Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Integrated facility management'

The quality of healthcare environments has been linked to patient safety, patient and staff stress, clinical output, and patient outcome. As part of maintaining the physical environment within the healthcare settings facility managers need to ensure that complex systems are working properly. Facility management tasks need to be completed with minimal interference with clinical services. This is often difficult to do because facility information is often stored in multiple systems and may be inadequate and incomplete. Communication and exchange of information throughout the lifecycle and throughout the operational phase of the building is fragmented. Relevant information and effective facility information management are important for efficient operation and maintenance of the facility. It is even more important when systems are being constantly upgraded and renovated due to new technologies and for the need for facility managers to do more work with fewer resources. This research is examining the link between facility management and clinical activities, especially in terms of information exchange and management. A framework is proposed to help facility managers more efficiently manage healthcare facility information. Case analysis was completed on facility related patient safety events to determine the types of information needed and exchanged through the eventâ s response by facility personnel. The information was then organized into a product model and ontology to help capture, manage, and retrieve the information. The goal of the research is to offer a method of storing healthcare facility information in an efficient and effective manner to support facility managers in their response to patient safety events. This dissertation outlines the objectives of this research and the methodologies used in the case analysis. The development of the product model and information exchanges identified is also discussed. Lastly, conceptual model for a prototype was developed and is presented to demonstrate how the product model and ontology can be used to allow the user to query information and interact with the system.
Ph. D.

