The future of fit-out: The impact of increased Mobility and ruggedized handhelds
As facility managers are increasingly required to provide input into original fit-outs and redevelopments, it is becoming more important to keep abreast of the growing trends that will affect the fit-out of the future. A study conducted by Harris Interactive, a respected name in North American market research, has shown some significant global trends that have important implications for local facility managers. The results show quite comprehensively a variety of industries in which facility managers operate will be affected by a more mobile workplace, as well as an increase in the amount of industrial handheld computers being implemented in many processes.
“92 percent of respondents felt that their company was either much more mobile (60 percent) or somewhat more mobile (32 percent) compared to only two or three years ago.”
The study, undertaken at the start of this year, was conducted across more than 300 Fortune 1000 companies, many of which have significant operations in Asia. It was conducted to validate trends that technology suppliers are seeing in their existing customers and to confirm technology needs and preferences of large organisations.
Mobility
One of the more revealing statistics showed that 92 percent of respondents felt that their company was either much more mobile (60 percent) or somewhat more mobile (32 percent) compared to only two or three years ago. This has significant implications to the facility of the future, as facility managers need to make sure that they aren’t investing in assets that will not be used such as work stations, desks and shelving.
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The research also has shown that ruggedized handheld computers are beginning to take precedence over traditional smart phones — revealing that 67 percent of the companies surveyed are interested in ruggedized handheld computers. A rugged computer is a computer specifically designed to reliably operate in harsh usage environments and conditions, such as strong vibrations, extreme temperatures and wet or dusty conditions. The attraction of these ruggedized devices is that they run many of the same applications as regular handheld devices (Bluetooth, voice communications, wireless network connectivity), but often incorporating things like RFID support and increased barcode scanning capabilities. The switch is being made in a variety of industries, notably manufacturing, healthcare and logistics. In these areas, facility managers are making decisions based on what is best for the organisation in the future, not based on what has been done before and worked. It is naive to think that facilities aren’t developing alongside the technologies that drive their processes.
Paper free
Another major trend revealed in the study is that many large organisations are going ‘paperless’ to reduce costs, improve productivity and environmental responsibility. Of the respondents, 38 percent are already paperless, 29 percent are transitioning to paperless operations and 15 percent plan on going paperless in the near term — a trend which will continue to affect the fit-outs of many facilities in the future.
With more organisations paperless, the requirement for more reliable and capable handheld devices increases. Studies have shown that the annual cost of a consumer grade handheld is USD$4,230 on average, compared to USD$2,592 for a fully rugged handheld — after taking into consideration support time, lost productivity, and device maintenance. For facility managers, this means more accurate information on key assets within the organisation such as desks, chairs or even machinery. This translates to a streamlined facility with less unnecessary expenses.
“More generally because of the growth in IT usage throughout facilities across Asia and the increased sophistication of equipment being used — facilities managers will have to develop closer working relationships with IT representatives”
It is essential for facility managers to consider the future needs and the technologies that will be prevalent in their business and plan for them accordingly. Increased mobility will mean it is going to be essential to have the adequate wireless network infrastructure to support a number of devices taking information off, and uploading information onto the network simultaneously. This has on-flow effects to a variety of different areas in the fit-out. As an example, in a retail setting where thousands of barcodes in asset tracking are being processed every day, facility managers need to ensure that there is adequate server capabilities in place. This includes more storage facilities, larger capacity cabling conduits and more support from server technicians as glitches within the network may lead to a reversion to old paper-based practices and the errors that come with them. Facilities managers will no doubt have to work more closely with IT personnel in the future to better plan for server deployments. More generally because of the growth in IT usage throughout facilities across Asia and the increased sophistication of equipment being used — facilities managers will have to develop closer working relationships with IT representatives given their services will be needed more and more in the future for fit-outs and ongoing maintenance.
Shared space
Another significant factor that comes into play when managing a facility is ‘hot-desking’ personnel and shared workspaces. As we become increasingly mobile, the concept of a ‘personal’ workspace will begin to ebb away in some industries. This comes as a result of more people being on the move and having multiple operations integrated into one device. In an operation where there are asset tracking processes complementing tracking product information, there is no need to have a digital camera, barcode scanner, laptop computer and phone (requiring a constant ‘back and forth’ to their work stations), as one device now integrates them all. This reduces the need for work stations as space is no longer required for things like the aforementioned devices. Facility managers who take a relaxed attitude and assume that ‘what has worked, will work’ will inevitably end up overinvesting in infrastructure to support ‘the old ways’ and be left wanting as their competitors move forward.
In some cases the increased usage of technology across facilities in Asia will be easier for larger companies given their increased purchasing power for equipment compared with smaller companies who may have smaller orders. However, smaller companies also stand to benefit from large businesses in Asia driving innovation. In either case, if facility managers are going to continue to provide facilities that are cohesive with the operations of their employers, it is imperative that they keep up with technology trends affecting their industry. With a large amount of industries moving towards ‘paperless’ and mobility becoming one of the key challenges to be faced in the immediate future, facility managers need to ensure that lacking (or overinvested) infrastructure and careless planning don’t hold up the productivity gains that come from being up to date.
Penny Chai is the Director, Marketing Asia Pacific based in Singapore managing Intermec’s channel marketing program. After almost fifteen years of experience with companies such as Texas Instruments, Hewlett-Packard and most recently at Dell B.V. Intermec Inc. develops and integrates products, services and technologies that identify, track and manage supply chain assets and information.
