Facility Insight June 2014

1JUNE 2014 FACILITY iNSIGHT

FACILITYiNSIGHT

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2INTRODUCTIONMEFMA PresidentJamal Lootah

4NEWSLatest property trends in the UAE, Qatar and Saudi

6NEWS FM Expo 2014, why energy saving is vital, and a safety award

8NEWS Developers do want green buildings…at a price

10GUEST COMMENT More F less M? By Liz Kentish

12CLIENTS SAVE ENERGY, FM MAKES MONEYBusiness boosting guidance from Credo

14NEW FACES AT MEFMA We talk to the five people who have joined the board

18RECRUITMENT, STAFF RETENTIONHow to recruit the best and keep them

22INTERVIEW: CHRIS BONDMACRO’s new director of consultancy shares his vision

26PRODUCT REVIEWFrom gadgets to cleaning equipment

28WORLD FM DAY JUNE 4How it can be fun raising awareness

30 SPOTLIGHT ON CONFEX 2014 A look back at the two-day event in words and pictures

34BIRTH CERTIFICATES FOR BUILDINGSA day helping developers understand FM

36SUSTAINABLE MOSQUE PROJECTKhidmah presents a very special mosque in Abu Dhabi

38GREEN BREAKFASTS IN ABU DHABIEmirates GBC joined MEFMA members

39REACH FOR THE STARSNew rating system will encourage best FM practise

Facility Insight, The Voice of the Industry, is the official publication of the Middle East Facility Management Association. It is for members of MEFMA to keep them informed of the association‘s work and this special edition has been printed to coincide with FM Expo 2014 at the Dubai World Trade Centre between May 19 and 21.

FACILITYiNSIGHT

40ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS TO WIN YOU CLIENTSWe talk to Kris Young of 1ml about the growing enterprise

42THE FOX FILESOur man in the know on why London is more like Dubai

44DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Events, conferences, seminars and exhibitions

Contents JUNE 2014

30

2836

14

MID

DLE

EAST

2 JUNE 2014FACILITY iNSIGHT2

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Facility InsightThe Voice of the Industry

MIDDLE EAST FACILITYMANAGEMENT ASSOCIATIONPO Box 1166, Dubai, UAEPhone: +971 4 3409595 Email: [email protected] us:

Director, Sinead Bridgett.Phone: +971 50 8491447 Email: [email protected]

Relationship Manager, Alaa AlBoaliPhone: +971 55 8482808 Email: [email protected]

Coordinator, Kamya KundaniPhone: +971 4 3409595 Ext: 102 Email: [email protected] Insight is published on

behalf of MEFMA by Diversified MediaAdvertising inquiries Vass MafilasPhone: Direct: +971 4 361 4177 Mobile: +971 55 887 0720E-Mail: mailto:[email protected] all editorial inquiries email

Facilities Management transcends the

entire value-chain across the built en-

vironment and is so multi-dimensional

in terms of the services it provides, the

industry becomes hard to define.

To an architect and developer, facilities man-

agement is a critical consultant that will ensure

new developments are designed to be operation-

ally and environmentally efficient. For building

owners, FM is wholly responsible for the build-

ing’s lifecycle.

For tenants, FM can manage all non-critical and

near-core activities in specialist sectors, allowing

health workers, teachers, mall managers, airport

operators, hoteliers and manufacturers to focus on

their job in hand.

Facility managers also contribute to the bottom

line—not only by reducing facility costs, but also

by improving the productivity, revenue generat-

ing capacity and image of the entire organisation.

It is therefore up to the facility management in-

dustry as a whole to promote its capabilities and be

in a position to capitalize on more than $220 billion

worth of projects underway and being planned

over the next five years across the region.

Likewise the Dubai Expo 2020 and the Qatar

2022 FIFA World Cup are events that offer a fan-

tastic opportunity for the facilities management in-

dustry to showcase its contribution to the effective

management and delivery of global events.

To help promote, and even try to define, the

FM industry, we are delighted to launch MEF-

MA’s own publication, FM Insight, which you are

holding now or reading online. Facility Insight

will deliver the latest news from the region’s FM

companies, consultants and operators, interviews

with industry thought leaders, technology and

building management solution reviews, research

and insight, event reviews and MEFMA updates.

The first official Facility Insight magazine will be

launched in August.

This preview edition features MEFMA’s latest

research into energy control within the built envi-

ronment which has revealed that $3.6 billion per

annum is being lost due to inefficient energy man-

agement solutions inside professionally managed

buildings in the GCC.

It is also being launched to coincide with FM

EXPO, an event that is incredibly important for the

industry. With so many influential players under

the one roof it is the prime opportunity for visitors

to meet all stakeholders involved in facilities man-

agement, understand the latest in remote control

technology, energy management solutions and

trends in integrated FM.

So, this is truly an exciting time for FM in the

Middle East. Our member base has grown expo-

nentially in recent years and now spans across

the entire Middle Eastern region. Our regional

networking events, our recent Confex 2014

(review starts on page 30) and training courses

that we offer have all had a hand in bringing our

industry together through interactive and effective

platforms to encourage best practice.

I hope with the launch of FM Insight we can

continue to go some way in fulfilling our promise

to act as the industry’s interface with governments

and businesses and influence the under-

standing of FM in the Middle East.

Thank you,

Jamal Lootah

President of MEFMA

4 JUNE 2014FACILITY iNSIGHT

NEWS CONTRACT AWARDS

Empower signs TECOM district cooling deal

Empower, the world‘s largest district cooling services provider, will pro-vide 120,000 refrigeration tonnes (RT) of district cooling services for TECOM Investments‘ Dubai Design District project.

Empower, the world’s largest district

cooling services provider, will pro-

vide 120,000 refrigeration tonnes

(RT) of district cooling services for

TECOM Investments’ Dubai Design

District project.

The deal, announced on May 11,

is worth a total of AED750m ($204)

and will be implemented in several

phases. The first phase of the project,

known as d3, is expected to begin in

the fourth quarter of this year, with

a capacity of 10,000 RT.

“This project is one of the largest

and most important projects ever

undertaken by Empower, as it

demonstrates the sophistication of

our world- class technology that

services the Emirate’s landmark

real estate developments,” said

Ahmad Bin Shafar, Chief Executive

Officer, Empower. “Two plants,

which will be following the latest

standards in the district cooling

industry, will be built to supply the

requested load. The plants will in-

clude Thermal Storage and will use

TSE (Treated Sewage Effluent) to be

aligned with the company’s strategy

of sustainability and saving natural

resources.”

Located close to Downtown Du-

bai and Business Bay, d3 is expected

to be the creative hub in the Emir-

ate’s flourishing design scene.

well despite a second wave of apart-

ment releases on The Pearl-Qatar eas-

ing the pressure on rental rates slightly

following stabilisation in Q4 2013.

The hotel and serviced apartment

sector also continued to perform

strongly with increased demand for

one-bedroom units, which has fueled

the development of new projects.

A one-bedroom apartment on the

Pearl-Qatar costs QR12,000 ($3,300)

a month.

Some observers have expressed

concerns about There are concerns

about future oversupply, however,

with organised retail floor space fore-

cast to grow by more than 1.2 million

square meters by 2017,”

said Crisp.

IMF calls on Dubai’s leaders to control property speculation

The International Monetary Fund has called on the Dubai govern-ment to get tough with property speculators and end “flipping”.

The International Monetary Fund has

called on the Dubai government to

get tough with property speculators

and end “flipping”.

The Dubai property market

bounced back in the past year with

a resurgence in investors who buy

and sell mostly unbuilt properties in

quick succession to make speculative

profits. Property prices fell by half in

the emirate between 2008 and 2010

following the crash and Dubai needed

a bail out.

“In the case of Hong Kong, they

imposed a 15 percent fee on trans-

actions of real estate that were

turned around within six months,”

said Masood Ahmed, director of the

IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia

department.

Dubai said in September it would

double a registration fee charged on

real estate transactions to 4% to pre-

vent excessive speculation. The fol-

lowing month, the UAE central bank

imposed limits on mortgage loans but

the restrictions were not as stringent

as first planned after lobbying by the

banking industry.

“Our own view is that these

measures are good but if you look at

what’s happening in the market it’s

time to consider stronger measures,”

Ahmed said in a presentation on the

regional economic outlook.

Property investment from

wealthy foreign buyers, partly as

a result of regional instability, has

helped fuel the latest boom.

QATAR LAND SALES FUEL BOOMING PROPERTY MARKET

Doha’s property market has grown substantially quarter-on-quarter, with a 29% increase in the number of transactions, according to fig-ures released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

Between Q4 2013 and Q1 2014,

the average value of sales showed

a 35% with land sales making up

three-quarters of the market worth

QR7.35 billion ($2.02bn).

Residential sales were strong as

Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower (left) and Dr. Amina Al Rustamani, Group CEO, TECOM Investments sign the $204m agreement.

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CLEANING A GREASE TRAP

AND THEN WE WASH OUR HANDS

BEFORE AFTER


NEWS GENERAL

Why energy efficiency is vital to future growth

Cutting subsidies will encourage customers to save power, says Ernst Young report.

Governments in the region may have

to increase pressure on building own-

ers if GCC countries are to meet their

soaring energy demand, according to

new a report.

The report by to power and utilities

specialists at Ernst & Young (EY) says

state-owned power suppliers need to

re-examine their operational model as

demand across the GCC will increase

by 6-8% a year. ) It also recommends a

reduction in subsidies for electricity in

the oil-rich economies

Christian von Tchirschky, Mena

Power and Utilities Leader at EY, says:

“Some countries, such as Saudi Arabia,

will need to double their capacity,

from around 50GW to 90GW, by

2020. This immense growth means

utilities must act now to develop

strategies to better balance demand

and supply. Building new capacity,

reducing subsidies and increasing

efficiency are some of the key ways

that GCC utilities can improve their

operating models.”

It notes that the UAE’s first nuclear

plants are due to begin operation in 2017

and the development of renewable ener-

gy, particularly solar, is set to increase.

However, the report says that

increasing supply must be paired

with curbing demand if a sustainable

energy balance is to be achieved. GCC

utilities must now develop smart ways

to cut consumption through strict de-

mand-side management programmes.

