(AG Real Estate) Facility management - Maintenance system in Department Stores Beograd

The end of bankruptcy and long-lasting ruin of “Robne kuće Beograd“ (Department Stores Beograd) culminated in privatization of the company and entrance of the private capital of VERANO group and Greek “Marfin investment group“. At the same time, the space was created for the second life of this giant and, thus, the great socio-cultural value of “Department Stores Beograd“ in the lives of all of us was saved.

“Department Stores Beograd“ used to be not only the synonym for good shopping, but also for the gathering place where the destinies of different people intertwined, especially in small towns. Immeasurable potential in infrastructure, logistics and functional-technological features, especially in Serbia’s provinces where the cities used to gravitate spatially, functionally and culturally towards the facilities of “Department Stores Beograd“, will become prominent again.

On the other hand, the long-term investments, dictated by the present state of the global economy, even in the market of Serbia, do not leave much space for planning of maintenance and life of real estate during the investment repayment period. Even profit is treated as a short-term effect that must depend on the risk of investment of “external capital“.

“Department Stores Beograd“ comprises 34 facilities all around Serbia, which are networked into a single system. In addition to nine retail facilities and business-distributive centre in Belgrade, the company also has department stores in the cities like Niš, Subotica, Kragujevac, Kraljevo, Pirot, Vranje, Leskovac, Bor, Zaječar, Knjaževac, Jagodina, Paraćin, Požarevac, Smederevska Palanka, Bajina Bašta, Užice, Valjevo, Vršac, Zrenjanin, Kikinda, Bačka Topola, Kula, Sombor. We are speaking about 250,000 square meters of the most exclusive space in the city cores, which is architecturally and functionally developed according to the projects of the most significant architects from the second half of the 20th century.

Use of Modern FM Techniques in Facilities of “Department Stores Beograd“

When you deal with the activity where your productivity and profit directly depend on the will of the third persons - tenants, offer and service dictate the price. That is why direct communication with the user must be the process planned in advance, conditioned by various techniques of communication and HR management, for the sake of resolving different situations, which are presented in different ways by different characters. Those who pay for certain services demonstrate their awareness of economic power and solvency by making various requests, and that can disturb the relations in which the lesser is the one who dictates the terms.

In addition to the space that is rented out, the offer also includes all technical systems, as well as refreshed and redesigned interior. The interest of the tenants to enter this space depends on the condition of aforementioned systems to a great extent, and that is where we come to the question of maintenance and care of the facilities of “Department Stores Beograd“. This is especially important if we know that the department’s stores are conceived as unique space with joint systems along the horizontals and verticals of the facility. Therefore, the work of all belonging systems is most often in close connection with the work of related and supplementary systems, functional organization of space, and the technology of functioning of the facility. That is why all the systems are put in working order: thermo-technical systems – cooling, heating, ventilation, hydro-technical installations, electric installations, vertical and horizontal motion devices, diesel generators, multipurpose electric motors, security systems, measuring-control equipment, etc.

The whole system of maintenance of “Department Stores Beograd“ is based on the principle of networked subsystems. They are formed at sequential level (by certain groups of the system), evolutional level (through establishment of certain procedures for control of all systems in the facility) and cyclic level of the system behaviour, which would be manifested in repeating of the whole procedure, depending on certain periods during the year. For the sake of easier control and monitoring of each of the facility, all issues have been centralized to the maximum – from rental of space to the ways in which technical systems function and their work is monitored and controlled.

Functional Entities within the System of “Department Stores Beograd“

In spatial sense, all facilities of “Department Stores Beograd“ consist of three functional entities: retail space with accompanying storage space and offices, technical section and external space. Retail space is designed as an open space without partition walls and separated subdepartments. Retail space is backed by accompanying storage and office space, which are usually situated next to the elevator core and staircase, as a direct form of communication and the quickest route. Communication is conceived as a continual trajectory, and the buyer is able to tour the whole retail section of the facility by following the single route, while supermarkets on ground and underground floors and open-air restaurants with roof balconies on top floors represent separated entities. Technical premises on the lowest floors, composed of functional systems that drive the facility, represent its core. External space includes green surfaces, access corridors and parking lots as the most precious treasure of urban areas in the city core.

