Preamble
Maintenance has been part of my personal life since I was 13 and started acquiring tools and fixing things at home and in the car.
This had played a major role in my success within the facility management industry and how I was able to assess existing buildings and installations, issue proposals, convince customers and sign contracts, etc.
This had played a major role in my success within the facility management industry and how I was able to assess existing buildings and installations, issue proposals, convince customers and sign contracts, etc.
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The importance of working with own hands and having manipulated tools was uncovered to me during the years I spent at Maintenance Management Group - MMG, since despite being the Marketing and Sales Manager, I found myself being the technical reference for the team leaders, providing many daily advices on the materials to use, the matching of spares, the lubrication techniques, etc.
As of now, I do own a DIY website covering absolutely all types of fixes at home or in the car including engine rebuild: www.nomaallim.com
As of now, I do own a DIY website covering absolutely all types of fixes at home or in the car including engine rebuild: www.nomaallim.com
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This picture of 2015 shows me (in yellow) teaching technicians and engineers on how to rebuild a water pump, dismantling the motor from the propeller, replacing the pump shaft seal and bearings, etc. |
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"Converting" Clients: Outsourcing vs. In-house
I have joined a Facility Management company (Maintenance Management Group - MMG) without having any previous experience of the same nature on my CV. That was back in the year 2000, as I had probably performed well in the interview taking advantage of my personal interest in DIY and for fixing anything at home.
My mission was about selling this concept in Lebanon, a country where there's no such mentality to outsource the facility management services.
Client "conversion" constituted 80% of the sales effort, explaining the advantages of outsourcing maintenance and relying on professionals for reducing downtimes and obtaining valid reports about the associated costs.
MMG had exacly three customers when I joined the company as Marketing and Sales Manager and more than two dozens when I left three years later.
I can remember all the site surveys that I conducted for the purpose of issuing a maintenance proposal.
That was a predominant document from where everything starts as it shows the client a picture of his property that he doesn't have.
Most of the customers were simply surprized by my findings, having never been "down to the basement" or "up to the roof" of their own building.
Reactions were mixed between owners with "no complex" admitting the poor condition of their assets and others trying hard to hide their ignorance of the lamentable installations in their aged buildings.
The sales exercise consisted in selling the normality of the ageing, gaining the customer's trust and then proposing the outsourcing solution.
There was also those new buildings, just completed and under testing and commissioning but with snag lists leading to major malfunctions like flooding, repeated breaker tripping, a noisy fire alarm system (with no reason of course) and even "brainless" elevators stopping randomly at some level...or not!
Warranty claim management constituted then the strength of my proposals, relieving the client from this difficult task and putting pressure on both consultant and contractor to fix the snags, so that the maintenance company can take over the works.
I had then to build the proposal itself, define the scope of services, the works to subcontract or outsource and the frequencies of intervention, while providing reasonable prices that beat in-house maintenance costs. The integration of the specialized maintenance and repair works under my proposal allowed to offer a one-stop-shop service to customers so that they can call one and only number for such needs.
No doubt it was also my first thorough experience in contract negotiation, since every single successful proposal had to be turned into a service contract. Up to 3-5 rounds of negotiation meetings where required until signing and this indeed made my job even more interesting. As a matter of fact, I had to reach an agreed text by three parties: my customer, his legal department and my own legal advisor.
My mission was about selling this concept in Lebanon, a country where there's no such mentality to outsource the facility management services.
Client "conversion" constituted 80% of the sales effort, explaining the advantages of outsourcing maintenance and relying on professionals for reducing downtimes and obtaining valid reports about the associated costs.
MMG had exacly three customers when I joined the company as Marketing and Sales Manager and more than two dozens when I left three years later.
I can remember all the site surveys that I conducted for the purpose of issuing a maintenance proposal.
That was a predominant document from where everything starts as it shows the client a picture of his property that he doesn't have.
Most of the customers were simply surprized by my findings, having never been "down to the basement" or "up to the roof" of their own building.
Reactions were mixed between owners with "no complex" admitting the poor condition of their assets and others trying hard to hide their ignorance of the lamentable installations in their aged buildings.
The sales exercise consisted in selling the normality of the ageing, gaining the customer's trust and then proposing the outsourcing solution.
There was also those new buildings, just completed and under testing and commissioning but with snag lists leading to major malfunctions like flooding, repeated breaker tripping, a noisy fire alarm system (with no reason of course) and even "brainless" elevators stopping randomly at some level...or not!
