Developers, tech providers must partner to offer real-time view of operations

The UAE’s developer community will need to partner with technology providers that offer solutions enabling a single-window and real-time view of operations, said Sanjeevv Bhatia, chairman of SB Group on the sidelines of signing a strategic partnership between market leaders ODS Global and Johnson Controls to focus on the growing emphasis on energy usage, sustainability, and digital transformation.

The building automation market is poised to reach a valuation of $273 billion by 2023. The UAE is emerging as a hotbed for these developments, with global market leaders and regional incumbents pooling their resources, policymakers facilitating a favourable ecosystem and customers driving focus on sustainability.

The UAE has developed into a hotbed of innovation and technology adoption, and these trends are accelerating with time. Given the importance of real estate to the economy, this tech-enabled approach is very apparent in the sector, including in the deployment of data-driven building management systems. FMs and building owners experienced the benefits of a state-of-the-art BMS first hand in 2020, in ensuring the health and wellness of occupants. More importantly advantages such as bridging operational gaps, optimising business bottom lines, and delivering exceptional tenant experiences, also became apparent.

“Developers should choose the right solution for their operation, based on its ability to optimise efficiency, minimise running cost, and enhance end-user experiences in their buildings, at the same time. The goal should be to enable effective monitoring and optimisation of all processes, using data-driven models in which the slightest dip in performance and efficiency cannot go unnoticed,” said Bhatia.

“The centralised model of managing building operations enables seamless and cost-effective integration of multi-vendor assets. Given how receptive the local business community is to innovation and technology, as well as the unprecedented efficiencies and energy savings on offer, widespread adoption of building management systems is inevitable, in the UAE.”

UAE-based ODS Global, a sustainable integrated building management service provider, and US-based Johnson Controls, a leading global building automation service provider, announced a strategic partnership early this year, to foster greater innovation and efficiencies in building operations.

The partnership includes the addition of the groundbreaking Building and Energy Management Systems (BEMS) offered by EasyIO, a subsidiary of Johnson Controls, to ODS’s existing services portfolio.

“EasyIO marks a paradigm shift in energy management. With the UAE’s real estate sector gearing up for a sustainable future, using a tech-driven approach, there is a growing need for a solution such as EasyIO, which can help clients, engineers, and contractors in the UAE, optimise savings, asset performance and end-user comfort across the entire real estate value chain, at portfolio scale,” added Bhatia.

— sandhya@khaleejtimes.com