Facilities Management
Two-way Radio Supporting the US$1 trillion facilities management market
The global facility management market is estimated to be worth more than US$1 trillion and continues to grow despite recent disruptions.
However, the Coronavirus pandemic will likely result in significant changes to the industry and how it can flex around new hybrid working practices, the sustainability agenda, smart systems, automation, and different work environments.
The use of radiocommunication is well established in the FM sector. It is an essential support tool where sitewide systems are installed to serve the 3–5-year contracts common in the industry. It provides the instant communication needed to ensure resources are in the right place at the right time and the means to redeploy personnel to maximise service availability and meet individual and corporate user needs and expectations.
Traditionally, FM services are divided into 'soft' and 'hard' areas. Still, with sustainability now embedded into every consideration and the incorporation of technology, many of those distinctions have been blurred, with more clients expecting a seamless, holistic delivery of services with minimum waste and maximum value:
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Hard FM Services |
Soft FM Services |
The sheer variety of clients employing FM services is truly mind-boggling - from offices and retail centres to airports, hotels, hospitals, stadia, leisure arenas, factories, distribution and logistics centres, care homes, surgeries, schools, universities, and even research laboratories. While the basic services required are broadly similar for most clients, successful FM companies are distinguished by an ability to adapt and change services to meet specific client requirements.
HOW DOES RADIOCOMMUNICATION SUPPORT DELIVERY OF CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS IN A CHANGING FM ENVIRONMENT?
Despite the ubiquity of smart phones and the introduction of Push-To-Talk-over Cellular (PoC) devices, two-way radiocommunication remains the optimum communication tool of first and last resort that continues to work even in the event of cellular network overloads and IP service outages.
The ability of management to coordinate and maximise the efficiency of operations carried out by functional teams located in different places, reliably, clearly and instantly is critical to delivering first-class FM services and often, the difference between success and failure.
This is especially important when circumstances change, for example, in the event of an incident requiring urgent assistance or the implementation of emergency, site evacuation or lockdown procedures.
Typical applications include:
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- Protection of staff |
- Monitor and log workforce activities |
PROVEN PERFORMANCE
The use of KENWOOD two-way radio communication to coordinate services within the FM industry is widespread, providing the ability to deliver clear voice and data transmissions instantly to different teams located within a single site or across multiple sites to prioritise work, respond to situations, manage emergency procedures and ultimately, to maximise the efficient use of resources, improve safety and security and the quality of service delivered.
Solutions range from the simplicity of license-free digital dPMR446 walkie-talkies to highly flexible, voice and data enabled digital conventional, IP networked and trunked DMR and NEXEDGE NXDN communications systems – the utility of which can be greatly extended with the addition of applications and software suites to include dispatch and location capabilities, automated and event triggered audio and text alerts and real time asset tracking and monitoring.
KENWOOD DMR and NEXEDGE NXDN systems can also be integrated with existing building and maintenance systems including fire and security, access control, telemetering systems etc., so offers a failsafe and future-proofed communication solution.
Learn more about how KENWOOD equipment is used in the management of facilities including One New Change (London), Zorlu Centre (Istanbul), Venetian Resort (Las Vegas) and the CN Tower, Toronto.
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One New Change LondonNEXEDGE NXDN provides the FM team at the £533 million, 52,397m2 One New Change building, a landmark mixed development located in the heart of the City of London. |
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Zorlu Centre IstanbulZorlu Center in Istanbul brings together upscale residences, offices, a hotel, shopping centre and art and culture venues. Learn how a NEXEDGE NXDN system supports the FM team at this 102,000m2 site. |
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Venetian Resort Las VegasVenetian® Resort is one of the largest luxury resorts in the world. Learn how NEXEDGE NXDN technology has allowed it to migrate incrementally from analogue to digital communications, while offering increased capacity, coverage and clarity. |
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CN Tower TorontoBeing, Toronto's CN Tower poses some unique challenges for wireless communications. Ensuring that a solid signal propagates throughout the facility to provide good voice clarity was a key factor in the selection of NEXEDGE NXDN, Watch the film to learn more. |
ProTalk License-Free PMR446 – simple and effective
The simplicity and convenience of analogue and digital license-free PMR446 technology has made it a popular choice in Facility Management where its reliability, ruggedness and ease of use has provided instant communication between individuals and groups at the push of a button.