“Getting customers to use less en-

ergy is difficult when heavy subsidies

make tariffs artificially low. There is a

need to increase customer awareness

of the real value of electricity and that

its current price is only so low because

it is subsidised,” said von Tchirschky.

ganisation’s strategic vision for health,

including specific targets, as well as

any activities which distinguish an

organisation’s approach to health and

work in any innovation.

David Rawlins, RoSPA’s Awards

Manager, said: “The RoSPA Awards

encourage the raising of occupational

health and safety standards across

the board. Organisations that gain

recognition for their health and

safety management systems, such as

Macro, contribute to a collective rais-

ing of the bar for other organisations

to aspire to, and we offer them our

congratulations.”

Nick Alford, Head of Corpo-

rate Health and Safety at Macro,

said: “This award confirms that our

systems and processes are robust

internationally. A big thank you goes

to the whole team as this is a direct

result of their extremely impressive

efforts - this award is for them.”

the return on investment from green

FM policies’ and ‘Assessing the role FM

can play in creating a sustainable and

environmentally friendly EXPO 2020’.

Confirmed speakers from the

industry will cover other key issues in

the sector including: savings in whole-

life costs through early inclusion of

FM and driving innovation through

collaboration.

FM Expo organiser Jaafar Shubber

said: “Our aim is to collate a pro-

gramme of high level seminars that

will offer the show participants the

opportunity to learn about the latest

products, innovations, technologies

and regulations for the facilities man-

agement industry.”

WHY GOOD ENERGY MANAGE-

MENT COULD THREATEN

FM PROVIDERS - P12

Macro awarded gold in the UK

RoSPA award for company’s global health & safety performance

International facilities management

company Macro has won a Gold

Award in the ‘Occupational Health

and Safety’ category at the Royal So-

ciety for the Prevention of Accidents

(RoSPA) Awards 2014. This award

recognises Macro’s overall health and

safety performance across its interna-

tional portfolio.

RoSPA is an organisation which

recognises a “commitment to contin-

uous improvement in accident and ill

health prevention at work”. Entries to

the awards, which date back 58 years,

are open internationally. Judges con-

sider each entrant’s overall occupa-

tional health and safety management

systems, including leadership practic-

es and workforce involvement.

Nominees for the ‘Occupation-

al Health and Safety Award’ are

assessed based on a range of core

competencies. These include the or-

BIGGER AND BETTER: FM EXPO 2014

May 19-21, Dubai World Trade Centre will include two new events for waste & recycling and cleaning & hygiene

More than 100 exhibitors are con-

firmed for this year’s FM Expo in the

UAE, which covers all sectors of the

industry and includes this year exhib-

itors in the two new events under the

same roof for associated industries of

waste management and cleaning.

Alongside the exhibitors, a confer-

ences and seminars will run through-

out the three days under the title

‘Sustainability of buildings and com-

munities through improved facilities

management’ including ‘Maximising

8 JUNE 2014FACILITY FACILITY iNSIGHTiNSIGHT

NEWS CONSTRUCTION

New residential developments in the

GCC are the least likely to be equipped

with energy –saving technology as

developers see no profit in bothering to

fit them, according to a new report.

A special Sustainable Building in the

GCC, commissioned by MEFMA, con-

cludes the energy market in the GCC

offers a $100m a year opportunity for

“green expansion” over the next decade.

The report, prepared by MEED

Insight for MEFMA, says energy

consumption per head in the GCC is

“considerably higher than developed

economies such as France, Germany,

the UK and Japan.”

It found that just one

in every five new build

projects in the United Arab

Emirates incorporates ener-

gy saving technology.

By 2020 demand will ex-

ceed supply in some countries

and governments will have to

act forcing the private sector to

invest in energy management

systems (EMS), says the report.

The report, due to be

revealed to delegates at FM

Expo in Dubai on May 19-21,

found that developers are

widely supportive of meas-

ures to reduce electricity con-

sumption, though it noted the

motivation was at its lowest

for new residential projects.

Reducing running costs

is the prime reason for in-

vesting in green technology:

“Interest for energy manage-

ment is therefore visible in

‘Green expansion’ worth $100m a year

p

sectors such as hospitality, healthcare

and mixed-use properties, where the

developer bears the burden of opera-

tional expenses,” said the report

“Across developers, there was an

acceptance of the prospect of slightly

higher construction costs through the

procurement of green building mate-

rials to achieve lower operational costs

over the life of the building.”

But cheap, subsidised energy and no

regulation mean there is “little econom-

ic incentive for developers to invest

in the infrastructure to monitor and

manage energy consumption.”

“A core element of a successful

energy management system is proper

utilisation by the end-user and adher-

ence to certain behavioural code,” said

the report.

Two things stand in the way of

wider adoption according to the report:

first, a simple failure to close windows

and doors when air-conditioning on.

“Second is the limited availability of

skilled analysts and technical staff

with the requisite experience to main-

tain facilities effectively, monitor ener-

gy usage and provide proper solutions.”

The report says that energy saving

investment will grow in the

medium terms as the number

of new projects increase “pre-

senting a real opportunity for

expansion of the green sector

as the regulation implement-

ed so far applies primarily to

greenfield projects.”

But that growth will also

need government regulation:

“Measures to incentivise ener-

gy monitoring …may result in

higher adoption levels of EMS

over the next few years. “

The report concludes:

“Without the right incentives

in place, the market can only

progress slowly, squandering a

$100m a year market opportu-

nity in the interim.”

Why good energy manage-

ment could threaten existing

FM providers, new Credo

report see page 14

A report by

Energy Management Report

ore element of a successful

A report by

Sustainable Building in the GCCNew report shows developers will invest in energy-saving

…as long as it saves them money


GUEST LIZ KENTISH

LESS

MORE MEFMA Confex confirmed

something I’ve been focusing on

for some time – that we need to

develop stronger leadership and

management skills if we are to

raise the profile of FM and be seen

as a career of choice.

All the attendees I spoke with alluded to leadership as a vital attribute to drive facilities management, whether it’s to engage with your board or create a working partnership with your client/supplier.

One of the easiest ways to have

a voice is to speak the language of

those who we need to influence

– this applies as much within

an organisation as it does in the

outside world. Yet it’s a skill that is

so often overlooked.

Even in-house management

development programmes and

graduate schemes focus on ‘core’

management skills, but there’s little

mention of developing leaders.

I’d like to see more focus on how

we get clear about the direction

we’re going in, how we listen and

communicate, how we influence,

becoming our own best PR

company, how to find the courage

to tread a new path, how to take

others on the journey, and getting

comfortable trusting people to do

the jobs we employ them to do.

These skills I believe are the essence

of leadership.

Until we step up and act as

business leaders, we will remain

(metaphorically at least) in the

basement. You don’t have to sit at

the Board table to be an influencer,

but you do have to have the ear and

the support of those who do. Great

leaders get to know what the ‘hot

buttons’ are for those people, what

their style of communication is, and

they adapt their own style to suit.

Once I needed to get to the CEO

of a company I worked for. His

gatekeeper (sorry, PA) wouldn’t let

me anywhere near him or even

book time in his diary. So I sort of

‘stalked’ him (in a very nice way)

and hung out by the lift until he

was getting in. Having made the

appropriate small talk about his

favourite topic (Arsenal) I made my

case (genuinely an elevator pitch!)

and bingo! He listened, we agreed

the way forward and the project got

funding.

I’m not suggesting you go and

stalk your colleagues. But find a

way to be seen to be a leader. Find

a mentor in your organisation who

can help you overcome the hurdles

and give you advice on how to

deal with the influencers. And of

course, when you’re looking for

learning and development for your

teams, by all means give them FM

skills and knowledge, but also be

a mentor yourself and help them

become great leaders.

Liz Kentish is a leadership expert, managing

director of Kentish & Co, and current deputy

chairman of BIFM (British Institute of

Facilities Management)

How improving communication and

leadership can raise the profile of our industry

MMFF

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Act now or risk missing earnings from energy management

ANALYSIS CREDO REPORT

FM companies have a huge opportunity to

increase income but they will have to focus

if they are to capitalise on the increase in

demand for energy saving expertise, according to

a new report.

The new report titled Energy Management, Can

FM capture a share of the GCC prize? has been pre-

pared by the FM strategy consultancy Credo and

will be presented at FM Expo 2014 in Dubai.

It estimates losses across the GCC energy in

commercial and residential towers is $3.5bn a

year. With increased government pressures to

save energy, FM companies can implement the

changes and share in the savings.

But the report warns: “Experience from

other markets suggests that FM players are late

to recognise the opportunity. ESCOs (Energy

Saving Companies) and technology suppliers are

typically the winners as the energy management

market opens up.

“These players then broaden their offer

to include FM services, becoming significant

competitors.”

Much of the energy saving potential in typical commercial and residential towers is available with little or no capital expenditure. Some savings are obtainable just from changing operational practices and client behaviours. FM companies are well placed to benefit but a new report warns other sectors have their eye on the FM prize.

The report prepared for MEFMA says: “Gov-

ernments across the region have woken up to the

importance of energy efficiency in developing a

sustainable growth path. The Dubai Government

has outlined an ambitious strategy to secure a

sustainable approach to energy and water usage.

“The Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy (DIES),

launched in 2011, aims to transform the Emirate’s

energy landscape. In addition to diversifying the

supply side away from a reliance on imported

natural gas, the strategy also targets a 30% reduc-

tion in energy demand per capita by 2030.

The emergence of an energy management

market represents both an opportunity and a

threat to existing FM providers who may be

pushed aside by ESCOs and technology provid-

ers, says the report.

It says: “Much of the energy saving potential

in typical commercial and residential towers is

available with little or no capital expenditure.

Some savings are obtainable just from changing

operational practices and client behaviours. FM,

with feet on the ground in buildings, is well

placed to offer these to clients.” The report says

payback times can be under a year in what the

report describes as an “inefficient building stock”

where energy savings may be sufficient to cover

FM expenditure.

Longer term“Longer term investments, where significant

capex is required, need longer term relationships

and are likely to appeal only to more sophisti-

cated clients. FM is also well placed to manage

these, integrate them into building operations,

and ensure they do not disrupt facilities when

they are installed.”

The report estimates that $2bn could be saved

in the UAE – which has seen “some margin

declines” in the past five years – and reckons

around $3.5bn could be similarly saved across the

whole GCC.

