The Facilities Management Challenge Isn’t More Vendors – It’s More Complexity.

Last week, Rubicon joined facilities management professionals from across the country at the ConnexFM Mid-Year Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.

The event included networking, peer-driven discussions, volunteer work and a Young Professionals meet-up. But for Rubicon’s Jamie DelliSanti, Vice President of Strategic Accounts, and Brandon Downes, Commercial Enablement Manager, some of the most valuable takeaways came from talking with the people responsible for keeping hundreds – and sometimes thousands – of locations running every day.

Those conversations reinforced something we see across the industry: the biggest challenge facing multi-site facility teams isn’t finding another vendor. It’s managing the complexity that comes with operating at scale.

More Locations. More Moving Parts.

As organizations grow, new locations bring new vendors, services, equipment, processes, invoices, and data.

Waste and recycling are a perfect example. Service levels vary. Equipment needs change. Recycling programs differ by market. And when something goes wrong (and it always does) someone on the facilities team has to fix it.

“Facility leaders don’t need another waste vendor to manage. They need partners who can remove complexity from the operation,” says DelliSanti. “When you create consistency, visibility, and accountability across locations, teams can spend less time chasing problems and more time improving performance.”

Breaking the Fire-Drill Cycle

A missed pickup, overflowing container, or equipment failure can quickly become an operational issue at any facility. Multiply those problems across hundreds of locations and facility teams can spend a significant amount of time reacting instead of improving.

The opportunity is to move from reactive facilities management to proactive operational management.

With better visibility into service, equipment, invoices, and operational data, teams can start asking better questions:

  • Are we receiving the right level of service?
  • Is equipment properly sized?
  • Where are recurring problems happening?
  • Where can we reduce costs or improve recycling?

“Data helps change the conversation from ‘What went wrong today?’ to ‘What can we improve tomorrow?’” says Downes. “That shift from reactive to proactive can have a major impact across a multi-site locations. 

One Operating Model. Many Locations.

This is where Rubicon helps.

Rubicon brings waste, recycling, equipment, specialty services, technology, data, and a nationwide network of service providers together within a more connected operating model.

That means helping facility teams improve consistency, gain greater visibility, control costs, identify opportunities for optimization, and support sustainability goals – without having to manage every moving piece individually.

The conversations at ConnexFM reinforced a simple point: Facilities management is becoming more complex. The solutions shouldn’t be. For multi-site organizations, the goal should be an operation that’s easier to see, easier to manage, and easier to improve. Stop managing vendors. Start managing performance. Contact Rubicon today at info@rubicon.com to help evaluate your multi-site needs.