Corys Build Centre
Mosbah Ayad
Chief Executive Officer
Corys Build Centre (CBC) specialises in the distribution of MEP product-related building materials and solutions, with the FM industry being a particular area of focus.
Mosbah Ayad, Chief Executive Officer of CBC, says: “The past 12 months has seen CBC continuing the implementation of its three-year digital strategy. To digitise processes and use data effectively is the only way to continue to grow and really add value to our customers and partners. Q4 2022 will see the roll out of a fully integrated online portal which will allow registered customers to purchase online, check their prices and have real-time visibility on availability; they can also check their specific order status.
“We understand that the FM industry has particular needs when it comes to stock availability and we are currently running an end-to-end Supply Chain Project which will be our major focus for 2023.
“This will include warehouse optimisation, integrated warehouse management system, and bar code scanning. The outcome of the project will be second to none stock accuracy, real time visibility, more accurate stock forecasting and an ability to ‘ringfence’ product for specific customers. We will also be able to offer a variety of delivery and click and collect options at our Central Distribution Centre in Dubai or one of our seven CBC outlets across the UAE.”
Ayad says that the global macro-economic issues witnessed over the past 12 months have created challenges such as rapid price fluctuations as well as longer and shifting lead times. By having direct distribution of major global brands and solid strategic partnerships with those brands, CBS has in most part, been able to work together to alleviate the knock-on effect on its customers.
“2023 will be an exciting year for CBC as we continue our projects, bring more FM specific products on board, and work closely with our partners to give a differentiated offering and add real value to our customers. Products that promote sustainability will be another key focus for us,” said Ayad.
Dyson
Johannes Mueller
Head of Dyson B2B Professional for MEA
In the face of supply chain issues caused by Covid-19 and the microchip shortage, Dyson has continued to grow and it never ceased its investments.
In May, Dyson gave its biggest clue yet to the future of household robots at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in Philadelphia. Johannes Mueller, head of Dyson B2B professional for MEA, revealed: “At the conference, we provided further definition to our ambitions in advanced robotics, and signalled accelerated development of an autonomous device capable of household chores and other tasks. This work is being led by Jake Dyson, chief engineer at Hullavington Airfield.”
Dyson is half-way through the largest engineering recruitment drive in its history. Around 2,000 people have joined the tech company this year, of which 50% are engineers, scientists, and coders. Dyson is supercharging its robotics ambitions, recruiting 250 robotics engineers across disciplines including computer vision, machine learning, sensors, and mechatronics, and expects to hire 700 more in the robotics field over the next five years. Mueller says that the master plan is to create the UK’s largest, most advanced, robotics centre at Hullavington Airfield and to bring the technology into our homes by the end of the decade. New recruits will be based at Hullavington Airfield in Wiltshire, a new London laboratory close to the Dyson Robotics Lab at Imperial College, and Singapore at Dyson’s global headquarters. At the beginning of the year, Dyson was secretly refitting one of the main aircraft hangars at Hullavington Airfield to prepare for 250 roboticists to move into their new home. Its latest robotics makeover is the next stage in Dyson’s £2.75bn investment plan in new technologies, products, and facilities.
Mueller says that 2022 also saw the launch of new Dyson technologies including a global launch of our Airwrap Multi-styler and the Dyson V15 Detect cordless vacuum in the Middle East. Dyson’s most powerful and intelligent vacuum yet.
Talking about the focus next year, Mueller says that 2023 is set to be another exciting year for the firm with new problem-solving technologies in the pipeline. “We will be investing in retail spaces across KSA and UAE to allow people to experience Dyson products, to see how our technology works and how it can be used in homes and business environments.”
From hand dryers and hair dryers, to vacuums, purifying fans and lighting, Dyson technology is engineered with employees and guests in mind for all kinds of business environments. Since the launch of the first Airblade hand dryer in 2006, Dyson has continued to evolve its hand dryer technology. The Dyson Airblade 9kJ is Dyson’s most cost and energy efficient hand dryer at just £19 a year to run in Eco mode. It can dry users’ hands in 10 seconds in max mode and produces 86% less carbon dioxide emissions per dry than paper towels.
