One of the most difficult jobs in any Michigan company is being the facilities manager (FM). The reason for this is that the job is particularly wide-ranging, and encompasses everything from asset management and pest control to safety and security. Fortunately, FMs specialize in prioritizing, with the emphasis on energy management, health and safety, maintenance, new technologies, interiors and workspaces, and security.

Health and Safety

A company’s health and safety policies are usually the focus of the FM, unless the firm has a dedicated health and safety officer. Although many people deride health and safety regulations because they sometimes appear to be too stringent, there’s no doubt that when health and safety becomes an issue, a company’s FM department can find itself in deep trouble. FMs need to ensure they’re continually abreast of the latest health and safety legislation, make sure their facility is cleaned properly to prevent accidents from occurring with staff. Strength H2O Industrial Solutions provide FM with a single point of contact that will answer the phone 24/7 to address any issues or concerns.

Preventative Maintenance & Maintenance Shutdowns

There are different types of maintenance of which a FM should be aware, but the two that are most likely to take up his or her time are predictive (or planned) maintenance and reactive maintenance. Most FMs try to spend more time on predictive maintenance, although the reactive type sometimes unexpectedly diverts their resources. Predictive maintenance entails scheduling a Michigan industrial cleaning service provider to complete cleaning at various locations throughout the facility, while reactive refers to taking immediate action because, for instance, a car damages a wall, requiring emergency maintenance. Ideally, FMs aim to deal only with predictive maintenance, but because some disasters can’t be predicted, they should also have a budget and a plan for reactive maintenance.

New Technologies

Few employees embrace innovative new technologies as eagerly as FMs. The reason for this is that they, more than many of their colleagues, are acutely aware of the

possibilities offered by technologies such as asset management programmers, building management systems, and wireless monitoring products. There’s no doubt that in a fast-changing world, early adopters of innovative technologies have an immediate advantage over their competitors. But there’s also a more practical consideration behind many FMs’ interest in new technologies: products that can save energy, such as wireless utility monitoring, can have an immediate impact on the amount of money a FM can save his or her company.

Interiors and Workspaces

An often-underestimated part of a FM’s job is his or her responsibility for the inside of the offices, including the décor and furniture. In some companies, the FM can play a direct role in the wellbeing of staff by ensuring the décor contributes to a more productive office environment. Acoustics is important, and can be installed on an ‘ABC system’ — the absorbing, blocking or covering of noise. It’s been discovered, for instance, that while normal ceiling tiles in a building absorb less than 30% of noise, other types of tiles can absorb as much as 95%. So-called ‘soft walls’ also absorb echoes. Space planning is another important part of effective workspaces, particularly if the FM is able to demarcate areas such as meeting rooms.

Security

A FM may be cognizant of all the aforementioned priorities, but if he or she overlooks building security, then all their efforts will be for nothing. Most FMs know they can’t afford to ignore security, even if the area in which the building is situated is regarded as safe from crime. One element of security is man-guarding — ensuring there are security personnel to monitor access into and out of the building. Fortunately, FMs today have plenty of technological assistance in the form of CCTV cameras and sophisticated access control barrier systems. CCTV cameras can operate independently of local power systems and produce far sharper images than they could in the past. There are additional benefits to CCTV, such as the ability to link back to automated fire-alarms, and as evidence-recorders when a company is forced to disprove false claims.