Too many outsourcing models fail to deliver expected results in Integrated Facility Management (IFM) models. IFM is a type of outsourcing model that transfers in-house work to an outside company that performs it onsite as if it were part of the client’s organization. This process requires collaboration, coordination, and communication, merging 2 corporate cultures into 1 cohesive business model. Managing the change process related to an IFM outsourcing arrangement is crucial because changing an organizational culture can heighten risk and potentially produce unsatisfactory results. Creating, changing, and managing an IFM outsourcing model require acceptance, coordination, and a clear understanding of expectations from both the client and the service provider. People in general are apprehensive about change, especially when they don’t understand it. IFM, being a complex process, requires the proper training and education in order to avoid resistance that creates leadership challenges. According to the literature, effective leadership was the solution to mitigate the resistance to change associated with outsourcing but little research exists to explain the phenomenon experienced by leaders during the initial transition (first-generation) to an IFM model. This descriptive, qualitative study was conducted in order to determine what strategies and practices leaders employ during a first-generation IFM outsourcing initiative. Additionally, challenges associated with implementation, measurement of success, and recommendations from leaders of IFM outsourcing was explored. Fourteen IFM leaders were interviewed and asked 10 questions. These interview questions yielded results such as leadership, communication, and clarity in scope of work as some of the dominant themes. These themes were then used to develop recommendations for further research and recommendations for future leaders of change.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 1996.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The ferroalloy industry is, in contrast to the operationally complicated chemical industry, very reliant on the wealth of experience that has been built up by the operating personnel over a long period of time. The industry has not been at the forefront of technical development and has, in many respects, lagged behind in technological development. Information technology is one such area that has not received its fair share of attention. This study resulted from the requirement that the control systems of the submerged arc furnaces at the Samancor Meyerton Works be integrated in such a way that the plant subsystem controllers could operate off a single database. This would ensure that the reliance of the operation on the experience of personnel could be reduced by the judicious application of data from the process. The integration was expanded to include the control of the electricity generation plant that will utilize the waste gasses from the submerged arc furnaces to generate the electricity. The boundaries of the study were subsequently expanded to include a proposal for the integration of the control systems into a management information system for the Meyerton Works. The study gives consideration to the theory underlying management information systems after the strategic issues of the Manganese Division of Samancor are discussed. The theoretical aspects of management information systems together with the strategic issues of the Manganese Division are brought together to form the practical proposal of the integrated control and management information system. The case studies considered are based on two incidents that occurred on one of the submerged arc furnaces where the resulting financial losses were substantial. An integrated control system would have reduced the financial losses significantly. Finally, the recommendations of the study are firstly, that the management information system as proposed be expanded to include the furnaces that were not originally envisaged to have their control systems integrated, secondly that the maintenance management function be integrated with the control systems and management information system, and finally that the production planning system be included in the management information system so as to give substance to the control and optimization of the flow of manganese units from the mines to the customer. This will entrench the position of Samancor as a world class supplier of manganese units.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die ferroallooi industrie is, in teenstelling met die chemiese nywerheid wat 'n ingewikkelde bedryf het, afhanklik van die ondervinding van personeel wat oor 'n lang tyd opgebou is. Die industrie was nie 'n baanbreker ten opsigte van tegniese ontwikkeling nie en het ook grotendeels agtergebly op die gebied. Inligting tegnologie is een van die gebiede wat nie die gewensde hoeveelheid aandag gekry het nie. Hierdie studie het sy oorsprong gehad in die behoefte om die beheer sisteme van die dompelboog oonde van die Meyerton Werke van Samancor te integreer sodat die beheerders van die subsisteme van aanleg vanaf 'n enkele databasis kon funksioneer. Dit sou die resultaat gehad het om die afhanklikheid van die bedryf op die ondervinding van die personeel te verminder. Die integrasie gedagte was uitgebrei om die beheer van die elektrisiteits opwekkings aanleg, wat die afgase van die oonde gebruik, in te sluit. Die afbakening van die studie was later verbreed om te dien as 'n voorstel vir die integrering van die beheersisteme in 'n bestuursinligting stelsel vir die Meyerton Werke. Nadat die strategiese aangeleenthede van die Mangaan Afdeling aandag geniet, word die teorie aangaande bestuursinligting stelsels bespreek. Die teorie van die bestuursinligting stelsels en die strategiese aangeleenthede van die Mangaan Afdeling word bymekaar gebring om die voorstel van die geintegreerde beheer sisteem en bestuursinligting stelsel te vorm. Die gevallestudies wat bespreek is, is gebaseer op twee insidente wat op een van die oonde gebeur het waar daar geweldige finansiele verliese was. Geintegreerde beheer stelsels sou die verliese beperk het. Die aanbevelings wat gemaak is, is eerstens dat die bestuursinligting stelsel soos voorgestel is uitgebrei word om die oonde waar die beheerstelsels nie oorspronlik geintegreer sou wees in te sluit, tweedens dat die instandhouding bestuursstelsel geintegreer word met die bestuursinligting stelsel, en derdens dat die produksiebeplanning stelsel in die bestuursinligting stelsel gesluit word. Hierdeur sal die beweging van mangaan eenhede vanaf die myne na die kliente geoptimiseer word om Samancor se posisie as 'n wereld klas verskaffer van mangaan eenhede te verstewig.

In the area of indoor built environment modelling, the main focus was usually put on the accuracy of the modelled equipment within the given environment. There was not enough attention placed on the modelling of occupants inside the building, who represent the ultimate end?users and should be the most important element of an indoor built environment model. This deficiency was mainly due to the difficulties of modelling human behaviour with the traditional mathematical modelling methods usually adopted in the field. Therefore, in order to model the occupants more effectively, a more appropriate alternative approach is needed. This thesis examined the suitability of agent?based modelling and simulation (ABMS) for the indoor built environment. Philosophies of ABMS for the built environment were discussed, with the natural flow of progression stages in indoor built environment models outlined and explored, showing the need for switching a problem of simplicity to one in which a complex organised system was defined. Scenarios of single active agent case in ABMS for indoor built environment were used to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach, with the finding that ABMS was versatile in modelling different types of occupants. It provided an illustration of the difference between people with different sensation time, and estimated energy savings between occupants with varied understanding of the environment. A classification scheme for different types of indoor built environment models with different levels of complexities was proposed and discussed. Based on the classification scheme, models with different levels of complexities were applied to the same building to explore the feasibility and practicality of the scheme. It was found that the simulation results provided insightful figures on probable energy consumption for different types of occupants and their crowd behaviour when interactions between occupants were considered. Findings included the amount of energy saved (around 10%) by a knowledgeable occupant over a less informed one, and the tendency for the majority (?66%) of occupants trying to save energy by assessing the environment themselves under different conditions. To further assist building management and the implementation of ABMS approach in built environment for simulations, the concepts of geographic information system (GIS) were modified for applications in the indoor environment, based on its similarity with ABMS for a grid?based environment. A prototype program was developed to test the applicability of the proposed concepts, with OPC connectivity for connections to real?world equipment. It was found that the idea of indoor GIS helps to solve problems such as the facility layout problem or the difficulties of information storage/retrieval in facility management, and this concept also integrated well with ABMS. With the successful modelling of different types of occupants and simulation results consistent with real data, it can be concluded from the work that ABMS is a promising approach for future generations of indoor built environment models. Also, with the inspiring framework of indoor GIS, the combination of ABMS and GIS in an integrated platform will certainly bring a powerful tool to the field.
published_or_final_version
Mechanical Engineering
Doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy

This research aimed to firstly confirm the hypothesis that the current management of sewage sludge generated during the treatment of wastewater in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa is poor and, as such, this material poses a threat to local environmental and human health. Secondly, through a rational design approach, the current research also aimed to design and assess the suitability of a novel integrated process incorporating appropriate technologies for improved sewage sludge management. The lack of an appropriate tool for the assessment of the integrated process necessitated the development of an appropriate technology assessment (TA) methodology based on environmental, technical, social and economic criteria. A combination of informal participatory methods such as semi-structured interviews and formal research methods including questionnaires, risk assessment exercises and laboratory analyses were used. Based on the above it was estimated that 116 tons dry sludge were generated in the province per day and that the concentration of heavy metals present in the sludge was generally within the limits for reuse on agricultural land. Furthermore the sludge from all sample sewage treatment works (STWs) was found to be free of any detectable pathogens. Despite the above, a preliminary risk assessment and chemical analysis revealed that existing sludge management practices at sample STWs posed a threat to the environment, particularly to water resources and exacerbated the problems associated with the discharge of poorly treated municipal wastewater. The root causes of the poor sludge management were considered to be a lack of non-regulatory incentives and financial resources. Highly integrated ecologically engineered systems were thought to offer a solution to the dual problem of poor sludge management and municipal effluent treatment, while providing necessary economic incentives. To facilitate the design of a system appropriate to local conditions, it was necessary to first develop a rational design methodology, which incorporated a detailed TA step. The result of the design process was an Integrated Waste Beneficiation Facility (IWBF) that incorporated a number of process units comprised of appropriate technologies including composting, vermicomposting, algal ponding technology and aquaculture. A detailed TA indicated that the benefits of the proposed IWBF would, at the majority of sample sites, outweigh the potential negative impacts and it was thus recommended that investigations should continue on pilot-scale facilities. Furthermore, although the proposed TA based on four sustainability criteria categories was thought to provide a more accurate assessment of the true sustainability of a technology, the acquisition of information was problematic highlighting the need to re-think current TA methodologies and to address associated constraints allowing the tool to be used and fully comprehensive.

In this study, the design of a three-level distribution system is considered in which a single supplier ships a number of items to the retailers via a set of distribution centers (DC) and stochastic demand is observed at the retailers. The problem is to specify the number and location of the DCs, and the assignment of the retailers to the DCs in such a way that total facility, transportation, safety stock, and joint ordering and average inventory costs are minimized, and customer service requirements are satisfied. Single source constraints are imposed on the assignment of the retailers to the DCs. The integrated location/inventory model incorporates the inventory management decisions into the strategic location/allocation decisions by considering the benefits of risk pooling and the savings that result in the joint replenishment of a group of items. We develop two heuristic methods to solve the non-linear integer-programming model in an integrated way: (1) Improvement type heuristic, (2) Constructive type heuristic. The heuristic algorithms are tested on a number of problem instances with 81 demand points (retailers) and 4 different types of items. Both of the heuristics are able to generate solutions in very reasonable times. The results are compared to the results of the p-median problem and found that the total cost and the number of DCs can be lowered using our integrated model instead of the p-median problem. Finally, sensitivity analysis is performed with respect to the changes in inventory, transportation, and ordering cost parameters, and variability of the demand.

