Site-specific engineers walk and talk in a digitized space that features facilities and operations equipment

Why Visual Software Will Disrupt Facilities Management in 2023

April 19, 2023

Building functions and day-to-day operations are the dominant focus of facilities personnel. They’re tasked with continuous monitoring, scheduling, data collecting, maintenance, and project managing duties.  But if next-gen technology was intentionally implemented in an infrastructure, every component of a building (critical spaces, safety responses, mechanical items, data collection, etc.) becomes visualized. Sight is the medium through which building operations are conducted. Visual software is unlocking never-before-seen possibilities within the built environment.  Training Because every building is unique, it is not an illogical consideration to have one-of-a-kind training modules and resources tailored to each specific site; 3-Dimensional scans and the virtual environment are allowing facilities managers to have a stronger understanding and command of their assets. Old CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management Systems) are organized in 2D platforms. Operating in one less dimension is becoming outdated, restricting facilities management. The rationale behind having a relevant CMMS is to help engineers and other personnel visualize their space.  But 2-Dimensional representation has its limitations.  By using a 3D model (called a Digital Twin) as the actual space where the training occurs, highly accurate digital walkthroughs of a building are visualized. Courses, quizzes, and assessments can be also assigned within the digital space so that users can see the content virtually. Without the 3D component, it’s impossible to realize specific zones accurately, efficiently, and comprehensively. And in some cases, on-site trainings can now be enhanced by off-site access and reference.  Preventative Maintenance The vast majority (an estimated 75%) of an engineer’s daily on-site duties is to perform preventative maintenance tasks; facilities personnel are constantly looking to save their corporations time and money in this sector. It’s no secret that binders are becoming more outdated in this digital world. Many industry experts predict that by 2023, 2-Dimensional CMMS will be put on the shelf for a better, clearer, more encyclopedic solution.  Imagine how much time could be saved if all data and service records were compiled within a 3D space on top of the digital twin being serviced. 300+ page documents become replaceable. Paper-bound checklists are no longer needed.  Picture how a 3D CMMS could streamline communication between engineers, chief operators, servicers, vendors – you name it – all within a virtual, augmented reality. Now when a vital belt is loose, or a significant chiller needs to be checked by a chief, a hyper-visual software allows for communication to be rapid, enabling problems to be solved more expeditiously and efficiently.  Safety To take visual software one step further: building owners can use the power of Digital Twin technology to greatly enhance safety protocols. This tech grants users a way to design and deliver emergency response procedures tailored to their site.  How valuable would it be to have a virtual copy of an emergency shutoff valve’s location? And how much safer would a building be if there was a digital copy of the specifics of critical control panels? Even escape routes can be hyper-visualized by replacing a highlighted piece of paper with a virtual 3D scan: a resource that is readily visualized and practiced via any smart device.  Additionally, if a building safety ordinance is altered, response plans can be adjusted in the cloud to fit the requirements without having to redo manuals, videos, or other time-consuming documentation. These changes remain hyper-visual by leveraging a digital twin to accurately depict the proper protocols.  Visual software that allows its users to see their spaces in a virtual environment is disrupting the way facilities personnel view their CMMS.  How We Do It Aetos Imaging is pioneering a hyper-visual, hyper-efficient operations management system within the virtual environment. Aetos is partnering with agencies and facilities managers around the world to deliver a digital twin that is packaged with revolutionary training, preventative maintenance procedures, essential data retention, safety solutions, and much more to their users.  Possessing a 3D CMMS to visualize the integral areas of a building is incredibly helpful for facilities managers and trainers. “The ability that Aetos gives the industry – to be able to walk a space, completely virtually, completely remotely – and it [is] seamless,” remarks Jacob Ruppel, an assistant Chief Engineer at Portman Holdings in Atlanta, Georgia.  The features that Aetos Imaging has been developing and deploying have seen incredible payoff for their users. “We get so excited about the ability to create custom training scenarios that are repeatable, trackable, and bespoke to each individual building, or generalized over a portfolio standard,” states Aetos President and Co-founder Connor Offutt.  “What our platform allows you to do is to create a sequence of operations simulations – Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, – and input any amount of learning data that you’d like,” reveals Offutt. “Video, images, files, etc… we can put all that information into the Aetos Operate platform.” 3-Dimensional CMMS are now available for facilities management – a resource that manifests another dimension of control.   Interested? If you understand the potential that Aetos Operate can unlock for your portfolio and have an interest in taking your assets to the next level, reach out to Aetos Imaging today! We would love to comprehensively show your team – in depth – how our transformative CMMS works.

