Promoting Social Distancing at Work

COVID-19 was the big elephant in the room for facility managers in 2021. Even if vaccines were released in early 2021, social distancing would still be an issue for FM. Different demographic groups would be vaccinated at different times. And then there’s the renewed caution in many of us, which won’t go away that easily.

Many companies will likely continue to operate remotely. But for those slowly returning to their headquarters, FM is key. Sensor technology and analytics can be used to monitor desk occupancy, washroom distancing, and cleaning routines. In addition, temperature and humidity sensors can improve comfort and help minimize the chances of virus transmission through the air.

IoT & Remote Control

If there’s one thing COVID-19 brought to the forefront, it’s remote monitoring. Fortunately, facility managers had IoT on their side. Sensor technology has almost endless applications in FM, including asset tagging, lighting, HVAC, fire suppression, security, inventory management, and equipment monitoring.

We won’t know exactly how many IoT devices were activated in 2020 for a while, but it’s clear that companies have been relying on them to face the global pandemic. IoT had numerous applications during COVID-19 outbreaks, including remote working, stock management, healthcare, and industrial manufacturing. This trend is likely to continue and evolve as key players fine-tune their IoT devices to improve efficiency and accuracy.

Move Over, Stand-Alone Software

What’s interesting about those studies is that they all point to one thing: between 40% and 60% of IoT devices rely on interoperability. Interconnectivity is inescapable in 2021. Plus, there’s a new generation of facility managers—40% of today’s facility managers will retire by 2026, so millennials are quickly taking their place—and they will not settle for anything less than a mobile-first mindset or a user-friendly platform they can control at their fingertips.

Predictive Maintenance

Speaking of repairs, it’s only appropriate to close our predictions for 2021 with AI-based predictive maintenance. As maintenance managers know, preventive maintenance sometimes relies on excessive or unproductive work, which means wasted time, resources, and parts being replaced before the end of their useful life. Predictive and condition-based maintenance reduce that waste and are more sustainable overall.

The good news is that the sheer amount of data facility managers can collect from sensors alone is enough to make maintenance more predictive. Sensors embedded in equipment can help determine when components should be replaced. However, AI models can go further by analyzing patterns and failure modes over an asset’s lifespan. AI-based maintenance, powered by IIoT, is definitely one of the trends to watch in 2021 and beyond.

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