The Latest

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  Deep Dive

  Rising waters: How manufacturers should approach flood preparation

  As climate change increases the threat of extreme weather, manufacturers must have the proper infrastructure and insurance policies to protect employees and facilities against the risk of flooding.

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  Johnson Controls, FM:Systems aim for faster asset alarm response

  A new integration automates ticketing systems and consolidates key work order information across systems, helping operators improve maintenance resource utilization, the companies say.

  Technology

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  New Mexico advances heat safety rule

  If passed, the state would be the sixth to implement its own heat-related guidance, after a federal standard appears to have lost steam.

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  ‘Edge AI’ product can reduce HVAC energy consumption by 15%: Schneider Electric

  The company’s proprietary AI model integrates with its new smart HVAC room controller to optimize system performance and occupant comfort, it says.

  Technology

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  Administrative tasks burden facility managers

  Despite wanting to focus on the strategic part of their job, property managers are distracted by low-level tasks and bogged down by traditional metrics, VTS says. 

  Technology

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  Partnerships aim to reduce water use at Google facilities

  The projects build on Google’s target to replenish the volume of freshwater consumed across its offices and data centers, on average, by 120% by 2030.

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  Mission statements do a lot of work on facilities teams, managers say

  Writing the statements can seem like a formality, but they can play a concrete role in technicians’ day-to-day work, facilities managers heard at NFMT 2025.

  Operations

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  Schneider Electric to invest $700M in US manufacturing

  The company aims to expand and renovate facilities across eight sites as it sees skyrocketing data center demand.

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  Digitizing emergency operations can ensure plans are accessible

  Hard copies of procedures can be time-consuming to locate or use when it matters most, according to 911inform.

  Health & Safety

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  Daikin, Poppy partner to accelerate building ventilation rate testing

  Adding Poppy’s real-time air-tracing and ventilation solutions to Daikin products and services can help buildings reduce energy costs and meet IAQ standards, the companies say. 

  Sustainability

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  NFMT 2025: Plenty of tech talk but with a focus on people

  The annual conference has drawn thousands of attendees and hundreds of exhibitors as facilities managers meet to share best practices and learn of products and services to help their operations.

  Operations

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  How phones shrink response times when facilities are at risk

  Mobile devices give building operators a powerful emergency preparedness resource – if they’re used to track work before a crisis hits, a response specialist says.

  Operations

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  Zaxbys adds AI cameras to drive-thru

  The technology from Berry AI measures speed of service and line abandonment, which could help boost drive-thru times by identifying bottlenecks.

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  ACEEE scorecard shows nationwide improvement in state energy efficiency programs

  Looking at emissions reduction goals far in advance can help align building capital planning budgets and deep energy retrofits, experts say.  

  Compliance

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  Schools earn a ‘D+’ for infrastructure

  Many public school buildings are hitting their 50-year design life, requiring “comprehensive” upgrades and replacements to key facility systems.

  Compliance

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  Building performance standards set to proliferate, evolve in 2025

  State and local governments continue to develop building standards that draw on existing frameworks and implement new metrics for measuring performance. 

  Compliance

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  $1.1B Southwest Florida airport expansion breaks ground

  Suffolk’s Terminal E project in Fort Myers, Florida, includes chiller replacement and expansion and a new concourse with 14 gates.

  Development

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  Sensors help building operators detect vaping

  The sensors can also monitor temperature, humidity and CO2 levels to make air quality easier to manage, the manufacturer says.

  Technology

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  UAlbany decarbonization project to cut fossil fuel consumption 16%

  With geothermal wells, heat recovery and chiller replacements, the university will be able to shut off its gas-fired boilers during the summer, it says.

  Sustainability

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  Federal buildings plagued with security, maintenance problems: GAO

  Those concerns plus low occupancy rates support the sale of more federal buildings, a Government Accountability Office official said in a House subcommittee hearing. 

  Operations

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  Cloud data centers get bigger, denser amid AI building boom

  AWS, Microsoft and Google accounted for 59% of all hyperscale compute capacity as the number of large facilities grew to more than 1,100 last year, Synergy Research Group said.

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  Sodexo caught in union dues tussle

  While the company waits for union instructions, an employee has filed a labor complaint to stop it from deducting dues from her paycheck.

  Labor

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  Rise in office attendance leads building operators to automate visitor management

  With more than a third of businesses increasing office attendance, managers can find value in integrating workplace solutions, a company in the management software space says. 

  Technology

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  Tariffs’ impact on commercial real estate

  Third-party logistics providers could fill otherwise slack industrial space as tenants rely on them while volatility persists, CBRE says. Manufacturing and retail also could see effects.

  Operations

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  Hospitality operator Mint House opens college-town ‘aparthotel’

  With The Dylin, its first opening since acquiring Locale last month, the residential hospitality operator capitalizes on long-term accommodations demand in Madison, Wisconsin.

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