Before 2020, many industry reports indicated that the Nigerian facilities management industry is growing at varying compound annual growth rate. Reports have also indicated that the industry cannot be immune from the impacts of global and national macroeconomic policies that would affect industries in 2021. As the year 2020 going to an end, our analyst examines the critical issues and needs that shape the industry in 2021.
One of the significant issues that players and professionals would not forget in 2020 is the emergence of Covid-19, which ravaged the world. The disease came at a time that captains of the industry and professionals are seeing some benefits of applying emergent strategies towards sustainable opportunities capturing and unlock the growth. In 2020, we have seen how the disease forced companies to redesign their processes and strategies. When the disease was hitting every sector and industry harder, our analyst noted that the players and professionals in the industry needed to make a number of critical shifts.
Intensify Social Distancing at Work and Public Places
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Like what happened at the critical stage of the virus spread in 2020, people at the workplace and public places would be forced to observe social distancing in the first quarter of 2021. This will largely be connected with the new variant of the disease recently found in Osun State and other places. This is a big issue for facility managers who will manage soft and hard facilities including the critical ones, which cannot be left for hours without preventive maintenance strategies. Nigeria, like other countries where the disease is having impacting lives, has registered its interest in taking delivery of vaccines in early 2021. In this context, social distancing will be one of the significant measures. With this, social distancing is expected to be an issue for players, especially those that provide healthcare facilities management solutions. Both the players and professionals are expected to consider some strategies and protect people from contracting the disease.
Smart Processes, Execution and Monitoring
Significantly, Covid-19 changed the system thinking, process and execution approaches of many companies in 2020. As the second wave started in early December 2020, we expect more use of Internet of Things and remote control for project initiation and execution. We expect companies that have the capabilities and the needed resources to use technology driven applications for asset tagging, lighting. HVAC repair and maintenance, security, inventory management and equipment monitoring. We expect more operational disruption because the spread of the disease would force the government to make some critical decisions. In this regard, companies need to create superior processes towards the reduction of possible effects of the decisions.
More Innovative Solutions
In 2019 and 2020, Alpha Mead, Global Property and Facility Management International and some other players developed innovative solutions. These solutions have added value to the industry before the disease emerged. In 2021, these companies and emerging ones would develop new solutions and initiate projects with the intent of justifying their purpose of existence and increasing Nigeria’s recognition globally. Eliezer Workplace Management Limited, Green Facilities Limited, Global Property & Facilities International Limited, GreenKey Facility Management Services Limited and Principal Facilities that won various awards in 2020 are expected to justify the recognition bestowed on them by Business Day newspaper.