Launch speech from Steve Taylor, Managing Director

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this land on which this event is taking place, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation & pay my respects to their Elders both past and present.

Today marks the launch of our new company into the facility management industry…… and just to confirm that I’m not having a mid-life crisis, this particular Platinum FM is not a radio station…

Our company has been formed by Sue Pridmore, Nick Rix, and myself Steve Taylor. The three of us have known and worked with each other for over 20 years and share the same values and beliefs.
With any new company that it is established, there is always a burning platform for doing it…
So why have we decided to embark upon this new exciting journey? Let me share the six key reasons why….
• Platinum FM will be putting the “Management” back into Facility Management. Value is derived in FM by optimising the built environment through asset performance and the associated services. Whether or not this involves organisational design, productivity improvements, social procurement or setting out outsourcing options using technology…….it all depends upon the ability to achieve an operational outcome through strong management principles.
• We will be solely an FM company and we will not diverse into other services. I recall Phil Ruthven, Chairman of IBIS World (who is here today) once saying that some of the most successful companies in the world are those that do one thing, and do it better than anyone else. That is our VISION.
• For over 25 years, the founders of Platinum FM have held a deep passion, belief and drive for the industry and have been active in shaping its progress and growth over this period together with a number of you who are here today. So, FM is in our DNA…that’s what we do and know best.
• The FM industry is now valued at a $1tr worldwide and around $32bn in Australia with 60% outsourced and it is continuing to grow at a pace. Therefore as this market grows the need for greater levels of skills and expertise becomes paramount.
• We will be 1000% customer centric. Everything we do will have the customer front of mind. Many of the people we have spoken to in the market talk about the lack of customer attention and interest once a contract is secured. Eg; Set & forget mentality. Our motto is to deliver an excellent customer experience always.
• We will focus our efforts with those organisations that have medium sized outsourcing opportunities…With the size of the market nowadays and particularly with Tier 1 FM companies focusing on large scale opportunities eg; $30-50m pa plus, we believe there is a gap in the market to provide our “Ä” team into such organisations to create and derive value.
• We will re-calibrate the industry. With low cost technology and with other disruptive solutions in the market, Platinum has the benefit of not having capital intensive systems or processes. It will therefore have a competitive advantage of a very low cost to operate……be nimble to respond to customers changing needs…… whilst being able to add strategic smarts into operational performance so that the customer receives best value.

Our ultimate objective is to create the UBER of FM.

So these are the six compelling reasons for pursuing this new adventurous journey.

So what will we be doing….

From an Operational perspective ….

We will operate as an outsourced partner through implementing our management capability combined with our technology solutions.

We will undertake FM assessments on building portfolios to demonstrate where we can determine and generate value.

This review process will enable us to outline to customers a clear value proposition for outsourcing services.

From an Advisory perspective….

a) We will provide FM advice on specific assignments. This could include for example, a contract review, or implementing a solution for under-performing suppliers.
b) We will support asset owners and consortia on PPP projects including life cycle analysis.
c) We will assist organisations with their FM strategy, structure and process.
d) We will work on sustainability projects to enhance the built environment where they are inextricably linked to the asset maintenance portfolio.

This is a snapshot of what we will do, however our goal is to build an operational FM contracting business that gives the market a real tangible alternative whilst building and maintaining knowledge from a leading edge strategic capacity.

To successfully deliver our services, we acknowledge that we need to work with like-minded partners. We have an exclusive agreement with a technology partner who is building us an innovative platform utilising latest technology to deliver customer centric and cost effective services.

We also have a strategic partnership with Autonomous Energy who have agreed to support us on sustainability related projects.

With the globalisation of FM, we have created an alliance with a company called Key FM based in the UK who have a European reach.

Over recent months, we have completed many activities to get Platinum FM up and running but none more important that our digital strategy. I’d like to thank Judy Pridmore for the magic that she weaved in such a short time to implement our website and newsletter……looks amazing Judy and a great job well done.

In summary, Platinum FM will be dedicated to making a difference in the marketplace. We will offer a genuine alternative to the larger FM companies, we will continue to support and show strong leadership across the industry, we will build an inclusive and diverse company that is innovative and fully engaged with our customers and whilst we deliver strategic value we will operate at a low-cost base that will disrupt the traditional way in which FM has been delivered.

I hope that gives you a brief overview of what we are doing and why we are doing it. We would welcome the opportunity to talk you further about our business as we move forward.

Thank you.