Warranty claim management constituted then the strength of my proposals, relieving the client from this difficult task and putting pressure on both consultant and contractor to fix the snags, so that the maintenance company can take over the works.
I had then to build the proposal itself, define the scope of services, the works to subcontract or outsource and the frequencies of intervention, while providing reasonable prices that beat in-house maintenance costs. The integration of the specialized maintenance and repair works under my proposal allowed to offer a one-stop-shop service to customers so that they can call one and only number for such needs.
No doubt it was also my first thorough experience in contract negotiation, since every single successful proposal had to be turned into a service contract. Up to 3-5 rounds of negotiation meetings where required until signing and this indeed made my job even more interesting. As a matter of fact, I had to reach an agreed text by three parties: my customer, his legal department and my own legal advisor.
A success story
The outstanding relations of my employer and their good general reputation in the market, combined to the accuracy and relevancy of my proposals produced a success story with the award of many service contracts as a result and in a very short period:
- French schools of Lebanon
- Not less than five reputed banks, head-office or branches, or both
- Wineries
- The Virgin Megastore of downtown Beirut
- Food chains restaurants including world known franchises
- Retailer shops
- Etc.
Seeing the invisible
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A maintenance anecdote:
We had signed the maintenance contract of the presitgious Virgin Mega Store of Beirut, which inauguration in 2001 was attended by Sir Richard Branson in person. A jewel in the middle of the Martyr Square. We had assigned one of our best maintenance engineers to meet the requirements of the world famous brand, but still the client often complained of the service. This is when I attempted something unconventional: having my marketing assistant visiting the shop incognito, a kind of internal audit without the knowledge of the engineer. The young lady was given an hour during which she noted more than 100 glitches. Half of them in the toilets, and the other half all over the shop. She was able to see those details that the maintenance engineer could not see: decorative details, missing items, hidden dirt, things going slightly askew, traces left by the maintenance activity, etc. This is when I rediscovered and remembered this famous school lesson when young students are shown the same street as seen and noticed by men, then women. In this case, it was the same shop as seen by an engineer and a marketing professional and how the invisible to some was well visible to others... |
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
https://www.wikipedia.org/ |
CMMS / Reporting
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One day, the owner of the company came to me and asked: would you accept being Project Manager on the Maximo software implementation?
I had to ask what Maximo is, but ended up accepting with no further explanations and out of pure curiosity. I had just started a year of adventure on top of my sales and marketing duties, with the mission of implementing a CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management Software) in the company. I hired a data entry assistant and trained absolutely everyone on Maximo until making of it the powerful tool that it has to be. Not less than 10,000 spares and consumables were created in a matter of 3 months and the data started to flow in the system; the reports also, taking by surprise the maintenance engineers who had now to face unexpected KPIs. Once the resistance phase was over, it had for sure made everyone's life easier and I had even thought at some time, to try a career as Maximo implementer and trainer. |
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Fleet management
Still inspired by my personal life and early hobby, as a mechanic, my professional life in whatever position I held or do hold has kept me in close encounter with vehicles and fleet building.
It started with the introduction of the European LCV to Sakr Power Systems (1998) after I was driving one myself in its LAV version or Leasure Activity Vehicle (a Citroën Berlingo).
During my Facility Management years (2000-2003), I had introduced the larger European Van (Peugeot Boxer) as a maintenance truck and created in the cargo space cabinets for spares as well as a bench, a fixed drill and a vise transforming the vehicle into a mobile workshop so maintenance teams can better manage their work in remote areas. A list of material was created for the vans, each being dealt with as a store on Maximo software. Stock was replenished upon reaching the re-ordering point.
My Saudi experience with Arcan sent me to the UAE (2003) for completing the design of special maintenance trucks to be rented in Kuwait and Iraq to the US army. The trucks carried lubricants, coolant, water, fuel, etc. in order to provide mobile technical assistance to the mechanics.
Back to Lebanon and Suez (2005) to whom I had procured a few cars for the staff, and established good relations with a couple of car dealers.
But the first real fleet I've built, was the one of my next employer KVA SAL (2012) and which grew to a hundred vehicles ranging from Vespa scooters to bucket trucks.
The KVA SAL fleet was based on the below:
It started with the introduction of the European LCV to Sakr Power Systems (1998) after I was driving one myself in its LAV version or Leasure Activity Vehicle (a Citroën Berlingo).
