In this interview, Easton discusses how Smart O&M enables customers to transition from traditional cost management models to tangible improvements in business productivity.

Q. What is Smart O&M and how does it transform facility management? 

Smart O&M represents a paradigm shift in how we approach facilities management. It's a cloud-based platform that leverages advanced data management technologies to deliver significantly more efficient operation and maintenance of new and existing assets.

The platform utilizes Detection and Diagnostics (FDD) and AI-driven Predictive Maintenance algorithms to support an industrialized operating model and new smart solutions offerings. By centralizing all information at a central hub, Smart O&M records and updates all asset details, including space and equipment descriptions, documentation, and relationships between assets.

What makes Smart O&M truly transformative is how it enables customers to transition from traditional cost management approaches to tangible improvements in business productivity. This transformation delivers environmental and operational efficiencies, enhances service quality, and reduces costs, ultimately helping our clients reduce their carbon footprint while optimising operational expenses. 

Q. How does Smart O&M deliver concrete benefits in real-world applications?

First, it delivers data-driven maintenance operations by monitoring conditions in spaces in real time and accounting for actual occupancy. This approach is critical when you consider that air conditioning accounts for 7% of globalelectricity and 3% of carbon emissions.

Second, Smart O&M monitors technical equipment behaviors using smart algorithms to identify early underperformance signals. This enables conditional maintenance that optimizes asset lifecycle while preventing costly breakdowns.

Third, the platform creates a digital twin of installations to manage, monitor, and optimize space conditions, equipment performance, and energy efficiency. Accenture estimates that virtual twins can unlock additional benefits of $1.3 trillion in economic value and 7.5 Gt CO2 emissions reductions by 2030.

As a real-world example, we implemented Smart O&M for Standard Chartered Tower, a premium 18-storey Grade “A” office tower in Downtown Dubai comprising more than 2,500 assets. The results were substantial: improved workforce efficiency through proactive maintenance, optimized activities through condition-based maintenance, reduced downtime and breakdowns, significant energy optimization, reduced utility bills, and automated performance reporting per space and tenant.

Q. How is ENGIE Solutions innovating in workplace safety?

We are driving a profound transformation in workplace safety through our commitment to "No life at risk" and our ENGIE One Safety program.

This approach aims to ensure the sustainable elimination of serious and fatal accidents for all individuals working for the Group, including contracted workers.

A key innovation we're implementing is using predictive analytics to forecast and prevent potential hazards. We identify patterns that signal impending dangers by harnessing data from diverse sources, such as IoT devices, environmental sensors, and employee feedback. This represents a paradigm shift from reactive to proactive safety management.

For example, at the International Maritime Industries project in Ras Al- Khair - which spans 12 million sq.m with over 500 buildings designed for a workforce exceeding 23,500 - we leverage our Smart O&M platform to analyze data from various sources to forecast potential hazards. By monitoring environmental conditions and worker activities in real-time, we can predict and prevent heat-related illnesses during the scorching summer months,  a critical concern in our climate.

Q. What are the broader benefits of ENGIE's advanced approach to workplace safety?

The benefits extend far beyond reducing accident rates. A safer workplace fosters a sense of security among employees, boosting morale and productivity -
crucial as we strive to develop a highly skilled local workforce aligned with nationalization goals across the region.

Our data-driven decisions transform workplace culture. When employees see that their safety is being prioritized through innovative means, trust and engagement are cultivated. This creates a virtuous cycle where workers become more proactive in reporting potential hazards, further enriching the data pool for our predictive models.

Q. How does ENGIE Solutions address energy efficiency challenges in the built environment?

As an accredited Energy Services Company (ESCO), ENGIE Solutions specializes in delivering guaranteed energy efficiency solutions. Our comprehensive approach optimizes energy use across diverse building types and industrial plants through several key strategies:

First, we deploy smart technologies, energy-efficient equipment, and carbon-free solutions throughout the design, installation, and operation phases. This
creates an integrated approach that tackles efficiency at every stage of a facility's lifecycle.

Second, our services are delivered through performance-based contracts customized to meet our customers' unique needs, specific industry sectors, and the criticality of their facilities. This ensures alignment between our solutions and our clients' business objectives.

Our Smart O&M platform is crucial in breaking down consumption and production per usage of electricity, gas, water, or steam. This provides building owners with a granular analysis of their energy usage, allowing them to identify optimization opportunities that might otherwise remain hidden.

Q. What does ENGIE's BEMAS accreditation mean for clients seeking energy efficiency solutions?

ENGIE Solutions' recent Building Energy Management Accreditation Scheme (BEMAS) certification, awarded in December 2024, provides our clients with independent verification of our expertise in energy management. This prestigious accreditation, valid for three years, confirms that our efficiency services meet rigorous industry standards established by the BEMAS Accreditation Board.

For clients, this accreditation offers assurance that ENGIE Solutions possesses the validated capabilities to deliver on energy performance commitments. It demonstrates our ability to implement data-driven energy management strategies, conduct comprehensive energy audits, and deliver measurable energy savings across diverse facility types. Additionally, the BEMAS accreditation strengthens our position as a trusted energy services partner capable of helping clients achieve their sustainability goals while optimizing operational costs throughout their built environment.

Q. How is ENGIE Solutions positioned as a go-to O&M partner for data centers in the Middle East?

ENGIE Solutions has established itself as the premier O&M partner for data centers in the Middle East by addressing the unique challenges of operating these critical facilities in our region's demanding environment.

