The First Facility Management Blog

Staples Advantage, the business-to-business (B2B) division of Staples, Inc., has announced the launch of its new Web site (www.StaplesAdvantage.com) to address customers’ growing demands for supplier consolidation and reduced procurement costs.

Now, current and prospective customers—from small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to Fortune 1000 corporations—can view the full scale of Staples Advantage’s products and services, including five newly integrated B2B service offerings. These new services are: Staples Print Solutions; Staples Facility Solutions; Staples Promotional Products; Staples Technology Solutions; and Business Interiors by Staples.

• Staples Print Solutions is a comprehensive document and print management offering, including digital copy and print, custom printing, flexible packaging, and comprehensive label production capabilities.
• Staples Facility Solutions is a national cleaning and maintenance program, offering a wide assortment of janitorial and cleaning supplies and exclusive environmentally preferable cleaners.
• Staples Promotional Products is a full-service corporate branding solution, featuring more than 700,000 customizable items and an in-house design and creative marketing staff.
• Staples Technology Solutions is a complete array of IT services from data center solutions and printer fleet management services to network services and everyday desktop technology products.
• Business Interiors by Staples is a full-scale furniture and interior design service, offering an extensive selection of contract grade business furnishings from one national source and comprehensive project management from design to installation.

Over 65% of Fortune 100 companies are Staples Advantage customers, as well as academic institutions, healthcare and pharmaceutical companies, and state and federal government agencies.

Secure Path Networks (SPN), a telecommunications consulting company based in Pelham, NY, offers a Contractual Audit Service to assist companies, educational institutions, and government entities in identifying overbilling related to voice and data services. According to Tom Gesky, SPN’s founder and chief executive officer, the service was introduced [in July 2009] in response to demand among Fortune 500s and institutions to reduce overspending related to telecommunications.

“In today’s recessionary environment, companies are focusing on potential areas for significant overbilling, and telecommunications has emerged at the forefront,” said Gesky. “SPN’s Contractual Audit Service is designed to help clients not only recover what they are entitled to, but educate them about future red flags and common areas for mistakes.”

SPN’s analysis involves evaluating previously billed costs and comparing them to the original service contract with the existing carrier or carriers. The process requires the client to only provide SPN with one or two months of previous bills. Once the in-depth audit is completed, clients are presented with an overview and recommendations for recovering payments.

The compensation to SPN for the service is a percentage of the savings based totally on results from the evaluation—significantly reducing risk to clients. “In almost 100 percent of audits, the client derives some level of savings ranging from 20 to 60 percent,” added Gesky.

The contractual audit service is an extension of SPN’s primary business service—to identify new carrier options that can enhance a client’s voice and data services while reducing costs. Established in 2001, the company primarily serves as a liaison between carriers and businesses to evaluate, analyze, identify, negotiate, and implement the best telecommunications solution available.

(Image courtesy of IBM)

IBM and Johnson Controls have formed a new relationship to provide a Smart Building Solution that can improve operations and reduce energy and water consumption in buildings worldwide.

Building on an existing relationship formed in 2007 to create energy efficient data centers, this new offering can benefit any building or portfolio of buildings. Johnson Controls will combine its experience in energy efficiency and sustainable services and technologies with IBM’s experience in software, hardware, and services. The result will help facility management professionals address the growing pressure to improve energy and asset management performance across their enterprises.

Key elements of the offering are designed to address critical building performance areas including systems integration, energy management, enterprise reporting, space utilization, and asset management.

• Systems Integration: The integration of building systems, business systems, and smart grid technologies using Johnson Controls’ EnNet and IBM software offers increased information on the performance of buildings to reduce operating costs and keep occupants safe, comfortable, and productive.
• Energy Management: Energy management offerings that use energy waste detection, reporting, and intelligent control capabilities have proven potential to drive between 10% and 20% energy savings across an enterprise. The Johnson Controls Metasys Sustainability Manager, combined with IBM business analytics software, provides actionable information to help reduce energy consumption and waste.
• Enterprise Reporting: The Johnson Controls’ Energy and Emissions Management System, with IBM enterprise reporting capability, provides organizations with the capability to calculate greenhouse gas levels by measuring, managing, and forecasting activities related to energy cost, consumption, energy efficiency projects, fleet emissions, and waste.
• Space Optimization: Johnson Controls’ Visible Living Lab tools and services, combined with IBM building space management solutions and advanced analytics, provide visibility across a building or building complex, driving between 10% and 20% improvement in space utilization. Underused space can be identified and more efficient options defined, including footprint consolidation, divestiture, and relocation.

