Who would have thought that working on an energy conservation project would reap enormous rewards for school districts, professional sports teams, churches, and even amusement parks? FMX created its facilities management software from such a use case and quickly became an industry leader in facilities management.
Many take for granted that organizations must maintain their buildings and facilities and keep them in excellent working condition. Previously, facilities management was often performed by sharing post-it notes to maintenance crews or simply by word-of-mouth. Communication breakdowns happened constantly, and unforeseen events were over-running many maintenance budgets from circumstances like HVAC unit failures or fleet vehicle malfunctions due to missing or neglected routine maintenance tasks.
President & Founder at FMX
By automating the processes and maintenance workflows, facilities management software delivers an organized path to keeping a building’s lights on in a more economical manner and everything that’s considered part of the facility in complete working order. It also provides a historical record of maintenance performed that managers can use to create data-driven analytics and reporting dashboards that can help prevent future problems by signaling ahead of time when an asset may need replacing. Board, stakeholder, and enforcement questions are answered with this easily accessible data to ensure a maintenance team reaches business goals and complies with any regulations, rules, or guidelines.
SourceForge recently caught up with FMX‘s president and founder, Brian Gregory, to discuss Facility Management Software’s role in today’s changing business world, how it can help with pandemic issues and become a way to increase profitability.
Thanks for taking the time to meet with us! Can you share a brief overview of FMX? When was it created? How did you discover there was a need for facilities management software?
Thanks for reaching out. I started my career as a mechanical engineer for an engineering firm specializing in designing energy-efficient schools. After several years, we began to notice a theme in that the schools we designed were falling far short of their intended performance. After digging deeper into the reasons why, we realized that we had missed an essential factor that contributes to the performance of facilities, the people factor. Since we were engineers, we focused on the technical aspects (efficient equipment, modern controls, etc.) but missed the importance of effective preventive maintenance practices, real-time facility scheduling, and smooth work order communication. Once we realized that we were missing a key component, we searched for a computerized solution to our problem.
That problem came to a head in 2012 while working on a school project. A school we were working with was trying to find a way to cut expenses by managing their energy needs remotely. Knowing that a computerized solution wasn’t available to provide automated preventive maintenance schedules, intuitive work order requests, event scheduling, and detailed reporting or that catered to that all-important people factor, we created FMX.
I’m pleased to say that even the first iteration of FMX was a considerable success and cut the school’s energy consumption and expenses. They expanded its use to the district and saved millions. Even though FMX was a small part (expense-wise) of the larger energy project, the district heavily used our product. Communication and culture improved significantly as a direct result of implementing our solution. Ten years later, FMX is still core to the district’s operations, and the efficiency gains are holding firm. Word of mouth carried FMX into other schools and districts, and eventually, other industries. What makes FMX so attractive is its ease of use, its configurability for specific needs, reporting features, and ROI. The software really does pay for itself.
What kinds of things does FMX’s facilities management software manage, and how can they translate into cost savings, better communication, and sources of new revenue?
There are several different facility management strategies organizations and businesses can employ to keep costs low and productivity high. The first is preventive maintenance. Almost every item has recommended manufacturer’s guidelines, but who can remember when a belt needs to be replaced, an HVAC filter changed, or a bus needs fresh oil? Creating those tasks as a recurring, timed-based, assignable work order in FMX only takes a few clicks of a mouse.
As teams complete those tasks, they turn into reports. These reports can help in judging the performance of an asset. High-use items can be flagged and enter a predictive maintenance phase to protect their longevity or mark them for replacement. FMX reporting helps in the budgeting and capital expenditure process.
FMX also allows anyone in an organization to make maintenance requests. Let’s say a thermostat is not working and a room is blazing. A teacher can use our intuitive UX and put in a maintenance request to have the thermostat checked. The maintenance team sees and acts upon that request, and when completed, the teacher will receive a notification that the work is finished. Communication is enhanced.
Event scheduling is also a feature of FMX. Anyone, including coaches or the public in the case of schools, can request the use of a designated gathering place. Maintenance teams get an alert and adjust HVAC systems, lighting, and locking systems accordingly, saving on energy costs as a site isn’t heated or lit when it doesn’t need to be. It can also create a new revenue stream for schools as they can easily rent rooms and unoccupied educational spaces.
From snow removal tasks to checklists for inspections, the possibilities of facilities maintenance software are endless. The historical record it keeps gives total recall for administrators and managers to answer any stakeholder’s questions.
There’s no doubt that the pandemic has changed the way we work. How can facilities maintenance software be implemented in easing our way to the new normal?
Safety and employees’ health should be the top priority of every business. The pandemic brought that fact into acute focus. As more and more employees are returning to the office, facilities management software can aid in keeping workplaces as healthy as they can be.
Unique COVID-19 cleaning checklists can be created in FMX and issued under a routine maintenance schedule. These checklists can ensure two things. One – that a facility’s maintenance team has done all they can to make a safe place for fellow employees to work, feel comfortable, and be productive. And two – there is a digital record of everything that demonstrates how an employer is doing all they can to keep the pandemic out of the workplace. Employees can stay safe and healthy while following CDC and local guidelines.
It’s not a hygiene theater. It’s a real-world response that is recorded and shows investment in your team.
Where do you see the future of facilities management software taking FMX?
I see it as just an everyday way that organizations do business. Its use has already spread to the NFL and college football teams. Amusement parks and zoos are also using FMX to manage many different aspects of their facilities. Any industry with buildings, maintenance crews, or facilities of any sort can benefit from the facilities management software.
The ROI is huge and adds a layer of efficiency unparalleled by any other system. What started as a way for us to help conserve energy has become a full-blown CMMS solution capable of managing any operational process. I’m confident that the future will allow FMX to interface and become implemented in many different companies and industries. The organization and cost-savings of FMX deliver a much-needed added boost for any industry.
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