Learning
from data

Gathering data is one thing, but analysing and evaluating data with a view to learning from it is another thing entirely. Artificial intelligence can be used to gain valuable insights from huge volumes of data with a view to predicting certain events, to name just one example. And this is precisely the approach adopted by Aareon for the predictive maintenance of buildings.

Thanks to digitalisation, companies in the property industry have access to a vast wealth of data – concerning their own building stock, pending maintenance or repairs, contracts with business partners and suppliers, or tenants.

But collecting this data is just the first step. It has to be analysed and evaluated in order to provide any real benefit. Empirical values help intelligent systems to expand their knowledge all the time, enabling them to provide recommendations for action. A new solution from Aareon Smart World demonstrates how this works in practice: PrediMa by Aareon is an example of how the benefits of modern technologies can be harnessed by the property industry.

PrediMa by Aareon: Continuous monitoring of buildings

When it comes to maintenance and repairs, data can be used in conjunction with the right digital solutions to open up new opportunities and save costs in property management. Generally, companies without data-based planning rely on regular maintenance intervals or are forced to fix urgent problems as they arise – because devices and systems in buildings don’t always behave as expected. Some have a longer life than predicted, while others fail earlier than they should. If a part is replaced too soon, costs are incurred at an earlier stage than would otherwise have been necessary. However, if a repair is undertaken only after a lift or heating system breaks down, the downtime and associated repairs are more expensive, as well as highly inconvenient for tenants.

This is where Aareon’s digital solution PrediMa comes into its own. The name is derived from the term “predictive maintenance”. PrediMa uses the Internet of Things, or IoT for short, in which objects from the real world are digitally connected with one another and with computer systems. To this end, sensors are attached to a building’s high-maintenance installations such as heating systems, lifts or water pipes. These sensors continuously monitor the flow rate through a water pipe, the smooth running of a lift or the temperature of a heating system and transmit the data to a server for analysis at brief, regular intervals. This digital information offers clear benefits for the analogue world.

Aareon’s predictive maintenance solution

Predictive maintenance makes both tenants and customers happy

“If tenants have to lug crates of bottles up the stairs because the lift is out of order, or have no hot water for their morning shower, it certainly doesn’t help their mood,” says Alf Tomalla, Managing Director Digital Solutions at Aareon Deutschland. PrediMa’s predictive maintenance helps to prevent situations of this kind. Repairs do not have to be undertaken without notice at a potentially inconvenient moment, but can be scheduled in advance for a time when the device or system in question is not generally in use. “This has three advantages: the tenants are happy. Maintenance costs are reduced, because timely part replacement prevents greater damage at a later stage. And tradespeople no longer have to be called out for costly emergency repairs at the weekend,” says Alf Tomalla.

“Aareon has recognised that sensor technology and the live monitoring of usage, coupled with artificial intelligence, can be used to register anomalies in a timely way and thus prevent major repairs.”

Ron Sem, Head of Project & Process Management, Smart Property Services GmbH (Credit: own image)

Customers are also convinced of the need for predictive maintenance. “Currently, given a lack of transparency as regards a building’s condition, disasters that require much more capital to put right than minor repairs can only be prevented by regular machine maintenance and metering,” according to Ron Sem, Head of Project & Process Management at Smart Property Services GmbH (SPS) in Gera, Aareon’s cooperation partner in the development of PrediMa. “Aareon has recognised that sensor technology and the live monitoring of usage, coupled with artificial intelligence, can be used to register anomalies in a timely way and thus prevent major repairs.”

“Changes in the flow rate could indicate that a pipe is about to burst. Unusual vibrations in a lift are a sign that it’s in need of repair, while fluctuations in temperature for no apparent reason point to the fact that a heating system is about to malfunction.”

Erik Petry, Head of Predictive Maintenance at Aareon
(Credit: own image)

PrediMa checks the sensors’ real-time data for deviations. “Changes in the flow rate, for instance, could indicate that a pipe is about to burst. Unusual vibrations in a lift are a sign that it’s in need of repair, while fluctuations in temperature for no apparent reason point to the fact that a heating system is about to malfunction,” explains Erik Petry, Head of Predictive Maintenance at Aareon. PrediMa has acquired the necessary knowledge through machine learning, an aspect of artificial intelligence involving the large-scale analysis of data. Every new dataset enhances software performance. If a malfunction is in the offing, PrediMa forwards the relevant signals to the ERP system or to other systems.

Benefits of predictive maintenance identified by maintenance managers

95 %
Faster identification of defects in the infrastructure
89 %
Prevention of severe defects

Source: InWIS 2021 on behalf of Aareon

Repairs initiated fully automatically

But early fault detection is not the only way in which PrediMa can support customers and make their lives easier. “Our service portal Mareon connects property companies with tradespeople. The latter can be assigned tasks at a signal from PrediMa – either fully automatically or following verification, depending on the customer’s stipulations,” says Alf Tomalla. The associated communication with tenants via the Aareon CRM portal or CRM app can also be triggered by PrediMa, thereby simplifying the process considerably.

“The digital products from our Aareon Smart World bring the market players together: companies, tenants, tradespeople and utilities alike.”

Alf Tomalla, Managing Director Digital Solutions at Aareon Deutschland
(Credit: Angelika Stehle, Wiesbaden)

For Alf Tomalla and Erik Petry, PrediMa is a prime example of how artificial intelligence can be used to address the current and future requirements and challenges in the property industry.

71,5 %

of COOs cite internal planning and budget processes as the biggest drivers of cost and complexity for their companies
(source: InWIS 2021 on behalf of Aareon)

71,5 %

of COOs cite internal planning and budget processes as the biggest drivers of cost and complexity for their companies
(source: InWIS 2021 on behalf of Aareon)

Transparency is a particularly relevant aspect of property management. “The topic of budgeting plays a major role in the property sector. In conjunction with machine learning and a critical mass of data, alongside reference values, property management has the potential both to become much simpler and to provide a hitherto unparalleled level of transparency,” says SPS manager Ron Sem.

The digital products from our Aareon Smart World bring the market players together: companies, tenants, tradespeople and utilities alike,” adds Alf Tomalla. Intelligent solutions like PrediMa make life easier for everyone involved in the process and contribute to the commercial success of the property industry.

Smart Property Services GmbH, Gera

Smart Property Services GmbH (SPS), is a leading service company in white label property management. The specialist and partner for commercial market players, SPS’s clear focus is on professional property management, with portfolio managers, asset managers, property managers and associations among its customers. Not only is SPS a service provider, but it is also a modular problem solver and long-term solution partner, helping customers to grow flexibly and cost-effectively thanks to its ability to offer scalability, reduce personnel shortfall risks and costs, and provide quality assurance and planning capability.

More Stories