World FM Day celebrates ISO Standards

This year's event celebrates development of "game-changing" ISO 41000 series.

This year’s World FM Day (Wednesday, 15 May) is celebrating the development of the ISO 41000 series, described as a “game-changer” for the US$1.15 trillion global industry.

The purpose of World FM Day, initiated by Global FM, is to recognise the work facilities management professionals and the facilities management industry contribute to business worldwide.

It aims to raise the profile of the FM profession, not just in member regions, but anywhere FMs influence the health, safety, productivity and well-being of people who utilise the built environment.

The theme of this year’s event is, ‘Celebrating Global ISO FM Standards’.

The ISO 41000 series of standards is a suite of standards developed specifically for facilities management.

The development of the ISO 41000 series (which includes 41001, 41011, 41012 and 41013) began almost seven years ago, and engaged the interest of 45 countries.

The standards, published in 2017, include; ISO 41011 Facility Management – Vocabulary; ISO 41012 Facility Management – Guidance on Strategic Sourcing and the Development of Agreements; and ISO 41013 – Scope, Key Concepts and Benefits. 

The fourth, and most recent standard, ISO 41001 Management System Standard was published in April 2018. ISO 41001 is a management system standard, to help promote the international standing of FM as a professional discipline.

The driving force behind ISO 41001 was the need for a standardised approach against which FM organisations can be assessed and measured.

Duncan Waddell, chairman of Global FM, said developing ISO Standards is a massive game-changer for the wider industry.

“These standards represent a significant step forward in the standardisation of FM management professional practices internationally,” Waddell said.

“Facilities management is a US$1.15 trillion global industry, with 65,000 professional and industry participants worldwide,” said Waddell.

“World FM Day celebrates the significant contribution that FM makes to the global economy.”

The future of FM 

According to the Total Facilities Industry Report 2019 released last month, the facilities management industry is set for a major transformation over the next five years.

According to the report, which surveyed FM professionals in Australia, Asia-Pacific is set to become the world’s largest FM market – fuelled by a range of strategic, human and technology factors.

Whether the respondent was a FM professional (“buyer”) or a provider of FM products and services (“supplier”), there was general consensus on the trends likely to have the biggest impact on the industry in the next three years.

At the top of the list was upgrading to smart technology in facilities. This was followed by minimising running costs, wellness and work space design, and using data to monitor and run facilities.

More than half of respondents identified smart technology as a key trend in the industry, with 79 per cent agreeing smart technology will play a crucial role in FM over the next five years.

Respondents identified smart building technology (60 per cent), Internet of Things (IoT) (42 per cent), mobile devices (37 per cent), and environmental monitoring products (36 per cent) when questioned about the technology that’s likely to impact the FM industry over the next three to five years.

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