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A senior technician and junior engineer discuss institutional knowledge and best practices for the management of their facilities and equipment.

Accelerating Retirement Rates Are Causing the Knowledge Gap to Widen

April 19, 2023

The American workforce was hit with the most disruptive pandemic in history in 2020. Yet a viral issue that is quietly, yet rapidly sneaking up on employers across nearly all industries is the exponential uptick in retirement.  Retirement and resignation rates are outpacing the hiring rates in multiple industries. One in four workers in the United States is a baby boomer, nearly 41 million citizens. The experience of this generation is dominant and prevalent. Hence, as they start transitioning out of the workforce – particularly within high-level senior positions – there is an unavoidable gap created in the tribal knowledge of an institution.  Schools and universities, nursing and healthcare workers, and civil sectors are all facing a decline in retention rates. Personnel management organizations are desperate to solve this massive concern.  Engineers are undoubtedly essential to well-run infrastructure. Without engineers, there simply would be an absence of effective operations in every piece of architecture – and many are leaving the field. It’s no wonder that these crucial departures are having a significant impact.  In Detroit, nearly 1,000 salaried workers at Ford opted to retire due to pension payouts by December 1st of this year. While it’s very understandable why engineers and employees would make such financial decisions, there is a hidden repercussion within the move: hundreds of thousands of hours of experience held by such employees evaporated. And although nearly all of the 1,000 workers were anticipated to retire by 2024, the time that could have been utilized to train and educate their replacements is now gone.  And very recently, Boeing lost hundreds of experienced engineers in the Seattle-area for similar reasons. Pension payouts proved to be a leading cause for highly-accomplished engineers to leave the field at Boeing. More than 500 highly experienced engineers, along with nearly 130 additional technical workers left the company.  In situations like these, tribal knowledge that was obtained and professionally implemented by the workforce is lost. This, in turn, has the potential to cause a huge set-back in facilities management know-how, implementation strategies, and even nuanced responses to various scenarios It is challenging to restore qualified personnel. Yet even more so, industrial and commercial businesses and corporations are having an even harder time replacing their building engineers and experts. Even when considering advanced technologies and new AI automations, the engineering industry is the most critical component when implementing effective building management and systems.  Infrastructures throughout the country are tasked with progressing as a productive entity while retention emerges as a glaring issue. Retirement causes deceleration. Resignation prompts delay. And these withdrawals – regardless of the cause – are creating ominous, expensive implications for building managers to grapple with. The new generation is simply not getting into older industries in enough quantities to fill the retirement gap. Simply put, there aren't enough mechanics and trade-oriented professionals to go around. Portfolio and building managers are hard-pressed to find and keep the personnel required to effectively operate. These pressing conversations are compelling many institutions to find ways to fill the gap. Some companies like Aetos Imaging have decided to use their digital twin technologies to bridge the educational gap between generations.  A hyper-visual, hyper-functional software (called “Operate”), Aetos Imaging is intent on becoming the solution in the workforce rift. By leveraging a 3D environment – coupled with customized overlays of a virtual space – procedures are captured, logistics are saved, critical data is stored, augmented trainings are realized, conversations are recorded, and safety standards are upheld. That is some serious firepower to combat the race against time as retiring workers are making space for an incoming crew – whether that be internal promotions or new hires.  Previously, a senior chief engineer would need to instruct and train up a new crew member about all the critical spaces of a building and the proper responses tied to a myriad of scenarios – not to mention the continual refreshers that would need to coordinate with schedules, building access, and even individual professionalism.  It can take months (or even years) for a replacement to really grasp and remember the processes within. And with the impact of retiring baby boomers (25% of the workforce being 60+ years old) and the difficulty in retaining Millennials (21% leave within a year), a new technology could not be more punctual. It’s no secret that the American workforce is approaching a point of no return. Retirement rates are accelerating, and the knowledge gap is widening. What companies and organizations do in the meantime to prepare and implement this undeniable juncture will have the most significant impact on their respective relevance within their respective industries. 