It says the Government of Dubai is following

international practice by establishing Etihad

Energy Services as a “Super ESCO” to jump-start

the creation of a viable performance contracting

market for energy services companies. Given

their high level of building expertise, FM firms

should be in a good position to take advantage of

this new opportunity. However, international ev-

idence suggests that FM is typically slow to react

to the opportunity and finds itself side-lined as

new players enter the market.

The report notes that energy performance

contracting (EPC) has been a difficult sell for FM

providers, some have already withdrawn. EPCs

work by auditing performance with savings

potential quantified, and then the owner, service

provider or third party financier fund the energy

saving work and share the savings.

Landlords are generally in favour of energy

efficiency but the report notes they fear benefits

will go to tenants with little potential to increase

rental yield. Many landlords are unwilling to

make investments in older stock believing new

investments are more attractive. In addition,

they are “suspicious of suppliers offering ‘guaran-

teed savings’,” the report says.

The Credo report concludes that government

regulation must ensure landlords reap the bene-

fit of energy saving investment now rather than

have them leak away to their tenants.

In addition, it concludes: “With 70% of

energy usage coming from buildings, govern-

ments in the region need to encourage an active

market in retrofit if they are to achieve their

sustainability goals.

“While landlords are attracted to the idea

of energy efficiency, the financial incentives to

take action and the propositions available in the

market are insufficiently compelling to overcome

their concern that investments will be wasted or

that suppliers will take advantage of them.”

And finally, it says that FM suppliers must

work with tech experts and financiers to remain

in the market.

“FM is in a good position to capture a share of

this market but it will need to team with technol-

ogy suppliers and finance providers to create a

compelling proposition for landlords.

“The industry will also need to accept the

independent auditing of performance targets

and baselines.”

With 70% of energy usage coming from buildings…governments need to encourage a market in retrofit,” Credo report

energg fromvernuragetrof


MEET

THE

NEW

BOARD

MohammedBin Khaled AlDuraibi

BOARD MEMBERS

Mohammed AlDuraibi is CEO

of Daem Real Estate Investment

Company in Riyadh , Kingdom of

Saudi Arabia.

AlDuraibi said: “Daem is a

subsidiary of Manafea Holding Co.

It is a start-up company, established

to take the advantage of experienc-

es and capabilities of the group in

the field of constructional and real

estate development.

“In KSA, the first challenge

facing FM is human resource and

employment due to localisation [the

government’s Saudisation pro-

gramme] and the rapid demograph-

ic changes, fluctuation of oil prices,

inequality of wealth, inadequate

education systems and ineffective

government policies.

“The second challenge is the

culture of sustainable housing im-

plementation which requires strong

support from the public, govern-

ment and the housing industry.

“Lack of public awareness and

understanding of the language and

the meaning of sustainable housing

may cause lack of public support.”

But he is optimistic that MEF-

MA’s involvement and growth in

Saudi will bring positive benefits.

He said: “The culture of MEFMA is

new in our country and conserva-

tive society and we hope this asso-

ciation can provide the educational

programs and resources that can

be customised to meet individual

needs or the needs of a company,

including courses, seminars, refer-

ence materials, and online learning

opportunities, as well as customized

on-site group training.

“MEFMA has provided a dedi-

cated networking platform for key

industry stakeholders and profes-

sionals and I believe that the efforts

of MEFMA strongly complement

the government’s own programs

to achieve sustainable growth and

development and we are therefore

keen to support this key initiative

which is considered a milestone in

developing the regional FM indus-

try in Saudi Arabia.”

He believes the Saudi market is

different from places like the UAE

and offers commercial stability. He

said: “In Dubai for example, house

rents continue to soar month after

month since 2013, but in Riyadh

the indicator is stable and no rise of

rents is witnessed.”

Daem will focus on buying and

developing existing properties over

the coming year.

“We still are looking for healthy

growth of the Kingdom’s construc-

tion and real estate industry to raise

awareness of FM within the region

as to the strategic importance of

these services in the socio-econom-

ic development of our society. We

plan to be as other GCC countries

which have stepped further in this

field and we are just beginners.

Facility Insight talks with the five new MEFMA Board members who reveal the reasons they support the association and how the FM sector is changing in their country. They were appointed earlier this year to bring the total number of board members to 13.


Khalid AlHosni

AyedAlQahtani

Khalid AlHosni is one of the

founders of the Qurum Business

Group, where he has been a direc-

tor for 16 years.

“Qurum Business Group is

an international and diversified

business services group with

operations across the Middle East,

Europe and the Indian sub-conti-

nent,” he said.

“Rooted in Oman, we have

grown into a leading business

group with more than 40 years’

experience in bringing manage-

ment expertise, local knowledge

and targeted investment to a

range of business sectors, span-

ning from contracting to facili-

ties management, services and

engineering, landscaping, invest-

ment management and financial

services.”

In Oman facilities manage-

ment lags behind many of its GCC

counterparts, says AlHosni and

faces the challenge of becoming

“holistic, all-round management of

facilities as opposed to individual

traditional service” alongside em-

ploying more Omani nationals in

Ayed AlQahtani is Executive Di-

rector of Operation at King Fahad

Medical City (KFMC) in Riyadh,

Saudi Arabia, which is one of the

largest and most advanced medi-

cal complexes in the Middle East

with 1,095 beds, and cost SR2.3bn

($610m).

He said: “KFMC’s new medical

centres are LEED certified, the

green building certification pro-

gram that recognises best-in-class

building strategies and practices

and it is the only KSA healthcare

project that has certification.”

He believes that the FM sector

in Saudi Arabia shares the same

challenges as many industries in

the country, which are limitation

of manpower and labour along

with rapid expansion of projects,

which compounds the problem.

AlQahtani said: “We face high

prices of international manpower

available in KSA including indirect

expenditures for visa admission,

the industry as part of the govern-

ment’s Omanisation programme.

He said MEFMA’s biggest

benefits has already been felt on

the ground, providing a neutral

platform for competitors to sit

together and exchange ways to

improve the level of services in a

promising business sector.

AlHosni said: “Government

institutions as well as the local

market at large require basic hand

holding during the introduction

phase of the time-life value of

facilities management, including

the need for extensive training

for government and private sector

management as well as technical

and support staff.”

Oman ChallengeHe said that Oman can learn

from other countries: “Long-term

value, improved asset value and

lower long-term maintenance

costs are the main lessons learned

especially from the real-estate

landscape in Dubai, how it was be-

fore and after real implementation

and execution of proper facilities

management services.”

He sees one main challenge

for the FM sector in Oman: “Lack

of value proposition from FM

services. FM is being seen as a

more expensive proposition. Time

value is nascent and will require

a good amount of time as new

FM practices are deployed into

the market.” “We are currently

operationally active in Oman and

Jordan,” he said. “We will con-

tinue our measured expansion to

include the UAE and Qatar.”our

younger generation we can lead

our Kingdom into the future and

to ensure the long-term growth of

the industry.”


medical and social insurances, in

addition to providing support and

housing facilities.

“Lack of experience availa-

ble in the FM sector in KSA will

require international consultan-

cy houses to engage in the new

developing market.”

Saudi growthAlQahtani says MEFMA will

play a key role in Saudi growth:

“MEFMA can encourage and

mandate the development exper-

iment implemented at KFMC to

other organisations which may

play a proactive role in trans-

forming their current status to

a very high degree of moderni-

sation achieved to enforce and

improve their effective role in

their communities.

“It can also devote adequate

resources to analysing strategic

coherence issues and progress

towards national communities,

drawing on the expertise of civil

society and research institutes,

domestically and internationally.”

Alongside that, he believes

Saudi Arabia offers huge op-

portunities for the FM sector to

develop. “There are large budg-

ets allocated for development of

the Saudi market and it can be

empowered effectively to achieve

the development objectives in

order to lead the Saudi FM market

to the highest degrees of matu-

rity and modernisation,” he told

Facility Insight.

“Comparing the Saudi FM in-

dustry to other GCC countries, es-

pecially UAE, there is a very large

FM market proportional to the

high growth rates, high GDP and

construction growth combined

with an increasing FM market

growth. However, there are higher

barriers to entry and growth.”

Ahmad Yousef AlKandari is the

CEO of United Facilities Manage-

ment (UFM), a subsidiary of United

Real Estate Company and member

of KIPCO Group companies. With

27 years of experience in facili-

ties management, real estate and

banking industries, AlKandari

has previously held key executive

positions at United Real Estate Co.,

Souk Salmiyah Real Estate Co and

Kuwait Real Estate Bank.

AlKandari said: “UFM is my

latest venture as I was involved in

establishing it as a fully integrated

facilities management company.

Since its inception in 2007 I have

been leading UFM in the capacity of

Chief Executive Officer and contin-

ue to do so to ensure the fulfilment

of our goal of being the leading

integrated facility management ser-

vice provider in Kuwait and across

the GCC region.”

KuwaitUFM is a leading provider of

integrated facilities management

services with over 10 years of ex-

perience in delivering complete and

comprehensive services in the fields

of property and facilities manage-

ment. UFM headquarter is located

in Kuwait with operations across

the Middle East region.

He says Kuwait‘s biggest chal-

lenge is that the concept of facilities

management is unfamiliar to

decision makers in the private and

public sector.

“The FM industry in Kuwait

is still in its infancy: real estate

owners and stakeholders still do not

appreciate the role of facilities man-

agement,” says AlKandari. “Their

approach still revolves around

non-holistic approach to facilities

management in the sense that each

service is looked at independently

and hence you will end up with

many entities involved.”

He believes MEFMA is a vital

part of success in Kuwait. He said:

“We need independent organisa-

tions such as MEFMA to educate

the market in a neutral and non-bi-

ased manner. Also, the region is in

need to have a local organisation

to work on the development of

standards and guidelines that are

applicable to the region. Standards

do exist worldwide but they are

created to serve a different market.

We see MEFMA playing the role of

localising such standards.”

AlKandari believes that UFM is

different from its competitors: “It

is perhaps our understanding of

the true benefits of an integrated

facilities management to provide an

efficient, sustainable and responsive

environment to any built environ-

ment. Another important aspect in

our success is our solid reliance on

the quality of our workforce. We

focus tremendously on continuous

updating, training and certifying

our people.”

