The show is co-located with IFSEC South Africa, one of Africa's biggest events for security professionals, and OSH Expo Africa, for the occupational safety and health market. Registered visitors will have free access to all three shows.
"Facilities management is one strategic operational area that many companies overlook," says Ross Cullingworth, director - sales and marketing at Montgomery Africa. "While it is a critical function in the UK, it is still in its infancy in South Africa and we believe FM should become an even greater part of the company's operating strategy, in demonstrating innovation in order to achieve and maintain portfolios, while delivering an added value."
When private companies and government sectors ignore FM, these organisations are missing significant cost savings. "The attraction of the show is that it allows visitors to get a first-hand experience of the innovations that are currently available, compare prices on products and investigate the FM services available in South Africa."
The goal of facilities management is to optimise an organisation's physical assets and infrastructure, but it should also be incorporated holistically into other business goals and growth objectives. The management of the built environment should also be integrated with the business environment.
Cullingworth believes that a strategic FM plan will look at the broader picture and identify areas of cost-savings, system optimisation and proactive maintenance. "Even the smallest omission could cost your organisation enormous amounts of money. For example, a failure in a building system may go undetected for a long time and negatively impact on performance."
Optimum productivity is critical to any organisation both large and small. Design, maintenance and service operations require personnel that understand the ongoing challenges of FM and the ability to assess and identify an underperforming building or service. "If in-house FM practitioner is not able to identify gaps in services or sufficiently monitor operations, additional training, outsourcing or getting in an independent consultant is often the route to take. The show is geared towards getting people to think along those lines and open the communication lines between organisations and the best service providers and product suppliers."
The FM market is becoming increasingly sophisticated and specialised and only those that are able to consistently deliver quality service will stay ahead of the curve. "The show will offer opportunities for professionals to keep up-to-date and also empower them to make the best decisions for their organisations, people and their bottom line," Cullingworth concludes.
For more information, go to www.facilitiesshowafrica.com.