This energy efficiency, coupled with fast drying as well as HEPA filters, which have been tested against particles, bacteria and virus, have made the Dyson Airblade 9kJ an attractive option for facility management across sectors.
On the challenges faced, Mueller admits: “Across various Dyson categories, we are certainly not unaffected as our machines become increasingly smart and connected. We are working hard to try to find both short and long-term solutions to the problem so that we can still meet the demand of our customers in the most cost-effective way. This past year in the UAE projects have picked up greatly since the beginning of the pandemic, with an increased interest and demand in the KSA market. Like many retailers in the tech industry, we have faced a shortage of stock during the pandemic. We are now returning to a desired level of production that meets increased demand.”
Facilio
Prabhu Ramachandran
Founder & CEO
Traditional FM service providers are holding on to the in-efficacies of legacy systems, cannibalising new-age innovation in the space. What is needed is a mindset shift among commercial portfolio owners, and more thrust on innovation, says Prabhu Ramachandran, founder & CEO of Facilio.
He says: “The general property ops landscape is cluttered with disparate systems and point solutions and a clear visibility into the ROI is lacking for owners.”
Traditionally, commercial real estate owners have outsourced entire facility management operations and tech to external vendors, with little control and visibility into how their building portfolios are performing. Ramachandran says: “In the next four quarters, we will be collaborating closely with CRE owners to make them understand the humongous benefits they can derive from taking control of their data, and making direct investments in technology. This will give them access to generational data to be able to make data-informed decisions for increasing long-term efficiencies.”
In terms of company growth, Facilio is expanding its enterprise sales team in the UAE and the US. “We are looking to onboard 2X number of strategic partners who can take Facilio’s platform to more buildings portfolio owners in retail, healthcare and education verticals. There will be more thrust on innovation, with new features and integrations being added to the platform that will provide a world-class workplace experience for tenants by leveraging the power of AI and automation.
“What we are building at Facilio isn’t merely a great product portfolio but a movement towards data-led property operations. The company is writing the blueprint for how modern real estate portfolios will operate in the next decade and beyond.”
Facilio raised its series B fund for $35m – this investment is being used to extend its market leadership, expand sales and marketing, and enable more companies to reach success through a predictive, connected model of real-estate operations.
It doubled its headcount and is currently at 200 employees with a globally distributed workforce across four continents. It achieved 400% revenue growth in the past 12 months.
The firm acquired large enterprise customers in London, Dubai, Australia, New York and other regions, and it manages 100 million+ sq ft globally. Some of its marquee customers include British Land, ICD Brookfield Place, Aster healthcare, Tutenlabs among others. Facilio’s growing list of portfolio-scale deployments includes commercial office buildings, retail chains, hospital systems, and higher-education campuses.
Facilio rolled out a scalable, AI-driven Connected Retail solution to help retail portfolios remotely monitor and control systems, deploy optimisation strategies at scale, and improve energy savings & asset performance.
A few of the accolades the firm has won in the last 12 months include:
Product Leadership Award Global IOT Solution for Building Operations and Maintenance Solution By Frost & Sullivan
Overall Best Facilities Management Platform of the year 2022 Award by PropTech Breakthrough
Ranked 3 Globally in Smart Building Software Report 2022 based on innovation and adoption by Unissu – Trusted PropTech
Fine Solutions
Seifeddine Beldi
Country Manager UAE & Lower Gulf
Working with its customers hand-in-hand, Fine Solutions recognised that in the post-Covid world, business and institutes are facing challenges around reopening and making sure the venue is safe for visitors’ health and safety. Keeping this in mind, Fine Solutions partnered with the ISSA to extend to its customers and valued partners in the region with the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) Star Program. Seifeddine Beldi, country manager UAE & Lower Gulf, Fine Solutions, says:
“Our focus next year is to grow our Fine Solutions GBAC Program and to ensure that every property and location in the UAE is certified by ISSA GBAC – marking the trust that it is using the best technologies, protocols, and methods to ensure the safety of visitors, staff and guests where they live work and play.”
The Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) helps organisations and businesses prepare for, respond to, and recover from biological threats, and biohazard situations and real-time crises. With this program, Fine Solutions’ valued partners receive education, training, certification, response management, and crisis consulting for situations where environments require a much higher level of cleaning, disinfection, and restoration.
Beldi says: “Our technologies, machinery, process, and products are continuously reviewed to ensure the most suitable solutions are in place. We provide the most cost-effective solutions, there is consistency in supply, ease of procurement and ease of use. Whenever there is a new property/location opening, Fine Solutions is always one-step ahead by visiting and doing the site survey and understanding the needs of the venue/location.”
Fine Solutions claims to be trusted by leading FM companies and are their supplier of choice. Their clients include Deyaar, Imdaad, Cleanco, Emrill, Khidmah, EFS, MBM, Transguard, Ejadah, Tanmiyah, Tanzifco, OCS, Berkeley, MEMC, NCTH, and Etihad International Hospitality.
Genie
Sharbel Kordahi
Managing Director of Terex Aerial Work Platforms for Middle East, Southern Africa, India, Russia and CIS
The ability to work indoors and outdoors and on rugged terrain make the Genie Z-45 FE hybrid articulating boom lift an ideal, environmentally-friendly solution for increased efficiency and low cost of ownership and operation for facilities maintenance tasks.
The Z-45 FE reaches almost 16 m (51 ft 8 in) at maximum height and has an up-and-over clearance of 7.5 m (24 ft 7 in). And with a 300 kg (660 lb) capacity platform, the Z-45 FE is well equipped for most applications.
Responding to increasing jobsite regulations and environmental needs, Genie also expanded its boom offerings to include the S-60 FE – industry’s first hybrid telescopic boom- and the S-60 DC – industry’s first light-weight, electric, telescopic boom lift in the 20 m (65 ft) height class. With low weight and low ground pressure, both models are ideal for applications on sensitive terrain or indoor flooring. One of the reasons Genie FE and DC booms are such a popular choice for applications such as facilities management is their indoor/outdoor versatility.
Sharbel Kordahi, managing director of Terex Aerial Work Platforms for Middle East, Southern Africa, India, Russia and CIS, says: “The future demand within the FM sector is looking very healthy, with construction projects undergoing across the region including theme parks, leisure/entertainment destinations and a significant number of new hotels in the short and midterm. This sector growth aligns with our electrification strategy. Currently, about 70% of Genie’s product line is already electrified or hybrid and this is technology we are continuing to pursue.”
The recently launched hybrid S-60 FE and electric S-60 DC will be available in the Middle East region in the first quarter of 2023, and customers are looking forward to receiving the first GS E-Drive scissor lifts equipped with Lithium-Ion batteries. Rigorously tested for longevity and reliability – even in extreme environments – Genie Lithium-Ion batteries have been specifically designed for MEWPs (Mobile elevating work platforms) and are certified by the independent certification organization Underwriters Laboratory (UL) against fire, electric shock and explosion.
Lattice Software Solutions
Job V Tholath
Director Technical
Lattice Software Solutions is looking forward to more opportunities and more success within the GCC areas, says Job V Tholath, director technical. He adds: “With the entire GCC region going through massive transformation especially in the ‘built environment’, there are endless possibilities. With master plans like Abu Dhabi 2030, Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, Saudi Vision 2030, it is clearly evident that the region is moving towards more sustainable and enhanced development strategy, which includes digital transformation of real estate portfolios and infrastructure, meaning more opportunities and growth for a cutting-edge solution like Reflexion CAFM / IWMS.”
Lattice is planning to invest more with products and careful geographical expansion into the USA market with new partnerships. Its product Reflexion CAFM has been delivering innovative solutions to customers, over the last 15 years. Lattice’s quest to evolve and innovate its solution continues as it is ready for the launch and roll out of Reflexion Edge, a new-age CAFM platform, in the year 2023. Reflexion Edge will have more usage of Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning for automating legacy processes and tasks, ensuring reduction of manual intervention. For example, automated post workorder completion quality check, based on comparing ‘before and after photos analysis’ by adding AI/ML processes.
Tholath says: “The other focus will be mainly in the area of ‘sustainability goals’ by enhancing the energy/utility tracking and optimisation in terms of water, electricity, district cooling, TSE, etc., through the use of smart meters.”
