General Motors (GM) formed WFG in 1995 to consolidate common facilities activities and provide a significant cost savings to the company. As part of GM's manufacturing division, WFG-FM provides the full scope of corporate facilities services that include maintenance, housekeeping, space management, and administrative services. The CAFM system is part of the space management function. Since its inception, WFG has saved GM an estimated $1 billion in operating costs.

Prior to consolidation, there were six vehicle companies and a corporate office function within GM in addition to other manufacturing and distribution divisions. As the company went through the consolidation phase it became apparent that each division had different facilities management tools and operating procedures, and that standardized processes were needed.

"The intent of developing the CAFM system was to provide a common tool to manage all our North American facilities in a consistent manner," says Paul Drotar, a regional engineering manager for WFG and head of the CAFM implementation team. "Each site had tracked different data in different ways, so we had to standardize and define business processes."

WFG-FM set out to capture key facility and tenant information for each site and to support FM business processes by establishing standard metrics and consistent benchmarking across the portfolio. The resulting CAFM system links tenant data with CAD drawings to provide facility managers, corporate officers, and project teams with integrated space, occupancy, and planning information.

A Synergy of Systems

WFG-FM's CAFM system consists of three interlocking elements: a Facilities Location Database, an Electronic Data Management system, and a Space Information System, all centrally managed and scaleable on a global basis.

The Facilities Location Database (FLD) assigns a unique numeric identifier to each structure and site in the company portfolio. It is cross-linked to the other two systems so users across WFG-FM can access location data by entering a structure or site ID code. The intent is to have the FLD used by all GM systems that reference facility location data (such as structure name or address).

The Electronic Data Management (EDM) system serves as the central data repository for facility data and engineering documentation. This includes project archives, submittals, work-in-process drawings, and master drawings. At its current stage of development, master drawings consist of site plans and architectural and furniture drawings related to the SIS. In order to ensure the integrity of the data, audit routines and a checklist process have been put in place and are requirements of the data maintenance process.

The Space Information System (SIS) was developed with assistance from business partners Computerized Facility Integration, a Michigan-based technology firm, and Jordani Consulting Group, a Minnesota-based consulting firm. SIS is used to track and report space and tenant information. It generates WFG standard space utilization reports based on a variety of criteria and distributes the information via email. Once new data is verified, it can be automatically loaded into the system with the click of a mouse. Development is underway to convert the SIS to be a completely Web-enabled system within the GM firewall.

All of the WFG-FM-managed non-manufacturing space has been incorporated into the system. Phase two, currently underway, will incorporate the other 160 million sf of GM's domestic manufacturing facilities. The long-range strategic vision is to capture all GM space information globally and integrate this information with other centralized systems within GM.

Leveraging Partnerships for Success

Initially, GM didn't have a lot of expertise in CAFM development, so project leaders formed the CAFM implementation team (CIT) to guide the process. The team worked closely with strategic internal business partners, such as regional managers and tech support groups, to collect data and implement new processes. Together this team defined WFG's CAFM maintenance and training procedures, and created the logistical support to make it happen.

During the implementation process, GM was investing $1.5 billion to upgrade the non-manufacturing facilities at some of its sites. This gave CIT an opportunity to work closely with the project managers to establish initial data collection and maintenance procedures. They also worked with the common process team to ensure the CAFM system would support established business functions.

In order to bring facility management representatives and regional facility engineers up to speed, the CIT issued a management "notice of decision" detailing benchmark standards, specifying data collection responsibilities, and defining common processes and terms.

Maintaining Accuracy and Usability

A regional coordinator at each site directs the implementation process and serves as the long-term owner of regionally specific data. Working together with other facility management operators and regional engineers, the regional coordinator verifies data accuracy and ensures that it is compiled in a format consistent with the CAFM data requirements. The CAFM Service Center, a centralized maintenance hub, receives the information, audits it for compliance to system protocols, and updates the database as required.

"We learned that people have to experience the data collection process firsthand. When they realize what is involved in data collection, they have more of an incentive to maintain the data," says Drotar.

Because of the different types of data in the CAFM system, WFG found it necessary to develop separate profiles: a facilities profile and a tenant profile. The former is customized for use by FM staff and contains primarily structural data. The latter offers resource oriented information such as tenant name, type, and department. The profiles are cross-linked via the CAFM ID which is used within the SIS.

"Understanding specific facilities management needs and what each one requires is essential, but it's just as important to understand who is utilizing the data so you can provide useful tools to support their core work," says Drotar.

Training and Execution

A critical component of the implementation process is the training program. Every six weeks a new site is added to the system under the direction of the regional coordinator who is part of the CAFM team. Prior to the integration of a new structure, the regional coordinator and CIT personnel conduct implementation training with facility management and engineering staff. The classes, which instruct site staff in the data gathering process and basic system procedures, are conducted at core regional sites or via video conferencing. CIT has administered training classes to more than 800 people in the past year.

"We train staff at the time of implementation, or just prior to it," says Drotar. "If you train people on new procedures, but they don't use the information for months, it becomes a lost investment. Considerable effort goes into making sure people understand what they need to do and, more importantly, why we need to do this as an organization."

Regional coordinators continue to schedule training after initial facility implementation to ensure the transition goes smoothly and the data is maintained. Follow up classes are also provided on how to submit drawings to the EDM and how to update existing data in the SIS.

Performance Through Communication

As always, communication is a major part of implementing new systems. GM's massive size presents considerable challenges and a constant need to drive common processes. Establishing clear lines of responsibility and strong leadership has proven integral to success. Compatibility with other GM businesses and existing GM systems also gives the team a tremendous advantage.

CIT continues to refine systems and procedures as new sites come online and more systems are integrated. As the team moves into the future, they are observing and benchmarking with other worldwide entities to learn how to approach global implementation.

"Each place presents unique cultural challenges in relation to work habits and language barriers. The key is developing good data structure up front so it can be expanded across different applications," says Drotar.

By Johnathon Allen

We welcome your Questions and Comments

Copyright 2008 Tradeline Inc.
All Rights Reserved
ISSN: 1096-4894