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A cityscape is overlayed with digital features, linking the physical with the virtual in the form of digital twins and 3D scans

We’re Having Twins! 3D Scans Are Here

April 19, 2023

Across the globe, Digital Twin technologies are becoming more and more prevalent in the physical world. Many tech experts have predicted an uptick in digital twin usage and applications, anticipating 2023 as the year for the breakthrough. Organizations all over the world are having twins. And it looks like they’re here to stay.  Aetos Imaging recognized this trend months ago, and have found a niche to help serve building owners, portfolio holders, facilities management, and safety personnel. With the Aetos Operate Software, 3D scans can be hyper-visualized and specifically layered in efforts to unlock the full potential of streamlined operations within a building’s life cycle. 3D scans and the technologies implemented within the built environment are continuing to become more commonplace.  Summit European Digital Twin Summit 2022 occurred in Hamburg, Germany this September. The purpose of the meeting was to “advance the use of digital twin technologies across industries, ranging from Real Estate, to Complex Production Facilities, from Architecture, Engineering, and Construction to Taxonomy for Predictive Maintenance, Compliance Management, and combating Shortage of Skilled Workers by effectively preserving human knowledge and experiences in human-digital twin interaction.”  The attendees at the summit were introduced to further applications that digital twins can provide for commercial real estate, as well as provided a networking opportunity for like-minded individuals who are involved in making the built environment more sustainable and efficient. AECO AECO Innovation Lab recently launched a new research project to get a clearer, more comprehensive picture of the relationship between digital twins and a building’s life cycle. Based in Canada, AECO is keen on discovering more on the implications of this technology within the architectural, engineering, and construction sectors.  One of the key components of the project is to observe and measure “the economic, environmental and social challenges that can be addressed by digital twins such as visualizing land and building investments, predicting affordable housing needs, looking at developing sustainable cities, and aiding in municipal operations.” By looking beyond just infrastructure, digital twin technology has the capacity to enhance the experiences of project managers, investors, building operators, architects, engineers, and tax-paying citizens. Microsoft Household name Microsoft is pushing the envelope in the digital space. Using their Azure IoT platform, they’re aiming to “monitor and analyze the use of resources and resulting emissions” within infrastructure. Microsoft is trying to use this branch of technology to improve sustainability and explore equipment management and safety systems within buildings. (Sounds familiar!)  The tech is picking up speed, and the implications of this momentum is clear: industry leaders around the world are exploring ways to leverage digital twin technology across multiple trades, environments, corporations, and services. Aetos Imaging Aetos is encouraged to see so many different industries seeing the value of digital twins and utilizing the virtual space as a way to be more efficient, productive, clean, manageable, and environmentally friendly; 3D scans can be applied to a myriad of applications, and we’re ready to show the world what our software (Aetos Operate) is capable of.  Aetos is leading the charge on how to better implement system management, green building initiatives, training services, preventative maintenance, and safety regulations; Aetos knows that building owners, companies, and even government agencies are looking for ways to augment their modus operandi and improve their assets.  Our platform is breaking barriers and challenging the current environment to push even further than before. The experts believe digital twins will boom in 2023: Aetos has been anticipating this need, and are ready to help large-scale buildings take the next jump into better management.  Organizations all over the world are having twins; now it’s time to leverage the technology to save money, save time, and prevent unnecessary problems. And since Digital Twins are here to stay, Aetos Imaging believes there’s a bright future in professional collaboration with building owners everywhere. Find out today how we can serve your space!

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Commercial Building Management Just Got Easier

