Automation, sensors and robots: the new normal in workspace management

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions of people to leave their workplaces. Office buildings, hotels, restaurants, shopping centers and even schools have been forced to close down, leaving them completely deserted. Remote working has taken center stage during this crisis. In fact, the pandemic made the implementation of remote working happen 25 times faster. However, two years on, we're already beginning to see how we're going to return to "normality", and several experts assume that a total return to ordinary workplaces will never happen again.

In this sense, we must ask ourselves: What will the "new" day-to-day life of the sector's technicians be like?

The day can start at the office or anywhere else in the world, because we now have the ability to see what is happening in each building and check that all the equipment is working properly. If any piece of equipment, integrated into the Physical Asset Management technology, has an anomaly, for example the air conditioning overheating, an alarm will automatically be generated for the technician assigned to solve the problem. On the other hand, if the technician has any doubts about repairing the equipment, he can use Augmented Reality to help him remotely! This will undoubtedly be the reality of the near future.

Most Integrated Building Management will become remote in the coming decades, but technicians will still need to be on site to carry out certain specific tasks, such as installing equipment.

To this end, we have identified three lines of action that will guide the future of the sector:

1. Machine automation

With the digital transformation we've undergone in recent years, no sector can be assumed to be immune to automation. From room service to assembly lines, manual tasks will disappear. And since machines never get tired, technicians will have to adapt to infrastructures that can run 24/7 at full capacity. Companies expect this management to help them get the most out of their investments. The good news is that, by then, predictive maintenance will be a given. Engineers will monitor equipment remotely to predict failures and prevent service disruptions. Some machines will monitor themselves and shut down or self-diagnose when a problem occurs, triggering an alert signal.

2. Automatic data collection

The equipment will be monitored by various sensors, instead of forcing technicians to enter all the data manually. In turn, automatic data collection will increase the accuracy of the software, which will become an indispensable tool for solving problems and making decisions. In the short term, the big challenge is to centralize operations on integrated platforms.

3. Remote reviews

It won't be long before remote-controlled robots take over the technical assistance of today's organizations. Engineers will use them to monitor day-to-day operations and carry out virtual inspections. The same technology can be used so that more experienced technicians or even manufacturers can take part in delicate interventions and give step-by-step instructions. For those who manage several buildings, it will be possible to be in several places at once, without having to leave your desk. What's more, as we're experiencing a serious crisis in terms of specialized human resources, it's a solution that will make it possible to better manage the time of these professionals.

In this sense, we can understand that engineers are currently making a great effort to adapt to the evolution of the workplace and the increasingly demanding needs of employees. Those who embrace flexibility and develop solid processes will be the ones shaping the next workplace renewal.

Source: Exame

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