Talking about the market and challenges in general, Tholath says: “FM markets have clearly broken free from the challenges of the pandemic and the industry seem to have bounced back from the effects. The growth trends are very encouraging and with more and more non-traditional verticals such as hospitality, health care, entertainment, transportation, logistics, etc., focusing on CAFM initiatives means more opportunities to grow and expand.
“Our existing customers are very happy and satisfied with the digital innovations we continue to offer and with our flexibility. Reflexion has helped customers achieve key objectives such as easy scaling of operations and expansion, better efficiency on their existing resources, cost optimisation, and end tenant satisfaction.
“However, there are some challenges that we faced during last year, especially delay in customers making migration decisions due to initial investment required on hardware such as technician mobile devices, IoT sensors, smart meters, and bluetooth beacons, which have large upfront costs but with great ROI over a period of time.”
Some standout achievements for Reflexion CAFM / IWMS in the last 12 months are:
- Reflexion has successfully entered in to ‘banking industry’ by providing the CAFM solution for a large local UAE Bank with over 25+ branches and multiple offices across UAE for their entire FM operations.
- Successful adaption of the Reflexion’s revolutionary ‘Inspection and Audit App’ from its Ipad based solution to a ‘Reflexion Quick Inspect’, which can be used with any Android or Apple IOS phones for HSE audits/ISO audits/OSHAS audits/site walkthroughs/day & night Inspections etc which is used for approximately 10000+ inspections per annum by various customers.
- Added a new module offering in the Reflexion CAFM solution for ‘Emergency Preparedness’ for automated city Level emergency alert and preparation with automated pre and post event checklist generation for emergency events such as rain and sandstorms.
- Reflexion had added a multi-platform ‘Management Dashboard mobile app’ for the management level users for quick access to live dashboards like, on duty technicians with attendance, customer rating average, work order SLA, etc., on the go along with direct approvals from the mobile app.
- Reflexion IOT/BMS integration has matured over a period of five years since it is introduced with more than 100% in traffic growth seen in the last one year
- Reflexion has launched a new RPA tool for ‘Automated Technician Assignment’ for service provider technicians using the duty roster, skill, location, and customer rating based algorithm, which has reduced the despatcher load by 80% with all real world issues addressed.
Milano by Danube
Anis Sajan
Vice Chairman, Danube Group
“Though the pandemic had left a few repercussions in the first six months, the team successfully achieved the targets chalked out for the year. This in turn helped ensure that the stocks of the company rotated 3 cycles, which is key for the growth of the company,” says Anis Sajan, vice chairman, Danube Group, proudly.
Milano by Danube boasts of 15+ years of experience in design, production, and distribution of sanitary ware, electrical products, tiles, water purifier and hardware in the global market.
Apart from the aforementioned product categories, one of the key product of the brand is the water heater, available in both vertical and horizontal installation types starting from 10 litres up to 100 litres. All the heaters have received a 5-star rating for energy consumption and are certified by Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology.
Sajan says: “Milano as a brand is always wanting to go one notch higher every year, i.e., increase the sales by around 20% every year. It doesn’t happen only by talking, but walking the talk, by ensuring that new products are procured, right supply of stock is available and most importantly reaching out to the customers on time and servicing them.”
With the construction activity continuously going on in the country, Danube’s goal is to grow its customer base and liaise with a majority of developers in the region, which Sajan believes the firm is capable of, given its basket of products and the robust dealer network it has.
Sajan says: “The FM market has always been booming for us as we have a widespread dealer network across the UAE, who reach out to most of the FM companies for all their requirements. The challenge which every company faces is delivering on time as the FM companies always have a deadline to meet, and suppliers like Milano who are up and running have adequate stocks to sustain in the market.”
Nanosoft Technologies
Eashak Ali
Director
In terms of sales, Nanosoft Technologies achieved its highest new order with 32% growth rate, in which 58% of the orders contributing to its SaaS model. The firm received a new software product development project from one of the leading real estate group in the UAE on time billing basis which was one of its business diversification strategies entering to new markets and new products. It has also launched and implemented integrated Smart Utility billing software for water & electricity with CRT (cost reflective tariff) which is one of the complex billings followed in Oman.