Digital dPMR446 is by far the most popular format with professional users. It offers better reception to the full extent of the coverage area, and with 32 digital channels and 16 analogue channels, it’s particularly suited to operations in congested city areas and larger open spaces or where channels are allocated to specific teams. Durability, a long battery life between charges and simplicity of operation in all conditions are some of the key attributes of the current generation of KENWOOD ProTalk dPMR446 radios, along with many more advanced features only previously found in licensed radios.
KENWOOD licensed digital radio – the flexibility to meet the demands of larger and multiple sites
For more significant single sites or communication with teams across multiple sites, a licensed KENWOOD digital radiocommunication system brings even greater benefits, including:
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- Individual, group and all radio calls |
- Flexibility to link multiple locations |
KENWOOD DMR and NEXEDGE NXDN digital protocols offer the capability to build flexible voice and data communication systems suitable for covering single or multiple sites. In contrast, the native analogue/digital Mixed Operation capability (enabling radios to communicate automatically with existing licensed analogue radios) provides a predictable, economic migration path to complete digital two-way radio implementation at an affordable cost and to build a scalable, future-proof radio system.
A KENWOOD DMR or NEXEDGE NXDN system equipped with GPS devices can provide multiple communications channels and talk groups, and the addition of the optional KAS-10/20 software or Trackuracy ‘asset’ tracking suites. Thus, allowing you to monitor and track every radio so you always know where staff are and can pinpoint and direct resources more efficiently or alert those best able to respond quickly.
ADVANCED LONE WORKER PROTECTION
Lone workers, including cleaning, maintenance and security staff, can have their radios programmed and monitored to be called automatically at predetermined times to check their status. If there is no response, an alarm will be raised. Similarly, a programmable function key on the radio can be assigned to trigger an emergency alert which is transmitted immediately to all other radio users.
These advanced safety features offer added protection with the ability to automatically send alerts and alarms to the control centre and/or other radio users, for example:
| Priority Call: |
The Priority Call feature ensures the availability of a radio channel in the event of an emergency and allows a dispatcher to interrupt all existing calls on a channel. |
| Emergency Key: |
An alarm is triggered along with the sender's user ID and when the Emergency Key button is pressed. GPS-equipped radios can also send the user's location (GPS coordinates). |
| Lone Worker: |
An alarm is triggered along with the sender's user ID if a user does not respond to a status prompt within a specified time. |
| Man Down: |
An alarm is triggered along with the sender's user ID if the radio is tilted beyond a predetermined angle, indicating that the user may have fallen or become incapacitated. Other programmable features include: |
| Location Services: |
With Trackuracy, KENWOOD DMR and NEXEDGE NXDN systems can be equipped with low-energy, real-time asset monitoring and tracking across single and multiple sites, indoors and out. Alerts, alarms delivered as audible tones, and voice or data messages can be programmed to trigger automatically should the user stray off course or enter prohibited areas. |
| Remote Monitor: |
Remote Monitor allows dispatchers to listen to the radio through its microphone when an alarm is activated and the radio user cannot respond. This gives the dispatcher the intelligence to assess a situation in real time and quickly initiate an appropriate response. |
| Intrinsically Safe Radios: |
NEXEDGE NXDN ATEX/IECEx certified radios provide the solution for lone workers operating in explosive atmospheres such as oil and gas processing, chemicals production and distilleries or situations where hazardous airborne particles are present. |
Health & Safety (Including Site Lockdown and Evacuation)
Beyond the efficiency that radio communication brings to coordinating activities and service delivery, it also serves to help you comply with health, safety, and security requirements/regulations. For example, alerting staff to the presence of threats, calling for medical assistance, and reporting accidents and anti-social behaviour.
However, radio communication excels in the event of a major incident, whether a medical emergency, staff at risk or a more serious event requiring critical staff everywhere on site to be alerted instantly.
EXCEPTIONAL AUDIO QUALITY EVEN IN NOISY ENVIRONMENTS
KENWOOD radiocommunication devices benefit from JVCKENWOOD Group's 60 years of experience in producing consumer audio and visual equipment (Trio, JVC and KENWOOD), renowned for exceptional sound quality.