For the future UFM will focus

on expansion beyond Kuwait mar-

ket. “We are currently operation-

ally active in Oman and Jordan,”

he said. “We will continue our

measured expansion to include the

UAE and Qatar.”

Ahmad Yousef AlKandari

BOARD MEMBERS

Ayed

AlQahtani

continued


Lara Khozouz is General Manag-

er of Finan Facility Management

Company in Jordan which was

established in October 2012 and is

one of only three FM firms in the

country.

She said that facility manage-

ment in Jordan is “in the intro-

ductory stage of the industry life

cycle” with moderate overall market

growth rate and the low market

awareness about the FM in general.

“Most of the current clients are

first time buyers and the concept of

FM is considered new for most of

them,” she said.

“ Unlike the GCC market in

which public construction de-

velopment projects are the main

driver for the growth of the FM

market, the Jordanian FM market is

currently led by the development of

the service and commercial sectors

as most of the major FM contracts

were initiated by large enterprises.”

Khozouz says there are three

benefits from being part of MEFMA:

1. Getting to know new industry

trends and technology that sup-

ports providing a better service

2. Sharing best practices with

other countries and companies

3. Generating new partnerships

and opportunities

For the next 12 months, Finan

FM will focus on industrial mainte-

nance services, clients’ satisfaction

and providing best services.

Khozouz said: “Finan will be

providing the local and regional

market with integrated model of

high end Total Facility Manage-

ment services (TFM) according to

the highest international standards.

Technical “We have a dedicated team of

qualified professionals, whether

in design, implementation or in

the delivery of operations and

maintenance, who have the tech-

nical knowledge established from

working in sophisticated projects

which also had complex electrome-

chanical systems.”

She holds a Masters in Project

Management from George Wash-

ington University and a BSc. in

Civil Engineering from University

of Jordan (1999).

For more than 15 years she has

held several senior and mana-

gerial positions in public and

private entities and started

her career in 1999 at the Royal

Hashemite Court/Royal Palaces.

Her career in real estate started

in 2006, as Program Manager

for SARAYA AQABA, Director

of Planning and Programs at

Taameer Jordan Holdings, Vice

President for Program Man-

agement in Darat Jordan Hold-

ings. And in 2009 was appointed

as the Managing Director of Globe

Williams Jordan The 1st Inter-

national Facility Management

Company in Jordan.

Lara Khozouz

FIVE

NEW

BOARD

MEMBERS


One of the biggest issues faced by

the FM sector in the GCC is the

recruitment and retention of good

staff. Our sector faces huge expan-

sion over the coming five years

and it is the most important issue for FM bosses

looking to thrive and grow.

“We have had cases of cleaning staff who have

changed jobs for as little as an extra 40 Dirhams

($10.80) a month,” one senior manager told Facility

Insight. Another told us that there were incidents

of staff beginning work in this region who had

never worn shoes before: “When they get issued

with shoes they try to choose the largest pair

available rather than those that are the best fit.”

The rapid growth of the FM sector in the

region combined with the countries from which

people are recruited and the historic contract

award costs, mean it faces a unique challenge.

Phillip Edmondson, general manager of Emir-

ates National Facility Management, says ensuring

you get the right people for the job is a priority.

“Retaining staff is always an issue and many

companies are reliant on the persons dealing with

their staffing be it in-house or out sourced,” he says.

“What I have found is to ensure the people on

the ground in the locations you are sourcing staff

from have provided the exact details to potential

staff that you wish to be provided, such as the

terms and conditions, employment contracts,

salary breakdown, local labour law regulations in

the UAE that affect that person such as normal

working house plus overtime, accommodation,

transportation, medical, food etc.”

Gary Segesdy agrees that recruiting the right

member of staff initially is paramount but after

that he says continued investment in the em-

ployee will pay dividends to the employer.

Staff are your most important asset but as the industry grows, how can you ensure you meet demand and recruit personnel who benefit your business? Facility Insight investigates.

Attract and retain

FM RECRUITMENT SUPPORTED BY www.engageselection.com


For Segesdy is the Division Manager for FM

with the recruitment agency Engage based in

Dubai, training it is the key to business success.

“People want to be developed and they want

to learn and increase their skills,” he says. “By

training and developing staff, they learn new

skills, which builds loyalty and that has a direct

benefit on the business.

“It reaps commercial benefits as trained staff

who understand the business offer a better ser-

vice to the client hospital, bank, mall, residential

building or whatever facility they are working

in. And that brings a competitive advantage for

the company.”

The FM sector is already facing external pres-

sure to invest in staff: Developers now expect cer-

tain levels of staff training for FM contractors, for

example COSHH (control of substances hazardous

to health) and BICSs (British Institute of Cleaning

Science). Increasingly contracts are tied to certain

levels of staff training. This should not be seen as

an additional cost inconvenience but as an oppor-

tunity to invest in good staff for the future.

Segesdy says: “This is important and some

of the most forward-thinking FM providers are

taking this even further.” He points to compa-

nies like Emrill, which holds regular staff award

and recognition schemes alongside training.

Last year Emrill, which employs more than

4,000 people and includes Etihad Towers as well

as The Torch and Princess Tower in Dubai Marina

among its clients, opened a dedicated training fa-

cility. Courses range from soft skills such as team

building and client management to technical skills

that include HVAC, plumbing and electrical.

Segesdy has been in the UAE for four years

moving from the UK and he believes the FM

industry in the Middle East can still learn lessons

and will be able to make savings if they succeed

in retaining well-trained employees.

“By comparison, similar contracts in the UK

have one member of staff for every three in some

areas,” he said. “That is why investment in staff

will also be a money-saver in the medium term.”

Ensure the people on the ground in the locations you are sourcing staff from have provided the exact details to potential staff

PHILLIP EDMONDSON

FM RECRUITMENT SUPPORTED BY www.engageselection.com


FM RECRUITMENT SUPPORTED BY

But he recognises that cultural difference can

make training more difficult in this region with

‘blue collar’ staff recruited from a wide range

of backgrounds and cultures. “Some people are

frightened to make a decision, so training needs

to address this as well as help them do their job

better. Once individuals feel empowered and

understand what is expected of them – and more

importantly what they know they can achieve

– the knock on effect for the efficiency of the

business is obvious.”

So, with greater investment in staff comes

loyalty and increased productivity can help offset

the pressure to recruit.

For Segesdy, his company Engage is fo-

cused on ‘white collar’ staff earning in excess

of AED12,000 a month. By contrast, most ‘blue

collar’ staff in the region are recruited in their

home country, often paying the recruiter for the

placement out of their salary once they begin

work so employers here will not pay the recruit-

ment company.

This recruitment system is well established

serving all the GCC countries in one way or

another and staff are often unaware of their em-

ployment rights and simply ‘do what they’re told’,

as one contractor told Facility Insight.

Edmondson says that ensuring recruiters

offer an accurate picture of working life away

from their home country will also help reduce

staff turnover. He said: “I have always found

it useful to provide photos, where possible, for

such issues as accommodation to expect, trans-

portation being used, in fact, provide as much

as possible to the agents sourcing the staff and

have written agreements with those agents to

ensure your information is pasted on and you

have received a signed copy with passport copy.

Try and cover every angle as possible to entice

the staff here for your company and provide

these documents in English and local language

where possible.

“In addition, make your sourcing agent re-

sponsible for providing the right staff and have

penalties such as visa cancellation costs and that

they must have a person replaced before the

other person leaves.

“We also know that providing all the informa-

tion necessary to potential staff still does not stop

individuals changing their minds once they are

here for one reason or another, it could be within

the probation period.

“A company could opt for Term Contracts

whereby you provide a start and end date which

coincides with the period of the visa, but bear in

mind term contracts have pluses and minuses for

both parties and legal advice should be taken.”

By training and develo-ping staff, they learn new skills, which builds loyalty and that has a direct

Gary segesdy

www.engageselection.com

22 JUNE 2014FACILITY iNSIGHTFACILITY iNSIGHT

INTERVIEW CHRIS BOND

Defineand refine one man’s vision of the future

Facilities Management should mean

consideration and management of

the building from its initial inception

through construction and then on

through the whole lifecycle of the

building, says Chris Bond.

Bond is the new director of consultancy at

Macro and he has five areas of business that he

wants to see improved across the FM industry in

the Middle East.

He wants to see:

Proper, documented building handovers

by the contractor. “It may not be in their

contracts but it should be.”

FM involved in design at a much earlier

stage. “So that we can avoid mistakes such as

buildings constructed without proper access

for waste trucks.”

A raised professional profile of the industry

to improve Emiratisation.

Improved forms of contract for FM pro-

viders and a move away from one-year

contracts to three and five years.

A greater use of technology to provide

meaningful asset information, with a

stronger focus on energy efficiency and sus-

tainability alongside the wider adoption of

Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the

region – giving a “whole life understanding

of the property from inception throughout

its lifecycle”.

Five months after taking over as director of consultancy at Macro, Chris Bond talks to Facility Insight about his vision for the future of FM across the region.


Encouraging clients to view their building as-

set over its whole life is a theme that Bond will re-

turn to during the interview and it’s clear he sees

a significant part of his role as educating building

owners as well as encouraging efficiency.

“As consultants we look to move away from

input based definitions and towards the output

requirements,” says Bond. “For example: instead

of saying the building requires a certain number

of cleaners, we define it as: we need these rooms

to be clean at these times.”

Defining outputs brings efficiency to busi-

nesses, and benefits providers who supply a

service, rather than being constrained by people

on the ground. It also passes the risk of service

performance to the provider.

Bond explains: “For example if the client says

he needs 10 cleaners, then the provider says you

need 11, that becomes an additional cost, which

the client will bear. So, it’s about resource, it’s

about management but it’s also about allowing

the service provider to come up with his own

ideas on how to provide facilities management in

an innovative way.”

Bond is clear that there are huge benefits to

be gained by service providers, especially in the

communication and the field of multi-skilling

(“If a cleaner sees that a lightbulb needs chang-

ing, then he can inform a technician. A security

guard on patrol can advise the maintenance team

if they notice malfunctioning equipment”) but

he admits that there are a lot of companies in

the region that need to develop their expertise so

they can provide solutions to clients.

He admits though that for many asset owners

“cheap is still king”.