Additionally, Nanosoft has also developed and implemented OAM functionalities for a leading property developer in Dubai with completely redesigned mobile app for the use of tenants and homeowners.
In terms of technology, the firm has migrated to React Platform supporting Linux servers with an option of MS SQL & Postgres SQL DB. With home-grown tools the software development process has been automated for quick and quality deliveries following agile methodology.
Eashak Ali, director at Nanosoft Technologies, says: “Next year, we are looking forward to offer Real Estate Management ERP software & OAM solution on cloud, which will have a range of products for leasing, FM, finance, landlords, tenants, homeowners, holiday operators and technicians. As per our road map SMART FM core web application will be made fully mobile compatible by end of 2023 enabling more active engagement by all stakeholder users accessing the software. Our client base in Oman is increasing and we are planning to open offices in Oman and offer partners for Saudi & Qatar and other MENA region. Our key focus is on sustainable business growth, client acquisition, centralized finance, Enhanced SaaS offerings, Online Payments for SaaS, Technology enhancements and empowering employee and self development.”
Talking about the FM market, Ali says: “The FM market continues to grow and adoption of technology has significantly increased in last 3 to 4 years. All size of service providers (small, medium and large) property owners are actively looking for digital transformation of their FM operations to achieve operational excellence. Few customers have also migrated to SMART FM from other CAFM software to benefit from the advanced functionalities, competitive pricing and support and scalability. We have successfully implemented seven major projects in given timeline and retained 100% clients using our SaaS model. The FM market is more demanding in terms of automation and artificial intelligence which needs integration with multiple systems of a facility to provide the required information.”
Netix.ai
Sanjeevv Bhatia
CEO
Netix.ai’s achievements in the past 12 months have been underpinned by the “Right to Repair” movement the firm launched earlier. Sanjeevv Bhatia, CEO of Netix.ai, explains: “The movement draws upon our vision of future-proofing old, existing buildings by increasing operational efficiencies, optimising energy usage, and establishing an open-protocol model for future readiness through the implementation of our proprietary IoT and AI-based solutions: intelligent Integrated Building Management System (iIBMS) and Netix Konnect.
“We adopted a holistic strategy that includes raising awareness, entering strategic collaborations and partnerships, and launching incentive models to support sustainable transformations and empower front-line departments such as FM. To that end, we participated in the Hospitality Network’s Stakeholder Conference 2021 as a sponsor and demonstrated the achievable positive outcomes in hospitality facilities through an experience room. Likewise, we were the lead sponsors of the government-hosted RetrofitTech Abu Dhabi Summit, where we underscored the need to retrofit existing buildings and optimise FM functions.”
The pursuit of synergistic value further led Netix.ai to becoming the Gold Tier Partners of Tridium, the renowned developer of the Niagara Framework. Subsequently, Netix.ai’s open-source controllers bagged e-commerce giant Amazon’s approval for adoption in 59 fulfilment centres across Europe. The interactions along the way with real estate stakeholders – owners, FM operators, and occupants – added a new dimension to the firm’s understanding of ecosystem challenges, inspiring it to launch Middle East’s first-ever Sustainability Finance Model.
Sustainability As A Service will become the new SAAS model for Netix and its partners over the coming year. The digital and sustainable transformations of buildings will remain Netix.ai’s key focus. That is because about 80% of buildings that will exist in 2050 are already built. So, the current energy- and carbon-intensive operations in buildings run counterproductive to long-term climate goals such as the UAE’s net-zero 2050.
Wilo Middle East
Yasser Nagi
Managing Director
The facilities management (FM) sector has been witnessing tremendous growth, with the rising need for efficiency and cost-efficient operations, says Yasser Nagi, managing director of Wilo Middle East and group sales director of MENA region. He says: “It is projected that in the next five years, companies in the FM sector will consider advantages such as long-term contracts, latest and innovative methods, increased value for suppliers and continuity in services. The emergence of smart buildings that utilise technologies for efficient and effective operations, has enhanced the well-being of occupants, by leveraging data analytics that ensures environmental sustainability of a building.
