisation period I found that the Asset List I had sweated over was ignored and another fairy tale was imposed missing out over half of my list so inad-equate time allocatedcosted to MampE Also found that the engineers provided were more interested in looking for more lucrative work rather than just doing maintenance

Seems some clients want the contractor to come up with a proper Asset List for them included in the contract ignoring any information regarding past breakdowns on equipment which may lead to a query on the true condition and life hoping a new contract will magically lead to new equipment

Richard JeffryesAlan sounds like you speak from experience your bang on

Neil you make a lot of sense if only clients thought like you Yes we are being asked to price the Risk however an underlying objective of tender winner is to be the most competitive

In respect of the approach we know itrsquos an oven we know where it is we know it is business critical sounds simple but with-out the specific data this is a real lottery Commercial ovens range in value from pound1 000 to pound40 000 we may be able to make an educated guess at what the appliance is but big tenders request parts and labour-in-clusive programmes replacement parts such as a PCB on a Combination Oven can cost pound1 000 to replace so knowing the depth of the liability is essential My belief is if a site has been responsibly maintained a full and updated asset list with condition and service dates should be available If not what has the incumbent been doing and how do we know it was done This information is surely a pre-requisite when contracts are drawing

to conclusion and a renewal is due Is it com-mon practice for this data to be withheld or are companies just poor at maintaining service data

Neil EarnshawRichard I usually work client-side developing the procurement contract strategy and man-aging the tender process

My main observation of FM clients over the years is that they dont think about commer-cial risk just operational They generally dont seem to understand that where theres a risk theres a cost Therefore you end up with very risky contracts being put together and create the environment for protracted commercial negotiations during the life of the contract

Another observation has been that FM contractors do collect and maintain asset data but when it comes to re-tender the data cant be accessed by the client This is sometimes down to the contract not being clear on this but often its also due to many years of mis-management of the contract

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSENeilFor some time it has been my view that the client should own the asset data and condition assessment which it should disclose to the tenderers Similarly the maintenance records and all of these should ideally be in the client-owned CAFM

ldquoMy belief is if a site has

been maintained a full

and updated asset list with

condition and service dates

should be available If not

what has the incumbent been

doing and how do we know it

was done

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 23

When the onus is put on the success-ful bid winner to collect all the asset data confusion can reign with a completely new set of asset numbers and description and of course items can be missed Most FM managers will have come across outgoing contractors where people probably at very junior level ditch all the statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique

Gordon EasingwoodRegards client CAFMs they are generally poor non-existent or compiled by previous contractors with differing motives (ie avoid-ing financial penaltiesfailing SLAs) Same with maintenance records previous contract-ors are again likely to have differing motives as to how these were compiled based on previous SLAs I work on a local contract with very similar limitations though in different areas and trust me itrsquos extremely difficult to meet this level of commitment Ultimately if they can call you out for pound50 (or less) but can impose a SLA penalty of pound200 where is the sense in it And Im talking a 30 mile max-imum radius from a central point 2 hours responses have been missed simply due to travel delayspoor communication Even when these can be resolved in our favour the amount of adminmanagement time all has an associated cost

To put it another way there simply is not enough properly trained and experienced commercial catering equipment engineers in the country to meet such demands I know I am one and I wouldnt go near the industry again in a hurry as I guess you know from experience Add in the level of commitment (more rightly non-commitment) from some manufacturers and itrsquos an absolute night-mare Also bear in mind European rules only require parts to be available 5 years after a product is no longer manufactured Oh and if you have imports or specials just forget it I was involved with work with a well-known Indian type food chain who had special ovens that met no British or European stan-dard and had to be condemned for simply that reason This was despite a CAFM type list being presented stating all maintenance was done to (non-existent) manufacturersrsquo instructions When checked they had created models and serials numbers for the units

Lastly I would investigate what the client can put through as a 2 hour response and if you can object and on what grounds I currently have a client who does so when in 2 hours the building will be fully vacated and emptyequipment wonrsquot be used for 72 hours etc yet we still have to make attend-ance to meet SLAs Its this kind of thing

that give clients a bad nameSadly without proper input from the

client it sounds like this contract would be a financial liability and I would steer clear With proper and decent input it may be possible I would present the proposal of correct and proper information requirements to the client and try build from there If they run with what would be a non-starter you have to walk away itrsquos likely any contract wonrsquot be upheld for long from either side

Rob Farman regards people ditching statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique I have found this is generally from a quite senior level Simply either because a) itrsquos never been kept up to or b) they dont want this information to go to competitors or c) adequate provision has never been made to collate the information in the first place Things are improving in this area as FM managers take things in hand and computer records are better maintained

Peter CarrHaving worked with Rob Farnam I would completely agree I have spent the last five years client side helping to develop CAFM systems and to make sure they are 100 as accurate as the world I work in (now) Investor FM (totally different to Corporate FM) I have worked with a non-licenced sys-tem called Elogbooks for these five years purely because of these issues Tendering is difficult enough without non-existent asset data and performance understanding Good luck

David A ParryLets push for KISS based contracts Then have the inferred SLA KPIs amp effectiveness measurement compared to the actual true bottom line savings to the client and service provider in their partnering endeavours The unit of measurement could be the unem-ployed bean counters Or do they move on to another position in or outside their companies so no real accountability that this measurement in this way would show on this radar screen

Apologies for the frivolous comments but I honestly believe the real value for money is far simpler but has to be based on appro-priate measures and values for the specific situation and is industries dependent The dichotomy of this statement is it adds to complexity because truly experienced and technical trained actuary analysts are required to produce the targets numbers and not the clip board amp wet finger in the air brigade Clients need to bring in-house specialised professional knowledge to the

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

SLArsquos

July 2015 FM 19

Richard Jeffreys

Having just waded through 250 pages of our latest Tender I must make reference to the Fantasy section noted as SLAs In order to compete

with others I need to guarantee my catering engineers can attend anywhere in the coun-try in under 2 hours and complete resolves in under 24 hours

The standard of facts given on appli-ances service history access condition and status is poor to non-existent but the con-tract conditions are punitive and binding In essence if I have engineers standing around waiting for the next call and I am prepared to deliver at the cheapest cost guarantee parts for an appliance for which I have no data I am in the running If I tell the truth and base costs on worst case scenario due to lack of asset information I am out of the frame

Denise Booth-AlexanderThis is a national contract so presumably they are looking for someone to respond nationally but not necessarily with in-house engineers Is a consortium bid an option where you can join with others who have engineers in local areas to fulfil the 2 hour requirement Alternatively can you sub There are ways of tendering for this if the resolve is a first fix or attendance with a work around or temp solution but I agree not if it is a final fix Catering maintenance is notoriously hard as no- one really wants to carry additional expensive kit in their kitchen Suppliers of products make life very difficult with regard to spares if they themselves also offer a maintenance service We experience long delays wrong diagnoses quotes to repair that make it financially unviable to do so but no innovative thinking such as this is the fix costs and this is the replacement deal etc As customers it is extremely frus-trating but I accept that asking a company to work on a huge variety of makes and models and kit doesnt sit happily with a quick and responsive service if there is no specialityhellip every make within that business and parts are held onto by suppliers I know that a catering maintenance supplier that can

A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its internal or external customers that documents what services the provider will furnish

provide a great service and offers alternative solutions is something that we would all like as customers Perhaps the answer is some sort of industry group which includes sup-pliers to talk it out and come up with a truly customer-oriented service package

I suspect this is a pipe dream much like the closed shop that is Lift maintenance One solution for this particular tender would be to offer to produce an Assetlifecycle register as part of the bid to fully evaluate all the kit and give timescales for replace-ment including possible energy savings to provide some payback etc If you can offer something extra and point out why you can-not provide a proper and cost defined bid in the first instance but set out clearly why and what you could do to turn this around I would certainly be delighted to look at your proposals if I were the customer

Neil EarnshawRichard I concur with the views of others you will be better thought of by pulling out of the process and explaining to the client why It may be that another company out there can deliver what they need its just not your company this time It also may be that other bidders do the same thing in which case the client needs to review their procurement strategy

Im managing a tender process for a FM contract at the moment We had one bidder raise an issue and ask for a change which we respectfully refused since then two other bidders have raised the same issue so were now reconsidering our position Were doing this on the basis that the market is now tell-ing us this contract is too risky as opposed to a single bidder not having the appetite

Richard JeffryesThanks guys for all the replies and yes my gut feeling is not to compete and leave us open to penalties However the issues raised are common I feel that many tenders are have a big element of cut and paste one size fits all As noted by Denise our trade is eclectic a real mix of standards and manu-facturers if a contract is going to work it needs the attention of someone who has complete knowledge of the realities and their

ldquoIn essence if I have engineers

standing around waiting for the

next call and I am prepared

to deliver at the cheapest cost

guarantee parts for an

appliance for which I have

no data I am in the running

If I tell the truth and base costs

on worst case scenario due to

lack of asset information

I am out of the frame

Continuing our series based on posts from the

British Institute of Facility Management (BIFM)

LinkedIn sites South African FMs will find much to

identify with and are encouraged to participate in local exchanges ndash

write via LinkedIn to terryfmexpoorg or tweet tex_owen

July 2015 FM 20

issues I would like to think that I as an individual with 35 years within commercial kitchen would be listened too however many tenders especially the electronic auction style offer little scope for the personal touch which is our USP I know the environment the trade and the equipment My approach is to be realistic tell the truth dont promise the undeliverable and submit a viable cost structure I am yet though to be convinced there is scope for this in the world of group tenders

Neil EarnshawRichard keep the faith keep doing the right thing and work with your industry to help it improve