Our Data Centre Solutions offers comprehensive services, including O&M, energy management, refitting, design & construction, and project development. What truly sets us apart is integrating Smart O&M technology with data center operations. We deploy sensors throughout facilities to provide early warning of anomalies and enable precisely targeted maintenance interventions before they impact equipment performance. This predictive approach is crucial for maintaining the 24/7/365 availability that modern digital infrastructure demands.

Our specialized technical and cleaning services deliver operational excellence and risk mitigation strategies through tailor-made ongoing maintenance programs. These ensure that data center environments are maintained to specified particulate levels, providing peace of mind for regional facility managers and IT teams.

Q. How are sustainability challenges being addressed in Middle Eastern data centers?

Operating data centers in a region where temperatures regularly exceed 50°C presents extraordinary cooling challenges. This is further complicated by the rapid advancement of AI, which places unprecedented demands on data center infrastructure.

ENGIE Solutions' comprehensive cleaning protocols for sub-floor voids and air handling systems have demonstrated measurable improvements in cooling efficiency, contributing directly to sustainability objectives. Our expertise in hot and cold aisle containment improves airflow management by creating dedicated pathways for cold supply air and hot exhaust air, preventing mixing and enhancing cooling efficiency.

We also implement liquid cooling systems that offer remarkable sustainability advantages through closed-circuit water systems, significantly reducing water
consumption while delivering superior heat removal capabilities. Studies show direct-to-chip liquid cooling can decrease facility power by 18% and total data center power by 10%, substantially lowering the carbon footprint of modern AI-focused data centers.

Additionally, we help data centersharness the abundant solar resources in our region, supporting the Middle East's expected tripling of renewable energy share from 5.6% in 2016 to 20.6% in 2035, with solar making up the lion's share of this transition.

Q. What makes ENGIE Solutions' approach to integrated facilities management unique?

ENGIE Solutions delivers integrated, tailor-made, technology-enabled, and data-driven solutions that address the unique challenges faced by organizations across various sectors. Our client-centric approach allows us to provide solutions that align with your built environment's requirements, optimizing both OPEX and CAPEX.

What distinguishes our approach is our ability to leverage in-house service capabilities and advanced technology platforms like Smart O&M to drive cost savings while ensuring client satisfaction.

Our comprehensive service portfolio includes operations, sector-specific processes, smart technology, energy management, and alternate energy
solutions.

As demonstrated by our recent enhancement of soft services capabilities through specialized training, advanced cleaning methods, and sustainable practices, we continuously evolve our offerings to meet changing market needs.

Our collaboration with global cleaning leaders like KIEHL, introducing their extensive range of EU Ecolabel-certified cleaning products, further strengthens our ability to deliver environmentally responsible services.

Q. How does ENGIE Solutions combine global expertise with local knowledge?

As part of Engie Group, a global energy leader present in 70 countries with over 96,000 employees worldwide, we bring unparalleled access to advanced technologies, vast skills and resources, and significant investments in R&D and sustainable research.

At the same time, ENGIE Solutions maintains strong local roots. We started in the UAE in 2008 and now employ more than 3,000 employees across the region.

This combination allows us to provide locally relevant solutions based on global expertise and best practices. Our track record speaks to this balance.

We manage prestigious projects like DMCC's Iconic Uptown Tower, where we introduced innovative technologies to reduce utilities consumption and manage the MEP and specialized technical services., We serve as the managing agent for International Maritime Industries in Ras Al Khair, one of the world's largest maritime facilities, providing comprehensive services through Computer-Aided Facilities Management.

This blend of global capabilities and local expertise positions ENGIE Solutions as the partner of choice for organizations seeking comprehensive, sustainable facilities management solutions tailored to the unique demands of the GCC region.

Q. How has ENGIE Solutions enhanced its soft services portfolio?

ENGIE Solutions has significantly strengthened its soft services offering as part of our evolution as a premier service provider delivering an in-house, broad spectrum of integrated services. Our enhanced portfolio now covers specialized cleaning protocols for healthcare environments, sustainable maintenance solutions for commercial spaces, and customized cleaning programs for industrial facilities.

A key development in this area is our recent collaboration with Johannes KIEHL KG, introducing their extensive range of EU Ecolabel-certified cleaning products to our service portfolio. This cooperation enhances our ability to deliver environmentally responsible cleaning services as part of our Integrated Facilities Management Services across various sectors.

We've invested substantially in soft services capabilities through specialized training, advanced cleaning methods, and sustainable practices. Importantly, we prioritize essential soft skills, particularly communication and teamwork, enabling clear stakeholder engagement and effective cross-functional collaboration.

Q. What specific benefits do clients gain from ENGIE's enhanced soft services?

First, they gain the convenience of a single partner for all their facility needs, simplifying vendor management and ensuring consistent service quality across their entire built environment. 

Second, our environmentally responsible cleaning solutions contribute directly to our clients' sustainability goals while maintaining the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene. This is particularly valuable for organizations with ESG commitments that extend to their facility operations.

Third, our specialized protocols for different facility types – whether healthcare, commercial, or industrial – ensure that each environment receives the exact cleaning approach it requires. This tailored methodology maximizes both effectiveness and efficiency.

Collaboration with global cleaning leaders like KIEHL, strengthens ENGIE Solutions' ability to deliver eco-friendly services. ENGIE Solutions utilizes innovative technologies to reduce utilities consumption and manage the MEP and specialized technical services at prestigious projects like DMCC's Uptown Tower in Dubai.