When it comes to Facilities Management (FM), having easily accessible and accurate information goes beyond just floorplans on paper or PDF instruction manuals. There is a growing need for facility teams to maintain detailed and up-to-date digital documentation in order to keep their facilities well maintained with as little downtime as possible.
How does Laser Scanning factor into this and how can it provide benefit to Facilities Management? Let’s dive in to this some more:
1. Lack of historical digital facility data
It is incredibly common that facilities, particularly those that have been operational for more than 15-20 years, will have little to no up-to-date digital data. Often, this can hinder current activities as well as future planning, and leaves FM teams running in circles when managing these assets. Laser Scanning provides an accurate as-built dataset baseline that acts as a single source of truth and a foundation for solid FM processes. This data can also be converted into 2D plans or Building Information Models (BIM) to aid even further.
2. Accurate spatial information
All FM teams are driven by the understanding of “spaces”. How is the space allocated? Who accesses the space? What equipment is within the space? Government funding is often distributed based on this. With 3D laser scanning it gives FM teams true spatial information, including accurate dimensions, visual imagery on what the space looks like, and what equipment is situated within.
3. Improved locational awareness
It can be daunting to manage large numbers of facilities and/or onboard new team members. Scanning deliverables can include an online facility walk-through tool that allows FM specialists or external subcontractors to virtually visit the site. Using scan data and visuals to provide a clearer understanding of the building’s layout, the most efficient travel routes, and what the space or equipment looks like.
4. Workflow Management Systems (WMS)
Most, if not all facilities will have some sort of WMS to manage the allocation of typical facilities tasks, responsibilities, and to track when actions are executed and when future actions are required. Modern WMS utilize floor plans, while some prefer BIM to better classify and allocate tasks and actions. The Scan to Plan/BIM process delivers accurate and up-to-date CAD drawings of BIM Models to ensure the WMS is executing and logging timely and precise instructions.
5. Future capital projects
At some point, most facilities will require refurbishment or renovation. Having reliable as-built information to pass onto contractors speeds up the start and ultimately completion of works. When everyone is working from the same up to date, real-world data from a single source of truth, it reduces time, costs, and hassles that come with managing active construction projects within your facility.
Don’t just take our word for it, hear from Joe Cosh, Director of Facilities Improvements at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), as he shares how Multivista Vancouver’s documentation specialists used 3D Laser Scanning to document over 3 million square feet across 6 University Campuses and 56 buildings. Now, with the point-cloud data captured by Multivista, the BCIT team have an accurate and complete picture of each campus as they carry out facilities maintenance and plan for future renovation and expansion. Watch the video here.
In the end, don’t let missing maintenance records or out of date floorplans drive your facility updates. Get complete transparency with 3D Laser Scanning.
Want to see how Multivista’s 3D Laser Scanning solution can help streamline your facilities management? Request a demo HERE.