“But people do learn through experience and we

need to get away from the cost-driven approach

and view the lifecycle from a value perspective,

and I see that as one of my challenges,” says Bond.

“We offer consultancy through the whole life-

cycle of the asset. We want to help to educate

We need to get away from the cost-driven approach and view the lifecycle from a value perspective, and I see that as one of my challenges.


INTERVIEW CHRIS BOND

clients and their need to recognise the benefit of using and

maintaining their assets more efficiently.”

He is also a huge advocate of management information.

“We need to encourage clients to have a longer term interest

and that means the right information. For example there are

10 callouts to repair a pump – it should be replaced but if the

information is not properly captured and reported, the repairs

will repeat. We have to encourage the clients to have a long-

term interest.”

Bond has been in the UAE since 2006 moving from the UK

where he started in the construction industry in the north of

England, as an engineer on the construction of the reprocess-

ing facility at Sellafield nuclear power station before moving

onto various other projects including the Channel Tunnel,

linking the UK to northern France and Europe, the Heathrow

Express Rail Link in London, and the Second Severn Crossing

in the west of England.

As his career developed, he became involved in building

services and subsequently FM consultancy, working in both

the public and private sectors, including the Tate Gallery

organisation, before arriving in Dubai with his wife and two

Each country requires a different approach for Macro

but Abu Dhabi in the UAE has been busiest in the

past year, according to Bond, who adds that the

biggest Emirate has offered constant FM work since

the recession.

Macro has worked with Musanada since 2011,

providing a Managing Agent role for multiple FM

services to over 3,500 government buildings in the

Emirate. Dubai is also picking up as it moves forward

with new projects and old ones being restarted.

Jordan has seen a big market increase especially in

the south of the country along the Gulf of Aqaba at

the top of the Red Sea. Bond said: “Jordan is set to

keep moving forward, progressing mixed use devel-

opments and growing with tourism as a key driver.”

In Qatar Macro has a full operational set up but as

Bond says the country is “different to other markets

in the region.” He says: “It is more of a challenge and

you really have to have a presence there first and

then win new business.” Macro has secured contracts

including Qatar Petroleum and Msheireb Downtown

Doha, which is transforming and preserving 30

hectares in the capital city.

Macro has worked on positive projects in Bahrain

although it’s been quieter recently says Bond, though

there are signs of movement. In Oman, Macro is

pursuing business development opportunities in

collaboration with its parent company Mace, who are

on the ground.

“Oman too is unique and it’s a country that knows

it needs some outside expertise for projects and

that needs to be combined with its Omanisation

programme,” says Bond.

Saudi Arabia is becoming a big market for Macro

as the country spends billions of dollars on its

infrastructure. “We provide significant consultancy

support in the country,” says Bond. “It is becoming

busier. The pipeline is looking good. We have a good

track record there including the King Abdullah Finan-

cial District and King Abdullah Economic City.”

young children to work for Serco, initially involved in Dubai

Maritime City and Dubai Silicon Oasis.

“It was amazing when I arrived here,” he says. “Every build-

ing seemed to be forty-plus storeys - most of my working life

I’d been used to five or so. Every day there were reports of a

new mega project, it was an exciting time.

“I was involved in design reviews, tender management, cost

modelling – everything through the life of the building. When

I came to Dubai there was some understanding of FM but that

has grown. It’s now about the asset lifecycle.”

By this time Bond was working in a government organisa-

tion. Then came Lehman Brothers, the global recession and in

2009 there was a projects slowdown, which impacted the FM

industry at the design and construction end.

“Instead of total or ‘bundled’ FM solutions, building

operators thinking they would save money looked to single

contracts for services such as air-con, waste disposal and

cleaning.”

In 2013 he moved to Macro from AECOM and this year

was made director of consultancy heading a team of 12 with

“an excellent balance of expertise and experience”. “Macro is

a significant player in that market,” he adds. Macro is a big

player employing 700 people worldwide with 200 of those in

the MENA region.

The GCC, and especially the UAE, has undergone a dra-

matic change in the past decade. Buildings that were speedily

constructed with a quick-profit approach and replacement

cycle , must now offer longer term objectives. “That can mean

refurbishment or even a change of use during the course of its

life,“ says Bond “It’s about making the most of the asset - meet-

ing the design intent, satisfying users, generating an appropri-

ate return, and achieving stakeholders’ goals.”

POSITIVE SIGNS FOR FM BUSINESS ACROSS THE GCC

But each country presents different challenges for 2014, says Bond.


PRODUCT REVIEW

Vandal-proof casing and an internal fan ensure operation in extreme temperatures are key selling points for IndigoVision’s new range of SD and HD cameras, which offer a total security and monitoring solution. The video security company promises “industry leading video quality, in all lighting conditions, thanks to pixel-based wide dynamic range (WDR) sensor technology, auto-matic mechanical day/night infrared filter and H.264 compression technology guaranteeing full frame rate video.” Latest sensor and internal processors allow fewer cameras to cover the larger areas and that can help reduce operating costs. All cameras work with IndigoVision’s Control Centre management software.

www.indigovision.com

Eliminate the need to search spot-by-spot for temperature related issues, the new Fluke VT04A combines the visual advantage of an infrared heat map with the portability of an infrared thermometer. It blends a visual image with a heat map overlay, so maintenance staff can instantly see temperature patterns that may indicate a potential issue. Small enough to fit in a pocket, intuitive enough to use right out of the box, affordable enough to outfit your entire team, Fluke says the VT04A is the ideal frontline troubleshooting tool to detect and report potential issues and verify repairs have been made.

www.fluke.com

This new bulb offers LED savings and longevity but retains the shape of a traditional bulb. Philips says it is the world’s first LED bulb, with innovative lens, and in the shape of the traditional incandescent. The new 40-watt equivalent bulb promises the instant warm light of a traditional light bulb, which also works with dimmer switches. The new bulb lets people keep the shape they want for their lamps but benefit from the environmental savings of LED. The UAE has banned the import of standard incandescent light bulbs from July this year as part of its sustainable lighting vision, reducing power consumption. Traditional incandes-cent bulbs use 80% of their power producing heat, which means air conditioning has to work harder so LED fitment offers additional savings. These LED bulbs cost more – expected to be around $12 each - but will use 10% of the power and last 20 times as long. This bulb is part of the future of lighting in the sus-tainable GCC and its design overcomes many consumer objections to shape of other energy savings.

www.mea.philips.com

On the market

HD cameras for all conditions

Fluke VT04A Visual IR Thermometer

Philips Clear LED bulb

27JUNE 2014 FACILITY FACILITY iNSIGHTiNSIGHT

Officially launched the GCC late last year, the Atlantic Solar Water heater is making an impact on the commercial market, according to the company. Atlantic has renewa-bility as a priority and offers a range of solar tanks with capacities of up to 2,000 litres. These are sold alongside its new range of heat pump water heaters, which are 80% more efficient than conventional systems. An increasing number of companies are recognising the savings that can be made and more importantly the reduction in a building’s carbon footprint. Atlantic’s Premium Range of electric water heaters offer some of the highest tech specifications

on the market. These include a magnesium anode located in the centre of the enamelled tank and provides excellent protection against corrosion. They have a sheathed heating element, in copper or stainless steel with its filaments protected to prevent any short circuit and feature ohmic resistance, a passive electronic anti-corrosion device that balances out the electric potentials of the tank and the sheathed heating element increasing the life of the anode.

www.atlantic-comfort.com

Described as a ‘very early warning’ fire detection system featuring FAAST (Fire Alarm Aspirati-on Sensing Technology) this alarm is compatible and complementary to each of Fike‘s fire alarm and fire suppression systems. Technology uses an intelligent smoke detector that draws air into its sensor through a pipe network. FAAST combines dual source blue LED and infra-red laser optical smoke detection with advanced algorithms to detect a wide range of fires while maintaining enhanced immunity to nuisance particulates. FAAST delivers highly accurate and discreet early warning fire detection for a wide variety of envi-ronments. FAAST is easily programmable, reducing overall cost and commissioning of the entire fire alarm system. It has five fire/smoke alarm levels and two sensitivity modes for flexibility. Single device protects up to 740m2. Onboard Ethernet interface enables remote monitoring and e-mail status updates.

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From cleaning products to safety equipment, each issue of Facility Insight will look at some of the latest products available for our industry. If you have a new product you want tell the GCC FM market about, let us know.

Atlantic water heaters

Fike FAAST intelligent fire alarm

JUNE-JULY 201428 FACILITY iNSIGHT

WORLD FM DAY

Facilities Management (FM) offers exciting career pros-

pects for the industry talents. It’s one of the job market’s

best kept secrets in terms of stability, career develop-

ment opportunities and a dynamic work environment. For

those who do not like being stuck behind an office desk all day,

facilities management is definitely a perfect fit for them. More-

over, there are various jobs available in the industry that can

easily match different lifestyle and work preferences. In ad-

dition, working in the FM sector offers excellent prospects to

gain management experience, especially since it is a relatively

new industry in the Middle East.

As part of its ongoing drive to create awareness about the

value of the FM industry in society, MEFMA has joined dif-

ferent countries around the world to mark this day, with the

UAE edition to be organised by the Middle East Facility Man-

agement Association (MEFMA) under the slogan: Observing

World FM Day, The MEFMA Way.

MEFMA has prepared a wide array of fun-filled activities

that are designed to create awareness about the FM industry

in an innovative, creative and enjoyable way, and will include

fun games, competition, quizzes and other edutainment

activities.

The aim of celebrating world FM day through Art is

to raise the FM profession profile around the Middle East,

promoting facilities management’s ideals, not only within

the profession and industry, but also among broad range of

social segments including the youth, “digital natives”, children,

private and public sectors.

Different art activities are employed to encourage people to

explore and discover the ‘art’ of facilities management. Art ac-

tivities include but are not limited to: photography, selfie, paint-

ing, writing photo captions and cut lines, video editing, and

graphic design. The contestants hail from UAE, KSA, Qatar,

Kuwait, and Oman. The judging panel includes award-winning

photographers, art director, industry professionals, MEFMA

editor magazine, and a PR professional. The final art work to be

exhibited at the FMEXPO opening on May 19.

