The Importance of Connected Buildings When Addressing a Skilled Labor Shortage

Evaluating the Challenge

The skilled labor shortage crisis is real. 38% of technician jobs remain unfilled today, while an additional 8% are vacated each year.¹ The shortage can be attributed to several factors, including an aging workforce and the difficulty in finding skilled labor. As an added pressure, the potential risks of the shortage on buildings include equipment downtime, added costs, and a reduction in overall productivity. These will quickly affect not just the bottom line but operational efficiency.

Successful outcomes are found when facilities optimize their people, technologies, and process. Simply starting with connected buildings can enable building owners, facility managers and technicians with useful data to empower workers with the knowledge to work more efficiently and effectively.

A connected building links equipment to software solutions that gather and monitor systems. The power of connectivity is in the wealth of data buildings can provide. Data offers awareness and control allowing technicians to manage these systems remotely and make informed decisions, making daily tasks, maintenance, and repairs easier to tackle. This will reduce the workload on a team that is already strained. An additional benefit is that proactive and predictive maintenance helps avoid downtime and prolong equipment lifespan.

Unlocking the Opportunity

The benefits of connectivity extend beyond technicians and operations. Connected buildings also contribute to improved energy efficiency and sustainability by optimizing resource usage. The added level of reliability provides occupants and tenants with a consistent and comfortable environment, all while streamlined processes drive down costs.

The journey toward connected buildings involves a few strategic steps to get started.

• Partner & Plan - Collaborating with the right partner is key, as they can help tailor a unique solution to your specific needs. Gathering crucial information, such as energy bills, provides insight into your building's current functioning.

• Assess & Align – Baselining and benchmarking data forms the basis for an effective plan to implement a successful plan.

• Learn & Leverage - As data accumulates the knowledge gained will optimize operations and impact your building, employees, and bottom line.

Establishing a Plan

The pressing need for skilled technicians requires forward-thinking solutions. Connectivity is an accessible solution that integrates technology into existing equipment to answer the ongoing skilled labor challenge.

Collaborating with the right partner is the pivotal first step toward getting connected. Trane, a recognized leader in indoor environments, helps navigate this transformation and collaborates to find the right solutions.

By leveraging the power of connected buildings, businesses can not only mitigate the adverse impacts of the skilled labor shortage but also utilize their data to impact the operational success of their buildings.