What I see is a disconnect in FM between contractors and clients This disconnect is the contract and selection of an appropriate strategy that drives the right behaviours On a personal level Im doing my bit to help improve things but Im just a lone voice more people from all sides of the FM indus-try need to recognise the problem and the opportunity to improve then well get some real change for the better

Craig ShepheardYou will normally have a mobilisation per-iod where you can get to inspect all of the equipment in order to set up your own asset list I suggest that you use this data to inform the client of any items of equipment that are obsolete or where parts would be difficult to supply The condition report could be used to say whether items that are in poor shape require monies spent on them to get them to a state where they can be maintained If the client refuses to spend that highlighted amount then those individual items do not correspond to the 2-hour SLA and are there-fore exempt from the contract

You base your contract fee on the under-standing that all items on their asset list are currently being maintained and that they are in a reasonable state of order

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSEA reasonable point Craig except like com-missioning and handover the mobilisation period can get eaten away by slippages on other elements For one major mobilisation the 8 months period for seamless transfer was cut to 3 weeks There are risks with the approach suggested

Neil Earnshaw Im with you on that Rob there are risks However from a contractors view point it does mitigate the risk of poor quality asset

data provided by the client at tender stage Are you allowed to caveat your tender submis-sion Even so I think the risk you face is an early disagreement with the client they think theyve passed a risk to you but in actual fact you passed it back to them with your caveat I absolutely would not sign the contract as is and attempt to wriggle out of your obligations post contract Craigs solution sounds sens-ible right up to the point of saying to the client spend or be damned Thats where the dis-agreement will come

Are they aware their data is poor quality or are they just saying price the risk Have they given you the impression that theyd listen to your concerns and maybe consider other more cost-effective solutions

Also what are you being asked to price for Using a simple example you know there is a cooker and extractor in a kitchen (and you know the location of the kitchen) what you dont know is age condition service history make amp model of the cooker or extractor Are you being asked to give them a lump sum fixed price to maintain these items for a num-ber of years with everything apart from end of life replacement to be included in your price

Alan TaylorI would question why a tender document for catering needs to be 250 pages long Sounds like itrsquos been prepared by a purchasing depart-ment that has no realistic awareness of day-to-day operational requirements and is missing some fundamental issues (no change there then)

So if a fat fryer breaks down when the first load is due to go in for a lunch time service a

ldquoWhat I see is a disconnect

in FM between contractors

and clients This disconnect is

the contract and selection of an

appropriate strategy that drives

the right behaviours

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 22

2 hour response will not get that item back and fully operational for the same day lunch time trade as it will be over It will be up to the chef to improvise with the menu and manage the change

A next day fix or 12 hour turnaround would be a better solution but if a restaurant canrsquot improvise and change its menu if one item of plant goes down you need to change the chef and the caterer It wonrsquot hurt the staff to go without chips for a day

Dave ThomasAlso with you Rob have been the recipient of one of those immediate seamless transfers - where the original team were eager to get themselves in another project and have no responsibility for what was a flawed mobilisa-tion

In the same mobilisation period I found that the Asset List I had sweated over was ignored and another fairy tale was imposed missing out over half of my list so inad-equate time allocatedcosted to MampE Also found that the engineers provided were more interested in looking for more lucrative work rather than just doing maintenance

Seems some clients want the contractor to come up with a proper Asset List for them included in the contract ignoring any information regarding past breakdowns on equipment which may lead to a query on the true condition and life hoping a new contract will magically lead to new equipment

Richard JeffryesAlan sounds like you speak from experience your bang on

Neil you make a lot of sense if only clients thought like you Yes we are being asked to price the Risk however an underlying objective of tender winner is to be the most competitive

In respect of the approach we know itrsquos an oven we know where it is we know it is business critical sounds simple but with-out the specific data this is a real lottery Commercial ovens range in value from pound1 000 to pound40 000 we may be able to make an educated guess at what the appliance is but big tenders request parts and labour-in-clusive programmes replacement parts such as a PCB on a Combination Oven can cost pound1 000 to replace so knowing the depth of the liability is essential My belief is if a site has been responsibly maintained a full and updated asset list with condition and service dates should be available If not what has the incumbent been doing and how do we know it was done This information is surely a pre-requisite when contracts are drawing

to conclusion and a renewal is due Is it com-mon practice for this data to be withheld or are companies just poor at maintaining service data

Neil EarnshawRichard I usually work client-side developing the procurement contract strategy and man-aging the tender process

My main observation of FM clients over the years is that they dont think about commer-cial risk just operational They generally dont seem to understand that where theres a risk theres a cost Therefore you end up with very risky contracts being put together and create the environment for protracted commercial negotiations during the life of the contract

Another observation has been that FM contractors do collect and maintain asset data but when it comes to re-tender the data cant be accessed by the client This is sometimes down to the contract not being clear on this but often its also due to many years of mis-management of the contract

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSENeilFor some time it has been my view that the client should own the asset data and condition assessment which it should disclose to the tenderers Similarly the maintenance records and all of these should ideally be in the client-owned CAFM

ldquoMy belief is if a site has

been maintained a full

and updated asset list with

condition and service dates

should be available If not

what has the incumbent been

doing and how do we know it

was done

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 23

When the onus is put on the success-ful bid winner to collect all the asset data confusion can reign with a completely new set of asset numbers and description and of course items can be missed Most FM managers will have come across outgoing contractors where people probably at very junior level ditch all the statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique

Gordon EasingwoodRegards client CAFMs they are generally poor non-existent or compiled by previous contractors with differing motives (ie avoid-ing financial penaltiesfailing SLAs) Same with maintenance records previous contract-ors are again likely to have differing motives as to how these were compiled based on previous SLAs I work on a local contract with very similar limitations though in different areas and trust me itrsquos extremely difficult to meet this level of commitment Ultimately if they can call you out for pound50 (or less) but can impose a SLA penalty of pound200 where is the sense in it And Im talking a 30 mile max-imum radius from a central point 2 hours responses have been missed simply due to travel delayspoor communication Even when these can be resolved in our favour the amount of adminmanagement time all has an associated cost

To put it another way there simply is not enough properly trained and experienced commercial catering equipment engineers in the country to meet such demands I know I am one and I wouldnt go near the industry again in a hurry as I guess you know from experience Add in the level of commitment (more rightly non-commitment) from some manufacturers and itrsquos an absolute night-mare Also bear in mind European rules only require parts to be available 5 years after a product is no longer manufactured Oh and if you have imports or specials just forget it I was involved with work with a well-known Indian type food chain who had special ovens that met no British or European stan-dard and had to be condemned for simply that reason This was despite a CAFM type list being presented stating all maintenance was done to (non-existent) manufacturersrsquo instructions When checked they had created models and serials numbers for the units

Lastly I would investigate what the client can put through as a 2 hour response and if you can object and on what grounds I currently have a client who does so when in 2 hours the building will be fully vacated and emptyequipment wonrsquot be used for 72 hours etc yet we still have to make attend-ance to meet SLAs Its this kind of thing

that give clients a bad nameSadly without proper input from the

client it sounds like this contract would be a financial liability and I would steer clear With proper and decent input it may be possible I would present the proposal of correct and proper information requirements to the client and try build from there If they run with what would be a non-starter you have to walk away itrsquos likely any contract wonrsquot be upheld for long from either side

Rob Farman regards people ditching statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique I have found this is generally from a quite senior level Simply either because a) itrsquos never been kept up to or b) they dont want this information to go to competitors or c) adequate provision has never been made to collate the information in the first place Things are improving in this area as FM managers take things in hand and computer records are better maintained

Peter CarrHaving worked with Rob Farnam I would completely agree I have spent the last five years client side helping to develop CAFM systems and to make sure they are 100 as accurate as the world I work in (now) Investor FM (totally different to Corporate FM) I have worked with a non-licenced sys-tem called Elogbooks for these five years purely because of these issues Tendering is difficult enough without non-existent asset data and performance understanding Good luck

David A ParryLets push for KISS based contracts Then have the inferred SLA KPIs amp effectiveness measurement compared to the actual true bottom line savings to the client and service provider in their partnering endeavours The unit of measurement could be the unem-ployed bean counters Or do they move on to another position in or outside their companies so no real accountability that this measurement in this way would show on this radar screen

Apologies for the frivolous comments but I honestly believe the real value for money is far simpler but has to be based on appro-priate measures and values for the specific situation and is industries dependent The dichotomy of this statement is it adds to complexity because truly experienced and technical trained actuary analysts are required to produce the targets numbers and not the clip board amp wet finger in the air brigade Clients need to bring in-house specialised professional knowledge to the

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 20

issues I would like to think that I as an individual with 35 years within commercial kitchen would be listened too however many tenders especially the electronic auction style offer little scope for the personal touch which is our USP I know the environment the trade and the equipment My approach is to be realistic tell the truth dont promise the undeliverable and submit a viable cost structure I am yet though to be convinced there is scope for this in the world of group tenders

Neil EarnshawRichard keep the faith keep doing the right thing and work with your industry to help it improve

What I see is a disconnect in FM between contractors and clients This disconnect is the contract and selection of an appropriate strategy that drives the right behaviours On a personal level Im doing my bit to help improve things but Im just a lone voice more people from all sides of the FM indus-try need to recognise the problem and the opportunity to improve then well get some real change for the better