The Johnson Controls Metasys Building Management System integrated with the IBM Maximo asset management solution provides tools and services that deliver between 10% and 20% savings across enterprises by enabling visibility across a building portfolio, boosting the efficiency of facility operations, and improving occupant safety and comfort, use, and lifecycle management.

Core solution components include IBM Tivoli Monitoring for Energy Management, IBM Business Services Manager, and IBM Maximo Asset Management, IBM Maximo Asset Management for Energy Optimization; and Johnson Controls’ Metasys Building Management Solution, Metasys Sustainability Manager, Energy and Emissions Management System, EnNEt middleware, Visual Living Lab and Technology Contracting services.

GE Lighting has established an ESCO Energy Services Program to continue its work providing customers with a full-service approach to energy savings. Through alliances with selected energy services companies (ESCOs), this GE program aims to help customers explore energy strategies that take into account such factors as cost-of-light payback, return on investment (ROI), rebates, financing, and government incentives that can reduce investment costs.

“The ESCOs involved meet high customer service, integrity, and credibility standards,” says Lou Mane, ESCO sales development manager with GE Lighting, a unit of GE - Appliances & Lighting. “By working together, we‘re better able to develop comprehensive strategies for customers’ lighting and electrical controls, motors, drives and overall building management. These alliances enhance our ability to help customers develop all-encompassing plans for energy savings.”

The primary focus of this approach is to analyze, design, and implement solutions that work together to conserve energy for customers over the long term. Throughout the process, including planning and installation, GE’s specification team will work with customers and ESCOs to create customized plans that ensure optimal energy saving results and ease of transition.

Mane says the ESCO relationships enable GE to go beyond the circuit breaker, switch, and lamp. “We want to help customers meet and exceed their energy goals, specifically in commercial, property management, government, institutional, retail, healthcare, and industrial settings where energy savings can provide a strategic advantage.”

Facility managers can learn more by writing to: ESCOsolutions@ge.com

Armstrong Ceilings offers Green Genie™, an interactive, product evaluation web tool that allows users to find sustainable ceiling options and LEED® credit information quickly and easily. Facility managers specifying ceiling, suspension, and wall system products can access this tool to evaluate their choices.

The online tool offers 24/7 access of LEED credit information at the design or submittal process, and it provides users with the ability to research, calculate, and document which Armstrong ceiling product best meets the environmental criteria of their project.

All Armstrong ceiling, suspension, and wall system products are included in the rating system. The design aid also completes the submittal process by producing a LEED documentation letter for inclusion in the specification.

Georgia-Pacific Gypsum recently announced it has doubled the weather exposure limited warranty for its line of DensArmor Plus®  interior panels from six months to 12 months. All of the following Georgia-Pacific Gypsum fiberglass mat interior panels now offer a 12-month weather exposure limited warranty:

• DensArmor Plus® High-Performance Interior Panels
• DensArmor Plus® Abuse-Resistant Interior Panels
• DensArmor Plus® Impact-Resistant Interior Panels

These interior products join Georgia-Pacific Gypsum’s exterior products (its flagship DensGlass® Sheathing and DensGlass® Shaftliner) in offering a 12-month weather exposure limited warranty for the U.S. and Canadian markets.

According to Mike Clay, vice president, sales and marketing for Georgia-Pacific Gypsum, the move to lengthen the weather exposure limited warranty for the DensArmor Plus Interior Panels line was based on the ongoing stellar performance of the products, which were first introduced in 2002. “Our panels are moisture- and mold-resistant, due to fiberglass mats instead of paper facings. Their use can potentially accelerate building schedules since they can be installed earlier in the construction cycle, even before the roof is sealed,” said Clay. “”With the inevitability of delayed construction due to weather, this extended warranty gives confidence to construction professionals that our products will perform as expected.”

Mike Betz of Island Acoustics, which provides acoustical ceilings, drywall and carpentry services in the New York City area, can attest to the quality, reliability and durability of DensArmor Plus High-Performance Interior Panels. “Based on an aggressive construction schedule, we used DensArmor Plus High-Performance Interior Panels for my current project so we could begin drywall installation sooner than expected,” Betz explained. “The panels performed above and beyond what we expected and thanks to Georgia-Pacific, the project is currently on-track to finish ahead of schedule.”

VFA, Inc., a provider of end-to-end solutions for facilities capital planning and spend management, has announced a new Seismic Assessment solution to provide organizations with a cost-effective, flexible approach to mitigate seismic risks.

VFA’s Seismic Assessment Service helps organizations identify seismic-related components within their facilities using an industry-accepted methodology based on guidelines published by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA), the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), and the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP). With this critical data captured in VFA.facility®—VFA’s capital planning and management software—organizations are then empowered to make the best strategic decisions to improve the overall seismic performance of their buildings.

