Everyone in the facilities space is talking about AI. How is ARC Facilities providing the benefits of this technology to boots-on-the-ground technicians?

AI has the potential to dramatically impact productivity for facilities technicians in the field. ARC Facilities is exploring ways to quickly deliver critical information right to a technician and eliminate bottlenecks. 

Our mission has always been to deliver critical building information instantly, to mobile devices for field technicians. We’ve been using AI behind the scenes for years to extract information from documents, make it searchable, and connect everything with touch-friendly links. 

By implementing the latest generation of AI, we are now able to use natural language search, summarize large data sets into usable information, and fill in missing information using the latest generative AI advances. These advances can provide a technician in the field with a dynamically created PM checklist, or common faults with a particular type of equipment – contributing to better overall equipment knowledge for financial projections and budgeting. 

Dealing with extreme climate conditions is a reality of life in the FM world. How can teams use mobile technology to help keep equipment running and buildings operational under the threat of ultra-high temperatures, high winds and massive storms?

When equipment, operations and emergency-related decisions need to be made in seconds, no one has time to flip through binders, notebooks, or search through electronic files on a shared drive for HVAC equipment locations, shut-offs or locations of emergency supplies. 

Close coordination with first responders, safety/security teams utilities companies and vendors are essential – and all stakeholders benefit from instant access to an organization’s building plans and equipment locations. If the power goes out during a storm and the internet is down, you should be able to have offline access and text critical information to internal teams and first responders. 

ARC Facilities has developed resources based on hundreds of hours of conversations with facilities, safety/security teams and first responders based in hurricane zones and other extreme weather areas about emergency preparedness, resiliency and recovery. 

 

 

The nuts and bolts of FMs can be overwhelming for technicians responsible for keeping hundreds or thousands of pieces of equipment up and running. How is ARC Facilities helping front-line facilities team members with equipment maintenance?

Thoroughly inspecting facility equipment is a critical FM responsibility. Problems occur when there are knowledge gaps - where equipment is located, equipment records are wrong, or things have moved or been replaced. 

Relying on memory is risky. For suggestions about enhancing the facility condition assessment process, read our blog post to learn about using mobile devices for facility equipment mapping. 

What role is ARC Facilities taking to track industry-wide challenges including labor shortages, career pathways to success in the FM industry, and the loss of institutional knowledge due to retirements?

We believe strongly in the power of storytelling to shed light on key issues facing the facility management industry today. We are actively capturing stories from facilities, safety, security, training, technology and recruitment professionals in a wide range of industries via our Women in Facilities series and our Facility Voices podcast with David Trask.