Craig ShepheardYou will normally have a mobilisation per-iod where you can get to inspect all of the equipment in order to set up your own asset list I suggest that you use this data to inform the client of any items of equipment that are obsolete or where parts would be difficult to supply The condition report could be used to say whether items that are in poor shape require monies spent on them to get them to a state where they can be maintained If the client refuses to spend that highlighted amount then those individual items do not correspond to the 2-hour SLA and are there-fore exempt from the contract

You base your contract fee on the under-standing that all items on their asset list are currently being maintained and that they are in a reasonable state of order

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSEA reasonable point Craig except like com-missioning and handover the mobilisation period can get eaten away by slippages on other elements For one major mobilisation the 8 months period for seamless transfer was cut to 3 weeks There are risks with the approach suggested

Neil Earnshaw Im with you on that Rob there are risks However from a contractors view point it does mitigate the risk of poor quality asset

data provided by the client at tender stage Are you allowed to caveat your tender submis-sion Even so I think the risk you face is an early disagreement with the client they think theyve passed a risk to you but in actual fact you passed it back to them with your caveat I absolutely would not sign the contract as is and attempt to wriggle out of your obligations post contract Craigs solution sounds sens-ible right up to the point of saying to the client spend or be damned Thats where the dis-agreement will come

Are they aware their data is poor quality or are they just saying price the risk Have they given you the impression that theyd listen to your concerns and maybe consider other more cost-effective solutions

Also what are you being asked to price for Using a simple example you know there is a cooker and extractor in a kitchen (and you know the location of the kitchen) what you dont know is age condition service history make amp model of the cooker or extractor Are you being asked to give them a lump sum fixed price to maintain these items for a num-ber of years with everything apart from end of life replacement to be included in your price

Alan TaylorI would question why a tender document for catering needs to be 250 pages long Sounds like itrsquos been prepared by a purchasing depart-ment that has no realistic awareness of day-to-day operational requirements and is missing some fundamental issues (no change there then)

So if a fat fryer breaks down when the first load is due to go in for a lunch time service a

ldquoWhat I see is a disconnect

in FM between contractors

and clients This disconnect is

the contract and selection of an

appropriate strategy that drives

the right behaviours

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 22

2 hour response will not get that item back and fully operational for the same day lunch time trade as it will be over It will be up to the chef to improvise with the menu and manage the change

A next day fix or 12 hour turnaround would be a better solution but if a restaurant canrsquot improvise and change its menu if one item of plant goes down you need to change the chef and the caterer It wonrsquot hurt the staff to go without chips for a day

Dave ThomasAlso with you Rob have been the recipient of one of those immediate seamless transfers - where the original team were eager to get themselves in another project and have no responsibility for what was a flawed mobilisa-tion

In the same mobilisation period I found that the Asset List I had sweated over was ignored and another fairy tale was imposed missing out over half of my list so inad-equate time allocatedcosted to MampE Also found that the engineers provided were more interested in looking for more lucrative work rather than just doing maintenance

Seems some clients want the contractor to come up with a proper Asset List for them included in the contract ignoring any information regarding past breakdowns on equipment which may lead to a query on the true condition and life hoping a new contract will magically lead to new equipment

Richard JeffryesAlan sounds like you speak from experience your bang on

Neil you make a lot of sense if only clients thought like you Yes we are being asked to price the Risk however an underlying objective of tender winner is to be the most competitive

In respect of the approach we know itrsquos an oven we know where it is we know it is business critical sounds simple but with-out the specific data this is a real lottery Commercial ovens range in value from pound1 000 to pound40 000 we may be able to make an educated guess at what the appliance is but big tenders request parts and labour-in-clusive programmes replacement parts such as a PCB on a Combination Oven can cost pound1 000 to replace so knowing the depth of the liability is essential My belief is if a site has been responsibly maintained a full and updated asset list with condition and service dates should be available If not what has the incumbent been doing and how do we know it was done This information is surely a pre-requisite when contracts are drawing

to conclusion and a renewal is due Is it com-mon practice for this data to be withheld or are companies just poor at maintaining service data

Neil EarnshawRichard I usually work client-side developing the procurement contract strategy and man-aging the tender process

My main observation of FM clients over the years is that they dont think about commer-cial risk just operational They generally dont seem to understand that where theres a risk theres a cost Therefore you end up with very risky contracts being put together and create the environment for protracted commercial negotiations during the life of the contract

Another observation has been that FM contractors do collect and maintain asset data but when it comes to re-tender the data cant be accessed by the client This is sometimes down to the contract not being clear on this but often its also due to many years of mis-management of the contract

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSENeilFor some time it has been my view that the client should own the asset data and condition assessment which it should disclose to the tenderers Similarly the maintenance records and all of these should ideally be in the client-owned CAFM

ldquoMy belief is if a site has

been maintained a full

and updated asset list with

condition and service dates

should be available If not

what has the incumbent been

doing and how do we know it

was done

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 23

When the onus is put on the success-ful bid winner to collect all the asset data confusion can reign with a completely new set of asset numbers and description and of course items can be missed Most FM managers will have come across outgoing contractors where people probably at very junior level ditch all the statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique

Gordon EasingwoodRegards client CAFMs they are generally poor non-existent or compiled by previous contractors with differing motives (ie avoid-ing financial penaltiesfailing SLAs) Same with maintenance records previous contract-ors are again likely to have differing motives as to how these were compiled based on previous SLAs I work on a local contract with very similar limitations though in different areas and trust me itrsquos extremely difficult to meet this level of commitment Ultimately if they can call you out for pound50 (or less) but can impose a SLA penalty of pound200 where is the sense in it And Im talking a 30 mile max-imum radius from a central point 2 hours responses have been missed simply due to travel delayspoor communication Even when these can be resolved in our favour the amount of adminmanagement time all has an associated cost

To put it another way there simply is not enough properly trained and experienced commercial catering equipment engineers in the country to meet such demands I know I am one and I wouldnt go near the industry again in a hurry as I guess you know from experience Add in the level of commitment (more rightly non-commitment) from some manufacturers and itrsquos an absolute night-mare Also bear in mind European rules only require parts to be available 5 years after a product is no longer manufactured Oh and if you have imports or specials just forget it I was involved with work with a well-known Indian type food chain who had special ovens that met no British or European stan-dard and had to be condemned for simply that reason This was despite a CAFM type list being presented stating all maintenance was done to (non-existent) manufacturersrsquo instructions When checked they had created models and serials numbers for the units

Lastly I would investigate what the client can put through as a 2 hour response and if you can object and on what grounds I currently have a client who does so when in 2 hours the building will be fully vacated and emptyequipment wonrsquot be used for 72 hours etc yet we still have to make attend-ance to meet SLAs Its this kind of thing

that give clients a bad nameSadly without proper input from the

client it sounds like this contract would be a financial liability and I would steer clear With proper and decent input it may be possible I would present the proposal of correct and proper information requirements to the client and try build from there If they run with what would be a non-starter you have to walk away itrsquos likely any contract wonrsquot be upheld for long from either side

Rob Farman regards people ditching statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique I have found this is generally from a quite senior level Simply either because a) itrsquos never been kept up to or b) they dont want this information to go to competitors or c) adequate provision has never been made to collate the information in the first place Things are improving in this area as FM managers take things in hand and computer records are better maintained

Peter CarrHaving worked with Rob Farnam I would completely agree I have spent the last five years client side helping to develop CAFM systems and to make sure they are 100 as accurate as the world I work in (now) Investor FM (totally different to Corporate FM) I have worked with a non-licenced sys-tem called Elogbooks for these five years purely because of these issues Tendering is difficult enough without non-existent asset data and performance understanding Good luck

David A ParryLets push for KISS based contracts Then have the inferred SLA KPIs amp effectiveness measurement compared to the actual true bottom line savings to the client and service provider in their partnering endeavours The unit of measurement could be the unem-ployed bean counters Or do they move on to another position in or outside their companies so no real accountability that this measurement in this way would show on this radar screen

Apologies for the frivolous comments but I honestly believe the real value for money is far simpler but has to be based on appro-priate measures and values for the specific situation and is industries dependent The dichotomy of this statement is it adds to complexity because truly experienced and technical trained actuary analysts are required to produce the targets numbers and not the clip board amp wet finger in the air brigade Clients need to bring in-house specialised professional knowledge to the

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 22

2 hour response will not get that item back and fully operational for the same day lunch time trade as it will be over It will be up to the chef to improvise with the menu and manage the change

A next day fix or 12 hour turnaround would be a better solution but if a restaurant canrsquot improvise and change its menu if one item of plant goes down you need to change the chef and the caterer It wonrsquot hurt the staff to go without chips for a day

Dave ThomasAlso with you Rob have been the recipient of one of those immediate seamless transfers - where the original team were eager to get themselves in another project and have no responsibility for what was a flawed mobilisa-tion

In the same mobilisation period I found that the Asset List I had sweated over was ignored and another fairy tale was imposed missing out over half of my list so inad-equate time allocatedcosted to MampE Also found that the engineers provided were more interested in looking for more lucrative work rather than just doing maintenance

Seems some clients want the contractor to come up with a proper Asset List for them included in the contract ignoring any information regarding past breakdowns on equipment which may lead to a query on the true condition and life hoping a new contract will magically lead to new equipment

Richard JeffryesAlan sounds like you speak from experience your bang on

Neil you make a lot of sense if only clients thought like you Yes we are being asked to price the Risk however an underlying objective of tender winner is to be the most competitive