During my Facility Management years (2000-2003), I had introduced the larger European Van (Peugeot Boxer) as a maintenance truck and created in the cargo space cabinets for spares as well as a bench, a fixed drill and a vise transforming the vehicle into a mobile workshop so maintenance teams can better manage their work in remote areas. A list of material was created for the vans, each being dealt with as a store on Maximo software. Stock was replenished upon reaching the re-ordering point.
My Saudi experience with Arcan sent me to the UAE (2003) for completing the design of special maintenance trucks to be rented in Kuwait and Iraq to the US army. The trucks carried lubricants, coolant, water, fuel, etc. in order to provide mobile technical assistance to the mechanics.
Back to Lebanon and Suez (2005) to whom I had procured a few cars for the staff, and established good relations with a couple of car dealers.
But the first real fleet I've built, was the one of my next employer KVA SAL (2012) and which grew to a hundred vehicles ranging from Vespa scooters to bucket trucks.
The KVA SAL fleet was based on the below:
- Around 10Nos Vespa scooters for money collectors (electricity bills collectors)
- Around 10Nos superminis like Hyundai i10 and Peugeot 206+ for QC department
- Around 30Nos LCVs, namely Peugeot Partner, Citroën Berlingo and Dacia Dokker
- Around 15Nos staff cars like Renault Fluence and Renault Duster
- Around 12Nos 4x4 pick-up trucks, all from Chinese makes like BAW and JMC
- One Citroën Jumper L4H3 van, which I purchased in Lebanon, shipped to Germany for its transformation into a cable testing van and reimported it to Lebanon.
- Five bucket and boom trucks from JMC
The acquisition of a dozen JMC vehicles by KVA SAL, was a major contribution to the launching of the brand in Lebanon, following the partnership I orchestrated with the local dealer Bazergi Motors, and was subect to a ceremony attended by her excellency the Chinese ambassador to Lebanon.
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Energy Audits
My career in facility management had to end in 2003 when I left Lebanon for Saudi Arabia, and somehow came back in 2015 with an attempt to implement energy efficiency oriented services for my new employer, BUTEC SAL.
In a matter of 3 months, I conducted a few pilot audits, trained two engineers and had a few other projects audited to Ashrae Level 2 type of energy audits.
Instruments were placed for a week or so, then the analysis conducted over a couple of weeks prior to issuance of the report to the client.
The activity was later abandoned as the market study performed with the help of an international consultant, showed no interest of the Lebanese customers to such energy optimizations. The artificially low cost of the kWh, costing the Lebanese government tremendous losses each and every year did not help at all.
The audits were successful however and different buildings were studied:
In a matter of 3 months, I conducted a few pilot audits, trained two engineers and had a few other projects audited to Ashrae Level 2 type of energy audits.
Instruments were placed for a week or so, then the analysis conducted over a couple of weeks prior to issuance of the report to the client.
The activity was later abandoned as the market study performed with the help of an international consultant, showed no interest of the Lebanese customers to such energy optimizations. The artificially low cost of the kWh, costing the Lebanese government tremendous losses each and every year did not help at all.
The audits were successful however and different buildings were studied:
- school,
- sport club,
- duck farm,
- office tower building,
- municipality building,
- municipal street lighting, etc.
I had established the auditing procedure, determined the list of intruments to procure and where and how to install them, trained the engineers on their use and on the audits, participated to all audits, wrote my own parts of the reports and peer reviewed the others before presenting the same to clients.
Audits have mainly focused on:
Audits have mainly focused on:
- Visual inspection and qualitative appreciation
- Thermal imaging
- Temperature, humidity and CO2 measurement
- Power quality
- A/C outlet flow and temperature
- Noise measurement
- Circulation pump operating point guessing
- Chilled water temperature
- Illuminance (Lux)
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Thermal Imaging
I have introduced the thermal imaging for many energy audit uses like testing the tightness of glazing as shown in the below example; the different air infiltrations from the aged aluminum profiles can be easily diagnosed using such imagery. A further visual inspection of the profiles allows to determine the need to replace their weatherstripping brushes or the entirety of the glazing.
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Power quality monitoring
Power quality analyzers were used on the pilot projects installations in order to measure loads, observe load profiles and check the harmonics, especially on installations involving PV panels and inverters. I decided to use two of them for each testing, one per each power source, so one on the mains grid and one on the standby generator.
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Sustainable farm heating
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This duck farm and foie gras manufacturer in Lebanon was using gas burners to heat its ducklings before the heating was shifted to infrared bulbs fed by solar PV panels.
Such ECM led to several advantages to the farm owner and the operator:
BEFORE
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AFTER
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