Ashish Sharma

The biggest challenges in building maintenance is the large variation of building material at the time of construction that leads to poor maintenance in the long run. Shortage of facility managers with appropriate technical know-how is another common issue. Hence, at the British Airways office, the team has devised a platform for all senior facility members, where they can invite aspiring professionals and create an in-house training centre to help reduce the skill gap in the industry.

Commenting on some of the key strategies, Sharma mentions: “We adapted ‘energy efficient operation’ at the workplace i.e. operating the energy consuming equipment efficiently to optimise the energy costs which translates to increased capital value. We minimised the electricity consumption and achieved 42% savings by replacing traditional CFLs with LED lights throughout the building.”

He believes that the industry should focus on e-facilities and an end-to-end Facility Management Software that simplifies complex operations, aids cost reduction and improves efficiency. Despite the fact that more and more facility management jobs become available each year, hardly a few pursue a degree or career track that would lead them into this industry. He maintains that one should identify and nurture the young talent through facility management networking, thereby infusing the field with skilled professionals.