Regarding CAFM (that is, computer-aided facility management, this word sounds quite confusing, but to put it bluntly, it is to use a computer to help manage buildings, equipment, etc.)! Now, this CAFM system is nothing new. Many companies and property management offices in buildings are slowly starting to use this to improve work efficiency and reduce messy troubles! After all, it is too difficult to manually record when those equipment should be repaired and who to rent each room to? It is also easy to make mistakes! What is the Chinese name of CAFM? Everyone affectionately calls it computer-assisted facility management or sometimes simply said facility management software. Its fundamental purpose is to use the more advanced information technology in our current science and technology to bring all the fragmented data related to facilities into a system for centralized and scientific management! Such as the equipment ledger in a building, which day should be maintained, and how to book a meeting room so that it will not be messed up. These big things can be done by them.
1. A comprehensive list of basic concepts : CAFM is not a single, lonely small software, but a large comprehensive management platform that can integrate multifunctional modules! It can automatically process all the various processes in facility management, such as application for repairs, sending people to repairs, and acceptance after repairs. In this way, managers can do less repetitive and mechanical tasks and think about more important and strategic things when they have time. For example, the asset tracking function, whether it is a desk, chair, computer for office, or elevators, fire equipment in the building, you can set a unique number for them, recording the entire process from buying them to being scrapped and thrown away. It is clear, and you can find it by searching. Isn’t it very convenient to search for anything you want.
2. A comprehensive inventory of super practical functions :
Do a good job of space: You can use this function to draw a floor plan on the computer, mark which department is using each office area~ You can also count the utilization rate of this space, see if some places are wasted, or which group's place is too crowded to adjust!
Maintenance will not be delayed: if the thing is broken, the employee fills out a repair form on the system, and the system will assign the task to the corresponding repairman according to the priorities! You can also set up maintenance plans for those equipment in advance. When the time comes, you will remind you not to wait until it is really broken before you can get it in a hurry!
It is clear how much money you spend: daily expenses related to facility management, such as buying parts and asking someone to repair things… can be recorded in the system and automatically summarized and generated reports to let you know where the money has been spent? Is there any over budget?
3. Why do you have to use CAFM ? Of course it's because there are so many benefits! The most direct thing is to make the efficiency of doing things increase – in the past, you might have to call or wait for someone to record a repair. Now you just click on the system a few times. It’s much faster. Moreover, the data are all in the computer system. When you want to read the report and analyze the situation, you can get it out at any time. There is no need to dig a lot of paper record sheets, and your eyes are dazzled! Also, it can save a lot of money in vain! By reasonably arranging the maintenance and maintenance time, the service life of the equipment can be extended, so you don’t have to buy new ones all the time; in addition, you can avoid the situation where the equipment suddenly breaks down and is in a hurry to use it, and you have to pay a very high emergency repair fee…
However, although there are so many benefits, you can’t just grab one when choosing! You have to think about what functions your company needs most? What is the budget? Will employees use this system? Never just listen to people selling things brag about how good this system is. You have to choose slowly according to your actual situation, otherwise it will be even more troublesome if you spend money to buy it back, or if it is used in a mess! Provide global procurement services for weak current intelligent products!
Q: I just started a small company, and there are not many people and the place is not big. Do I have to use CAFM? Answer: This is OK…it depends on the situation! CAFM systems are generally more suitable for places with more facilities and more complex management. If the company had only a few people and there were not many office supplies, then maybe it would be barely able to deal with it with a single note using an Excel form! However, if you plan to slowly expand the company's scale in the future and understand and get in touch with the concept of CAFM earlier, you can get started faster and avoid being confused when you use it!
Q: What is the difference between this CAFM and that famous BIM? Many people are confused! Answer: BIM is talking about building information models. It is mainly used in the stage of designing and building a building. The focus is on building the three-dimensional model and various data information. And CAFM is mainly managed after the building is built and put into use. However, many smart CAFM systems can also be connected with the BIM model and directly use the built BIM data, which is better and more convenient.
After all, in today's era, CAFM is also a very useful tool and helper in the field of facility management. After using it properly, those seemingly trivial and complicated facilities management work can become more standardized, transparent and more efficient! For those units and companies who want to improve the operation level of facilities and want to save costs, you might as well spend more time learning about the CAFM system and see which one is as suitable as tailor-made for yourself!
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