In functional sense, all facilities of “Department Stores Beograd“ are based on sale or similar consumer services, and they are backed by several different maintenance departments that take care of the facility, its systems and staff. There are three types of users: employees in department stores, subcontractors for works on maintenance and care of facility, tenants and buyers as joint external users of our facilities.

When it comes to technical functionality of the system, its centralization is based on the principle of concentric circles – rings, which gravitate towards regional centres that will be controlling several facilities by means of well-known and accessible information technologies and technological innovations.

System’s Geometry

The first circle is made within the facility of department store where, in integration with subcontractors, the maintenance department is created around the coordinator and his deputy. In this case, these are companies Hauzmajstor and Verano Security, which are in constant charge of the maintenance and cleaning works and the security and protection services.

Since the facility is open every working day between 7 AM and 9 PM, the job of the maintenance and cleaning department is to constantly monitor the work of all systems, as well as to carry out both preventive inspections and works on regular and possible emergency maintenance. Special list of contractors is made for all the works that require additional resources, and activation of these contractors depends on the needs for their services. All activities related to physical-technical protection of the facility, people and goods are entrusted to Verano Security. Working orders for all activities within a department store are issued through the coordinator who is on the top of this chain. All working orders issued by the coordinator, the people authorized by tenants or the Technical Service of “Department Stores Beograd“ are administered by means of special software, and the level of their execution and productivity is analytically processed. The second circle is functional organization, that is, transfer of specialized servicemen and technical persons from the regional centre to its gravitating facilities, organization of special services at the level of maintenance, procurement, delivery, etc. The third circle is connecting of all department stores into unique whole by means of unique software system via VPN network.

Horizontal FM Techniques within Facilities of “Department Stores Beograd“

The Technical Service itself is organized according to the principle of several networked units, and it comprises five departments. The Department of Technical and Investment Maintenance takes care of the work of all systems, their regular control and all emergency interventions on them, and it is composed of engineers who are in charge of supervision and realization of works, planning, preparation of tenders, etc. The Department of Security and Protection makes sure that all security procedures are followed, and it constantly checks all the system units by making tour of them and carrying out various forms of control, all in agreement with Vera no Security’s executors in the facilities. The IT Department provides administrative and system support to department stores via VPN network, and its staff occasionally visit facilities and control the system. The Department of Logistics takes care of the system functioning for the needs of procurements and support from the headquarters. It comprises call centre, central warehouse and accompanying car pool. The Facilities Management Department, with the executors in the facilities, controls the state of facilities and takes care of their undisturbed functioning.

There are four levels of maintenance: preventive maintenance, regular maintenance, emergency maintenance and overhaul maintenance. Each of these levels is accompanied by different types of services, costs, the work of each separate system and all other possible analytics.

The Book of technical standards of “Department Stores Beograd“ includes the definitions of special procedures for activities within the facilities. These procedures concern the condition of the space that is rented out, the level of interventions that are allowed in it, the method of work of contractors, the control of works, the security parameters, etc. The procedures for functioning of department stores - entries and exits, delivery of goods, control of people and goods, emergency situations, maintenance, control of the condition of facility, consumption – are defined in the Book of procedures for functioning of “Department Stores Beograd“.

The procedures for functioning of the facility maintenance departments are defined in the control books of every system, which stipulate daily, weekly, monthly and periodical works on each of the systems. All these processes will be computerized and people in the regional centre will be able to monitor, analyse and control them by different levels and systems.

Special Processes in System Functioning

Organization of specialist training courses for all maintenance departments and users – tenants, as a special form of prevention, is in the pipeline. In that way, the chances for mistake would be cut to minimum, while the maintenance system would be reduced to a pattern to great extent, especially in the domain of preventive and regular maintenance. All participants in this process would get the opportunity to get familiar with the work of related departments first, as well as to get into the habit of taking care of the facilities of “Department Stores Beograd“ as their second home.

Milan Ivković,

Corporate Services Director

Milan.ivkovic@rkbeograd.rs

www.rkbeograd.rs