“Owing to the rapid digitalisation of the FM sector, we can see various technologies as well as mobile applications making a headway in facilitating ease of operations and business intelligence, which is fostered by growth of data access. Employees now can work remotely with better connectivity, which has bolstered the virtual work environment.
“In addition to the many potentials, there are several difficulties, such as those related to cost, security, acceptance, and unreasonable customer expectations. Besides the costs related to the software development processes, companies need to take into account additional expenditures for maintenance, support, upgrades, and other charges.”
Since its inception in 1872, Wilo has been committed to setting standards and driving the sector forward sustainably. The company has successfully delivered its superior solutions to several significant private and government projects, as well as contributed to the market›s growth. Over the past year, Wilo has offered its pumps and systems to help countries ensure food security through the Toshka Project in Egypt. The Toshka project’s long-term strategic objective is to make the country independent of wheat imports and guarantee a reliable food supply. As part of the project, Wilo offered its advanced pumping solutions to assist Egypt in achieving this goal.
Nagi says: “At Wilo, our mission is to introduce energy-efficient products that will help businesses boost their overall productivity, and develop advanced, intelligent solutions for the industrial sector in the UAE and the larger Middle East. In order to meet the expanding market demands and acknowledge the region’s growing importance, Wilo is also making an investment in Saudi Arabia by setting up an assembly facility and driving office expansion.”
Sanipex Group
Calum Stewart
Group Retail Director
Sanipex Group’s focus is to build on its existing reputation as a complete lifestyle supplier. The firm is increasing its bathroom portfolio to include two new complete ranges, Bristol and Orology. Offering flexibility and functionability, Orology, is a complete range of mixers, furniture and bespoke basins, while Bristol brings classical elegance to the modern bathroom combining soft industrial style with mixers in four finishes. To complete the Bristol range, Sanipex has a selection of terrazzo counter top basins and adding to the range it has the luxurious freestanding and countertop resin basins and a matching freestanding bathtub in Galaxy Black.
Calum Stewart, group retail director, Sanipex Group, adds: “We are also continuing to focus on our new Bystro Kithen lifestyle brand which brings a blend of exceptional style and functionality to the heart of the home, catering to both indoor and outdoor kitchens, ensuring we have stock to fufill market demand will be our prime goal this year for this newly launched program.”
With the opening of its slab fabrication showroom and production facility in Jebel Ali, Sanipex Group is also expanding its offering to ensure it can give its clients exactly what they want when they want it. Offering custom basins and counters, for bathrooms, kitchen and outdoor use, with a choice of over 200 exquisite slab options in stock, the firm can keep up with latest design trends and offer bespoke options to clients offering the ability to make one custom basin or 100.
Talking about the challenges this year, Stewart says: “The Covid-19 pandemic put the world on pause for way too long, with restricted travel and rigid safety rules posing a challenge for all of us. We initially noticed a large decrease in our usual showroom traffic so had to find other ways to reach our clients. Other issues we noticed was the shortage of available stock from our production facilities and suppliers due to limited work force and raw materials.
“To triumph over these challenging times, we quickly learnt to adapt and find new-age solutions, highlighting our strengths and working on them to deliver the best possible service to our customers. The swift and strategic shifting of our focus allowed us to turn the situation around and benefit us with some notable achievements.”
To succeed during these trying times, Sanipex Group enhanced its digital presence and build on its e-commerce services to offer clients a smoother, more convenient online experience. The firm improved its websites, further developing the online shopping section that allowed customers to seamlessly browse the stock it had available and make the required purchases hassle-free.
Also foreseeing the need to increase its stock holding with proactive ordering gave it the upper hand in preparing for the future. The group had the foresight to increase production and orders from third party suppliers to ensure it had enough availability to formulate an ambitious stock plan that ensured all customer needs were met. Its various warehouses supported it in this and enabled the fulfilment of numerous client orders while others in the market struggled to fulfill
demand.
Stewart says: “Ensuring we always had stock available for purchase, even during the trying times of the pandemic has enabled us to continue to support the FM and design community and be there for our clients. Our continued delivery services as well as our 24 hour order and pick up service also helped us maintain our high standards and quality of service.”
