Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
“Perspective is all that separates mistakes from opportunities,” said Christine Burkett, Senior Regional Facilities Manager of Sam’s Club and a life-long learner. A membership-only retail warehouse club owned and operated by Walmart Inc., Sam’s Club has over 600 locations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. In her role, Burkett helps oversee 180 of them in […]
Facility managers play an important role in ensuring indoor air quality (IAQ). The direct and indirect impacts of IAQ are well understood, particularly for those who suffer from lung or heart conditions. The U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS) has estimated that poor IAQ may cost the country up to £20 billion (~$24 billion) annually and […]
Facilities managers should work with security professionals on developing an adequate security plan to protect the perimeter of their properties. Each property is unique, so highly secure locations, like military installations, will have a different plan than areas open to the public, like shopping centers. 1. Vehicle Access Control Highly secure facilities should consider installing […]
Facilities are under constant pressure to minimize production waste and lower operational costs. They employ different techniques and innovative strategies to identify and eliminate these wastes without lowering the quality of products and consistency of established production routines—one of the used strategies is lean manufacturing. Facilities grapple with several invisible wastes arising from obsolete technologies, […]
Preventive maintenance involves precautionary interventions and inspections conducted on equipment and facilities frequently to prevent failures, downtime, and workplace accidents. It includes activities like lubrication, visual inspection, cleaning, and calibration. Most facilities have established preventive maintenance schedules to guarantee the optimal performance of assets. Preserving a preventive strategy requires substantial budgets since facilities must conduct […]
It is important for facilities professionals to learn not only how to manage energy but also how to incorporate conservation and sustainability into their facilities. James Myers, P.E., ProFM, principal of Myers Services, recently gave a webinar on the “5 Aspects of Energy Management,” sponsored by Avetta and ABM, for Facilities Management Advisor. He has […]
Major issues like COVID, supply chain problems, and inflation recently caused an economic downturn, raising concerns that the country could be facing a recession. Although some experts suggest the United States may now be on the road to recovery, it’s important that facilities managers be prepared to further stretch their dollars during tough economic times. […]
There’s no area of facility management that isn’t guided by one procedure or another—from attending to an endless stream of work orders to fixing a faulty HVAC unit or ordering a new batch of spare parts. Procedures are fundamental in facility management, but to do justice to this post, let’s start by briefly distinguishing between […]
The modern facility campus is packed with the most advanced technologies in the world, allowing facilities teams to see through walls and ceilings via virtual reality and augmented reality, curb energy usage while improving the workplace experience, and analyze data to predict outcomes via machine learning and artificial intelligence—so, why is it that so many […]
Is your healthcare facility still using a paper-based system for risk management and compliance? It’s time to join the digital age! Compliance and risk management are crucial behind-the-scenes programs in healthcare facilities. But their success depends on accurate, accessible, and organized records. Three-ring binders crammed with pages of printouts or handwritten reports just can’t cut […]