This thesis deals with facility management. The first part handles facility management as such, its nature, basic concepts, historical development, instruments, ways of providing services and participants. Level of provided services in the Czech Republic is analyzed. Based on received knowledge of the field the other part is focused on detailed specification of facility management services provided in the area of logistic centers management. On the example of individual services there are described differences in management of logistic centres and possible solutions of these situations. The benefit of this thesis consists in providing a comprehensive view of logistics centres management and suggesting possible improvements.

The Master's Thesis is generally about facility management -- its essence, individual services it consists of, and also about their integration when they are provided by one key supplier, and finally about their complex integration in one service package, i. e. complex integrated supporting services provision what is a modern trend of this discipline. The aim of the thesis is to evaluate the advantages and efficiency of the trend of service integration under one key supplier based on specific practical examples.

O Reator Multipropósito Brasileiro (RMB) é um projeto que está sendo desenvolvido pela Diretoria de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento (DPD), da Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear (CNEN), com o objetivo principal de suprir o país com radioisótopos para aplicação médica (saúde), indústria, agricultura e meio ambiente. Este empreendimento possui vários estágios de desenvolvimento, cada um deles com etapas que envolvem conhecimentos muito específicos para a operacionalização efetiva de suas instalações, além de detalhes legais e regulamentares que precisam ser atendidos. O Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis (IBAMA) e a Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear (CNEN) são, respectivamente, os responsáveis pelo licenciamento ambiental e nuclear. Nesses órgãos licenciadores pode-se encontrar diretrizes para elaborar a documentação necessária aos processos de licenciamento para Instalações Nucleares e Instalações Radiativas, porém não foi possível identificar claramente algumas diretrizes para as instalações dedicadas a tratamento e armazenamento de Rejeitos Radioativos. O Empreendimento RMB irá gerar rejeito radioativo e contará com uma instalação para tratamento, acondicionado e armazenamento, para o qual haverá também a necessidade de se gerar documentação específica dedicada ao processo de licenciamento. Diante da lacuna na diretriz de estruturação e elaboração dos documentos específicos para este tipo de instalação, foi necessário realizar um levantamento de leis, regulamentos e normas relacionados a este tipo de negócio e que serão adotadas como referência na estruturação de tais documentos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar um levantamento e alinhamento das leis, regulamentos e normas aplicáveis, estruturando os requisitos em um Sistema de Gestão (SG), cujo escopo abrange o tratamento e armazenamento dos rejeitos radioativos do RMB. Este SG deverá fornecer diretrizes para a elaboração dos documentos de licenciamento e promover a gestão dos rejeitos radioativos gerados pelo RMB, bem como, deverá abordar as melhores práticas, de maneira a observar a segurança da instalação e processos envolvidos.
The Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor (RMB) is a project being developed by the Research and Development (DPD) Directorate of the National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN), with the main objective of supplying the country with radioisotopes for medical application (health), industry, agriculture and the environment. This project has several stages of development, each one with very specific knowledge for the effective operation of its facilities, as well as legal and regulatory details that need to be met. The Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) and CNEN are respectively responsible for environmental and nuclear licensing. These regulatory agencies have guidelines to prepare the necessary documentation for the licensing processes for nuclear and radioactive facilities, but it was not possible identify clearly the guidelines for the facilities dedicated to the treatment and storage of radioactive wastes. The RMB will generate radioactive waste and will have a facility for treatment, conditioning and storage, for which it will also be necessary to generate specific documentation dedicated to its licensing process. Faced with the lacuna in the structuring guideline and elaboration of the specific documents for this type of installation, it was necessary to carry out a survey of laws, regulations and norms related to this type of business and that will be adopted as reference in the structuring of such documents. The objective of this work was to carry out a survey and alignment of the applicable laws, regulations and standards, structuring the requirements in a Management System (SG), whose scope covers the treatment and storage of the RMB radioactive waste. This SG should provide guidelines for the preparation of licensing documents and promote the management of radioactive waste generated by the RMB and should address best practices in order to observe the safety of the facility and the processes involved.