TechnoPurple Tracking
Amit Jain
Managing Director
For TechnoPurple Tracking, 2022 marks the completion of half a decade of serving facility management companies in the UAE. Amit Jain, managing director, TechnoPurple Tracking, says: “From being a company based in India, which nobody knew about in the UAE, to serving the who’s who of the FM industry – we are proud of our journey in such a short time. We thank our customers, system users, partners, suppliers and employees who embraced us with open arms and gave us a platform to implement technology solutions that this region has not
seen before.
“Over the last five years, we’ve had the privilege to work with top brands like Imdaad, Emrill, Serco, Keolis, Global Village, RAK Public Service Department, Arada, Adeeb Group, and Al Sultan. Through the thousand plus licences active on the ground on a daily basis, we track the closure of a million plus jobs on a monthly basis across the UAE.”
Jain adds: “We owe our global success in FM Tech and Prop Tech domains to the UAE and it was time we gave back to this innovative country. 2022 marks the spread of our footprint outside India and we are happy to share that TechnoPurple Software Trading LLC has been registered in the UAE as a Dubai Mainland Company. With an office in the Business Bay Area – Dubai, we look forward to offering better and faster services to our clients with this new venture.”
Till recently, TechnoPurple offered a real-time workforce tracking app and some companies integrated it with their existing backends like Maximo, FSI, Infor. etc. Through this integration, customers used to get the best of both worlds – a stable CAFM at the backend and an innovative, feature rich app with the ground workforce. While the firm continues to do that, in the last 12 months, TechnoPurple has revamped its offering for the FM domain and gone full suite.
The firm’s greatest achievement this year has been implementing an end-to-end service request management system in a high traffic arena like Global Village. In addition to the Technician Tracking App, TechnoPurple has deployed new modules, namely the Requestor App, Service Request Management Workflows, PPM Contract and Job Scheduling, Automatic Creation of Corrective Maintenance Jobs, Asset Management, Inventory Management, BI Dashboards etc.
TechnoPurple will strengthen its presence in the UAE by increasing the implementation and support team sizes on the ground. Its target this year is to get direct orders from government departments like municipalities so that “it can make a difference to the well-being of a bigger audience through the power of real-time FM”.
Also, TechnoPurple will be leveraging Amazon Web Services (AWS) to localise its hosting capabilities so that UAE customer data remains in the UAE and gets processed in the UAE.
Talking about the challenges, Jain says: “Our customers say the FM market has been under a lot of cost pressure in the last year. There was cutthroat competition and we feared technology would bear the brunt of budget cuts. Fortunately, most FM companies in the Middle East realise that reduction in cost, without compromise in quality is only possible through improving the efficiency of their operations through the use of technology. FM companies that imbibe transparency and present their good and not-so-good aspects on a technology-backed platform are seeing stronger and lasting relationships with their end clients.
“At this point, our hands are full with a lot of challenging projects and we are confident in delivering awesomeness to our clients the way we have for over a decade since 2010,” Jain concludes.
VERTECO
David King
Managing Director MENA
The year 2022 has been an exceptional year for VERTECO and the company has achieved significant successes across both of their business divisions.
Firstly, VERTECO’s well-established suite of Smart Washroom Technology solutions have continued to dominate the FM sector. Accelerated by Covid-19 and the subsequent realisation of the need for exceptional hygiene standards in public spaces, their Smart Cleaning Technology has been supporting impeccable cleanliness and improved user satisfaction for many businesses. The technology has been introduced to numerous well-known retail properties across the UAE, and, thanks to the growth of the IoT and AI in managing facilities, as well as the recent launch of VERTECO’s data driven cleaning technology which allows the same smart cleaning principles to be applied within any area of a building, the company’s exponential growth is expected to continue into 2023.
The company’s water conservation efforts have also seen a phenomenal year, with a 35% growth in revenue within the hospitality sector alone.
VERTECO has continued to make a difference through their water-saving work with businesses looking to achieve significant environmental and operational efficiencies. They have delivered three major water-saving projects with leading FM providers so far in 2022, and in their well-established position as trusted partners and experts in sustainability, they continue to work with enviro consultants and energy saving companies across the region.
