OSU Physical Plant now Facilities Management; takes service to the next level

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

After more than a year of planning an organizational redesign, Oklahoma State University is rebranding physical plant services to Facilities Management (FM). The name change also signals more of a focus on improving customer service, accountability and efficiency. 

Rick Krysiak, Chief Facilities Officer, expects the improvements to allow for less reactive work and more focus on preventative maintenance, which will prolong the life of the equipment in each building. 

“These changes are vital to the success of our department and this campus,” Krysiak said. “We are all about serving our customers and making their experience as positive as it can be.” 

Another change will be the transition from a traditional trades shop arrangement to a multi-trade zone system, or zone maintenance strategy. The campus is now divided into five zones and workers from all areas of the FM will be stationed within each zone allowing them to build relationships with their customers, get to know the buildings, increase ownership in their work and provide a more efficient response time.  A map showing the zones and the zone managers can be found at the new FM website http://fm.okstate.edu.

Also being implemented is a new Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) to allow the campus to submit work request online through a customer portal.  This new system has the capability to pass work orders to technicians in the field via mobile devises. Managers, supervisors and workers have been training with the new tools to test their functionality in the usual work environment. 

The portal and a map showing the zones and the zone managers can be found at the new FM website http://fm.okstate.edu. Training on using the portal will be provided by calling the work control desk at 405.744.7154.  In addition, there is also a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section on the website so that customers will be able to see answers to questions that have already been asked and a way to submit new questions.  

Story by Kaitlin Loyd