In the latest episode of the Shaping What’s Next podcast, we interviewed Jun Sochi, Managing Director of C&W Services Singapore and Head of Project Development Services (PDS) for Asia Pacific. In this sixth episode, Jun shared his insights on the key trends shaping the Facilities Management (FM) industry as well as trends in design and build projects, technology integration in FM service delivery, the value of outsourcing FM services, and more.
Read some of the highlights from our interview below:
Big data, analytics and sensors are currently the key factors driving transformation in FM
“In Singapore, it’s actually a great place to be doing FM because the government has really created this ecosystem both with service providers and government agencies as well as startups. They are really pushing the agenda of incorporating technology into the delivery of FM services. I think our industry in general has been a slow adaptor of technology, but we’ve seen that really take off over the last two to three years.
I think the stage we’re at now is applying sensor technology, digital tracking of performance and equipment, identifying faults, performing maintenance, schedules, and so on. Sensors are practically everything and getting that data and displaying that data visually for our clients to make FM decisions but also for our maintenance staff.”
Providing innovative FM solutions to clients enables them to focus more on their business objectives
“Typically clients are reaching out saying, ‘look, we’ve done this in-house’ or ‘we’ve done it this way.’ As technology gets more and more incorporated into FM however, it’s companies like ours that will be continuing to invest in innovation ourselves and with partners. Clients on the other hand are going to be focusing on what their core mission is, whether they’re a government agency or a multinational corporation. The pressure becomes on us then in terms of ‘okay, what are the innovations that we can provide?’ If we can provide that innovation, then outsourcing becomes a no brainer.”
The changing relationship between landlords and occupiers allows Cushman & Wakefield’s PDS team to serve both and moderate expectations
“I think our PDS business is unique in that we provide services both to occupiers and landlords/investors. Occupiers are concerned about workplace and so on, while investors are looking to reposition assets or before they invest. So we really do some due diligence on what potential capital improvements we need to make, what are the costs of that, and what’s the timeline to execute those things. I think PDS is kind of in a unique position to be able to provide value for both those clients.”
Tenant attraction and retention as well as employee attraction and retention are two fit-out trends that Jun is seeing across Asia Pacific
“On the investors’ side, I think for them if you look at experience, they’re looking at tenant experience. Of course, they’re competing against other buildings and assets for tenants, so I think they’re focused on how they can retain and attract tenants. On the occupiers’ side, clearly it’s about how the workplace better supports the way they work. There are two factors that occupiers have big focuses on – employee retention and attracting new talents.”
Cushman & Wakefield’s PDS and FM service teams will continue to pursue global opportunities and innovative solutions to better service clients
“On the business side, [we want to continue] the great momentum we have in the PDS side of the business. I think Tom Gibson [Managing Director of PDS Asia Pacific] and the team have done a great job in providing really good support, especially as we pursue more and more global occupiers. And we now share work in that area, bolstering the sophistication of how we deliver that work. So I’m pretty excited about that part of the business and the opportunity to cross all geographies.
And on the FM side, I think it’s an exciting time. It’s also a challenging time because I think it’s out of pivot point to certainly more innovation. The pace of innovation is very high so it’s being smart about incorporating that. I think over the next two years, we will see a lot of changes in the FM industry. I’m not just talking about our FM business but just across the industry, which I think is exciting. And it’s really going to be up to us to – how do we keep up, how do we become a thought leader, how do we become that what’s next in the industry. So those are the kinds of things that go through my mind when I think about that part of the business.”
To listen to the full podcast, visit our Shaping What’s Next page onSpotify, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, Stitcher, or TuneIn. Subscribe to our podcast series to ensure you never miss an episode.