In respect of the approach we know itrsquos an oven we know where it is we know it is business critical sounds simple but with-out the specific data this is a real lottery Commercial ovens range in value from pound1 000 to pound40 000 we may be able to make an educated guess at what the appliance is but big tenders request parts and labour-in-clusive programmes replacement parts such as a PCB on a Combination Oven can cost pound1 000 to replace so knowing the depth of the liability is essential My belief is if a site has been responsibly maintained a full and updated asset list with condition and service dates should be available If not what has the incumbent been doing and how do we know it was done This information is surely a pre-requisite when contracts are drawing

to conclusion and a renewal is due Is it com-mon practice for this data to be withheld or are companies just poor at maintaining service data

Neil EarnshawRichard I usually work client-side developing the procurement contract strategy and man-aging the tender process

My main observation of FM clients over the years is that they dont think about commer-cial risk just operational They generally dont seem to understand that where theres a risk theres a cost Therefore you end up with very risky contracts being put together and create the environment for protracted commercial negotiations during the life of the contract

Another observation has been that FM contractors do collect and maintain asset data but when it comes to re-tender the data cant be accessed by the client This is sometimes down to the contract not being clear on this but often its also due to many years of mis-management of the contract

Rob Farman CEng CBIFM MCIBSENeilFor some time it has been my view that the client should own the asset data and condition assessment which it should disclose to the tenderers Similarly the maintenance records and all of these should ideally be in the client-owned CAFM

ldquoMy belief is if a site has

been maintained a full

and updated asset list with

condition and service dates

should be available If not

what has the incumbent been

doing and how do we know it

was done

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 23

When the onus is put on the success-ful bid winner to collect all the asset data confusion can reign with a completely new set of asset numbers and description and of course items can be missed Most FM managers will have come across outgoing contractors where people probably at very junior level ditch all the statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique

Gordon EasingwoodRegards client CAFMs they are generally poor non-existent or compiled by previous contractors with differing motives (ie avoid-ing financial penaltiesfailing SLAs) Same with maintenance records previous contract-ors are again likely to have differing motives as to how these were compiled based on previous SLAs I work on a local contract with very similar limitations though in different areas and trust me itrsquos extremely difficult to meet this level of commitment Ultimately if they can call you out for pound50 (or less) but can impose a SLA penalty of pound200 where is the sense in it And Im talking a 30 mile max-imum radius from a central point 2 hours responses have been missed simply due to travel delayspoor communication Even when these can be resolved in our favour the amount of adminmanagement time all has an associated cost

To put it another way there simply is not enough properly trained and experienced commercial catering equipment engineers in the country to meet such demands I know I am one and I wouldnt go near the industry again in a hurry as I guess you know from experience Add in the level of commitment (more rightly non-commitment) from some manufacturers and itrsquos an absolute night-mare Also bear in mind European rules only require parts to be available 5 years after a product is no longer manufactured Oh and if you have imports or specials just forget it I was involved with work with a well-known Indian type food chain who had special ovens that met no British or European stan-dard and had to be condemned for simply that reason This was despite a CAFM type list being presented stating all maintenance was done to (non-existent) manufacturersrsquo instructions When checked they had created models and serials numbers for the units

Lastly I would investigate what the client can put through as a 2 hour response and if you can object and on what grounds I currently have a client who does so when in 2 hours the building will be fully vacated and emptyequipment wonrsquot be used for 72 hours etc yet we still have to make attend-ance to meet SLAs Its this kind of thing

that give clients a bad nameSadly without proper input from the

client it sounds like this contract would be a financial liability and I would steer clear With proper and decent input it may be possible I would present the proposal of correct and proper information requirements to the client and try build from there If they run with what would be a non-starter you have to walk away itrsquos likely any contract wonrsquot be upheld for long from either side

Rob Farman regards people ditching statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique I have found this is generally from a quite senior level Simply either because a) itrsquos never been kept up to or b) they dont want this information to go to competitors or c) adequate provision has never been made to collate the information in the first place Things are improving in this area as FM managers take things in hand and computer records are better maintained

Peter CarrHaving worked with Rob Farnam I would completely agree I have spent the last five years client side helping to develop CAFM systems and to make sure they are 100 as accurate as the world I work in (now) Investor FM (totally different to Corporate FM) I have worked with a non-licenced sys-tem called Elogbooks for these five years purely because of these issues Tendering is difficult enough without non-existent asset data and performance understanding Good luck

David A ParryLets push for KISS based contracts Then have the inferred SLA KPIs amp effectiveness measurement compared to the actual true bottom line savings to the client and service provider in their partnering endeavours The unit of measurement could be the unem-ployed bean counters Or do they move on to another position in or outside their companies so no real accountability that this measurement in this way would show on this radar screen

Apologies for the frivolous comments but I honestly believe the real value for money is far simpler but has to be based on appro-priate measures and values for the specific situation and is industries dependent The dichotomy of this statement is it adds to complexity because truly experienced and technical trained actuary analysts are required to produce the targets numbers and not the clip board amp wet finger in the air brigade Clients need to bring in-house specialised professional knowledge to the

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 23

When the onus is put on the success-ful bid winner to collect all the asset data confusion can reign with a completely new set of asset numbers and description and of course items can be missed Most FM managers will have come across outgoing contractors where people probably at very junior level ditch all the statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique

Gordon EasingwoodRegards client CAFMs they are generally poor non-existent or compiled by previous contractors with differing motives (ie avoid-ing financial penaltiesfailing SLAs) Same with maintenance records previous contract-ors are again likely to have differing motives as to how these were compiled based on previous SLAs I work on a local contract with very similar limitations though in different areas and trust me itrsquos extremely difficult to meet this level of commitment Ultimately if they can call you out for pound50 (or less) but can impose a SLA penalty of pound200 where is the sense in it And Im talking a 30 mile max-imum radius from a central point 2 hours responses have been missed simply due to travel delayspoor communication Even when these can be resolved in our favour the amount of adminmanagement time all has an associated cost

To put it another way there simply is not enough properly trained and experienced commercial catering equipment engineers in the country to meet such demands I know I am one and I wouldnt go near the industry again in a hurry as I guess you know from experience Add in the level of commitment (more rightly non-commitment) from some manufacturers and itrsquos an absolute night-mare Also bear in mind European rules only require parts to be available 5 years after a product is no longer manufactured Oh and if you have imports or specials just forget it I was involved with work with a well-known Indian type food chain who had special ovens that met no British or European stan-dard and had to be condemned for simply that reason This was despite a CAFM type list being presented stating all maintenance was done to (non-existent) manufacturersrsquo instructions When checked they had created models and serials numbers for the units

Lastly I would investigate what the client can put through as a 2 hour response and if you can object and on what grounds I currently have a client who does so when in 2 hours the building will be fully vacated and emptyequipment wonrsquot be used for 72 hours etc yet we still have to make attend-ance to meet SLAs Its this kind of thing

that give clients a bad nameSadly without proper input from the

client it sounds like this contract would be a financial liability and I would steer clear With proper and decent input it may be possible I would present the proposal of correct and proper information requirements to the client and try build from there If they run with what would be a non-starter you have to walk away itrsquos likely any contract wonrsquot be upheld for long from either side

Rob Farman regards people ditching statutory and other maintenance records in a fit of pique I have found this is generally from a quite senior level Simply either because a) itrsquos never been kept up to or b) they dont want this information to go to competitors or c) adequate provision has never been made to collate the information in the first place Things are improving in this area as FM managers take things in hand and computer records are better maintained

Peter CarrHaving worked with Rob Farnam I would completely agree I have spent the last five years client side helping to develop CAFM systems and to make sure they are 100 as accurate as the world I work in (now) Investor FM (totally different to Corporate FM) I have worked with a non-licenced sys-tem called Elogbooks for these five years purely because of these issues Tendering is difficult enough without non-existent asset data and performance understanding Good luck

David A ParryLets push for KISS based contracts Then have the inferred SLA KPIs amp effectiveness measurement compared to the actual true bottom line savings to the client and service provider in their partnering endeavours The unit of measurement could be the unem-ployed bean counters Or do they move on to another position in or outside their companies so no real accountability that this measurement in this way would show on this radar screen

Apologies for the frivolous comments but I honestly believe the real value for money is far simpler but has to be based on appro-priate measures and values for the specific situation and is industries dependent The dichotomy of this statement is it adds to complexity because truly experienced and technical trained actuary analysts are required to produce the targets numbers and not the clip board amp wet finger in the air brigade Clients need to bring in-house specialised professional knowledge to the

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 24

procurement teams or commission true independent specialists Provision has to be put in place for data to be updated in real time or at lease imputed from a competent change management system of the subject assets Failure to implement this will result in a return to the guessing gamerdquo in a very short time This is not a hypothetical obser-vation its based on years of experience as a practitioner in the industry

I feel this industry has to move into a more scientific methodology if it is to be credible I trust this may stimulate thought and be of help

George ZintilisA lot of the comments above are about having a rational discussion (based on facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc logic technical considerations and logistical limitations) This is implied in Alan Taylors comments who questions the provenance of these SLAs as do I (hi Alan) or as implied in Davids KISS approach and indeed most of the comments above So it is necessary to establish the governance used to arrive at these SLAs and convene a meeting with the stakeholders involved in drafting these SLAs plus those who will be involved in monitoring performance and risk (if different persons) on the client side and Tier 1 partner or Managing Agent (depending on outsourcing model used)

This approach would quickly identify who drafted these SLAs who approved them (and on what basis were they drafted approved if any) and who will have oversight of both performance and risk (with escalation structure for breakdowns or incidents) Such a meeting should also establish whether there is a balance between performance risk control and performance risk ownership including any paingain provisions This bal-ance between Control amp Ownership is often ignored

