Welcome to the Edifice blog – a place to discuss, comment and even argue about the issues that impact our profession of facilities management.
I’ll be endeavouring to post on a weekly basis, other demands on my time permitting. Please feel free to comment, as it’s the only way to make these pages dynamic and interesting. You can also contact me direct at the blog mailbox or, alternatively, through the comments if there are any particular issues or subjects that you’d like to see covered (or for which you’d like to write a “guest post” – no need to be shy!).
Thanks in advance for your interest and your support, and feel free to subscribe to this blog by adding it to your usual reader.
Tony Angel – MD, Edifice Limited
The Edifice 
#1 by David Emanuel on July 17, 2008 - 8:26 am
Tony
First of all good luck with the blog – I hope you get some useful participation which leads to some thought provoking comments…
Can I kick an idea off – is FM recession proof?? Recently read an article from the newly appointed BIFM Chair Iain Murray stating that FM was indeed recession proof!
Personally, I think that this is a bold statement and probably too general if not rather naive. Certainly the service providers generally weather downturns better than most other sectors – but that is not to say that those in the sector will not be affected – and will have to work harder for less rewards.
David Emanuel – MD i-FM.net
Thanks very much, David, and I think your question’s an interesting one… perhaps a good subject for a forthcoming post.
Tony
#2 by Iain Murray on July 17, 2008 - 1:50 pm
Don’t you just love being misquoted.
FM World chose to run the headline “FM is recession proof” which in actual fact is not what I said, and if you read the article I said that I thought that the industry could weather the storm better than others, there were areas that would be at risk and that margins will be squeezed, however I was optimistic.
However the comment gave the writer an opportunity to link to his website (actually, all gratuitous links have now been removed).
Regards Iain Murray, BIFM Chair
I was anticipating a response, Iain, but thanks for keeping it clean! Regardless of individual stance, I think this is worthy of debate and my next post will provide a forum for further discussion.
Everyone’s a blogger these days 🙂
Tony
#3 by Roger Thomson on July 18, 2008 - 1:11 pm
Well done on setting up the blog, Tony. Glad to see that its off to a flying start, and to no surprise a slightly controversial one?! ;-).
Just to throw my hat into the ring………
The resilience of the FM industry in times of recession is surely linked to the resilience of the clients that the FM industry serves.
Unfortunately, at a time when clients should be working closer than ever with their FM consultants and service providers there is a worrying tendency for them to simply look to immediately minimise expenditure without a longer term view of how this may impact on future FM costs.
Clearly, there are sectors that will be relatively (or even completely) unaffected by recession – particularly in the public sector. Those FM consultancies and service providers who work in the public sector will be unlikely to suffer the same downturn as those who provide services to commercial client organisations as the public sector cannot simply stop running schools and hospitals (lets hope not anyway!!).
Perhaps PFI, BSF (etc) is the place to be for the next few years?
Cheers,
Rog
Thanks for that, Rog – some good points and worthy of a quote or two in my imminent post on the subject.
Tony