Delivering Efficient, Nationwide Client Site Resource Reallocation via The Stock Room
Challenge
Continuous improvement has become a core strategic focus for ABM, especially when delivering services for its clients. With over 1,600 clients across the UK&I, additional support for efficient and environmentally sustainable resource management was viewed as critical, both to support clients and site teams.
Many managers and client-facing subject matter experts (SMEs), for example, knew of valuable machinery, such as electric floor cleaners, that could be used productively at other locations. Yet such knowledge was often localized, and reallocating this equipment required extensive and time-consuming outreach. Moreover, due to ABM’s resource requirements, from office and cleaning materials to engineering tools, it meant that there was a surplus of unused equipment.
Solution
Delivering efficient, nationwide client site resource reallocation via The Stock Room:
To address this, “The Stock Room,” a centralized digital hub that listed all available equipment from across the business and acted as a resource network for management teams, was conceived. The Stock Room was required to act as a single source for all available inventory, help reduce waste, improve cost-efficiency, support site teams, and implement increasingly sustainable resource allocation.
ABM’s internal developers and business improvement experts wanted a strategically viable digital location to host The Stock Room for optimal traffic. NucleusUK, ABM’s internal web portal for resources, workflows, operational support, and training, was chosen as the platform to help launch The Stock Room.
Prior to the full launch, ABM’s development and business improvement teams designed, executed, and analyzed a series of trials and pilot schemes to test the application’s functions. Through regular stakeholder participation, both in using The Stock Room and facilitating equipment delivery to clients, ABM was able to deepen its knowledge of best practices. This provided important learnings for future development in user experience, tracking and measuring metrics, and large-scale inventory management.
In addition to greater accessibility and reach, this internal development provided more analytical capabilities and increased strategic value. The Stock Room soon became a rich source for data, both in understanding demand-based trends (in conjunction with client requirements) and accelerating mobilization timelines through resource allocation.
Furthermore, ABM trialed The Stock Room as a tool to help develop increasingly sustainable and cost-efficient closed-loop economies. Given the need to offload significant quantities of equipment from external suppliers, clients and managers have been able to take advantage of this surplus, rather than purchase additional equipment externally. As a result, this internal circular economy has been able to sustain multiple projects through rapid equipment allocation and reduce waste streams.
The Stock Room also became an invaluable tool for tracking ABM’s equipment service history. Given the high demand for machinery and heavy equipment such as robotic floor cleaning machines, quality control and maintenance were vital.
Benefits
- Continuous improvement: Through greater tracking and logging capabilities, ABM has been successful in supporting its clients with effective resource management and providing accelerated mobilization support. Similarly, the gathered data from The Stock Room has been effective in predicting demand for equipment.
- Greater cost-efficiency: Over £48,000 worth of specialized machinery has been redeployed through reallocation via The Stock Room. For example, over a dozen robotic floor cleaners, each valued from £5,000 to £8,000, have been redeployed to different client locations.
- Streamlined mobilization: The complexity of mobilization has been reduced because of The Stock Room’s resource management capabilities. This provided additional visibility and deeper knowledge of available resources, including quantity, service history, and location.
- Rapid equipment reallocation: Site managers and senior leaders have been able to access and use The Stock Room on behalf of clients, which has significantly sped up service delivery and resource allocation. This widened management networks to include colleagues across ABM, allowing for faster decision-making and shortened project timelines.
- Single point of contact: The Stock Room acts as a centralized hub and single point of contact for clients and site managers alike. Team leaders have been able to access the platform directly, rather than rely on local networks or external suppliers for new purchases.
- Inventory reporting: Through The Stock Room, site managers and other business leaders received a tool that can be used to track inventories across the business and account for costed equipment.
- Enhanced sustainability: ABM has significantly reduced its internal waste streams through The Stock Room, both internally and for its clients. Through this centralized hub, equipment has been recorded, labeled, offloaded, and then quickly redeployed elsewhere, preventing unnecessary wastage and expenditure across ABM’s sites teams.
- Effective resource management: ABM has been able to leverage the strategic value of The Stock Room for its clients with greater resource flexibility. Similarly, the platform has enabled a greater degree of tracking for individual items, from initial purchase to regular maintenance, which provided guarantees of quality.
- Future functionality: Due to The Stock Room’s tracking and measurement functionality, this platform is well-positioned to develop additional features for clients so that they can benefit even further from ABM’s sustainable resource flexibility.
