If we have a new site or a new object, we first create it in Facilitor using a unique site code
Transdev Netherlands is one of the largest mobility companies in the Netherlands. “Our brands include Connexxion, Hermes, and Witte Kruis, and our facility management organisation supports all these brands,” says Pruis. That’s a very broad remit. “It mainly concerns repair, maintenance, and management, but we’re also responsible for soft services such as cleaning contracts, security, and climate systems.” Pruis says that Transdev and the Transdev brand have more than 200 sites to take care of in total. “They range from the head office to a workshop and the terminus of a bus route with just a toilet.” So in a normal working day, a lot has to be arranged in the organisation at various levels. “We work daily with malfunctions that affect our primary process, such as a faulty tank installation. Other day-to-day tasks include preventing failures through good maintenance and management, such as statutory tests and inspections,” says Pruis.
Property-related information
To make sure the management of all its sites, facilities, and notifications runs smoothly, Transdev Netherlands has been using Facilitor’s Computer Aided Facility Management System (CAFM) since 2004. At a strategic level, it’s used for property management in areas such as leases, property-related information, and the number of square metres. “Operationally, it mainly concerns disruptions that affect our primary process or the condition of our buildings, or which pose a threat to the environment. This might be a diesel leak from a bus on our site where the asphalt needs to be cleaned, for example. We’re also responsible for things like a leak in an air-conditioning system, a door that has blown off its hinges, or a leaking roof,” says Pruis. In such circumstances, authorised staff at Transdev can submit a report personally via the CAFM app on their computer or phone. This is forwarded to the service desk, which deals with further handling and contacts the various contract partners. Pruis: “The CAFM ran on our own server for the first few years, and we’ve been using Facilitor’s software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution for five years now. It’s a great system: we’re always up-to-date and able to use the latest releases from the CAFM.”
Concessions
Marc Pruis: “We work daily with problems that affect our primary process, such as a faulty tank installation.”
The SaaS solution also gives Transdev the flexibility it needs. “Things are always changing here. We’re a public transport organisation, so we have to deal with concessions. Concessions in Dutch public transport are packages of lines or other transport services that are awarded to carriers exclusively and under certain conditions for a certain period of time by a public transport authority. If we’re awarded a concession, the CAFM has to adapt itself accordingly without fuss, which is where Facilitor excels. For example, we can easily add new sites and objects,” explains Pruis. When the facility manager refers to objects, he means things such as a new transformer station, needed for electric transport. “More and more of our fleet is zero-emission. Hundreds of electric buses are already running in Eindhoven and Schiphol, for example, and we’ve started using our first hydrogen buses in the Hoeksche Waard region. We also operate CNG vehicles, which run on compressed natural gas or liquefied natural gas made from gas derived from organic material such as green waste or manure. For us, electric vehicles, CNG, and hydrogen signify important steps towards making the fleet completely emission-free by 2030. However, these innovations do mean that we, as a facility management organisation, can suddenly be asked to provide transformer houses to charge electric buses and CNG stations. We always add all these new objects in Facilitor.” In fact, everything starts in Facilitor, according to Pruis. “If we have a new site or a new object, we first create it in Facilitor using a unique site code. Then, if it concerns an office, for example, we can link modules to it, such as the complaints module, the workplace reservations module, and the graphics module.” The maps of a site are entered via the graphics module, so that Pruis and his team can see at a glance what the site looks like and which facilities are available. “It means members of staff can easily reserve rooms and report any problems per room. Since all the detailed info is available, the problem can be solved quickly. This module can also be used to gain insight into how many square metres we manage nationally.”
Procurement discussions
Facilitor also helps Pruis during discussions about procurement. “The complaints module, for example, provides clear insight into the performance of our contract partners and the wishes of our customers. This information is vital to any further development of our services.” However, this does mean that everything has to be carried out carefully through Facilitor. Pruis: “That requires a different approach to the work and takes a bit of getting used to. The familiar Excel sheets are disappearing and being replaced by Facilitor, which we can rely on to tell us exactly what’s happening.”
Transdev in the Netherlands
Transdev Netherlands is one of the largest mobility companies in the Netherlands. It’s the company behind well-known brands such as Connexxion, Hermes, and Witte Kruis. Transdev’s vehicles include buses, trains, taxis, ambulances, and even autonomous shuttles, and can be found throughout the Netherlands. Mobility keeps people connected. Transdev provides personalised planning, payment, and transport services. In the Netherlands, Transdev facilitates 500,000 journeys every day.
By Martijn Louws; Facto Magazine, publication October 2021