David King, managing director of VERTECO for the MENA Region says: “The FM market has been very good for VERTECO in 2022. The UAE demonstrated an exemplary response to the pandemic and were very quick to adopt to the drastically improved hygiene standards that were required within public spaces in order to keep people safe. Locally, forward-thinking FM companies adopted Smart Technology as a solution to this need, realising not only the range of improved health and safety benefits they offer to customers and staff, but also the sustainability merits of adopting such tech.
“However, Covid continues to present many challenges, across every industry and sector, around the world. FM is no exception, but as consumer demands continue to evolve, new opportunities arise. VERTECO’s ongoing mission is to continue to work with leaders and governments across the region, to highlight the benefits of innovative Smart Cleaning Technology. If the company can demonstrate the extent to which hygiene standards can be improved, whilst achieving environmental, resource and cost efficiencies, then 2023 will be another great year for VERTECO.”
Sustainability remains at the core of VERTECO. The company will continue to deliver water conservation projects across the region in 2023, helping businesses to reduce their environmental footprint and achieve their sustainability goals. It will also deliver numerous major Smart Technology projects which have recently been won in the UAE, Qatar and KSA. The company’s focus in 2023 will be growth of the Smart Cleaning Technology division. VERTECO will work closely with FM companies to highlight the enormous benefits – including enhanced staff efficiencies, reduced costs, and environmental savings – that integrated Smart Tech can offer.
Virtual IT
Andreas Hadjioannou
Managing Director
The year 2022 has been another successful year for Virtual IT adding important accounts into its customer base from KSA, Qatar and the UAE. It has also been a major year for the firm in expanding its portfolio of solutions from CAFM to complete Integrated Workplace Management Systems (IWMS) with the launch of its partnership with Planon, says Andreas Hadjioannou, managing director of Virtual IT.
Planon has been in business for almost 40 years currently with offices in 15 countries around the world and 850+ employees. Planon delivers end-to-end real estate management capabilities, comprehensive workplace services tools for employees, advanced business intelligence integrations, and broad functionality for facility management service providers. According to the Verdantix 2022 Green Quadrant Integrated Workplace Management Systems (IWMS) March 2022 report, Planon is a leader in the IWMS market worldwide.
With Planon, Virtual IT has extended its portfolio of solutions offering end-to-end workplace management solution covering Real Estate Management, Space & Workplace Services Management, Asset & Maintenance and Energy & Sustainability Management. Planon Real Estate Management provides organisations with a full lifecycle support in Property Management, ensuring efficient and professional execution in both their operational and strategic processes. Space & Workplace Services Management provides visibility into the distribution and occupation density of all space.
The Asset & Maintenance Management module is the standard CAFM functionality while the Energy & Sustainability Management is a unique module to Planon that integrates all related FM data silos into a single knowledge database required to manage sustainability. Planon Energy & Sustainability Management allows organisations to measure and monitor all energy consumption, carbon emissions in relation to maintenance performance and space used. On the platform level Planon offers unique capabilities like Smart Infrastructure. The open architecture with API interfaces and IoT integration enables customers to easily connect assets and devices for data capture and performance monitoring, and also link external public or private data sources to augment internal climate data with. This enables companies to embed all kinds of data to do business sustainably.
Hadjioannou says: “The market this year has seen an increase in demand for IoT solutions, integrated with IWMS/CAFM, space management and sustainability. Organisations are asking for functionality with the ability to identify space, lower portfolio costs, create a pleasant working environment, improve productivity and generate reports to develop strategic space plans.
“Property management and service providers are approaching us for solutions and tools that will help them monitor resource consumption across their customer’s portfolio managing their ESG strategies, establish goals, manage, plan and deliver measures that have a lasting, positive impact to the environment.
“As a Planon Partner we are very positive for the next year as the demand is shifting from CAFM systems to more intelligent Integrated Workplace Management Systems. With Planon, we can deliver innovative IWMS solutions that have the ability to connect buildings, people and processes, by eliminating data silos and aligning solutions into one shared information platform, empowering all building stakeholders with actionable and meaningful insights.”