December 02, 2022

Right now, the newest marketing strategy in the residential real estate space is everywhere: 3D listings. Agents all across the country are using 3D technology to offer “self-guided” tours of a listed property; this enables potential buyers to explore and see their new home in a virtual space. By creating these “digital twins”, the real estate market is becoming more and more accessible for prospects. But what if that technology was used for more than just listing and selling a space? What if 3D imaging could actually be used as a tool for large-scale facilities management?  Enter Aetos Operate. Aetos Imaging is an industry-leading software service that provides and unlocks incredible potential for how large buildings are managed, maintained, viewed, documented, and appreciated (both in the monetary and general sense of the word). Essentially, Aetos Imaging has created a virtual platform to leverage the capabilities of a digital twin. A digital twin is basically that: a 3D capturing of a physical space that is then “uploaded into the cloud”; this process has an exponential impact on commercial spaces. And Aetos Imaging is leading the way. Aetos Imaging is driven to add astonishing value and convenience to commercial building owners. It’s flagship software — Aetos Operate — is opening up a virtual world where facilities management is simply better. Aetos Imaging has unlocked incredible potential for building owners to improve facilities management by using the Operate software to intentionally target digital storage, portfolio support, user interface, customized trainings, and asset appreciation.  Digital Storage Aetos Operate can digitally scan and store a building’s space in its entirety — from start to finish, top to bottom. Pre-construction, construction, and post-construction phases of a building are incredible pieces of data that can be stored and utilized for future decisions. How many times has a building owner wished they knew what was behind a wall before starting a project? Portfolio Support Not only can it securely hold data for a specific building, the Aetos Operate software was intentionally designed for owners of multiple buildings to utilize. Want to compare your 6 chiller rooms in your portfolio to see some specs and maintenance information? Great, click a couple buttons. That’s right, Aetos Operate has created an advantage for owners to compare, contrast, and evaluate their critical spaces at the click of a button — not digging through mounds and mounds of (potentially outdated) paperwork. Incredible User Interface The visibility benefit of Aetos Operate is spectacular. Within our software, we have developed a user-friendly experience where building documentation functions in a way that is best suited for commercial operations. Within the framework is the opportunity to cite past, current, and future maintenance data, have an accessible location for collaboration and correspondence, link files (or videos) to support facilities operations, and much more all within the scope of Aetos Operate. Customized Training By using Aetos Operate, facilities managers can implement onboarding or best-practice trainings to a multitude of employees all virtually. Imagine a day where mandatory building walk-throughs aren’t full of logistical headaches; imagine a way for meetings, notes, and critical space knowledge and strategies become more efficient, cost-effective, digitally archivable, and accessible to new and existing location workers. Asset Appreciation  And to bring it full circle, a 3D capture is powerful (and nearly becoming required) in the real estate world. Suppose a building owner is trying to market their space: wouldn’t a digital twin being included only strengthen the value of the asset? “My commercial property is for sale. Oh yeah, I’ll throw in an Aetos Operate digital twin of the entire thing — with accurately tagged and labeled critical locations complete with the online documents of knowledge and how-tos for how to run the space smoothly.”  These are just a sample of items that the power of 3D imaging can bring with Aetos. If you’re interested in taking your asset and/or portfolio to the next level with the industry leader, Aetos Imaging and Aetos Operate are ready. Request a demo today, and see how Aetos can help. 

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Better Training with Aetos Operate

August 09, 2022

The True Struggles of Training Engineers, owners and operators understand how difficult it can be to train employees about a building, current best practices and more. Buildings are bespoke, not mass-manufactured, so owners, operators, engineers, and everyone in between must be on the same page in order for these real-world assets to run efficiently. Remote collaboration and remote training offer solutions to some of the biggest problems in commercial buildings. Imagine a day when engineers can simply hop on a call with their building managers, who, in the past, might have had to take a flight or drive across the state in order to solve an issue or emergency. Time lost cannot be replaced, plane tickets and fuel costs keep rising, and hopping on a call would save both time and money. With Aetos Operate, that future is reality, with our in-scan virtual conferencing feature. Anyone can hop on a call and literally navigate through the 3D digital twin environment on any convenient device.  Train from Anywhere Aetos Operate revolutionizes the way that commercial operations, management and training succeed. Often, site-specific training must be done on-site, when many people’s road time could be used in a more productive way. Engineers can now receive site-specific training from wherever they are in the world, by the best trainers with the most curated and refined skills. Seasoned engineers can now work from where they are most productive, without having to worry about losing important information and knowledge while training new employees. With our in-depth 3D image capture of buildings using Matterport, Aetos Operate collects all of a building’s equipment information. This enables better training and better onboarding. In the same way remote collaboration in the 3D environment empowers building talent to connect with anyone, anywhere in the world.  Fully Customize Training Aetos Operate allows buildings to offer custom training simulations that are tailored to unique operations, not just an industry boilerplate. Building Operators  create a visual equipment database by tagging equipment, components and the systems to which they belong. This feature is completely customizable, so whatever information a building needs can be accessed with the click of a button. Staff can easily find and identify equipment, react to critical emergencies or even go through specific equipment maintenance procedures. Walkthroughs of the real-world asset are easier, less time consuming, and even help cut down travel costs. Operate makes it easier than ever to keep your entire facilities workforce up-to-date on the most critical training procedures. New hires can learn directly from the best trainers and most seasoned experts with minimal time lost.  Utilize the Full Power of Operate Aetos Operate enables better training. With our 3D scanning and implementation process, we capture and curate the tribal knowledge of your building and its operations. Every building is unique, and we understand that effective training also must be unique. Our training builder allows you to create training simulations in the virtual environment and train from anywhere in the world. The best training your building could ever need is just one demo away; schedule a demo today at aetosimaging.com!