More details at www.mefma.org

Celebrating World FM Day, the MEFMA Way World FM Day is on

June 4 and MEFMA has organised a

host of events to raise the profile of

our industry, including a

photographic competition. By

Nahla NaNa

The program develops the knowledge and skills needed to operate at the highest levels within FM and covers:

TRAINING CENTRE

Approved Training Centre for: Contact: [email protected]

www.mefma.org

Open doors to new possibilities with...

Founding & Corporate Members: Associate Members: Non-Members:Cost of each module: AED 1,500 Cost of each module: AED 1,600 Cost of each module: AED 2,000Cost for all 5 modules: AED 7,500 Cost for all 5 modules: AED 8,000 Cost for all 5 modules: AED 10,000

8th & 9th June - Management Accounting 10th & 11th June - Operations Management

12th & 15th June - Project Management 16th & 17th June - Sustainability 18th & 19th June - Leadership


Facility Insight looks back at a successful Confex 2014, which brought together leaders in FM from across the world for two-days at The Address Hotel in Dubai Marina.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE REGION’S CONSTANT EXPANSION

CONFEX REVIEW

The spirit of cooperation and

shared knowledge across the

FM industry shone through

at MEFMA’s third Confex, which

was the biggest ever.

MEFMA president Jamal

Lootah, opening the conference

hosted at The Address Marina

Hotel in Dubai, told delegates that

industry standards will be more

easily agreed through this sharing.

Conference speakers and panels

covered a range of issues, central

to success in an increasingly de-

manding and expanding market.

With an eye firmly on Expo

2020, thought leader David Adam

was the first speaker who looked

at the perception of cities follow-

ing big events like the World Cup,

Olympics and of course, Expo. “Fa-

Mega events: David Adam of Global Events. Speaking

at Confex 2014 on the impact of world events on

the host cities

cilities management was successful

in making London Olympics 2012

the success it was,” he told the

audience. But he also reminded

them that London learned a lesson

from the opening of its Millennium

Dome on New Year’s Eve 1999,

saddled with newspaper headlines

the following day like ‘Opening

Night Fiasco’.

He said the FM sector was

integral in the Middle East for the

forecast growth to 2020. In the

UAE a forecast of 5.7% per annum

can only be met if the FM sector

does its job well, he said.

Next up was Dr Tommy Weir

with his Top 10 Tips for leading in

the Middle East. “The way you lead

is dependent on the environment,”

said Weir who advises and trains

senior managers across the region

after studying the management of

people in the region.

Although he is an American

citizen by birth, his wife is Leba-

nese, which he said gave him an

additional insight into the way

different social values affect people

in the workplace.

Step one was to avoid ‘leader-

ship colonialism’ he said, explain

that a technique that may work

in one country will not transfer

because of cultural and social

backgrounds.

He told the audience that in

this region for many workers they

would be the first generation to

work in a corporate environment,

so they will have no recollection

of their parents’ experiences of

similar work.

He reminded the audience

that this region’s young working

population amounted to a dilem-

ma: In 1970s North America the

post-war baby boomers coming

into the workplace actually drove

productivity down because of

inexperience.

“To be a great leader you need to

get to the soul of the country,” said

Weir, who warned ex-pat manag-

We have been a corporate member for over two years – this has been a very successful event,

Exhibitors: outside the main conference hall reported positive feedback from more than 500 delegates


ers not to follow the temptation to

“find what’s similar in the country” -

fast food outlets, cars, shops and the

like. “This is a mistake,” he warned.

“You can easily miss the culture.”

Francisco Silverio, from Dalkia

HQ in France was next on stage

where he talked about energy

saving in the context of FM starting

by saying how the UAE was already

able to cope with its projected power

requirements for the medium term

but then went on the say how every

country across the world is set to re-

duce its energy requirements, with

the exception of the Middle East.

Ali AlSuwaidi, Idama FM Solu-

tions and MEFMA board member,

presented an entertaining explana-

tion of the new star rating system

due to be introduced by MEFMA

next year as part of Integrated FM

Approach.

This was followed by a presenta-

tion by Dr Mohammad Abdul-Aziz

AlFoutan and Dr Zohir Mohammed

AlSarraj from OMAINTEC, Saudi

Arabia, on the necessity for prepar-

ing FM staff with both accredited

qualifications and retention to ensure

CONFEX REVIEW

MEFMA is a good platform for us in terms of being a supplier in that we get to meet a lot of people from the industry including clients, owners by themselves and the consultants who play a big role” Tejas A Shan, head of marketing, Bin Moosa & Daly Ltd

Star turn: Ali AlSuwaidi, board member at MEFMA

and VP of Idama FM talked about the new MEFMA

Star System to rate building management.


the experience and knowledge re-

mains available to the industry.

First up for the afternoon

session was Eddie Loughrey from

Khidmah whose talk titled ‘Inno-

vate or Die’ had many members of

the audience scribbling notes.

Turning specifically to innova-

tion in the FM market, he urged

people to introduce new things even

when they are not 100% perfect.

“The client will ask and you will

perfect it,” he said.

Use innovation sessions with

staff. “They are your best source,”

he said. “3D printing and the use

of mobile phones for monitoring

building performance came from

staff.” He also urged people to “be

prepared to break the rules,” and

added: “Obviously don’t break the

law but be prepared to tackle things

in different ways.”

Loughrey’s message of innova-

tion permeated the two-day event

and it is unlikely that any of 534

delegates did not leave Confex

2014 with a new perspective on

improving FM standards in the

Middle East.

Confex 2014: A spirit of innovation permeated the two-day event

It has been a good conference and I must applaud MEFMA. The topics for the conference was very interesting helping prepare us for large events and especially Expo 2020 I wish members all the best,” Karla Reid, FM Consultant Council-Member IFMA


Birth certificatefor a Princess

Commissioning a new building should

start with a ‘birth certificate ap-

proach’, attendees at a new workshop

were told.

The MEFMA-backed workshop

dealt with the whole process of taking a building

from completion to occupation, explaining how

the handover process should work from testing

and commissioning through to staff training and

dealing with the stakeholders.

The workshop attracted 30 people including

developers, stakeholders, owners and contractors

alongside FM professionals.

“The handover is not complete once people

move into the building and can take up to a year

to ensure the correct strategy and operational

practise is in place,” said Ali Al Suwaidi, VP at

The new FM Transition and Handover Workshop culminating in a visit to the world’s biggest residential building, helps the construction industry understand the need to involve FM at the design stage and how a handover needs to operate.


Idama FM, one of the presenters.

“The Birth Certificate Approach [BCA] is the

process of capturing all building details essential

– but not limited – to managing all potential risks

and ensuring all liabilities of construction stake-

holders are identified,” he said.

He was accompanied by Satish Chandran,

principle consultant at Phi Strategic Services, who

boasts 35 years in MEP and FM.

As well as highlighting the key stages of

handover, the workshop stressed the benefit to

stakeholders of early involvement by FM in the

design process including enhanced asset life,

higher return on investment, reduced operational

expenses and improved operations.

This was the first MEFMA handover and

transition workshop and there were two more

in workshops last month in Saudi Arabia, at the

King Abdullah Financial City and in Oman.

After the two hour session and a short break,

attendees were taken to 101-storey Princess Tow-

er in Dubai Marina, which at 413m high, is the

tallest residential tower in the world.

This was practical FM where they were able

to see the facilities operated by Emrill, including

security procedures and cameras, the HVAC

system and the arrangements for managing this

giant tower with 763 homes, which opened in

late 2012.

The workshop group was also taken to the

97th floor by elevator and then climbed stairs to

the top to see the power and water machinery

operation… and were rewarded with spectacular

views of the Arabian Gulf and The Palm.

For dates of future MEFMA Workshops go to www.mefma.org

Inside: Visitors took the elevator to floor 97, then climbed stairs

Classroom: The workshop attracted developers and

contractors

VISIT PRINCESS TOWER


Khidmah’s Green Mosque programme has saved thousands of dirhams in Abu Dhabi but the methods will work in any building, delegates at the MEFMA-ECBC sustainability breakfast learned.

Sustainability measures introduced at a mosque in the

heart of Abu Dhabi have saved the equivalent power and

water consumption of 13 family homes.

And the successful savings at the Sultan Bulfara Al Kobaysi

Mosque in Madinat Zayed, 170km south west of the capital,

look set to be applied to mosques across the emirate.

The Green Mosque Project was revealed to more than 100

delegates at a joint conference held by the Emirates Green

Building Council (EGBC) and MEFMAat the Radisson Blu Hotel

on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

Ryan Darnell, executive director – services, at Khidmah,

made the presentation telling delegates: “We look after 250

Engagement is key to sustainable success

$54,50036,900m3

cost of modifications

of air conditioned space

years for RO1


mosques in the Western Region from

a caravan in the Liwa to some that are

quite large and up to 30 years old.

“We wanted to demonstrate existing

buildings/mosques can get sustainable

performance.”

Khidmah knew that potential

savings were quite large and after

consultation with Imams it chose the

Sultan Bulfara Al Kobaysi Mosque as its

partner in the project.

The 810m2 mosque has 6,900m3 of

air-conditioned space, which was run

15-hours a day, and Khidmah set out to

slash running costs.

Darnell said: “We met the client in an effort to fully under-

stand the profile of the mosque, we needed to understand the

water profile with a vision to minimise water usage and minimise

the heat load so that we could cut carbon emissions.”

Among the conference delegates were representatives from

some of the biggest FM providers in the GCC region but Darnell

said no matter how thoroughly it understood the power and

water demands of a building, there is one major key to success: en-

gage the client. “It’s about education and understanding the goal.”

After the client agreed to take part in the pilot scheme, Khid-

mah turned its attention to the mosque users. “We wanted the

people who come to pray to be involved as well,” said Darnell.

Even after assembling the data from the BMS, Darnell told

delegates that walking the property was equally important to

get a proper feel for what it was like.

The mosque had 1,200 lights and each bulb was replaced

with LED lights, reducing power consumption and reducing

heat output. Pump loads were checked and adjusted and the air

conditioning was programmed to work.

Doors were fitted with automatic closing devices and bead-

ing to ensure a good seal from the outside temperatures.

Khidmah spent AED200,000 ($54,445) to realise the 40% sav-

ing with a forecast return on investment of around three years.

Water is recycled onsite, used for watering gardens and

vegetation around the mosque rather than being wasted.

