Champions of the FM Industry: interview with Mr Tony Khoo

By BCA

Following widescale transformation in the real estate sector, the Facilities Management (FM) industry is also advancing and evolving to raise its standards and capabilities. The emergence of disruptive technologies, such as data analytics, predictive maintenance and smart solutions, is presenting both new challenges as well as new opportunities for the industry. To gain further insight into how the industry is grappling with the change, BuildSG Magazine speaks to one of the industry’s champions, Mr Tony Khoo, CEO, EM Services Pte Ltd for his veteran viewpoint.With over 30 years of experience in the property industry, Mr Khoo currently manages over 700,000 Housing Development Board residential units as CEO of EM Services Pte Ltd. He is the President of the Singapore International Facility Management Association (SIFMA) and active in promoting and developing FM as a rewarding, fulfilling and recognised profession in the real estate world. Mr Khoo is also the co-chair of the FM Implementation Committee to drive transformation in the industry under the Real Estate Industry Transformation Map (ITM).

What first drew you to join the FM industry?

Like many FM professionals in the industry, FM was an accidental career path for me. I graduated with a degree in civil engineering and an MBA, started my career as a civil engineer and subsequently joined a property developer. I was then asked to help them grow their FM business because their property portfolio kept growing. That was how it all began.

What are some changes you have seen in the industry over the past decades?

Years ago, FM used to be a very reactive industry. We would respond only when there were problems. We were good at solving problems, but not so much in anticipating them. With the help of technology, IT-discerning building owners and tenants, we are now gradually becoming more proactive. Technology adoption has helped push the FM industry into transforming with the rest of the real estate sector and today we are looking at Smart FM as a means to an end to enhance total building facility management.

What are some of the key trends being adopted by Singapore’s FM industry?

Smart FM and digitalisation are the mega trends today. Work process automation, building automation, remote monitoring, smart technologies, central command centres and mobility devices are some of the technologies being adopted here. Almost all multi-storey green buildings are designed to accommodate Building Automation Systems (BAS), which enable the automatic and centralised control of a building’s heating, ventilation, air conditioning lighting, fire alarms etc. These metrics and more can be furthered monitored remotely by a central command centre.

What are some of the challenges companies face in adopting these technologies?

Heavy upfront investment, lack of technology understanding and a manual workforce that lacks the technical skills to operate the new technologies are some common challenges.

One challenge from my experience is the adoption of FM software. The first software that I adopted cost me more than S$1 million on just the software development alone. On top of that, we had to hire several software engineers to maintain and continuously improve the system. These software technologies get obsolete in four to six years and then the entire investment cycle starts all over again. However, if you do not need a customised platform, there are many Smart FM platform providers offering competitive prices. It is also important for building owners and service providers to specify upfront in contracts with their solution vendors on solution support to prevent the software from becoming obsolete.

The FM industry as a whole will need to evolve to catch up with the advancement of building systems driven by information and communication technologies, and consequently upgrade the skillsets of its pool of FM talent.

What are some common misconceptions about adopting Smart FM?

Some in the industry feel that Smart FM is only for the big players as smaller players do not have the resources to invest in the technologies. Other misconceptions are that the technologies will make people do more work, or double work, and that they are expensive.

To overcome these, senior management must first learn from other industries how similar technologies have helped their industries, and we can then simulate such best practices into our own companies. To minimise costs, companies can pool together resources to pilot some of the new technologies. This can be done with the help of government agencies such as Building and Construction Authority (BCA), Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and etc. Trade associations can also play a facilitating role here.

Why is the FM industry more exciting than ever before?

The advent of technologies has made FM a very exciting industry as it opens up new possibilities for people, especially the younger generation. I look at it like a second new frontier for the innovative people to create value for the FM industry.

As the entire industry is undergoing digital transformation, there is huge potential for career advancement as well as entrepreneurial opportunities as new services and new business models will be created amidst the disruptions. Anyone embarking on a career now in FM will benefit from a rich working experience with job opportunities all over the world as cities are growing while buildings are getting taller and more sophisticated.