Source: IFMA FMJ
By: Carolina Weidler, Principal & Science and Technology Studio Director
COVID-19 has dramatically changed the world’s reality. In many ways, it also has accelerated the adoption of technology by several years — with many of these changes here to stay for the long haul. More so, it has undoubtedly affected the way businesses operate — as well as how they plan to resume tasks once the economy fully reopens.
The return to normalcy will change how companies — throughout all, if not most industries — conduct business. For the majority of business owners, this change represents an investment in technology, a reconfiguration of work areas, enhanced safety equipment, new protocols and flexibility in the way the work has been performed to date, as well as how it will continue to be executed in the future.
It’s go time.
Safety protocols for manufacturing floors will no longer be restricted to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines. As facility managers think about operations, growth and overall good business practices through this pandemic and beyond, automation will be at the forefront when it comes to new technologies to invest in. Not only does it provide the required safety protocols, but it also increases flexibility and efficiencies for companies.
Automation as a way to perform daily tasks in the workplace is not a new concept. Nearly all manufacturing floors have some sort of automation — but how specialized or diverse varies greatly based on several factors: industry, what part of the world the floor is located, and the scale and sophistication of that business.
Up to now, robotics has been a nice to have for some corporations. But restrictive policies, budgets or square footage have hindered the implementation of these work horses.
With innovation transforming the way things work, there is a shift in mindset around automation. That is, if by implementing more automation into a process, a company can get back into full production capabilities, then it is time to pull the trigger!
Previously, incentives in the form of health and safety for the employees pushed the time frames for implementing automation. Now, budget restrictions are redefined and reevaluated because it off -sets the tremendous gains a company will have once it is fully able to resume operations — and faster than they originally thought possible. With COVID-19 causing fear and risk of contagion, companies are more inclined to leverage technologies that will mitigate these concerns and en-sure safe working conditions.
Robots are part of the change but not the catch-all.
Fancy equipment — check. Hundreds of bottles of sanitizer — check. Training modules and a rollout of enhanced safety protocols that include hand washing, social distancing and occupancy restrictions — check.
A business is good to go, right? Not quite.
Another change brought on by this pandemic is the need to provide safe, healthy spaces for employees. Although OSHA already issued standards providing recommended protocols for daily operations, internal EH&S departments will come up with more strict protocols to add, especially as guidelines evolve.
Manufacturing facilities especially will need to be resilient to change and be open to adopting new ways of working in ways that reimagine the human element of their business operations. Considerations will need to include natural light; constant, fresh air fl ow and circulation; safe distancing for workers; break areas with access to exterior spaces and natural air — the list could go on. These are all current requirements to consider, change and implement in order to retain and attract talent, minimize spread of COVID-19 and be in compliance with safety guidelines.
Spaces of the future – it’s here now.
Best practices for design, management and operational sustainability are being rewritten. The nice to haves are the non-negotiable, and in most cases the ability of a company to adapt their current space to accommodate these requirements are the testament to true flexibility and innovation. Designers must also consider the unknowns of continuing in a world where health and safety take on new meaning. Robotics adjusts and merges with the changing flows, and humans will have to follow suit.
For the human part of the spaces, the design industry has been talking about sustainability for decades. However, the shift has been to the human element of buildings with the introduction of the WELL accreditation and the Fitwel certification systems. These systems are no longer the only focus. Human well-being is becoming the goal for these accreditations and a badge of honor for a company. The ability to tell and show employees that their rights to have access to natural light, movement, natural elements, textures and components within the spaces are more important than the carbon footprint of the HVAC systems within the building will be key.
Add automation and the possibilities of control, regulation and monitoring are endless. Building automation systems are nothing new. Most buildings have a version of them to control the systems, temperature, maintenance of units and to make the day-to-day operation of a building easier for the FM team. However, when IA is added — where a computer can predict, can regulate and control all systems within a building in a preventive way, where IA can understand the needs and wishes of the humans occupying the space and adjust as needed – then imagine what these spaces can look like and how adaptable FM leaders can make them.
Key considerations
In the ongoing dialogue about facilities of the future, the future of automation and other technological advances that will transform daily life, a common theme remains: flexibility is king. This will continue to be paramount for facilities of the future — a future that cannot be predicted, but one for which people can be prepared.
This pandemic has proven that the faster the response and implementation of reactive measures, the faster businesses can adapt and move forward. It also has given the industry more tools and protocols that can be placed in a best practices manual. All the while, what has been rapidly executed will still need to be built upon, revisited or analyzed to learn what worked and explore new avenues of flexibility.
But what this past year has really taught the world is that technology, hand-in-hand with human resilience and ingenuity, will continue to evolve and aid in the continuous search for safety, innovation and productivity.
With that in mind, designers, FMs, facilitators of design and planners of facilities of the future will have to keep the following in mind:
- Optimization of a space dictates how facilities can evolve and accommodate different protocols, processes and tasks. Now more than ever, facilities must be able to flux, grow, adjust and prepare to receive automation and other technological advances at different levels.
- FMs must find the right solution for the client. The right type of automation. The correct type of space allowances. The perfect balance of a comfortable and health-driven environment where humans and robots can continue to interact and thrive. With collaboration looking very different in the years to come, the approach to designing facilities must have these considerations in mind, including how interactions between technological ecosystems and human spaces will intersect — from how it looks, how it could change workers’ perspectives on the place of work and more.
- Think outside the box. Technology, automation and robotics all offer a great big pool of tools for the toolbox. All parties involved now have many options to choose from and it is only getting more diverse.
As the pandemic continues to push the boundaries and comfort zones of nearly every single industry, tremendous progress in automation will only get more fast tracked, reinforcing the need for FMs to be agile and empowered to pivot in an ever-changing landscape. Thankfully, the tools to help ensure new ways of working and integrations occur seamlessly to meet this growing industry demand are available.
Carolina Weidler is an architect, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and LEED AP professional with nearly two decades of domestic and international experience creating process-driven environments for high-tech corporations. As principal of the science and technology practice group at H. Hendy Associates, her talent lies in designing efficient, dynamic and holistic environments for process-based industries. She delivers an unmet need for businesses looking to maximize output and profitability and has helped clients reimagine spaces — from pharmaceutical and food processing facilities to aircraft assembly lines — ranging from 2,000 to 470,000 square feet.