Darnell admitted that the grey water gave little return as

the price of water in Abu Dhabi was so cheap, but the principle

remains strong and can be applied across the region.

“We also looked at solar panels,” said Darnell. “Of course

you can not fit solar panels to a mosque, so we looked at the car

park. In Abu Dhabi you can put generated energy back into the

grid.”

And for the future, Khidmah is even looking at generating

electricity from flooring through the movement of mosque

visitors. So the power of prayer could make electricity too, said

Darnell.

The savings at the pilot mosque are equivalent to taking 13

homes off the grid and offers a reduction of 150.9 tonnes of

carbon being emitted into the atmosphere each year.

“In the future we will work with the client and implement

carbon offset to make mosques carbon neutral,” said Darnell,

who added that the relationship with the mosque was excellent

and a ket part of the success.

He stressed that each mosque has a different profile but sus-

tainability is now the norm and Khidmah wants the mosques

for which it is responsible to become carbon neutral.

“We will work with stakeholders to take

further actions including diverting waste from

landfill, CSR activities and tree planting,” said

Darnell.

Interestingly Darnell noted that sustaina-

bility was not such a huge change for many of

the mosques. He said: “We found many of them

already have a vegetable gardens, chickens and

the like. We want to encourage more of this.”

For dates of future MEFMA Events go to www.mefma.org

We wanted to demonstrate existing mosques can get sustai-nable performance

Reviewing previous planned preventative maintenance and completing annual activities.

Separation of circuits to ensure the Imam could shut down lighting outside prayer times.

Phot0-cells on external lighting.

Installation of 1,200 LED lights to replace existing (internal and external).

Installation of grey water recycling for irrigation.

Changing HVAC configuration to allow for lead and lag times, depending on prayer.

Installing thermostat adjuster covers to prevent tampering.

Review of electrical assets with both planned and predictive maintenance such as thermal imaging.

Installing door closers and beading on external doors.

Review of pump operations.

Viability study of solar panels structure for use in mosque car parks.

How Khidmah transformed the Green Mosque to save 150 tonnes of carbon emissions

Ryan Darnell: Pictured with microphone asking a question during the panel discussion

FEATURE GREEN MOSQUE



Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), an independent forum, which

promotes sustainable building practices, joined

with MEFMA, to host a networking event focused

on green community development and

management.


Breakfast with EGBC examines new trends in green community development

of green community residents.

Presentations were made by

representatives from Khidmah

LLC and Intellisense. A panel

session followed the presentations

led by experts from Khidmah,

Intellisense and Phillips Lighting.

Saeed Al Abbar, Chairman

of EmiratesGBC, said: “The joint

networking event with MEFMA

highlighted our commitment

to support the UAE’s emphasis

on sustainable development by

focusing on the newest trends in

green community development.

As green building development

gains traction in the UAE, it is

important to present compelling

insights from the region on how

technological advances can be

leveraged to promote energy and

water use efficiency. The innova-

tive practices in green building

will further accelerate the UAE’s

green building sector.”

Ali Al Suwaidi, MEFMA

Board of Director said: “Facilities

management is one of the core

sectors that play a critical role

in the long-term sustainability

of buildings. Through the joint

networking event with Emir-

atesGBC, we highlighted how

modern FM techniques and

approaches can help building

developers and home owners to

make a difference for a greener

UAE. The event is a strong exam-

ple of industry collaborations to

promote the UAE’s sustainable

development.”

More than 100 people

attended the event in

Abu Dhabi last month,

which focused on two key topics:

Manufacturing a green communi-

ty, presented in partnership with

Musanada (Abu Dhabi General

Services), which highlighted Kh-

idmah’s ‘Green Mosque’ initiative.

The discussion focused on the

best practices in developing green

communities, and how energy and

water resources can be effectively

managed for a sustainable future.

The second discussion was on

how intelligence enabled by the In-

ternet-of-Things (IoT) will prevent

the leakage of revenue and profits

for facility management custom-

ers. It put the spotlight on newest

technologies and leveraging infor-

mation technology to maximise FM

efficiency for the long-term welfare

Green message: mosques and the internet of things.

STARSIn MEFMA’s continued bid to bring transparency and standardisation to FM industry, MEFMA will introduce a new Star Rating System (SRS) to benchmark buildings and encourage best practice across the MENA region.

REACH FOR THE

MEFMA RATINGS

FM leaders in the region have welcomed the introduction of

new star rating systems for the industry.

“Benchmarking our industry and facilities against globally

recognised parameters is essential to driving up the standards

across our industry as a whole,” said Jamal Lootah, President

of MEFMA.

Lootah, who is also CEO of Imdaad, said MEFMA’s SRS

programme will instil a culture of continuous improvement

which will lead to a higher level of customer satisfaction and

return on investment for building owners and investors alike.

The new scheme was revealed at Confex 2014 where it

gained almost universal support from delegates.

SRS will operate across the GCC and be applicable to any

facility with the aim of ensuring the enhanced lifecyle of

the facility and related systems and ensure FM expertise is

brought in at the design stage of all projects.

The system is also set to play an integral part in the

MEFMA Challenge Award Program which will award those

buildings and facilities that meet the criteria of the SRS system

with winners expected to be announced at MEFMA’s Confex

in 2015.

Ali Al Suwaidi, MEFMA Board Member and Vice President

of Idama: “The SRS system will also benchmark the sustain-

able integration of the four core components of our industry

people, process, technology and real estate.”

While star scheme will be applicable across the region, it

was inspired by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid

Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE

and Ruler of Dubai,who called for the implementation of a star

rating for all government services.

MEFMA will introduce guidelines that reward FM compa-

nies that adopt international best practice in the areas of train-

ing, operational process, asset performance, building manage-

ment solutions, maintenance and accounting.

The SRS system is expected to be finalised and implement-

ed over the next 12 months with the backing of MEFMA

members and government entities.

the MENA region.


SUSTAINABILITY KRIS YOUNG

Tell us about your business?

1ML is the exclusive Middle East supplier and

distributor of a breakthrough product called bio

organic catalyst (BOC), which is considered to

be the next generation in green chemistry. Our

products come in seven varied compositions, all

of which have different applications. We cater to

four major industries: oil and gas, sewerage and

waste water, cleaning & facilities management,

and agriculture.

What is your background?

I was born in the UK to American parents who

then emigrated to South Africa when I was five,

and it was there I grew up and completed my

education. I have lived in the UAE with my two

kids for 10 years and so Dubai is definitely home

for me now.

My professional background has been in the

discovery and creation of new initiatives across

a variety of sectors, and has included real estate,

telecommunications and interior design, in

addition to 1ML. I have a solid understanding of

how to build and connect business communities

by delivering commercial value and opportunity

to my clients, and thus my focus is typically on

business development.

Explain the vision and ethos of 1ML

Our vision is to transform through innovation

— using nature and its power to solve problems

in a natural and healthy way, whilst enhancing

the environment and all who inhabit it. We aim

to improve the quality of life of the communi-

ties in the region by changing the way critical

environmental challenges are tackled by large

organisations. This commitment is, at all times, de-

livered through the highest quality of service and

reliability, ensuring the complete satisfaction of

our clients in every interaction with 1ML. We also

believe in giving back — to our staff, our clients

and to Mother Nature.

What types of products do you provide?

Our BOC products have a broad range of appli-

cations, but specifically within facilities manage-

ment they provide unique solutions to a number

of challenges faced on a daily basis. They also

offer a huge competitive advantage over chemical

agents and biologically derived products when

cleaning, degreasing or removing odours.

The entire range is based on the same green

chemistry, with all products completely safe for

humans, animals and plants. Non-toxic, non-al-

Facility Insight talks with Kris Young, business development director at 1ml, which supplies eco-friendly cleaning materials which promise sustainability and safety in our industry.


MAXIMUM CLEANING POWER MINIMUM ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE

lergenic and completely biodegradable, BOCs are

giving back to nature.

Our range includes:

Ecocatalyst - all-purpose cleaner and degreaser

Eccomate - odour eliminator

EcosystemPlus - waste water and sewerage treat-

ment

AQ Plus - water treatment for lakes, pools, water

tanks, and water treatment systems

Nontox - hydrocarbon remediation in sand, soil

and water

MC501 - metal cleaner

Phytozyme - soil conditioner for landscaping,

agriculture and horticulture — a replacement for

fertiliser

Why did your company decide to focus on

eco-friendly products?

It was borne from our interest in BOCs and what

they can do. They are eco-friendly and therefore

don’t cause harm to the environment, but they’re

also sustainable, which provides ecological and

social significance. We are working with a product

that improves the quality of people’s lives. For

example, those who work with toxic chemicals

often suffer health problems, and typically, most

eco-friendly products are not efficient enough to

replace the use of these harsh chemicals. How-

ever, BOCs are a hugely effective replacement;

therefore, the same worker does not even need a

mask or gloves to do the same job.

Phytozyme, used in soil for agriculture, can more

than double crop yields whilst replacing harmful

fertilisers. This means healthier soil, healthier

crops, and ultimately a healthier consumer. Eco-

systemPlus breaks down harmful gases, grease and sludge throughout sewer

networks, and what is left is an original element that can go into the sea

safely, as a food source for fish.

1ML is a company excited about change. With the support of our clients, as

well as governments and municipalities across the GCC, we envisage contrib-

uting hugely to the development of a green economy in this region.

What are the main benefits to organisations who use your products?

Our clients benefit specifically because they now have access to an ultra-effi-

cient green cleaning product with a host of applications, which is eco-friend-

ly, environmentally sustainable, and completely safe for their staff to use

and administer. It also demonstrates our clients’ commitment towards the

well-being of their employees and the environment.

Tell us about your current clients

Many organisations in the facilities management industry are using Ecocat-

alyst, our all-purpose cleaner and degreaser, as well as Eccomate, for odour

elimination. The feedback we have received has been extremely positive,

to the point where one client (who has been using our products for several

months) is planning to roll out 1ML products across all of their sites replacing

all other cleaning chemicals currently in use.

Furthermore, we have installations addressing odour issues for sewerage

treatment plants and sewer network improvements through our dosing sys-

tems in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Oman, and are focusing on growing this side

of the business substantially in the next 12-18 months.

What are your plans for the future?