Advances in medical technology have altered the need for certain types of surgery to be performed in traditional inpatient hospital settings. Less invasive surgical procedures allow a growing number of medical treatments to take place on an outpatient basis. Hospitals face growing competition from ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). The competitive threats posed by ASCs are important, given that inpatient surgery has been the cornerstone of hospital services for over a century. Additional research is needed to understand how surgical volume shifts between and within acute care general hospitals (ACGHs) and ASCs. This study investigates how medical technology within the hospital industry is changing medical services delivery. The main purposes of this study are to (1) test Clayton M. Christensen’s theory of disruptive innovation in health care, and (2) examine the effects of disruptive innovation on appendectomy, cholecystectomy, and bariatric surgery (ACBS) utilization. Disruptive innovation theory contends that advanced technology combined with innovative business models—located outside of traditional product markets or delivery systems—will produce simplified, quality products and services at lower costs with broader accessibility. Consequently, new markets will emerge, and conventional industry leaders will experience a loss of market share to “non-traditional” new entrants into the marketplace. The underlying assumption of this work is that ASCs (innovative business models) have adopted laparoscopy (innovative technology) and their unification has initiated disruptive innovation within the hospital industry. The disruptive effects have spawned shifts in surgical volumes from open to laparoscopic procedures, from inpatient to ambulatory settings, and from hospitals to ASCs. The research hypothesizes that: (1) there will be larger increases in the percentage of laparoscopic ACBS performed than open ACBS procedures; (2) ambulatory ACBS will experience larger percent increases than inpatient ACBS procedures; and (3) ASCs will experience larger percent increases than ACGHs. The study tracks the utilization of open, laparoscopic, inpatient and ambulatory ACBS. The research questions that guide the inquiry are: 1. How has ACBS utilization changed over this time? 2. Do ACGHs and ASCs differ in the utilization of ACBS? 3. How do states differ in the utilization of ACBS? 4. Do study findings support disruptive innovation theory in the hospital industry? The quantitative study employs a panel design using hospital discharge data from 2004 and 2009. The unit of analysis is the facility. The sampling frame is comprised of ACGHs and ASCs in Florida and Wisconsin. The study employs exploratory and confirmatory data analysis. This work finds that disruptive innovation theory is an effective model for assessing the hospital industry. The model provides a useful framework for analyzing the interplay between ACGHs and ASCs. While study findings did not support the stated hypotheses, the impact of government interventions into the competitive marketplace supports the claims of disruptive innovation theory. Regulations that intervened in the hospital industry facilitated interactions between ASCs and ACGHs, reducing the number of ASCs performing ACBS and altering the trajectory of ACBS volume by shifting surgeries from ASCs to ACGHs.

碩士
國立臺北科技大學
土木工程系土木與防災碩士班
107
The adoptions and applications of building information modeling （BIM） becomes widely used in Taiwan. The time, manpower and cost are important for effective management for the maintenance of the buildings. Recently, the adoptions of BIM are applied integrated with construction operations building information exchange （COBie） for facility management （FM） in the operation phase. However, there are many facing problems regarding the implementation for BIM-based facility management integrated COBie. In order to solve the problem, the study propose the BIM-based facility management approach integrated COBie using employer’s information requirements （EIR）. The proposed approach includes the related documents, flowcharts, and mechanisms. Integrated with proposed approach, the owners can understand the requirements and implement BIM-based facility management effectively during the project closeout and operation phases. The proposed approach was applied in a selected building case study for FM implementation in Taiwan to demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed approach. Finally, the study identifies the benefits, limitation, and suggestions for further applications.

