Solutions partnership is the way to effective facility management

Mr. Travník, before we get to the main topic of our conversation, I have a "warm-up" question. I noticed that OKIN Facility has a new logo. What prompted you to make this change?

Yes, that's right. And it's certainly not just a new logo. The entire visual identity of our company has undergone a fairly major transformation that will be reflected in all parts of not only our marketing and business communication, but also, for example, in our recruitment advertisements and in communication towards our existing employees. There were several reasons why we went ahead with the rebranding. We had been using our previous logo and associated visual identity for many years and quite logically it was time for a change. At the same time, we had reached a point where we became aware of the need to express in some way how the OKIN Facility brand had changed over the years. And by "brand" I mean the way we think, the way we approach our clients, our employees, and the services we provide. The whole thing is closely related to the theme of the Solutions Partnership. The last major reason was that our umbrella company OKIN Group, of which we are a part, was also undergoing a change in its visual identity, and it was therefore desirable that we should be consistent in this respect as well. The rebranding project was led by the renowned agency UnitedUs, which specialises in corporate identity and corporate branding. It wasn't easy, but we are very happy with the result, and we literally fell in love with our new, modern, and dynamic design.

Regarding the brand expression you are talking about - how does OKIN Facility and the people who create it "think" today?

First, much more comprehensively than before. You know, in our early days, the world of facility management was relatively simple. Production plant management, office building landlords or logistics centre operators gradually realised that it was not very economical to engage themselves in other activities than those that made up their "core business". Therefore, they gradually started to outsource more and more secondary activities and processes to FM companies, which built up their service portfolio on this basis. Typically, these were cleaning services, technical maintenance, inspections etc. It all worked well for many years and there was no need to change this model in any major way. Of course, it does not mean, that facility management has stagnated. Like others, we have continuously innovated our services, developing new, more efficient procedures and technologies, which we gradually implemented in our services. We have our own Service Desk, Help Desk, or DRIVE! system for efficient maintenance management. However, as our clients' business and the world around us evolved dynamically, the limits of the "I am a service provider" model began to emerge.

What do you mean? You're also providing a service.

Of course, we do. After all, quality of service is and will always be one of the essential parameters. The point is that the best service or technology cannot work well without perfectly reflecting all the changes that companies and society are going through. I will explain this with the example of ESG, perhaps the most common acronym you can hear in our industry now. I am convinced that major companies have been concerned for many years about how environmentally friendly their production is, how economical their plants, warehouses or buildings are. Several factors are driving them to do this, such as public pressure, legislative changes and finally, the logical desire to operate as economically as possible. However, it is only ESG that brings all these factors together into a single entity, which we collectively refer to as considerate and sustainable business and investment. It is a big deal and without compliance with it, it will soon be difficult, if not impossible, for service providers to compete in tenders for the contracts of many major clients. Facilities not excluded. And that brings us back to the difference between simple service provision and Solutions Partnership. Let me help myself with a seemingly unrelated analogy. Are you familiar with rally racing?

You mean a car rally? Of course.

Then you must also know that in every car there is a co-driver who helps the driver to know the track. Just before the track profile changes, he'll announce the change. Probably you heard expressions like "Forty, left five minus over crest opens over 40... etc". It's a bit of an exaggeration to say that the facility service provider is just such a co-driver for its client. A very useful one, no doubt, because it allows the client to devote themselves fully to management and to anticipate situations in the short term. But what is good for the rally is not necessarily good for business. By contrast, Solutions partnership offers much more. Practically speaking, it can help the client either to actively eliminate obstacles "on the track" or at least to enable them to prepare for the unavoidable ones much more in advance. A comprehensive tailor-made solution within a clear understanding of the needs is a great benefit for the client and a commitment for us to address things comprehensively with all attributes and leaving nothing out. Then the client can focus on developing their people and their business, because the FM partner takes care of everything else.

Interesting parallel. And how can it be reached with Solutions Partnership?

First, by connecting as much as possible with the client´s environment. This allows for a maximum level of understanding of all the technologies, equipment, processes, but also employees and suppliers. This makes it possible to then come up with the facility management solutions that the client really needs, which will bring them increased production efficiency, improved production or working environments, energy savings and predictive forms of maintenance. We could never achieve this state by remaining the mere service provider. Moreover, for ESG, it is literally a necessity.

Let me return to the OKIN Group for a moment. In addition to OKIN Facility, it currently also represents companies involved in process outsourcing, development of applications for field and warehouse workers, and even software using artificial intelligence to detect and prevent infections in hospital environments. That's a broad portfolio of companies that we work with whenever it makes sense for our client services. We have the closest cooperation with our sister company IOTOR, which has developed its own Internet of Things (IoT)-based environment called SARAhub. It allows us to monitor the state of the environment and devices in one place and then automatically trigger responses to situations as they arise. It is a solution suitable for virtually any manufacturing facility, office building or warehouse. And it is the collaboration on the Solutions Partnership platform, which involves a high level of understanding of the client's environment, that enables us to integrate these technologies, and of course more, efficiently, and organically into the services provided, tailored to the client's exact requirements. Whether these are current requirements or those anticipated in the medium term. Naturally, in all the countries in which we operate. And it doesn't just have to be about technology. In Bulgaria, for example, we have successfully launched a catering service for a major client in the pharmaceutical industry. Again, this was the result of a collaborative partnership that allowed us to bring the client a completely new type of service that they needed at the time.

In which countries are you currently active?

In the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine. In Poland and Romania, we have newly filled the positions of regional directors this year, while the other countries have been stable for a long time with unchanged management. The exception is, of course, Ukraine, where the situation is still quite difficult. But our Ukrainian team is working well together and, even in difficult conditions, ensuring the delivery of services as much as possible. The other subsidiaries support the Ukrainian office and their employees, for which they deserve great thanks.

Are you considering expansion?

Naturally, we don't want to stay still, and we are constantly considering the possibilities of expansion. There are currently several other countries in play where we would like to offer our services. For now, everything is in the state of consideration. Anyway, I would like to mention in this context our cooperation with ECS (European Customer Synergy), which is a joint venture bringing together major European companies providing facility management services. Our owner is also a board member. Thanks to this association, we secure orders from our partners in the countries in which we operate. Typically, these are major network clients and large multinational corporations.

In conclusion, you are looking positively to the future.

Definitely. Not everything will be easy, and it is even very likely that many things will be as difficult as they have never been before. But we have a team of great and hard-working people, we are constantly improving our services, we are developing and cleverly implementing new technologies, and we are collaborating with our sister companies. Most importantly, we also have very good relationships with our clients. All this motivates and strengthens us.

(Originally published in Czech language in Facility Manager magazine)