VFA’s Seismic Assessment solution collects and analyzes seismic risk-related data on both the structural and non-structural components of a building. When facility professionals capture seismic-related risk data, there is a tendency to focus on the structural aspects of a building—those that resist gravity, earthquake, wind, and other types of loads. While this is important, non-structural components (such as light fixtures and vending machines) are often associated with the greatest level of damage and need to be incorporated with the same level of priority. Risks of seismic damage include life safety, property loss, and the possibility that a facility may not continue operations.

VFA’s Seismic Assessment Service has been deployed at customers such as a large state agency and healthcare system.

Many organizations, including schools, universities, and municipalities, have made a commitment to become carbon neutral or energy efficient. However, many do not have the expertise or resources needed to report current energy use—the cornerstone to a successful energy efficiency project.

Organizations can receive quarterly, year-to-date, and annual reports on energy use with HEAR.

The Honeywell Energy Analysis Report (HEAR) service gives organizations the information to make educated, strategic decisions about reducing their environmental impact and creates an accurate baseline for measuring the success of sustainability programs. HEAR provides detailed tracking, reporting, and analysis of energy consumption. It identifies how, when, and where energy is used through a combination of data analysis and on-site observations that cover all the organization’s buildings and equipment.

Honeywell synthesizes this information in the report, helping reveal trends and anomalies that might otherwise go undetected and drain operating budgets. Specifically, quarterly, year-to-date, and annual reports include:

• Consumption anomalies/demand spikes and offer savings strategies
• Equipment control failures so that corrective action can be taken through spot or contract services
• Utility billing errors that are discovered
• Recommendations regarding retrofits including: high efficiency lighting, energy-efficient motors, variable frequency drives, HVAC systems, automation and control systems and power factor correction

For example, HEAR helped Moriarty-Edgewood, a 4,300 student school district located in New Mexico, uncover “sticky” meters, which were charging the district for unused kilowatt-hours. As a result of the findings, Honeywell helped the district secure $5,700 in rebates from local utilities to make up for the errors.

The report also revealed potential savings in other areas, such as climate control, lighting systems, and building automation. When the report revealed systems operating at full capacity even when buildings were not in use, district personnel took note and maintained better watch over equipment schedules, ensuring they’re set in accordance with school holidays and other special events to minimize unnecessary use. During a one-year trial at the Moriarty-Edgewood district, the HEAR service, combined with related infrastructure upgrades and an energy awareness program, delivered $134,707 in cost avoidance on a $39,350 investment.

CPFilms® Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Solutia Inc. and producer of LLumar® and Vista® commercial window films, offers an online energy savings estimator—the One Minute Challenge.

Based on the U.S. Department of Energy’s DOE-2 energy simulation program, the One Minute Challenge online program uses easy-to-use drop-down menus to select location, building type, and window type. The tool then provides estimated cost savings and carbon emissions reduction from using energy saving window film. The program, found at www.oneminutechallenge.com, also enables customers to request a more in-depth, customized energy audit for their facility, conducted by CPFilms and its nationwide network of authorized dealers.

“CPFilms is committed to providing tools that enable customers to better understand the energy cost savings and comfort benefits window films provide,” said Steve DeBusk, global energy solutions manager for CPFilms. “By working with the experienced team at CPFilms, customers will find customized solutions to help reduce energy costs and maximize their return on investment, while likely earning points toward green building certification such as LEED.”

As a result of a professional energy audit, facilities with CPFilms window films have been shown to realize annual energy savings of up to 15%, improve HVAC efficiency, and reduce carbon emissions—with an average payback of less than three years.

Facility managers can calculate their facility water usage and potential savings with the new Save H2O water savings calculator from Sloan Valve Company, a free business application for the iPhone platform.

The new Save H20 iApp from Sloan Valve

The new iApp for the iPhone allows facility managers and other industry professionals to estimate from anywhere current water usage and determine savings that could be gained by switching to more water efficient plumbing products. The Save H20 iApp is suitable for new construction or existing facilities in commercial, hospitality, and residential markets.

To calculate water usage and savings, the Sloan iApp asks users to input information, such as the type and quantity of toilets and urinals currently in the facility, the number of people who use the restrooms, and local water rates. The iApp displays photos and specifications for a variety of Sloan water efficient plumbing products. Save H20 immediately reveals its calculations and allows users to alter variables for different results.

KeyLimeTie, an interactive software provider specializing in multi-platform enterprise architecture and development solutions, developed the Save H20 iApp for Sloan. A more basic version of the water savings calculator is also accessible on the Sloan Web site here.