It will become clear(er) if the authors approvers knew understood the impli-cations of what they were asking for in the SLAs and if not (as seems to be the case here) then agree to modify the SLAs based on realism and the facts including the missing facts on condition past history etc on logic technical considerations and logis-tical limitations The risk appetite (pls excuse the pun) will determine the mitigation and the cost of this mitigation versus (as Alan says) the impact of not having fried chips for a day (how about oven chips for example) Seriously though the right people need to get round the table to thrash this out prefer-ably without apportioning blame for the old

SLAs but learning the lesson to deal with any other similar anomalies out there in other SLAs in other service lines

Anna MannionIts been mentioned above that there isnt always good knowledge about the condition and state of a clients estate when bidding for a contract Even if companies have a complete inventory of assets they are rarely going to have an up-to-date idea of their condition You can now achieve this through remote monitoring which at its most sim-plest can highlight whether equipment is running well failing or has failed

Having this kind of remote monitoring would give you the information you need to better assess risk when responding to con-tracts (ie to understand what percentage of the estate is in the danger zone and likely to failneed servicing) Also as your client would have access to the same information you can have a conversation that reflects the real (and current) condition of the estate rather than one based on vague or out of date information (we treat maintenance seriously so you dont need to worry about that when the reality is that they probably wont know which appliances have problems)

One off payment or monthly charge

Steve MunnI am interested in the views of FM managers and building owners on this thorny issue Specifically I would like to know whether or not you would prefer to pay upfront for monitoring equipment or pay a monthly charge that includes rental of the equipment plus support I am of the view that the two payment methods will come from different budgets and require different sign-offs but I may be wrong Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Dr Carlton Brown (PhDMBAPGDipFInstSmmMCMI)In regards to a business cash flow position with logistics and efficiency its better to have regular monthly payment Standing orders if DD

Peter MorrisseyI provide a monthly charge product to customers globally If I said you can buy for 20k or pay monthly $180 to customers they would choose pay monthly given this choice Every customer is more conscious of cash flow than ever before I often see lower level approvals because the product is $180 a month where if they had to get a 20k

approval this would go higher up and take much longer to be approved Typically once a customer decides they would like to pro-ceed we can have them up and running in a matter of days at the first location

The lower level authority to buy in at $180 a month or a couple of grand a year can make the approval process much easier

Bob ParkinIts not just a matter of cash flow it is also useful to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership over the rental term and the rela-tive borrowing cost of capital

For example what is the cost to your business if you multiply the monthly pay-ments by the number of months the equip-ment is required It is very likely this total cost will be greater than the up- front one off payment but it sounds like you wont get the benefit of service support So what is the cost of the service support added to the one off payment and how do the two scenarios compare

It is also worth considering if your com-pany can borrow capital more cheaply than the supplier - this might have to be a guess but the relative size of your company versus the supplier will be an indicator If your com-pany is much bigger than the supplier you should avoid rentals because the overall cost of capital be higher

The point is it is worth doing these kinds of comparisons to give you some negotiating leverage with the supplier

Steve MunnThank you all for your comments I have the view that there are several influencing factors on the procurement of any service and perhaps all companies are different I believe that suppliers need to be aware of the budget cycle and that it can sometimes be difficult for a client to find the money if it is not in the agreed budget for that particular year What I am still unsure of however is whether or not the money for monthly pay-ments comes from the same budget as for a larger capital item

Michael TraversThat would depend on the organisation and how it is set up For instance if a building maintenance team (who have their own budget) having found that patching was not a solution for a leaking roof they would not fund a replacement roof This would be passed on to a Projects team (who would also have their own budget)

It could also relate to a maximum order value imposed on particular teams n

FM OPS

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

FM OFFICE

July 2015 FM 25

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

ldquo

FM TECHNOLOGY

Clean stable supply of electri-city is essential for businesses in any industry or vertical to be able to continue operating a challenge for industries in

South Africa due to the current energy situ-ation Irregular supply of energy in South Africa is detrimental to the economy as a whole

However security companies in par-ticular require 100 power availability to ensure they are able to deliver their servi-ces Without power cameras and surveil-lance solutions electric fencing access control and other security features cannot function which gives those with malicious intent a predictable window in which to operate

Every time the power goes down sec-urity is compromised ultimately defeating its purpose In addition security equipment is highly sensitive to power fluctuations which can cause damage and dramatic-ally decrease operating lifespan Power management solutions are thus mission critical for security providers and ensuring these solutions are effective and reliable is of the utmost importance

Aside from the obvious challenge to security systems when power is unavail-able unstable power can place strain on sensitive equipment Experience shows that lightning voltage fluctuations and harmonics on the power supply all have a serious impact on the longevity of products such as Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and cameras Unstable power may cause equipment to fail prematurely without warning and sometimes without organisa-tions being aware of the failure

At the very least this equipment requires a controlled shutdown which in turn requires a UPS with SNMP interface However security companies require more than just the ability to switch equipment off

By Marco da Silva

safely during power outages they need to be able to continue operating through fail-ures and load shedding

A true online double conversion UPS with extended battery life will ensure the best possible quality of supply at all times These UPS solutions along with Voltage Stabilisers provide a continuous supply of clean power even when utility power is available preventing voltage fluctuations from reaching the end point devices and damaging them When utility power is not available the batteries deliver backup power to keep cameras DVRs and other essential equipment operational They can also be used in conjunction with a gener-ator to provide extended backup power

When it comes to implementing power management solutions security com-panies must bear several factors in mind Firstly given the crisis levels of the current power situation many fly-by-night com-panies have emerged to take advantage of irrational decision-making

These companies sell cheap solutions that will typically fail in a very short time frame however by that stage the company itself may no longer exist to honour war-ranties or may not have brought in spares This results in wasted investment In addi-tion these companies will often sell solu-tions that are inappropriate for the applica-tion for which they are being used ndash they may not supply enough power for all of the equipment that needs to be connected the run time may not be sufficient or other problems of this nature

Besides the obvious risk of failure this equipment cannot guarantee a supply of clean reliable power Given the critical nature of power management solutions security companies should work with a reli-able provider that has built up a solid repu-tation in the market and delivers proven technologies and solutions

July 2015 FM 26

Security companies in

particular require 100 power

availability to ensure they are

able to deliver their services

Without power cameras and

surveillance solutions electric

fencing access control and

other security features cannot

function which gives those with

malicious intent a predictable

window in which to operate

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 27

Partnering with an experienced service provider can ensure that a more technical solution is implemented taking a methodical approach toward measuring current load predicting future load and ensuring a solution is delivered that meets requirements and expect-ations Solutions should also be backed by a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure equipment is proactively serviced and maintained effectively in order to keep it running optimally

In addition security companies should also consider implementing online power monitoring that will enable an improved understanding of the power quality up times down times energy consumptions load demands and so on This will allow professional service provider companies to fully gauge this information to ensure the best solution is applied Assessing trends in a business from a power perspective can be extremely useful for all parties concerned

When it comes to power management operating in the dark is simply not an option for security companies Not only does lack of power erode profitability it also leads to unreliable service for cus-tomers who may then move their business to a provider that can continue operations through power outages

The current power challenges are set to continue for the foresee-able future and power management technologies will only escalate in cost so it is sound strategy for security companies to take a pro-active stance now and implement a solution that will benefit them now and in the future n

Marco da Silva is Managing Director for Jasco Power The Jasco Group

DONrsquoT BE IN THE DARK OVER POWER MANAGEMENT

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 28

FM WORKPLACE

Author and Future of Work con-sultant Jacob Morgan penned a thought-provoking piece in June 2015 entitled Why Human Resources Is Dead which

described the ldquodeathrdquo of HR as we have come to know it and the emergence of more people-and-talent-focused descriptors for these roles

We are mistaken if we believe that HR is a redundant function in the 21st century It is in fact a core function of business strategy As business partner it is a key enabler that ensures the organisation is endowed with people who are skill matched to the organisa-tionrsquos strategic goals and priorities

Morgan is correct in his assertion that ldquoThe idea of thinking of employees as cap-ital assets is antiquated but for many itrsquos not enough to simply talk about how HR is changing and what the new role of HR isrdquo

It is my belief that the evolution of HR is undeniably worth noting as it is moves away from viewing and treating employees as cap-ital assets A great journey lies ahead for all HR practitioners and it is all about people At the core of the evolution is the advancement of the existing HR department which I expect to be a cultivator of intimate relationships between employers and employees over the next five years

In South Africa we are witnessing this renewed outlook on the human resour-ces function Organisations are beginning to recognise that they need to invest in a people-centred culture and be deliberate about retaining the talent that creates com-petitive advantage I consider it a matter of priority to be intentional about an organisa-tionrsquos talent and to have a ldquotalent designrdquo that is aligned to fulfilment of organisational priorities

Organisations need to place emphasis on articulating their brands such that it attracts individuals of the right calibre and culture-fit attributes and once in the organisation nur-turing their development and facilitating mean-ingful career opportunities which all work to engage and retain the ldquorightrdquo people for the organisation

A GREAT HR JOURNEY LIES AHEADBy Vuyokazi Dwane

Specific practices that will be affected by this imperative are leadership capability reward and recognition (both immediate and long-term) career development opportunities succession for sustainability and employee wellness in physical emotional and financial terms

It is equally important to articulate the organi-sationsrsquos intentions to the affected individuals Too often people exit the organisation in a manner that does not suit the overall people plan which causes us to behave in a reactive manner Often we find that if the employees had known how important they were and what our plans were for them they would either not have left or if leaving was unavoidable they would have somehow involved us in their thoughts and plans

If we create the view of the future share it with the stakeholders (affected employees line managers HR) then we speak one language and are able to collaborate with each other instead of working at cross-purposes