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How the Future of CRE firms are Managing Their Assets

August 09, 2022

CRE Management is Messy Commercial Real Estate firms across the nation understand the struggle of staying organized while managing a large portfolio. With assets delegated among the management team, how can a firm with a large portfolio stay on the same page if their information is not organized properly? Aetos Operate eliminates unorganized facilities information and provides businesses with a clear, accessible dashboard to manage all of their real-world building assets, spaces and equipment.  Take Some of the Stress Off Management and Facility Operations teams can now access all of their buildings, spaces and equipment all in one place. Aetos Operate provides businesses with an appealing dashboard which houses their whole portfolio of buildings, individual space scans, and specific equipment. Operate also features truly immersive, 3D video conferencing, allowing team members to collaborate directly with each other within the digital twin itself, whether they are across the campus or on the road. There is not Enough to go Around “Remote” is a word everyone hears more often these days. Remote work, remote training, and more; but there hasn’t been much talk, if any, about remote operations. Now, Aetos provides a solution to one of the biggest Operational challenges: bandwidth. Everyone in commercial real estate operations understands how difficult it is to find qualified employees to fill important positions, now more than ever. Aetos Operate allows employees to be better equipped with on-demand learning and remote operations. This allows employees to handle their workload more effectively, and even retains qualified talent for whom excessive travel would be a deal-breaker.  Can Digital Twins help? Having a digital twin of your building has many practical applications and benefits, including leveraging technology for training and operations. Remote training can take your business to the next level. Imagine not having to purchase airline tickets for training a whole team of engineers. Now, that dream can be a reality. Check out this article to learn more about how Aetos Operate provides remote training capabilities.  Green AND Efficient Aetos Operate allows for green and efficient facility operations, by ensuring the best talent with the most relevant expertise is always calling the shots on how a building runs. Operate literally reduces a building’s carbon footprint by minimizing carbon-intensive long-distance travel, wasting daily fleet fuel locally, and by facilitating optimal facilities management. Not only that, but Aetos Operate provides remote work opportunities that never existed before, a critical advantage in winning the war for talent in today’s marketplace. Now businesses can utilize 3D digital twins to train employees, as well as operate and manage all their assets at levels of sustainability and efficiency impossible to achieve in the past.  Stay One Step Ahead Commercial real estate firms know they must find advantages wherever they can to sustain a leading position in the marketplace; operations management, training, and organization offer many opportunities to seize the lead. Leading CRE firms manage their assets and get ahead of the competition with Aetos Operate. Book a demo today at aetosimaging.com and see how Aetos is making waves in the ocean of commercial real estate! 

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Why build Green Commercial Spaces?