This transfer of knowledge and experience has led to the development of a number of novel and innovative solutions which overcome the problem of cancelling ambient noise while improving the audio clarity of the transmitted voice in any operating environment.
| Ultimate noise cancellation: |
NX-5000 Series hand-portable radios achieve optimum noise cancellation using two integrated microphones. The main microphone is closer to the desired source (front of the radio), while a second microphone in the rear receives the ambient noise. In a noisy environment, both microphones receive noise at a similar level. However, the main microphone receives the user’s voice more strongly. The processor in the radio subtracts one noise source from the other so that most of the ambient noise is cancelled, which effectively enhances the quality of the transmitted audio of the user’s voice. |
| Active Noise Reduction: |
Both NX-5000 and NX-3000 Series radios feature Active Noise Reduction (ANR). ANR cancels the collected audio's noise component to improve the transmitted audio quality. |
| Selectable Audio profiles: |
The received audio will sound different depending on the usage environment of the radio, characteristics of the device (such as the microphone to be combined with the radio and external devices), and the tone of voice and manner of speaking of the speaker. The received audio will also sound different depending on the output method, such as using the radio speaker or an earphone to hear the received audio. KENWOOD radios feature six customisable audio profiles, which can be configured for specific scenarios and selected by the user to suit the operating environment. |
SECURITY & PRIVACY
As more products are connected by IP and to networked information and automation systems, there is a growing risk of leakage and theft of personal and other information, fabrication or destruction of data, and hijacking of products.
As one of the world's leading manufacturers of radiocommunication products and solutions, we ensure the security integrity of our products and the data we hold on systems developed on behalf of our customers. Click for more information on JVCKENWOOD’s Group Privacy Policy.
Product Security
Secure encryption is essential in radiocommunications to provide security against eavesdropping, jamming and other malicious attacks on a radio system.
All KENWOOD digital radio devices are equipped with a voice scrambler feature as standard, while licenced NEXEDGE NXDN and DMR radios are further protected with more advanced encryption:
| ProTalk PMR446: |
Voice inversion scrambler |
| NX-1000 Series: |
Built-in digital scrambler as a standard, optional upgrade to ARC4 Encryption for DMR |
| NX-3000 Series: |
Built-in digital scrambler as standard, optional 56-bit DES encryption and upgrade to 256-bit AES (NEXEDGE NXDN and DMR) and 40-bit ARC4 encryption for DMR |
| NX-5000 Series: |
Built-in digital scrambler and DES-56 bit (4 keys) as standard, optional hardware upgrade to 56-bit DES and Support to 256-bit AES (NEXEDGE NXDN and DMR) and 40-bit ARC4 encryption for DMR) |
Information Security
The Communications Systems Business, Professional Systems Business and the Healthcare Business units of JVCKENWOOD Corporation are certified to ISO/IEC 27001:2013 international standards for information security management systems and JIS Q 27001:2014 Japanese industrial standards, both of which specify standards for information security management systems and establish requirements and implementation of the framework to protect information assets.
SUSTAINABILITY
JVCKENWOOD Corporation is rolling-out ISO14001 certification as an integral part of our environmental management system. To date, it has obtained certification at all of its business centres, eleven affiliate companies in Japan, and all of its production companies outside Japan. Please visit our corporate website for further information on our environmental and sustainability policies.
BUILT TOUGH TO WITHSTAND RAIN, DIRT AND THE ROUGH AND TUMBLE OF DAILY USE
As you would expect, all KENWOOD professional hand portable walkie-talkies and mobile radios conform to MIL-STD-810 C/D/E/F/G for ruggedness and durability and are IP54/55/67 Water & Dust Intrusion rated, making them suited for use in any environment.
In addition, KENWOOD can offer ATEX IECEx devices for use in hazardous, explosive atmospheres.
EXPLORE KENWOOD SOLUTIONS FOR THE FM SECTOR
To discover more about the millions of KENWOOD devices in use by countless customers in hundreds of applications around the world, including the innovative, multi-protocol NX-5000 Series (NXDN, DMR, P25 and FM Analogue), NX-3000 Series (NXDN, DMR and FM Analogue) and exceptional value offered by the entry-level NX-1000 Series hand portable walkie talkies and mobiles, please click on the banners below.
For more information on KENWOOD digital system solutions including, DMR Tier 3 trunking and Simulcast, NXDN Type-C, Type-D and Gen2 trunking, click here.
If you’d like to learn more about our TRACKURACY, our real-time Bluetooth Low Energy asset tracking and monitoring solution, click here.
Alternatively, please post an enquiry to us or contact an authorised KENWOOD Communications reseller.
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