Government Business

The FM sector is large and complex, delivering a wide range of products and services both hard – building fabric – and soft – catering, cleaning, health and safety, mailroom, etc. Estimates vary, but market research suggests that in the UK alone the sector is worth between £40 billion and £95 billion. Choosing the right supplier is therefore of utmost importance.

Cost and service are important factors to consider and in this day and age so too are green credentials. In this issue we include a spotlight focus on a small selection of companies that can offer effective solutions to public sector facilities managers.

Keytracker
Keytracker has produced the finest key control cabinet the world has ever seen. The Keytracker Ultima is simple to use and is completely self-monitoring. The new Ultima allows access via pin number, fingerprint or proximity card. The user can only retrieve the keys they have been allocated at that time, or perhaps any set of keys, but only three sets, after which all the others become “locked off” and may not be retrieved until the first sets are returned.

Each user has their own requirements programmed, with times and days of limited access. Each user and set of keys also have a time limit (perhaps three hours for a cleaner or three days for a surveyor, and five hours for the plant room or eight hours for the pool car). When the time limit is exceeded the Ultima sends its own text message, via a built-in sim card, to remind the user to return the keys. If the keys are not returned then the Ultima sends an e-mail to the manager informing him of the situation. This facility works up to five levels with up to five recipients at each level.

When the keys are removed or returned the Ultima takes a covert photo of the user. All information is stored on a built-in server that is easily accessed via the secure internet connection or internal system. Reports by user, keys or time/dates can be printed or viewed as required with simple to use software – The Ultimate Self-monitoring Secure Key Control system.

X-press Office Solutions
Organisations have to review their spending and become cuter with their budgets; no bad thing there. So when furniture is required, who are the stand-out furniture companies and how do we get best value? Purchasing the correct seating can reduce stress, general fatigue and time off work. Productivity is increased when people sit comfortably and are less restless. Orangebox is the leader in this field, producing a range of seating products that are innovative, stylish but most importantly, ergonomic.

For facility managers looking to solve everyday problems, X-press can deliver and install furniture in as little as five days, minimising any disruption and eradicating problems quickly. With access to 12m of stock in the largest furniture warehouse in Europe, there are 40,000 products to choose from and X-press’s GDB catalogue covers every aspect of furniture. For project work, our experience has shown that Techo, Task and FARAM offer very cost effective solutions whilst still producing stylish and functional office interiors.

XiTlight
Advancing technology in the emergency exit signage sector, XiTlight is the first ever front-lit LED emergency exit sign. XiTlight was born out of a real desire to try and give people a better chance of escaping from dense smoke filled areas and subsequent independent tests have proved that point sources of light are more visible in smoke than planar forms. As a result, XiTlight greatly enhances public and employee safety by its unique ability to be seen. Designed, developed and made in the UK, XiTlight also meets today’s important environmental criteria – no fluorescent tubes, no mercury, no disposable issues.

Other notable features include built in battery test facility via an I/R remote, four hour battery back-up in emergency mode with increased and maintained light output levels, economical whole-life cost, nickel metal hydride battery (NiMH) rather than Nickel Cadmium (NiCAD), an auto dimming feature and solid state technology. After over a decade of quantifiable research and development, XiTlight now leads the way in emergency exit signage.

Kalamazoo Secure Solutions
Kalamazoo Secure Solutions Limited, the leading secure print and secure solutions provider, has over 50 years experience providing cost effective and efficient business systems and secure print solutions designed specifically for the government sector. Currently working with more than 400 government institutions, Kalamazoo has invaluable experience and extensive understanding of their specific requirements.

When Kalamazoo was established in 1896 it was renowned for its paper-based solutions and today this is still a key area of the business. Kalamazoo provides sales and purchase ledger systems, minute books, receipting systems, accounts stationery and payroll and personnel systems to help improve processes and efficiency. Kalamazoo also provides a range of bespoke forms, such as Land Charge forms. As a C&CCC (formerly known as APACS) accredited printer, Kalamazoo has extensive expertise and experience in producing secure printed cheques for many government bodies, including benefits and creditors cheques. In addition Kalamazoo supply a secure cheque printing solution, known as Cheqflow2, which enables organisations to print cheques and monitor all outgoing cheque transactions. Kalamazoo’s visitor management systems, both paper-based and electronic, help to improve security, comply with health and safety legislation and enhance your corporate image.

Acctive Systems
Acctive Systems – the integrated security specialist – is experiencing interesting times. The company has maintained business levels and is now going through a period of expansion in spite of the extremely difficult year that has befallen the UK economy during 2009. The company has won contracts with organisations such as Rolls Royce, BAE Systems and several international logistics companies including TNT, FedEx and City Link.

Now with its own in house marketing department and an external PR agency, Acctive Systems is laying the foundations and planning for growth during 2010 as the economy starts to improve and the country comes out of recession. A new website is being built, and together with increased marketing spend and PR activity Acctive is already experiencing dramatic improvement in visitors to the website and increased levels of requests for advice and information. This is already bearing fruit as the company is in negotiations for large contracts with various government bodies and projects.

Acctive Systems is a truly national company with a local touch. The company has offices in the north in Warrington and the south in Coulsdon. The service team and installation team cover the whole country and have a reputation that is second to none.

Finally, a new product wholly owned by Acctive is due to launch in the coming weeks called SENTRYVU – a remotely monitored CCTV surveillance system that will be re-deployable and will hold great interest to a huge range of clients. Applications are wide and varied but include the surveillance of remote areas, empty buildings, large gatherings, building sites, military and Police use. The solution will cut man guarding costs in half.