November 29, 2022

Dan Smigrod of WGAN-TV recently sat down with the President of Aetos Imaging, Connor Offutt, and Head of Communications of SIG, Brian Bollinger, to discuss the synergy between these two leaders in green building technology and how they are pioneering the use of 3D digital twins to drastically increase the value of commercial real estate assets and the skilled teams that operate them. Discussion spans from sustainability and efficiency to what it means to actually build and maintain green commercial spaces. Be sure to check out the highly informative interview here: https://vimeo.com/727945980

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How the New Era of Engineers are Training Their Teams With 3D Scans

August 09, 2022

How the New Era of Engineers are Training Their Teams With 3D Scans Buildings are complex, unique and always improving. Advances in engineering technology, tools, and best practices happen almost every day. Staying up to date with new methods of training is vital to keeping your team ahead of the curve. The new generation of engineers will be trained in the newest technologies and best training practices that can be accessed in the field or from anywhere in the world.  “Tribal Knowledge” in Commercial Real Estate Tribal knowledge is any information pertaining to a product or service process that resides only in the minds of the employees. This critical expertise may reside with one or many employees, and may vary between teams, but it is undocumented in nature. Because it is unwritten, tribal knowledge is typically shared by example or word-of-mouth (if at all). For facilities management teams, tribal knowledge can be a huge barrier to quickly developing and strengthening the learning of important teams. It is often the case where critical information on how to operate the building resides in the minds of the engineers or specialized staff, and is not stored or distributed to future employees through a guaranteed process.  How can Aetos help businesses save? In the wake of the covid pandemic, effective communication and training has proven both more important and more challenging than in the past. Aetos Imaging provides businesses with a Visual Equipment Database which allows for more effective training and onboarding. To form this database, Aetos Operate harnesses the power of 3D digital twin technology to deliver the most accurate and visually appealing immersive environment possible. Within the Operate platform, anyone who needs access can view these spaces and conveniently visualize any and all equipment, components, and the systems to which they belong. Operate allows your building team to offer custom, bespoke training, tailored to every building’s unique environment. Staff will have the ability to find and identify equipment with ease, react to critical emergencies and even go through specific maintenance procedures to ensure safety and efficiency of the building. Operate also provides businesses with better onboarding. Engineering teams can now onboard with training from their best and most trained experts. Keeping everyone up-to-date on procedures and training can be tedious and time consuming; however, Aetos Operate makes it easy to keep everyone on the same page. Staying aligned can be the difference between well trained and indesirable employees. Operate allows engineers and operations teams to meet, learn and make decisions in the environment where they actually work, from anywhere in the world, on any device.  Use all of the tools in your belt Aetos Operate gives businesses the in-depth knowledge for their buildings to run at maximum efficiency. The “forgetting curve” can be overcome. Although training gives employees all the right tools for success, individuals have a difficult time retaining information. Accessible and convenient ongoing learning can slow or even diminish the process of forgetting. People retain information better when learning is directly incorporated into their work, especially the complex work of facility engineers. Aetos helps bridge the gap between knowledge and learning. Now, engineers have the freedom to get on-demand training with the click of a button. From any device, they can access the Operate dashboard to train directly in the building environment, from anywhere in the world. Aetos Operate makes training easy and accessible.  Learning doesn’t stop after the diploma… Just as in any other field, engineering institutes new practices, processes and tools in the name of innovation. Those in the field have to adapt and enhance their skill set to stay at the top of their game. Engineers already know they must be able to answer any number of questions related to the machinery and spaces with which they are working. For instance, how do you repair this specific piece of machinery? Where in the building is this equipment? What are the proper sequence of operations? Companies need qualified and professional engineers who they can trust with their building. Aetos Operate makes sure engineers no longer need to worry about avoiding a knowledge gap or keeping up with newer technology or new machinery. Continued learning leads to more prepared professionals. Professional development with Aetos takes building operations and maintenance to the next level.  Disrupt the “Old Way” of Training  It is in our nature to innovate anywhere we can. Humanity has engineered its way from nomadic tribes to cities filled with millions. Engineering training sets the pace of future innovation. Minimal time and money wasted on training new engineers drives progress. Aetos Operate enables businesses to train engineers remotely, access on-demand important information, and continue professional development from anywhere at any time. Waste no time and squash the forgetting curve by scheduling a free demo today at aetosimaging.com!