Technology is also enhancing the HR function in ways we never imagined possible It acts as an enabler to our efficiency and takes away the repeatable and transactional bulk that tends to keep us busy in an unproductive way In this way technology creates opportunities for us to engage personally and meaningfully with our key stakeholders ndash whether they are employees who require clarity or want to discuss their concerns managers who need our guidance and support in fulfilling their people management responsibil-ities or candidates who have a story to tell What is important is that we also engage smartly with the technology that is at our disposal and draw insights that enable us to make more accurate decisions that will benefit the business

I am eager to further evaluate and discuss the state of HR in the South African context when I meet with industry professionals at the 1st Annual Careers24 Future of HR Summit and Awards where I will serve as a judge

The event will address the exciting transform-ation of the HR function in the business environ-ment share innovative and strategic approaches to overcoming challenges and forecast trends for 2015 The summit will take place from July 22 and 23 2015 with the awards ceremony on July 23 in Gauteng n

Vuyokazi Dwane is HR Director LexisNexis South Africa

ldquoWe are mistaken if we

believe that HR is a redundant

function in the 21st century

It is in fact a core function

of business strategy

As business partner it is a

key enabler that ensures the

organisation is endowed with

people who are skill matched

to the organisationrsquos strategic

goals and priorities

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

FM OPS

July 2015 FM 29

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 30

FM TECHNOLOGY

By Saurabh Kumar

The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now ndash and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical

about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives However expo-nential advances in the processing power of smartphones and the ever-in-creasing use of location-based services based on GPS have thrust AR back into the limelight in recent months

Organisations are now looking ser-iously at how they can adopt AR ndash in terms of customer engagement prod-uctservice delivery and back office optimisation Many believe that AR may in fact be the key to a better digital future giving us more immersive ways to work play learn and collaborate

Essentially AR describes the way in which a device (such as a smart-phone camera wearables like Google Glasses or a videogame motion sensor) uses an application to ldquoseerdquo the real world around us and overlay augmented features onto that view These augmented features are aimed at adding value to the userrsquos experi-ence of their physical environment

Therefore one could be looking at Table Mountain through an AR applica-tion and see facts about the species of plants or the height of the moun-tain or see what it would look like if illuminated at night-time for instance Alternatively one could be standing in a department store and see what an item of clothing would look like if you were wearing it (without actually putting it on)

These may be simplistic examples just to whet the appetite however possibilities of AR are quite literally limitless

In the next three to five years we expect to see AR becoming a main-stream technology concept ndash blending the physical world and the digital realm in fascinating new ways We predict there will be three primary areas in which we will initially engage with ARbull The way we consume information

Imagine going to a library or museum and being able to have a ldquoconver-sationrdquo with key people throughout history or instantly transform the world around to you resemble a bygone era

bull The fields of product development marketing and customer engagement Overlaying new digital services into retail environments opens up a host of new possibilities for organisations to tailor products to their consumers

bull Back officeoperational functions within the organisation Companies are already finding ways to use AR in their supply chain logistics and ware-housing environments Find out for example if a particular unit is missing from a shelf for instance

However before reaching this utopian world of enhanced reality a number of big challenges need to be solved Already there is a proliferation of different AR applications (apps) different development platforms and Operating Systems (OS) and even many different physical devices

Will the future of AR be seen through high-tech wearable lenses or through the ubiquitous smartphone or some form of projection system or indeed something entirely new Most likely different forms of AR will develop for these various form factors

Itrsquos also worth considering that until now we have regarded AR as a primarily lsquovisualrsquo concept In time this will likely broaden to encompass audio and even tap into other senses

For organisations gaining early-mover advantage will mean finding ways to leverage the various forms of AR to achieve goals such asbull Improve productivity and simplify pro-

cessesbull Provide more useful more lsquohands-onrsquo

experiencesbull Enable real-time access to rich data Companies making the most of AR will find new ways to visualise problems and their solutions They will find smart ways to con-nect AR applications with colliding technol-ogy domains like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data

AR opens the doors to so many excit-ing possibilities and may over time have a massive influence on the way organisations position themselves As the field continues to gather momentum the early entrants will be in a unique position to help sculpt the future reality in which we will live and work n

Saurabh Kumar is MD of In2IT Technologies South Africa

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 31

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

FM TECHNOLOGY

July 2015 FM 32

Building efficiency is being rein-vented by connected-build-ing technologies Building equipment and systems are becoming more integrated and

intelligent offering building owners and facility managers more effective tools to help them improve building performance significantly Driving the transformation of building systems and building management are four cross-industry trends visualisation Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communica-tion mobility tools and analytics

In South Africa as elsewhere globally these four trends already impact our daily lives and have seen the emergence of new business models in multiple industry sec-tors These technologies are revolutionising how we gather analyse visualise and deliver data ndash and how we act on it

They have helped create a new gen-eration of connected buildings that link equipment systems and data sources inside and outside the facility with powerful control systems and sophisticated software applications creating a network with the facility team at its centre Advancements in industry-specific equipment and systems are a vital part of this evolution Three advancements stand out1 A new generation of Building Automation

Systems (BAS) that delivers greater knowledge and control

2 Smart equipment brings intelligence to building devices boosting building per-formance

3 Cloud-based technologies and solutions enhance management of buildings and portfolios

The true advantage of these improvements is not only that they bring greater efficiency and control but that they capitalise on technology trends to make them more adaptable to user needs

The BAS is an essential tool for many facility managers An advanced BAS serves as the command and control centre for the facility Information pours in from all parts of the building mdash settings current readings and alarms from occupied spaces and from

NEW TOOLS TO DRIVE FACILITY PERFORMANCEBy Neil Cameron

inside complex equipment An open BAS not only controls HVAC equipment but also connects to the lighting security fire and other systems The challenge however was that facility managers did not have the time or expertise to lever-age all this advanced functionality

The next generation of BAS is focused on leveraging new and exist-ing technologies to deliver a system that works the way facility owners and operators work It is more accessible harnessing the power of advanced ana-lytics and data collection and focusing on more sophisticated and user-friendly interfaces and data visualisation These advancements in BAS bring insights into building performance that will enable even further reductions in energy use and operational costs while still deliv-ering a comfortable and safe environ-ment

Smart equipment is a vital component of connected buildings Smart equip-ment brings intelligence to individual devices in the field Itrsquos what enables a lighting controller to report its per-formance including any problems or malfunctions to a facility manager via an interface on the equipment or a software program the facility manager accesses on a computer or mobile device

What smart equipment means is that facility staff no longer have to vis-ually inspect each piece of equipment to detect operating issues so they can more quickly determine where to focus their efforts This ability to predict and diagnose problems and provide or pro-pose solutions is considered a game changer as it increases the ease and cost-effectiveness of taking corrective action before a potential problem affects a buildingrsquos performance

Analytics is playing a bigger role every-where Buildings generate vast amounts of information but many facility managers lack convenient ways to turn the flood of data into actionable information Analytics software can help solve that problem

Data from BAS sensors smart equip-ment and meters can be aggregated and analysed alongside data that origin-ates outside a facility such as utility bills and information that affects a facilityrsquos operations such as weather forecasts or energy prices This rich cache of data offers users a bigger picture of their building operations and efficiency mak-ing it easier to manage operations and achieve energy and other goals

The building efficiency revolution is well advanced where connected-building technologies are being deployed visu-alisation tools improve insight and pro-active response M2M communication enhances facilities professionalsrsquo ability to manage mobility tools help facility managers stay connected and analytics turns building data into actionable infor-mation These benefits are already within reach and organisations in South Africa are beginning to engage with the oppor-tunities being presented to improve facility performance n

Neil Cameron is General Manager Johnson Controls Building Efficiency Systems amp Service Africa

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 33

FM TECHNOLOGY

Raja Ukil is Chief Information Officer at Wipro Ltd and Sridhar Govardhan is Group Manager - Information Security at Wipro Ltd

Organisations today are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice

While this can potentially help organisations to improve productivity significantly by empow-ering employees to work from anywhere at any time it represents a complete disruption to the traditional model of technology provi-sioning

In addition in todayrsquos interconnected world the lines between personal and corporate digital lives are blurring and users no longer wish to maintain separate devices for personal and official use Organisations therefore need to be able to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend to ensure employees are kept happy and productivity levels can be maximised among other benefits

Devices today integrate the right com-bination of style power and performance to enable them to be used across business and personal applications The supporting tech-nology ensures enterprise BYOD is secure productive and effective

Mobility is without doubt the future of workforce technology and organisations need to brace themselves to support BYOD now to leverage the benefits and cater to increas-ing demand in the future Mobile devices including phones tablets and phablet hybrids now incorporate technology such as mobile broadband location services Wi-Fi Near-Field Communication (NFC) Bluetooth encryption capabilities remote device management capability high definition cameras biometric authentication voice to text secure operating systems and more

Enterprises can leverage these features for many innovative applications For example cameras can be used for document scanning NFC chips for access control location ser-vices for parking space allocation and more The possibilities are practically limitless

However while mobile technology has evolved to be more powerful than ever before and have incorporated many new features that can be leveraged by the enterprise having the best mobile technology alone is not sufficient

ENABLING ENTERPRISE BYOD By Raja Ukil and Sridhar Govardhan

to support enterprise BYOD It is essential to also put in place a robust enterprise infra-structure for the management of BYOD that also provides the required flexibility to enable employees to utilise the same device for per-sonal applications