We would like to have as many hotels, facilities management and waste man-

agement companies as possible understand and recognise the benefits of us-

ing our cleaning and odour technology. Sewerage and network treatment is

also a major focus, as is increasing our presence across the GCC by appointing

distributors to spread the message — the key is identifying the right partners

for each country. Finally, as we continue to conduct field trials and

gather data to support the use of these applications, we also see our-

selves developing our oil and gas business, as well as our presence in

the agricultural industry, over the next two or three years .


THE FOX FILES

In my head, I’m returning to a green and pleasant land. To

calm and order, to queues, to clear, clean weather, to cold, to

rain… To the Queen and her Parliament and to arguably the

most financially powerful, culturally rich, edgy and captivating

capital city on this planet: London.

For me, a land of morning walks and pub lunches, rather

than AC and Friday brunches and I venture out this morning

to discover brown sandy smog engulfing the capital, not dissim-

ilar to conditions I have just left.

This continues for a few days and even dissuades PM David

Cameron from taking his early morning jog. It turns out the

brown sandy smog is over from the Sahara and, enhanced by

our own particle emissions, is actually a silent killer. Nice.

Eventually the skies clear to reveal a much changed skyline.

There is a school of thought that this great city’s skyline should

be preserved, that St Paul’s dome should remain visible and

dominant from certain vistas across the Thames. The dome, like

Big Ben, is an iconic London landmarks beloved of trinket sellers

and collectors the world over.

But there are many new kids on the block now, and it’s all

gone a bit flashy, bendy, pointy and tall. I’m getting déjà vu.

Where am I? Business Bay, the Marina? JLT, Sheikh Zayed

Road? Nope. Simply London is reinventing itself, as Dubai

invents itself.

But this is London, famed for its low-rise, reserved architec-

ture. And the newest of these buildings have adopted nicknames

such as the Walkie Talkie; Cheesegrater; Scalpel and Boomerang.

Dubai has the Knitting Needle; the Electric Toothbrushes; the

Twister and the Swiss Cheese. What on earth is happening?

As much as I like our blond, fop-headed mayor Boris

Johnson, I see a pattern emerging here. You see, Boris likes his

brand London as much as Dubai and Abu Dhabi like to export

Emirates and Etihad to our shores. And he’s good. He publi-

cally put his weight behind Dubai’s Expo 2020 bid, previously

unheard of. If you get tired of walking around Dubai Marina

you can even hop on a Boris Bike. Indeed, it seems Boris is

that taken with Dubai’s ‘can do’ construction sector that he’s

deregulated London’s planning regulations, leaving the way

open for some 230 new towers of 20-storeys and above to be

built over the next couple of decades.

The paradox here is that brand London’s upward growth

is born of necessity. Each year the capital needs 40,000 new

homes just to keep pace with demand. Whereas brand Dubai’s

fixation with multi-use towers is to put it on the map, attract

visitors and expat workers.

So, we have a 21st century brand love-in. We had a love-in

before and created the Union. Now that was solid and progres-

sive. Not all together altruistic of course, but what is?

I feel it’s time we got back to our love-in roots where

longevity and sustainability are valued over brand. You

can’t build a nation on branding alone. That’s a bit like

buying something from Dragon Mart. It will look good

for a few days until you use it. Then it will fall apart and

cause you or someone else a nasty injury. You have to

have substance, strong foundations, intelligence, market

understanding, a skilled, stable population and workforce

to future proof – much like the thinking and drive behind

the Union 42 years ago.

The Fox has fled the Middle East for the UK and in the first of (what could be) a series of visits to capital cities around the world, he discovers that London has gone… well, a bit Dubai.

Mind the Gap, Pet

d T A h I lik bl d f h d d B i

t

n


You see, Dubai is motoring again. Full speed ahead. Givin’

it the beans. Mega projects have been dusted off, thousands of

yellow villas are springing up in the desert, a Babylonian canal

will pass under a newly-elevated section of Sheikh Zayed

Road. Fantastic? Fantastic. Work was under way as I was

leaving. Rents in certain developments are higher than some

districts of Paris, and I’m not talking ghetto arrondissements.

There was a giant red advert adorning a tower further up

Sheikh Zayed Road next to the Marina. It informs commuters

to ‘Stay Calm. There’s No Property Bubble’. I kid you not. The

air is thick with hubris.

But there’s a fly in the soup. Known as The Skills Gap, so

concerned are the powers that be a joint Regional Workforce

Planning Study was undertaken by Deloitte and Dubai Inter-

national Academic City (DIAC) late 2012.

For a meaty subject of such import, the study is not, shall

we say, in-depth. In fact, it’s only nine pages long. And that

covers all sectors.

Although it recognises both the challenges faced by the

construction industry in terms of a largely transient expat

workforce from labourer to C-level exec, and a vocational

educational training programme described as nascent, the

question is at what point will UAE Nationals actually have a

hand in building the nation rather than overseeing it? If the

framework to get them involved at grass roots level is serious-

ly lacking, then this needs to be addressed - surely the reason

for any study is to provide a solution to a problem.

My fear is that continued sustainable growth through

nation building - by which I’m talking mega projects, transpor-

tation and utility infrastructure, housing, retail and leisure fa-

cilities – to meet stated visitor and population targets will only

be fully achieved through greater Emirati involvement from

ground level up. I also feel current immigration policy is not

helping in terms of shared project responsibility, ownership

and quality delivery throughout the value chain. Continuity.

Now that might just add a feeling of permanence to the place.

Ah, the love-in, nearly forgot about that. How can the

UK really help? Apart from Boris and brand London, the UK

exports a fair amount of C-Level construction guys, some,

admittedly, better than others. But on the tools, skilled trades-

men? Apart from those who set up business in the mobile villa

maintenance sector and need to keep their hand-in to make it

work, I’d wager none.

If there are any Brits of a certain vintage reading this

(apologies to everyone else, but ask a Brit colleague), cast your

mind back to the economic darkness that was the early 1980s

in Britain, when skilled tradesmen did actually up-tools and

migrate to building sites in Europe to earn a wage, most nota-

bly Germany.

The time was captured in a British TV sitcom Auf Wied-

ersehen Pet where the irony of Brits housed in Nissen huts

working on German construction sites will never be lost on us,

serving as ample illustration of how spirit, guts, determination

and single mindedness can overcome any obstacle. Along with

a willingness to get your hands dirty.

London landmarks: Above, dome of St Paul’s Cathedral, viewed across the Millennium Bridge, and below the 180m Gherkin


MEFMA DIARY

EVENT DATE LOCATION

MEFMA is Supporting & Participating in OMAINTEC - Dubai

18-05-2014 9:00 AM TO 20-05-2014 5:00 PM ATLANTIS THE PALM

FM Expo - Dubai 19-05-2014 10:00 AM TO 21-05-2014 7:00 PM DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE

MEFMA Board Meeting 20-05-2014 2:00 PM TO 20-05-2014 6:00 PM DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE

MEFMA is Supporting & Participating in Oman Real Estate Conference and Expo

25-05-2014 9:00 AM TO 26-05-2014 5:00 PM AL BUSTAN PALACE, A RITZ-CARLTON HOTEL

MEFMA is Supporting & participating in Hospital Build & Infrastructure Middle East - Dubai

02-06-2014 10:00 AM TO 04-06-2014 7:00 PM DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE

World FM day 04-06-2014 9:00 AM TO 04-06-2014 11:30 AM SUBLIME LOUNGE, IBIS HOTEL, DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE

Muhtarif - Module1 (Management Accounting) - Dubai

08-06-2014 8:30 AM TO 09-06-2014 4:30 AM ARJAAN BY ROTANA HOTEL

Muhtarif - Module2 (Operations Management) - Dubai


Muhtarif - Module3 (Project Management) - Dubai


Muhtarif - Module4 (Sustainability) - Dubai


Muhtarif - Module5 (Leadership) - Dubai 18-06-2014 8:30 AM TO 19-06-2014 4:30 AM ARJAAN BY ROTANA HOTEL

Networking Event - Dubai 19-08-2014 5:00 PM TO 19-08-2014 7:00 PM TBA

MEFMA Board Meeting 02-09-2014 12:00 AM TO 02-09-2014 12:00 AM TBA

Ta‘aseesy - Foundation in FM Course - Dubai

07-09-2014 8:30 AM TO 11-09-2014 4:30 PM ARJAAN BY ROTANA HOTEL

Networking Event - Jeddah 10-09-2014 5:00 PM TO 10-09-2014 7:00 PM TBA

Networking Event - Khobar 15-09-2014 5:00 PM TO 15-09-2014 7:00 PM TBA

Networking Event - Riyadh 17-09-2014 5:00 PM TO 17-09-2014 7:00 PM TBA

Arabic Ta‘aseesy - Foundation in FM Course - Riyadh

21-09-2014 8:30 AM TO 25-09-2014 4:30 PM EXECUTIVES HOTEL

MEFMA Workshop - Kuwait 15-10-2014 9:00 AM TO 15-10-2014 3:00 PM TBA

Networking Event - Kuwait 15-10-2014 5:00 PM TO 15-10-2014 7:00 PM TBA

MEFMA is Supporting & Participating in Clean Middle East Pulire Expo - Dubai

21-10-2014 10:00 AM TO 23-10-2014 7:00 PM DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE

MEFMA Workshop - Qatar 29-10-2014 9:00 AM TO 29-10-2014 3:00 PM TBA

Networking Event - Qatar 29-10-2014 5:00 PM TO 29-10-2014 7:00 PM TBA

Pre-Conference Workshop - Oman 16-11-2014 10:00 AM TO 16-11-2014 3:00 PM TBA

MEFMA Awareness Conference - Oman 17-11-2014 8:30 AM TO 17-11-2014 5:00 PM TBA

Arabic Ta‘aseesy - Foundation in FM Course - Kuwait

14-12-2014 8:30 AM TO 18-12-2014 4:30 PM TBA

MEFMA Board Meeting 18-12-2014 12:00 AM TO 18-12-2014 12:00 AM TBA

Facility Management and MEFMA events, conferences and seminars until the end of 2014.

Diary dates

Ali AlSuwaidi speak-ing at MEFMA’s Confex 2014 in Dubai, UAE, in March

For the latest information, go to www.mefma.org

Documents

Facility Insight June 2014