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The Power of 3D Digital Twins

August 09, 2022

Aetos Imaging had the opportunity to sit down with Dan Smigrod of WGAN-TV to discuss the power of 3D digital twin technology and how it is transforming the way that commercial real estate facility managers are operating their assets and training their specialized teams. In this interview, Connor Offutt, president of Aetos Imaging, details and demonstrates how the Aetos Operate platform benefits CRE operations, maintenance and training. With discussion spanning from matterport and the future of 3D digital twins in commercial operations to training full teams of engineers, you will not want to miss checking out the in-depth interview here: https://vimeo.com/716588489

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How to Capture the Tribal Knowledge of a Building

August 09, 2022

What is Tribal Knowledge and Why is it Important? In a business context, tribal knowledge can be defined as any knowledge or expertise within a company that is not widely known or distributed. In operations and maintenance, individuals will develop their own knowledge and skills from accomplishing tasks that are based on their own experiences and insights. Oftentimes, this high level information contributes to the quality of the final service or product and helps to maximize the efficiency of the total workforce. In commercial real estate especially, businesses start to have issues when they have an over-reliance on specific engineers. Extracting this information is imperative for training new members of the workforce and reinforcing best practices in current employees.  Why is Tribal Knowledge so Difficult to Attain? Commercial real estate owners and operators understand how difficult it is to find, much less hire, qualified engineers to operate their buildings. Has your chief engineer been thinking about retirement or fielding other opportunities? Would their absence have a negative impact on your company? Most often, tribal knowledge is contained in the mind of the most tenured staff members, such as chief engineers, and could affect the entire organization. For example:  When employees leave, they take tribal knowledge with them   Every single year, millions of Americans retire or move on from their current role. The longest tenured employees are the ones who carry the most tribal knowledge, and as they depart they take that knowledge with them. When they leave, the quality of the final product or service suffers until another employee figures out the special process, or at least one that works.  Relying too heavily on senior leadership In some instances, employees may find themselves in the situation where they are the only ones who know how to solve a certain problem or perform a process correctly. Companies find themselves in this situation when they rely too heavily on certain employees, leaving those employees with a massive amount of burden and responsibility while others fall back due to the “knowledge gap”. Knowledge gaps are caused by a number of factors, namely generational inadequacy. Both the tenured employees and new hires can continuously learn. The experienced employees might be comfortable in their ways, however they need to keep up with the times. Newer employees can learn some tips and tricks from those knowledgeable employees.   How Can Owners and Operators Solve This Problem Using Technology? Imagine if 3D digital twin technology could help solve some of these issues and effectively capture this critical information? Since tribal knowledge is only known by a select few people, it stands to reason that the knowledge of operating spaces to their fullest potential is restricted to those individuals. These operating spaces are arguably the most important aspect of any building. From an owner/operator’s perspective, you can start to see how turnover without the passing off of this important knowledge starts to become a problem. Aetos is pioneering the use of 3D digital twin technology to create highly immersive environments where this information can be captured and leveraged across entire teams. What is a digital twin? Check this out! By combining an immersive and highly-accessible platform with our robust tagging and itemized database system, annotations also become available. You now have the flexibility to upload any media or file type and attach that helpful data directly to your assets in a highly accurate and navigable 3D environment. Inside of these data tags, Aetos has designed a subfolder structure to house multimedia, workflow management and any other information necessary. Aetos Operate gives buildings the ability to house critical information such as inspection history, user manuals, MEP drawings and so much more. Losing or not capturing these files may negatively impact your building's efficiency. However, the Aetos Operate platform allows you to expose this data to an organization page which allows you to filter, sort, and organize your viewing. You can use real reporting, real data, and gain useful utility out of this bespoke and customizable platform. Without this in depth filing structure within tags, tribal knowledge can become scattered or lost, causing organizations to inadvertently create indispensable employees with hyper-specific knowledge. The Aetos Operate system makes it easy to access your information once it is imported. We save you time searching for annotations, notes, videos, MEP drawings and so much more. Because of this, we can help retain the knowledge that keeps buildings running as efficiently as possible.  Tribal Knowledge is Like Water: It Has The Potential to Destroy, or Create a Fruitful Future Tribal knowledge is invaluable to any business but has some serious flaws if not shared across the breadth of the teams that need to understand best practices. Capturing the tribal knowledge of a building leads to the most efficient use of resources and ultimately saves time and money. Aetos Imaging provides a solution to this problem through the Operate platform utilizing 3D digital twin scans. Companies can tag spaces in their dashboard and upload whatever possible file they need right into the tag including notes and pictures. Let tribal knowledge be a tool for your business today, starting with Aetos Operate - Schedule a demo here! 

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