Page 472 - Operations Strategy

case study 13 • OntariO facilities equity management (Ofem)
CaSe STuDy
13 OntariO facilities equity

management (Ofem)

nigel slack

Facilities management now is a multi-billion dollar business in most developed econo-
mies. Facilities management companies offer a range of property management services
including basic maintenance, cleaning, fitting and supplying office equipment, heat-
ing and environmental services, ‘disaster recovery’ services and, increasingly, informa-
tion technology equipment hosting and leasing.
‘Facilities management is the basic housekeeping of business. It may not be glamorous but
it is vital. It has always been done of course, usually in-house by people who often had other
responsibilities. As buildings and services became more sophisticated, the provision of even
standard office services required more cash and more expertise. Most large companies soon
found that companies like OFEM could provide these services better and cheaper. That is
what we have to keep in mind as we move into providing more (and more varied) services –
we have to be better and cheaper than our customers could do it for themselves. If we ever
forget that we will be in trouble.’
(Guy Presson, CEO, OFEM)

The Security Division

Within OFEM, the Security Division looked after the development and installation
of security equipment and systems in clients’ property. These included alarm and
intrusion systems, security enclosures (safes), surveillance and monitoring systems,
and entry security systems. In fact, entry security systems were becoming particularly
important for the company. Many firms were increasingly security conscious. As com-
panies became more information-based, they felt vulnerable to industrial espionage or
threats from individuals and groups dedicated to causing disruption, either for its own
sake, or to pursue political ends. Entry security systems had the purpose of permitting
entry into various parts of a building only those individuals who were authorised to be
there. Traditionally, this had been done using swipe cards or various kinds of security
PIN numbers and codes.
‘Entry security systems are now in routine use. There are very few of our clients who do
not want some kind of personnel security system, and they expect us to be able to provide
it. Financial services companies have been in the forefront of our customers, demanding
increasingly tight security. More recently it has been IT-based companies who have made
the running in demanding security. Some of our most demanding clients now are those with
large web-hosting operations. They demand several levels of security, as a minimum at the
‘building’, ‘department’ and ‘machine’ levels. In other words, individuals need to be checked
for access authorisation as they enter the building, when they enter a particular part of

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