August 29, 2019

IWFM – “FM is all about people and culture”: In conversation with Skanska

Skanska delivers facilities management (FM) with a focus on sustainability and customer service. Supporting more than 65 organisations across over 3,000 locations nationwide, here we explore how they use SMART technology to create ‘healthy’ buildings that their customers love. “FM is all about people and culture” declared Adam McDonald, Managing

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Issue 322 : Nov 2024

August 29, 2019

IWFM – “FM is all about people and culture”: In conversation with Skanska

Skanska delivers facilities management (FM) with a focus on sustainability and customer service. Supporting more than 65 organisations across over 3,000 locations nationwide, here we explore how they use SMART technology to create ‘healthy’ buildings that their customers love. “FM is all about people and culture” declared Adam McDonald, Managing Director of Skanska’s Building Services operation, when we sat down together. Adding, “We value and take care of our people with an injury-free environment (IFE) approach. I’m proud to say we have a culture of care and support, which enables us to deliver the best front-line service to our customers.” If anyone’s at the forefront of putting the customer first, Skanska certainly are. As a company that develops, builds and maintains some of the UK’s iconic buildings including the Gherkin and MoD Main Building, Skanska really are at the forefront of developing the best offers for their customers. It’s going down well too – their research shows that 70% of existing customers have worked with their facilities management team for at least 10 years or more. But how do they do it? Sustainability is a much talked about focus right now, as Skanska’s customers continue to enquire about how it can better assist them to achieve their goals. Laura Mayhew-Manchon, Environmental Manager, said: “We’re pushing the boundaries in carbon reduction – we’ve set a target of net zero carbon reduction by 2045, and we’re including all of our supply chain, not just our own immediate operations.” But you need to have the right team and processes in place to make sure commitments stick, which is where the company’s embrace of technology benefits them.  We were keen to delve into how other organisations can use technology to make a difference, both internally and to customers. So, we asked Laura: What are the most consistently missed tech opportunities?  Laura revealed, “Better connected assets and equipment will support improved building user experience, use and functionality. That’s the first thing. But ultimately, for FM teams, the data these produce and how we use and interpret it is key in delivering effective, efficient FM that drives optimal building performance.” This supports IWFM’s research that better understanding of technology and data, which includes upskilling existing staff as well as bringing new skills in, is crucial to better performance. In turn, this can create ‘healthy’ buildings. So, what defines a ‘healthy building’? According to Laura, “spaces where the relationship between the building, energy, occupant satisfaction and wellbeing is reviewed continually.” Those final words, ‘reviewed continually’, are undoubtedly the most important. Much of the profession implements change and then forgets to make time to review those changes and to develop them for better results. But, if we’re to see meaningful change in our profession, it’s something we absolutely must do. Acknowledging how customers, or communities, engage with buildings is crucial. “You also need to design the delivery solution around the customer. For example, our City of London contract has delivery teams aligned to customer type rather than geography,” said Adam McDonald. Adding, “Procuring the supply chain sustainably and locally helps, too. We have committed to procuring within a certain radius of contracts, paying them on time (Skanska adheres to the fair payment charter) and training them via the Supply Chain Sustainability School.” Which brings us to our final point: What’s next? For Skanska, it’s about having “engaged, well-trained, positive people to help drive quality FM service delivery. As a profession, we need simpler and more effective procurement models that are driven by service quality rather than price,” Adam said. So, what did we learn? Sustainability is top of the agenda, and that can be driven by technology. As a profession, we need to upskill and make sure we always put the customer first, and those customers can differ considerably from building to building. We must also aim to create ‘healthy buildings’ – spaces where the relationship between the building, energy, occupant satisfaction and wellbeing work as one and, more importantly, is reviewed continually. Skanska is sponsoring this year’s IWFM Awards. Find out more about they’re current work through the Awards website.

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20th birthday celebrations boosted by £10 million of contract wins for construction business

One of Scotland’s fastest growing construction firms, Ashwood Scotland, is revealing a series of contract wins as the firm prepares to formally celebrate its 20th birthday next month. Contracts totaling £10 million have been secured with a range of clients including City of Edinburgh Council, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Zoo and National Records of Scotland. On behalf of the Council the Bathgate-based firm, which has grown to over 70 staff, will undertake works at three of Edinburgh’s primary schools. These briefs have been awarded following the commencement of major works at West Register House – home to the National Archives – in Edinburgh’s Charlotte Square.  This project will include a careful restoration of the external fabric and iconic copper dome. Meanwhile, similar heritage projects have been completed at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery and The University of Edinburgh’s prestigious Old College campus. “Since starting out in a single person office 20 years ago, we have turned over in excess of £100 million and completed over 400 projects,” says managing director, Archie Meikle. “This latest set of contracts is testament to the quality of our staff and workmanship and we are excited by our plans to further grow and develop the business.” Ashwood have also just commenced the construction of a purpose-built enclosure for giraffes at Edinburgh Zoo which follows on from the completion of a new facility for the giant pandas. “Building at Edinburgh Zoo has been a privilege but also extremely challenging due to working in a live zoo environment,” added Mr Meikle. Saturday saw 160 guests, including all staff and their families, attending a BBQ and party hosted at Dundas Castle on the outskirts of Edinburgh to mark the firm’s 20th birthday by.

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Employee-owned packaging group Kite Packaging ranked in ‘Owner Managed Business – Midlands Top 100’

The report features the top ‘Owner Managed Companies’ across the Midlands and Kite are extremely proud to have been recognised for their achievements. Established in 2001 as a true employee-owned company and with the original management team still at the forefront of the business, Kite has seen impressive growth throughout its history. Recognition of Kite comes after a very successful year for the packaging distribution company, who in 2018 invested in further geographical expansion by extending their network of regional distribution centres to include the North East of England. 2018 also saw the launch of Kites ‘Mobile Testing Facility’, the first of its kind in the industry, allowing Kite to bring solutions and expertise directly to customers own sites. At the start of 2019 Kite launched a company-wide initiative to reduce their own, and their customers, use of plastics by 120 tonnes following “The four R’s” of reduce, re-use, recycle and replace – a goal they achieved within the first 6 months of 2019. Kites Ecommerce, Waste Compliance and Midlands Regional Distribution Centre all operate out of the Torrington Avenue site in Coventry with a further 6 Regional Distribution Centres located throughout the UK. For more information on Kite Packaging and their products and services, visit kitepackaging.co.uk.

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