The Luxembourg subsidiary of one of Europe’s leading building and facility managers (more than 20,000 employees in over 30 countries), Apleona employs two hundred people in the Grand Duchy.
Specialising in facility management and security services, the company is responsible for some fifteen sites in the country, representing some 300,000 m2. Its services range from integrated facilities management and security services to interior finishing.
Anticipate
While the company was not too badly impacted by the first wave of the health and economic crisis in the first half of 2020, it wanted to anticipate the secondary effects that are beginning to take shape. “As soon as teleworking becomes widespread, buildings are less and less occupied and companies therefore logically call on us less. We are therefore no longer involved to the same extent and this will have an impact on our turnover”, explains Marc Wagner, Managing Director of Apleona Luxembourg.
The company has therefore begun to think about adapting its approach and business model in order to prepare for future challenges and the new situation that is emerging. Hence the call for the Fit 4 Resilience programme and the intervention, in early autumn, of an external consultant to take stock of the situation and consider different ways forward.
“Three major aspects were highlighted: digitalisation, health and safety at work and internal organisation. On this last point, we had to redefine the tasks and responsibilities of each of them more clearly. The exercise is currently underway”.
Digital and Health
On the digital side, the marketing of an app already in use internally has been initiated: for a monthly subscription, a user can call on Apleona’s teams if he encounters a technical or cleaning problem. For a monthly subscription fee, users can call on Apleona’s teams if they encounter a technical or cleaning problem. They can send a description and photos directly via the app. “In this way, we are able to expand our customer profile to include smaller structures, shops and doctors. This opens up new markets for us, especially for companies that do not yet have contracts with such partners.”
As the app is functional, all the current work consists of setting up all the contractual, marketing and communication aspects.
The health and safety at work component that has received the most attention is a product called “Safe@Work”. This is a concept developed in partnership with an inspection company in order to guarantee customers a return to the office in the best possible hygienic conditions. This involves, in particular, identifying the improvement potential of each customer’s premises and then making the necessary technical modifications to meet health and safety criteria. “We plan to roll out this product from March,” says Wagener.