A new roadmap which provides information on the technologies available for enterprises managing estates and facilities has been developed.
The Consortium Operation and Technology Roadmap has been launched by the Singapore International Facility Management Association (Sifma), a local association for facility managers, in support of government agencies such as the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and Enterprise Singapore (ESG) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).
The roadmap includes the information of 50 near, mid and long-term technology solutions and the highlights of the latest technology trends. This has been consolidated by FM firms, researchers and government agencies.
Some of these technologies include virtual reality and voice-to-action commands.
Minister of State for National Development Zaqy Mohamad announced about the establishment of this roadmap on Monday, 1 October, at the launch of the International Facility Management Conference 2019.
He also said that the guide is imperative to the FM sector, given that more than half of the buildings in Singapore will turn 30 by 2025 and will require maintenance.
FM services include the areas of maintaining greenery and the appearance of lifts and buildings.
These processes currently require a lot of manpower, especially from the ageing Singapore population.
President of Sifma, Mr Tony Khoo, said that enterprises need to undergo three stages to be avid users of technology over the next 10 to 12 years:
Stage 1: Go digital
Stage 2: Make sense of data
Stage 3: Innovate for the future
He said that many small and medium-sized enterprises are still stuck in the first stage. He said that enterprises have huge productivity gains to achieve if they “adopt the available technologies that are becoming more affordable”.
A Guide to Smart FM will also be made available to developers, Government Procurement Entities and building owners to assist them in identifying, rolling-out and gaining the benefits of smart technology solutions for their business operations.
It will be jointly developed by the team under the tripartite Facilities Management Implementation Committee (FMIC).
Singapore had recently launched a similar roadmap/plan, but for the accountancy industry.
