Managing Multi-site Facilities: Strategies for Streamlining Operations 

In an ideal world, facility management would be seamless, and managing multiple sites would be effortless. Buildings would operate optimally, energy consumption would be efficient, occupants would enjoy optimal comfort, and emergencies would be rare. Unfortunately, our world is far from perfect. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t strive for optimization!

This article presents strategies for streamlining multi-site facility management. Let’s start by addressing the challenges faced in this complex endeavour.

The core challenges are evident. If you are responsible for managing a multi-site operation, you know the imperfections that can arise. Tight budgets, limited resources, and the unique requirements of each building contribute to varying levels of building automation control. From standalone systems to integrated Building Management Systems, the inconsistency across the enterprise adds to the daily struggles facility managers face.

Installing, integrating, and maintaining automation systems can be costly, but they can prove cost-effective, as we’ll explore later in this series. Additionally, when dealing with rented spaces, installation options may be restricted, limiting the actions a facility manager can take and hampering potential savings and benefits.

Moreover, the volume of data generated by multiple buildings can be overwhelming. Imagine a room with numerous temperature gauges, flow meters, air quality sensors, and other field devices, each producing frequent readings. Multiply that by the number of rooms and buildings in your portfolio. Analyzing and utilizing this data to enhance operational efficiency is daunting without automation or a building management system.

Strategies to Overcome Challenges and Streamline Multi-site Operations

Following are the strategies to streamline multi-site facility management.

Maintain Open Lines of Communication

Effective communication is crucial in any work environment, but it becomes even more vital when operations are dispersed across multiple locations.

To ensure communication remains open:

• Visit each facility as frequently as possible, utilizing these visits as opportunities to provide updates and gather employee feedback.
• Conduct regular one-on-one conference calls with each facility. If you operate more than two, host a monthly global conference call.
• Encourage employee feedback via email. Even when you can’t be physically present, they must know their voices are heard.

Embrace Technological Solutions

The advancement of technology has made managing multiple facilities more efficient than ever before. Leverage technology to your advantage:

• Email can be used as a powerful tool for communication, enabling efficient correspondence within and across facilities.
• Utilize video conferencing platforms like Skype, Facebook, or Google Hangouts to conduct personal and interactive meetings.
• Implement software solutions for facility management to track progress remotely and ensure consistent operations across all sites. Allow your workforce to track tasks and time online, facilitating better oversight.

Foster Inclusive Decision-Making

While it’s easy to give orders remotely, seeking input on essential company decisions is crucial for morale and fostering unity over long distances:

• Involve management at each facility in making company-wide decisions, such as policy changes or production adjustments.
•  Provide opportunities for workers to contribute their insights. At the very least, establish a company-wide suggestion box and address each suggestion during conference calls or via email to demonstrate that employees’ opinions are valued, regardless of their physical location.

Assign On-Site Leadership Roles

Trust is essential, especially when you can’t physically observe your managers. Ensure effective on-site leadership:

• Require on-site managers to report to you more frequently than if they were in the same building, using email or daily phone calls.
• Empower managers to make local decisions while ensuring they understand their boundaries and when they should consult with you.

Establish Company Best Practices

Local solid management alone is insufficient if no universal company policies guide them. Establish clear and consistent best practices, ensuring employees from all offices understand and adhere to them.

Promote Inter-Facility Team Building

Employees at each facility share the same productivity and overall business success goals. Facilitate collaboration by:

• Organizing yearly team-building exercises within each facility to foster better relationships and promote understanding of individual roles throughout the organization.
• Consider company-wide gatherings or online exercises to build connections and familiarity among employees, even when physically apart.

Acknowledge Facility Differences

While emphasizing uniform policies and management styles, recognize that each manufacturing facility has unique local needs:

• Be sensitive to cultural variations, whether international or domestic and consider how holidays or customs may impact routines.
• Adapt to diverse regulations across borders, understanding that practices effective in one region may not apply elsewhere.

Conclusion

Implementing facility management best practices, such as utilizing location-based asset mapping, accessing accurate data, and having capital planning capabilities, is crucial to maximize efficiency, avoid financial losses, and ensure your facilities’ safetyLeverage a facility management software solution like FieldCircle to eliminate guesswork and elevate your facilities to the highest standards. Provide your team greater control, time management capabilities, and an improved budget.