Enterprises must therefore build a dedicated infrastructure to support BYOD whether this is delivered on premise or via cloud Some aspects required include Mobile Device Management (MDM) mobile appli-cation management and mobile content management document and content sharing solutions Exchange ActiveSync for emails effective authentication tools and productivity solutions such as the Microsoft Office Suite

In addition organisations need to protect corporate information stored and accessed on mobile devices from a variety of threats including theft hackers viruses cyberattacks and more To do this it is vital for enterprises to define a BYOD program and based on the final scope a comprehensive BYOD policy should be documented As part of the BYOD policy adequate security process and technology controls should be identified and implemented for user management device management data management and the pro-cedure for BYOD onboarding and acceptance among other areas

BYOD has numerous benefits for organisa-tions including its ability to enhance employee productivity improve the user experience and deliver cost optimisation For example many large enterprises currently spend considerable resources in terms of both people and infra-structure on managing travel and expenses

Utilising mobile apps however can yield significant benefits to this process The employee can use an enterprise travel app on hisher mobile device to book travel tickets and hotels hire a cab receive e-tickets etc through one centralised interface While in transit the employee can change local travel plans at their destination dynamically on their mobile device Once travel is completed expense bills can be uploaded to the app and submitted automatically to the finance team Not only does such a mobile app automate several processes it also creates an enriched

user experience reduces transaction time and helps optimise costing

Another example of mobility can be seen in guest management which is often a com-plicated process involving security The host organisation requires entry passes to be gen-erated escorts to be organised and access to be controlled

Guests simply download the app and request access which is then sent to the host for approval On approval the guest can be sent a QR code which becomes a virtual gate pass During the visit guests are auto navi-gated to the hostrsquos location using the location services of the guestrsquos phone The app can also be used to give the guest Wi-Fi access and the QR code will only work for areas where they are authorised to visit

These are just two examples of how mobil-ity and enterprise applications can be used in innovative ways to enhance user experience and improve automation As apps become increasingly sophisticated they will also become more location and context-sensitive delivering endless possibilities for productivity and experience improvements n

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 34

Green FM

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

WORLD-FIRST RATING AWARD

GOES TO A CAPE BUILDING

July 2015 FM 35

The Socio-Economic Category Pilot is a world-first for rating tools The GBCSA has taken the lead in developing a set of socio-economic criteria for

green building rating tools Simultaneously it has developed an International Socio-Economic Framework for the World Green Building Council which can be used by other green building councils to apply to their rating tools

Socio-economic factors are particularly relevant in developing countries such as South Africa and extend green buildings to encompass not just environmental sustaina-bility but also socio-economic sustainability

The Socio-Economic Category allows the socio-economic achievements of new buildings and major retrofits new buildings and major retrofits to be recognised and rewarded under Green Star SA tools It is a separate optional category for which projects can be rated alongside their stan-dard Green Star SA certifications The development of the rating tool category was sponsored by Old Mutual Property The socio-economic category is in its pilot phase and being tested before it is converted into a lsquoversion onersquo rating tool category

Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that the Karl Bremer Office Block in Bellville Cape Town is the first project to achieve a Socio-Economic Category (SEC) Pilot rating in Africa as part of its 5-Star Green Star SA rating achieved at the same time The office block is a project of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works

Brian Wilkinson

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 36

Green FM

ldquoBrian Wilkinson CEO of GBCSA says

ldquoOur property sector is truly becoming a growing force for good in South Africa not only for the environment but also for people and business too Societal challenges such as poverty unemployment lack of education and skills and health can all be addressed at least to some degree through the way we design build and operate buildingsrdquo

He adds ldquoWe encourage property owners developers and designers to use the Socio-Economic Category to assess improve and certify their projectrsquos socio-eco-nomic features Social and economic factors are important to address broader sustain-ability issues in our communities and busi-nessesrdquo

The design for the Karl Bremer Office Block has achieved a 5-Star Green Star SA Office V1 Design rating It is on the Karl Bremer Hospital site on the corner of Mike Pienaar Boulevard and Frans Conradie Avenue The Department of Transport and Public Works Provincial Government Western Cape owns the building under construction which will be occupied by the provincial Department of Health

The Green Star SA Accredited Professional on the project is Nick Gorrie from Agama He says ldquoKarl Bremer Office Block is developing into an exciting and innovative project On one hand there are multiple innovations and sustainable designs that have been incorporated into the base building On the other hand the entire Project Team is dedicated to achieving a Socio-Economic Category rating It has been a challenging project so far but with the commitment and drive of the whole team it is aiming for a positive resultrdquo

A building that previously stood on the site was demolished and the new offices are under construction for completion in mid-2016

The new building is designed to have a footprint of 1927m2 and gross floor area of 7520m2 on a site area of 14046m2 Itrsquos landscaped area including a 98m2 roof gar-den covers 4761m2 or 32 of its total site area It comprises a north and south wing connected by a common core with a single security-controlled access point It has a basement as well as offices and meeting rooms on its ground to fifth floors and a mechanical plant on its roof

Head of Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works Jacqui Gooch says the building fits in with the Western Cape Governmentrsquos 110 Green initiative launched on World Environment Day 2012

Gooch says 110 Green calls for a para-

digm shift to connect environmental pres-ervation and economic growth She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well on the road to becoming Africarsquos Green Economic Hub

ldquoThe Department of Transport and Public Works is 110 committed to ensure the properties we build are in line with the 110 Green Initiative We aim to provide a platform that stimulates people and organi-sations to build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this project is an example of our commitmentrdquo says Gooch

There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic Category to recognise achievements across a priority set of fac-tors They are employment creation eco-nomic opportunity skills development and training community benefit empowerment safety and health and ndash only applicable to multi-unit residential projects ndash mixed-in-come housing

For Karl Bremer Office Block its employ-ment creation targets at least 10 or more of total labour employed during the construction to comprise of disadvantaged people who are collectively from the target groups of youth women or disabled people It will measure this by percentage cost of the contract value

When it comes to economic opportunity it targets three main impacts The first is a minimum contract participation goal of 5 of the total project value on selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development support from the main contractor The second is a minimum 30 or 25 of contract value of the pro-curement of project-specific goods and services during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs that are either black owned or black women owned respectively Third the project is targeting a minimum of 70 of the contract value for materials products and services produced or gener-ated within South Africa

The projectrsquos skills development tar-get is to be compliant with Construction Industry Development Board Standards of Developing Skills through Infrastructure Projects It aims to do this by providing dif-ferent types of workplace opportunities and mentorships for learning and skills develop-ment over the project period which lead to recognised qualifications

For safety and health the project aims to improve the primary health of construc-tion workers and promote better safety

practices Besides standard construction regulations the projectrsquos contractor will have to conduct full medical screening tests and basic health awareness programmes for all construction-related employees The Karl Bremer Office Block design team also conducted Hazardous Identification Risk Assessments of their designs

As the starting point for its positive impacts the projectrsquos design delivers green benefits that are good for the environment These include zero discharge to sewer through a blackwater treatment plant and re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC cooling towers It will also have zero storm water discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure through multiple Bioretention areas

Wilkinson says ldquoWe applaud the Karl Bremer Office Block development team for committing the project to the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the first pilot project certification Projects such as this are set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africardquo

Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future ldquoWe are confident the Socio-Economic Category will not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic upliftment but also inspire more and more positive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the property sectorrdquo n

ldquoWe encourage property

owners developers and

designers to use the

Socio-Economic Category

to assess improve and certify

their projectrsquos socio-economic

features Social and economic

factors are important to

address broader sustainability

issues in our communities

and businessesrdquo

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

圀䔀 圀伀刀䬀 圀䠀䤀䰀䔀 夀伀唀 匀䰀䔀䔀倀

䜀椀稀漀挀漀爀瀀 椀猀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 挀栀漀椀挀攀 椀渀 洀漀瘀椀渀最

圀攀 栀愀瘀攀 琀栀攀 䄀ⴀ娀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀 眀栀攀渀 椀琀 挀漀洀攀猀 琀漀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 渀漀琀 樀甀猀琀 愀 瀀椀挀欀 甀瀀 愀渀搀 搀爀漀瀀 漀昀昀 洀漀瘀椀渀最 挀漀洀瀀愀渀礀

圀攀 眀漀爀欀 搀愀椀氀礀 椀渀 昀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀愀氀 漀昀昀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 漀甀爀 猀琀愀昀昀 挀愀渀 椀渀琀攀爀漀瀀攀爀愀琀攀 

愀渀礀 漀昀昀挀攀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 38

Green FM

ACTIVATING A PV SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTS

New Baywest office in Port Elizabeth

PV installation at Activate Architecturersquos office in Rosebank Johannesburg

By Terry Owen

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 39

Architect Michael Magner of Activate Architecture has been designing green build-ings for the last 8 years

ldquoOnce the GBCSA was established we really began our green mis-sion and havenrsquot looked back since

ldquoWersquove also been involved in the rating of a building which we designed Thatrsquos quite a detailed administrative exerciserdquo

This has led to another green build-ing that the company is busy with in the Baywest Precinct in Port Elizabeth It will be a 4-star rated building

ldquoWersquove proposed a number of green buildings all with many green incentives built inrdquo

Magner says that they had been wanting to run their own PV system on the roof of the office block in Rosebank for some time

ldquoWe started the process of looking for quotes in about 2008 The costs were very high and the small installation was proving problematic times were increasingly tough and so we decided to shelve the plan Last

year we decided to dig up the initiative and make it happen We had it installed about a month ago and aside from teething problems itrsquos been great We get 5kW and that runs about 80 of our use Itrsquos great to think we are making our own renewable energy to turn on the computers and know they are being powered by our little unit

