Designing facilities management needs into warehouse projects

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an investigation of facilities management (FM) needs of warehouse tenants to inform future warehouse design.

Design/methodology/approach

This study examines FM needs that must be designed into warehouse projects. It identifies tenants' FM requirements in warehouses; investigates the relationship between tenant satisfaction and performance of different facilities in warehouses; and recommends design and FM practices that warehouse owners should adopt to give tenants value for money. The research involves a quantitative study of tenant requirements for using warehouses. A questionnaire survey was conducted on tenants to find out their important requirements with a structured instrument. The sample was tenants of warehouses in Singapore.

Findings

The results reveal that users' main needs and priority in warehouse operation comprise: incorporating an operations office within warehouses; providing an air well along the loading/unloading bays; ensuring no interruption of electricity supply; providing air‐conditioning to the office; and providing good housekeeping.

Originality/value

The paper provides information that can be the foundation for developing a set of generic tenant FM requirements that could accelerate the design development of warehouses.

Citation

Yean Yng Ling, F., Tekyi Edum‐Fotwe, F. and Thor Huat Ng, M. (2008), "Designing facilities management needs into warehouse projects", Facilities, Vol. 26 No. 11/12, pp. 470-483. https://doi.org/10.1108/02632770810895732