Delivering Innovation in Facility Maintenance and Contract Management
Edinburgh Airport (EDI), the busiest airport in Scotland and one of the busiest in Europe with 16 million passengers in 2024, sought greater innovation, both in facility services and contract management, to enhance terminal cleanliness.
Challenge
Edinburgh Airport (EDI) was seeking a facility partner that could provide strategic advantages, such as cost-efficiencies, trend-based analytics, and long-term cleaning solutions. Given EDI’s 2024 footfall of 16 million passengers, a record-breaking figure for the airport, the need for a revitalised cleaning operation was clear.
In response, ABM’s consolidated data intelligence platform, ABM Connect, was unveiled as along-term solution. The platform’s ability to track target KPIs, provide daily service analytics, and support industry compliance needs would deliver key strategic support. Such an innovation would be an essential next step in EDI’s cleaning operation, so that it could overcome challenges presented by growing passenger numbers.
Solution
EDI wanted to consolidate its facility maintenance capabilities, so that it could manage the complexity of all its terminals more effectively. This included service delivery, financial information (as it pertained to facility operations and compliance), KPIs, and a tailored data dashboard configured to the client’s preferences.
Shortly after mobilisation, ABM Connect was implemented so that all aspects of the contract could be viewed from a single web portal. Critically, this enabled real-time tracking of cleaning services in key areas, such as lounges, food halls, bathrooms, and boarding gates. As a result, both the client and ABM’s onsite management team could monitor the status of terminal facilities. This visibility ensured that teams were deployed appropriately, both for routine and reactive cleaning.
Moreover, Connect supported frontline staff directly with task management. This entailed a range of tools, such as work orders and daily scopes, ensuring a detailed set of regular tasks (in addition to quarterly and annual targets). For example, training and compliance, passenger comments, and performance trends could all be tracked. This way, supervisors were able to provide feedback to their teams, while the client could access more granular data at will through reporting metrics.
ABM Connect was also configured to support quality assurance, a particularly important aspect of EDI’s operation due to the CAA’s(Civil Aviation Authority) stringent compliance standards. Indeed, Connect’s auditing capabilities were central in delivering essential compliance documentation. Similarly, ABM Connect’s analytical tools provided essential auditing support. Given the strict industry compliance requirements to which EDI adhered, Connect’s streamlined reporting facilitated a much more efficient turnaround of information.
To further align with EDI’s sustainability and social responsibility goals, ABM also partnered with charities for a short-term hiring initiative. This provided local youths with work experience and skills development. Using Connect, the work experience teams were deployed to a series of EDI facilities alongside ABM teams, while also ensuring team safety by identifying higher risk areas from lower risk areas.
ABM's attention to detail in cleaning is consistently high, and it’s clear they take pride in the standards they deliver....we work collaboratively, engaging openly to achieve the best outcomes together. ABM Connect has been an important part in this journey, allowing us to track changes, identify areas for improvement and demonstrate the story in how we're improving the airport standards.
- Jade McAlpine, Terminal Operations & Passenger Services Manager
Benefits
- Consolidated Contract Management via ABM Connect. EDI was able to access critical information regarding its terminal facilities for real-time reporting, audits, regular updates, trend and performance analysis, and strategic decision-making processes.
- ESG alignment. ABM and EDI were able to align effectively on social responsibility and sustainability targets, such as youth work experience and supply chain management.
- Well-trained frontline teams. With ABM Connect online, both the managers and the client were able to see training statuses, shift patterns, and daily task scopes of the 70+ staff members.
- Strong client relationships. Throughout the mobilisation process, implementation of ABM Connect, and subsequent service delivery, ABM and EDI developed a robust working relationship.
- Enhanced hazard reporting. Front line teams were able to report potential hazards, accidents, and near-misses, which were uploaded to ABM Connect as part of the wider analytics platform, delivering essential safety data as a result.
- Enhanced terminal cleanliness. EDI's passenger-facing facilities, supported by ABM's experienced cleaning operation and ABM Connect, consistently achieved KPI scores that exceeded predetermined targets.
ABM enhanced Edinburgh Airport's cleaning operation with ABM Connect. Contact us to see how we can make it possible for you.
