Facility management companies are committed to create the desired ambience at work

Realty+ in conversation with Pradeep Lala, CEO Embassy Services Pvt Ltd. Across which cities in India you all are present? Embassy Services is headquartered in Bengaluru but we have a pan India presence. From managing standalone commercial buildings and residential buildings, ESPL currently manages a portfolio of 60 million sq. ft. across India and today our business revenue is almost $200 million. ESPL provides comprehensive Integrated Facility Management services across all verticals of real estate like Commercial, Industrial, Residential, Education, Co-Working, Hospitality, Solar Farms within the Embassy Group portfolio and in the Open Markets. We are currently present in 12 cities including major cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Gurugram, Noida, Lucknow, Pune, Mumbai, Vijaywada.   What are the current trends of FM Sector? FM sector as an industry is still at a very nascent stage but is now evolving rapidly due to the rising demand of well-maintained and scenic infrastructure. India is progressing aggressively, corporate culture is evolving as millennials are entering the workforce. Facility management companies are committed to create the desired ambience at work which will contribute in productivity with employee retention and also business continuity. Compliance, being a critical FM need, is pushing corporates to outsource services to a certified FM provider. FM leaders are now involved in the designing and planning of buildings so that the infrastructure can be more efficiently managed when it’s functional. The industry has now evolved from being perceived as a bulb changing and cleaning service provider to being the key contributor in business continuity, productive ambience creator and helping in employee retention. The Facility Management sector is slowly emerging and it’s a profitable service sector therefore, graduating students are also choosing the real estate services industry as a career option.   Tell us about the services provided by your company? ESPL provides standard IFM services like M&E, Housekeeping, Security & Safety, Transport, Pest Control, Landscape & Horticulture, Events, Business Support, and Cafeteria & Food Court Management & Waste Management. Engineering Services are the regular MEP Services and then high side equipment are also managed by us like – DGs, Chillers, Lifts, STPs etc. ESPL have set up a Specialist Support Group (SSG), who are experts at Energy Management, Water Management, EHS and Compliance Management. They audit properties regularly and come up with energy & cost saving solutions. To be more specific, the energy managers conducts audits and offers no cost improvements, low cost improvements and Capex improvements to clients. With regards to water management, ESPL successfully recycles water in tech parks and residential complexes which is then used for flushing, landscaping etc. Rain water harvesting is also set up in the tech parks. Also our solar parks are the source from where energy is wheeled in to tech parks to generate electricity. Embassy Services has been accredited with certifications such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and from British Safety Council which leads to a consistently high level of quality, environmental management and occupational safety. ESPL makes every facility, every property, and every experience extraordinary through their relentless effort, high quality management and constant focus on sustainability initiatives.   Who are your Clients? Embassy Group is our biggest client as we manage all their commercial, residential, business and industrial parks across India. We currently have a portfolio of 150 client’s including MNC’s like IBM, Flipkart, WeWork, HCL and Cerner among others. The journey has been truly rewarding as there is a robust business growth from 2013 when we were handling 10 million sq. ft. and today we handle a portfolio of 60 million sq. ft. across India.   With the emerging business like co working space how do you define the role of integrated facility management sector in it and how it is going to affect the business? The upcoming sector of Co-working spaces has proven to have increasing demand and is changing the dynamics of office space in India. The emergence of this space has fuelled the need for real estate service providers. Co-working spaces aim to create a collaborative experience for its tenants. Service providers’ help the co-working business model in the delivery of the same through efficient management of operations, cost compliance through technology intervention and wellness measures. The potential market size for this segment across India currently stands in the range of 12-16 million square feet. This includes start up employees, professional freelancers, and teams from emerging businesses as well as large corporate office employees. The benefit of working in a shared space is that one can be assured of quality infrastructure and a holistic environment with a pocket-friendly investment. We partner WeWork, the largest Co-Working player in the world, handling a comprehensive portfolio of 2.4 million sq ft. providing services at par with their global standard. As India’s leading and well-renowned service providers, we are responsible for workspaces that are award winning. Our team puts in extraordinary effort to maintain world-class infrastructure and we strengthen our offering by providing services and facilities that make us truly world-class. We maintain all the amenities and leave no stone unturned to provide vibrant, sustainable, convenient and efficient infrastructure. Co-working spaces have multiple companies under one roof so they need to keep the quality top notch at all times as any malfunction will affect the tenants’ ability to work. The Embassy Services Integrated facility management team maintains a watchful eye on details and monitors infrastructure at all time to ensure the best environment for the businesses.