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated little system We can monitor power usage on an app which we download to our phones and computers When there is an outage our computers are the priority and we ensure they are up and runningrdquo

The sale and installation was done through SAR Electronics who design and supply PV installations often for small mar-kets such as this

The companyrsquos first green building was Sanralrsquos head office in Pretoria which achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating

ldquoWe also did the Lebone College in Rustenburg which incorporated a whole bunch of green initiatives and we also won an award for this projectrdquo n

ldquoItrsquos a fairly sophisticated

little system We can monitor

power usage on an app

which we download to our

phones and computers

When there is an outage

our computers are the priority

and we ensure they are up

and running

Sanral head office in Val de Grace Pretoria

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2015 FM 40

Itrsquos called liquefied petroleum gas or LPG and in a world striving to consume with care itrsquos something we should be incorporating more and more into our everyday lives

LPG is a non-renewable gaseous fossil fuel It is a by-product of natural gas process-ing and oil refining a flammable but non-toxic mixture of propane and butane

Although a fossil fuel LPG is relatively clean when compared to fuels such as coal and oil producing less air pollution in terms of soot particles nitrogen oxides and sulphur as well as fewer carbon dioxide emissions In fact when used in vehicles LPG produces up to 40 less carbon dioxide emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles In contemporary energy lingo LPG burns cleanly

LPG is used as a fuel in many critical sec-tors from transportation (it is the third most commonly used transportation fuel in the world behind petrol and diesel according to the World Petroleum Council) to agricul-ture construction and sailing Its many uses however extend from the industrial to the personal and using LPG in your home ndash for cooking and heating ndash has benefits that span the economic to the environmental

LPG has a high calorific value per unit than other commonly used fuels This means that its flame is hotter than the flame of coal natural gas petrol or diesel making it a more efficient fuel resource This in turn fuels ndash par-don the pun ndash its cost-effectiveness A little bit goes a long way

FUELLING A POWERFUL GREEN AGENDA

Green FM

Its discovery dates back to 1910 ndash 115 years ago Just two years on it was being used to cook food Another year later in 1913 it was fuelling cars And by 1915 it was being used in torches to cut through metal

LPG is stored in pressurised tanks which compresses it to such an extent that it is reduced to a liquid that takes up over 250 times less space than if it were retained as a gas This means that large quantities can be stored in relatively small containers This portability is especially convenient in remote areas where ordin-ary gas supplies arenrsquot available and as a result is particularly relevant within the South African context Indeed introdu-cing LPG into rural areas stands to be an important contributor to regional develop-ment Its safety when compared to the volatility of paraffin which is one of the most widly used fuels in rural contexts is another factor that makes it an attractive alternative

From its pressurised container LPG is released slowly and safely through a valve that turns it once again from liquid to gas The fact that it vaporises when it is released from a tank together with the fact that it is not water-soluble means that it does not pollute underground water sources These sealed tanks also largely eliminate the possibility of emissions or spillages that could either evaporate or cause air pollution

The environmental benefits of LPG go on and on Indeed they have served to impact the use of fuels for commercial transport in certain countries ndash many taxi companies in Australia Singapore and Japan require the use of LPG across their fleets

LPG offers significant advantages to households and businesses alike Its cost-effectiveness efficiency and environ-mental friendliness make it an essential ingredient in the creation of a planet that needs to ldquoconsume with carerdquo as Environment Monthrsquos slogan tells us

As public demand increases making LPG available is the responsibility of gov-ernmental and independent fuel and service providers It is about enabling a culture where conserving cents and caring for the environment is made possible in a single transaction

LPG is just the start n

ldquoAlthough a fossil fuel LPG

is relatively clean when

compared to fuels such as

coal and oil producing less

air pollution in terms of soot

particles nitrogen oxides and

sulphur as well as fewer car-

bon dioxide emissions

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

With some 60 listed and pri-vately owned mines most of which are fully oper-ational Middelburgrsquos loca-tion in the heart of the coal

mining industry ideally positioned between Gauteng the Lowveld and Mozambique is having a meaningful and positive bearing on the various sectors of the property market according to Chris de Jager Pam Golding Properties agent in Middelburg

ldquoEconomic growth in the Middelburg area in general has presented considerable business opportunities including those in the commercial and residential property market A notable factor contributing to the ongoing growth and increased demand in all three sectors ndash namely retail office and residential property ndash is that Middelburg Town Council is rated one of the top five in the country achieving a consistently clean audit over the past five years Coupled with this is a high standard of service and infrastructure considered among the best available in Mpumalanga and arguably in the country

ldquoWhile the tariff hike and load shedding by Eskom has negatively impacted most mar-kets Middelburgrsquos overall performance from a service delivery perspective has enabled accurate planning and cash flow projections With a zero interruption in service delivery businesses can plan ahead and be assured of sustainable and productive working days

MIDDELBURG STARTING TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE MARK

And in addressing the challenges of energy shortages in the traditional energy sector property owners are turning to green and alternative energy solutions We are seeing this with features like solar panel installations and water recycling and purification systems becoming a common featurerdquo

He says a key trend perceived in the market is that industries from towns around Middelburg are relocating to the area especially those in mining equipment and related maintenance companies such as Bell Equipment Barloworld Equipment and Volvo Trucks As a result of Middelburg Councilrsquos clean bill of health the demand for top quality office space has also improved particularly in close proximity to the indus-trial area Vaalbank and the new Middelburg Mall which is just 2km off the N4 next to the Aerorand residential area

ldquoIt makes sound business sense to invest in the fast growing and vibrant Middelburg while serviced land is still available and property prices affordable Noteworthy trans-actions concluded during the last few months include the sale of a medium-sized industrial building on a 4 000m2 stand in the heart of Vaalbank which we sold for R54-million to buyers from Secunda who plan to consoli-date their three business operations under one roof

The premises which include a workshop large store area spacious counter sales

area and ample office space exceeded their expectations for the growth of a sustainable trend-setting business which more than meets the standards expected by their cus-tomers thereby assisting in competing for tendersrdquo

Other properties which are currently in high demand include heavy industrial premises ranging from 1500m2 in size and suitable for engineering and manufactur-ing plants vacant land for retail use in the region of 10 000m2 and office space of around 700m2

Says De Jager ldquoCurrently a new development well placed next to Middelburg Mall and ideal for office space development or retail activities offers vacant land from 2600-10 500m2 priced from R37-million to R17-million For smaller users a secure industrial park comprising mini-factories with office space sees sectional title space with a workshop of at least 700m2 offices kitchen bathrooms covered parking for four vehicles plus customer parking for six vehicles and a yard of about 300m2 selling from R6-million each The industrial park is access controlled with 24 hour security with eight of the units sold in phase one and three of the eight units sold in the second phase From an investor perspective the industrial park is proving an excellent per-former with landlords achieving up to 20 return on rental units n

Middelburg artistrsquos impression of upmarket industrial park

July 2015 FM 41

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

Index to advertisers

July 2015 FM 42

Green FM

ldquoThere has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generationsrdquo said

Paul Polman Unilever CEO speaking at the Unileverrsquos brightFuture Gala Dinner at Montecasino in Fourways Johannesburg recently In his call to action directed at business government and NGOs he continued by saying ldquoNow is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate changerdquo

The ldquobrightFuturerdquo campaign is intended to engage people from all walks of life to ensure thatbull Everyone has enough food to eat and no

child goes to bed hungrybull Children reach their fifth birthday and

have the right to a happy childhoodbull Every home has enough clean water to

drink cook with clean and washbull And everybody can enjoy life today while

protecting the planet for future genera-tions

Peter Cowan the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the collective power of people input by gov-

ernment and interest by all companies the human race can undo the damage it has caused on the planet

ldquoRoads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion and an issue for the next gen-eration to handle It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth a planet to sustain our progeny The time to act is nowrdquo he said

Polman emphasised Unileverrsquos commit-ment to sustainable business practice ldquoWe donrsquot just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes At the core of our business we strive to decouple the companyrsquos growth from its environ-mental footprint and increase positive social impact We aim to help more than a billion people by improving their health and well-being as well as enhancing their liveli-hoods by 2020rdquo he added

In partnership with government and NGOs Unilever and other large corporates have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the

call and lsquoTake Climate Action NowrsquoSpeaking at the same event the Minister

of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies said the Green Economy had been identified as a key focus area in the Industrial Policy Action Plan and it provided significant opportunities for job creation and economic growth

He added that in the Climatescope 2014 report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance South Africa was ranked third after China and Brazil for investment in clean energy accounting for more than 90 of these investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

ldquoAlso in 2013 South Africarsquos Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPP) won the Green Infrastructure project of the Year at the 6th Global Infrastructure Leadership Conference in New York Over the REIPPPrsquos first three bid windows the renewable energy sector has committed investments totalling R120-billion of which R23-billion was committed to local contentrdquo said Minister Davies

He said the South African government was extremely pleased that the investments made by Unilever were advancing ldquogreen technologyrdquo and their plants serve as a model for future Unilever global operations n

Afrisam OBC

Cummins Power Generation IFC

Drake amp Scull 19

Franke Kitchens 27

Gizocorp 35

Kevin Bates Flooring 29

Knowmore SA IBC

Maredi Technologies 9

Marmoran 37

Ritlee 7

Red Alert Cleaning amp Security 23

Subscription Request 5

Top Carpets 25

CLIMATE ACTION WAKE-UP CALL FROM UNILEVER

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

43jFM July 2013

Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumBy Blake WilkinsO

PTIM

ISAT

ION

OF

OPE

RAT

ION

July 2013 jFM44

July 2013 jFM44