博士
國立臺北科技大學
工程科技研究所
102
Facility maintenance management (FMM) has become an important topic for research on the operation phase of the building life cycle. Managing FMM effectively is extremely difficult owing to various factors and environments. One of the difficulties is the performance of 2D graphics when depicting maintenance service. Building Information Modeling (BIM) uses precise geometry and relevant data to support the maintenance service of facilities depicted in 3D object-oriented CAD. This study proposes a new and practical approach with application to FMM using BIM technology. Using BIM technology, this study develops a BIM-based Facility Maintenance Management (BIMFM) system to assist facility manager, facility maintenance staff, and BIM manager. Furthermore, this study designs BIM-related processes for FMM purpose. The BIMFM system is then applied in selected case study of a building project in Taiwan to verify the proposed methodology and demonstrate its effectiveness in FMM practice. Using the BIMFM system, maintenance staff can access and review 3D BIM models for updating related maintenance records in a digital format. The combined results demonstrate that a prposed approach and system can be an effective visual FMM tool using BIM technology. The advantage of the prposed approach and system lies not only in improving FMM work efficiency for maintenance staff but also in facilitating FMM updates and transfer in the BIM environment.

碩士
國立高雄應用科技大學
電機工程系博碩士班
105
The discussion of smart plant issue is trending to rise in recent years. To induction various automated and intellectualized system combined with technology, knowledge, information and also development and application of Smart manufacturing. Furthermore, adopting facility management control system platform for information interaction and productivity improved. By working through the intelligent data system interpretation can offer truth worthy data with clarity. This is the main topic and direction of this research. This research is focus on adopting facility management control system as human machine interface platform. To overview the digital data of graphic control software to monitor the situation of facilities operation. To achieve analyzing and collecting report to build the database, It will helps the management to provide automatic, high performance and safety system. Facility Monitor and Control will build up a realistic and reliable system to diagnose and solve failure factors on facility management control system. This research is built via simulation with the proven of planning software, system application and management of monitor system operation. The energy efficient performance will rise up and the facilities will stay in best condition to reduce cost effectively.

The combination of increased training tempo due to military base closures and the reduction in military budgets have placed a severe burden on the infrastructure at many military installations and emphasized the need for an integrated facility management support system. This research involved linking existing facility, environmental, and operational data within an off the shelf portable geographic information system (GIS) to produce an integrated facility management support system. Presently, no known military installations have an integrated facility management support system linking these systems together within a GIS. An unconstrained theoretical model was first developed using a flowchart logic network to design the system. A detailed application model was then developed using Field Notes as an application model portable GIS package, and Camp Rilea, Oregon, as the application model military installation. The application model was then tested on the military installation at Camp Rilea, to validate the theoretical concept behind the system. The testing conducted on the integrated facility management support system demonstrated the potential for improving the efficiency of facility management operations, and assisting in the prevention of carrying capacity threshold violations on military installations. The results of this research allow for possible implementation of an integrated facility management support system at Camp Rilea and other military installations in the State of Oregon, and the U.S. Army at large.
Graduation date: 1998

This non-experimental, descriptive, quantitative survey attempted to evaluate IMCI implementation in the eThekwini district of KwaZulu -Natal. The study focused on IMCI implementation by IMCI trained registered nurses, health facility support and follow-up and supervision. The research population comprised of all IMCI trained registered nurses working in health facilities in the eThekwini district. The convenient sample consisted of 40 research subjects. Data was collected by means of an interview schedule and a checklist, and analysed using Microsoft Excel 2007. Findings of the study revealed that many of the IMCI trained registered nurses were unable to assess, classify and treat the sick child comprehensively and consistently. The recommended follow-up visit at six weeks after completion of IMCI training, and lack of on-going supervision remains an area of concern. Recommendations were that district or clinic supervisors can enhance the skills of IMCI trained registered nurses through recommended follow-up visits and on-going supervision and the provision of updated IMCI chart booklets.
Health Studies
M.A. (Health Studies)