Paweł Łossowski, president of the board of Ever Grupa, talks to the BPCC’s Michael Dembinski about the business of outsourced facilities management in an age of rapid technological change. One element remains as important as ever – a bespoke approach customer care.

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Given the diversity of real-estate sectors you serve – factories, shopping centres, hotels, logistics centres and hospitals – and the breadth of the services that you offer – from technical maintenance to catering, from laundry to security – how do you ensure that your teams have the specialised knowledge and certifications required – particularly when it comes to regulatory compliance in Poland? What’s the common ‘glue’ that binds Ever Grupa together as one business?

At Ever Grupa, we have based our competitive advantage on the knowledge and commitment of our team for more than 30 years. Each service area is run by specialised internal units.

All processes are carried out under the PN-EN ISO 9001:2015 quality management system, and at the same time – depending on the industry served – we acquire and renew the appropriate certifications: from construction authorisations for designing and managing construction works and SEP and UDT/TDT qualifications in industrial facilities, through F-gas certificates in refrigeration, real estate manager’s license and authorisations for elevators, to implementation of process standardisation systems, HACCP and occupational health and safety training for the sanitary and catering sector, as well as the requirements of the National Health Fund, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration or the Ministry of Health.

Although the topic of certification is extremely broad, it’s through this precise, industry-specific compliance that we ensure the highest quality of service.

In addition, we invest in competence development – through attractive training and mentoring programs, we maintain a low turnover rate among our management staff.

The Ever Grupa glue is flexibility and customer orientation – it is our values, proactivity, openness to innovation and superior service that integrate individual companies into one strong organisation, ready to meet even the most complex challenges.

What’s your approach to integrating technology and innovation – such as IoT, predictive maintenance, PropTech or energy management systems – into your outsourced services portfolio? How important is tech when it comes to delivering value and efficiency gains for your clients? Can you provide some examples of successful implementations in Poland?

At Ever Grupa, we view technology not as an add-on, but as a key element of our services. Our proprietary IoT solution, the Clever app, enables ongoing, two-way communication with customers, automates facility inspections, and allows for immediate incident reporting, monitoring of performance indicators and working time, and customer satisfaction surveys. By implementing Clever, we have noticed a reduction in service response times.

Predictive maintenance is carried out using autonomous F-Security drones from Falcon Drones (part of Ever Grupa); equipped with thermal imaging cameras, ultrasonic sensors and docking stations with automatic battery replacement, the drones scan roofs, facades and fire protection systems, and our machine-learning algorithms predict failures before they cause downtime.

In the area of energy management, we integrate smart meters with photovoltaic installations and battery storage, automatically switching tariffs (C11, G12, G12w) based on price forecasts and charging schedules – this results in savings of several percent on annual bills.

The robotisation of services, inaugurated with the first implementation of a cleaning robot in a shopping centre, has freed up human resources for supervision and other tasks, increasing the efficiency of cleaning outside peak hours and reducing the consumption of water, chemicals and energy.

For us, technology is not an end in itself, but a tool for delivering real value: it optimises costs, increases safety and allows customers to focus on what is most important to them.

How do you onboard new clients and transition facilities-management responsibilities, especially when taking over from an in-house team or another third-party provider? What steps do you take to ensure a smooth and undisruptive process for a client’s operations?

The onboarding of a new client follows a proven, multi-stage model and a series of internal procedures. We start with a strategic session where we jointly define the scope of services and business objectives, and then verify key resources and procedures. Once we are fully confident in continuity and quality, we move on to a comprehensive launch with full support and constant monitoring of key indicators. Our goal is to minimise the risk of interruptions, quickly adapt to the specifics of the facility and guarantee the highest level of service.

In the event of a critical incident or emergency such as a power blackout, equipment failure, security breach, or natural disaster, what are your protocols for rapid response and resolution for clients in different sectors, such as a hospital versus a logistics centre?

We respond to critical incidents based on a uniform, four-stage model:

  1. Continuous monitoring – facilities are covered by early detection systems (such as IoT, sensors) that allow immediate detection of irregularities.
  2. Rapid mobilisation – when an alarm is triggered, we activate a dedicated rapid response team to restore full functionality as quickly as possible.
  3. Transparent communication – the customer receives real-time updates on the status of work and planned next steps, allowing them to plan their actions safely.
  4. Continuous improvement – after each incident, we conduct a brief analysis and exercises to eliminate weaknesses and be even better prepared for the future.

Although the basic principles are common to all sectors, we adapt the way they are implemented to the specific nature of each facility in order to ensure maximum continuity and security of operations in every situation.

How do you measure and report on the performance of your outsourced facilities management services? What key performance indicators do you prioritise, and how do you ensure transparency and accountability with your clients in Poland? How does client communication look like on a day-to-day basis?

At Ever Grupa, we measure the performance of facility management services using a set of universal but flexibly selected KPIs tailored to the specifics of the client’s industry:

  • Availability and continuity of operation (uptime of critical installations, system reliability)
  • Response and fault repair times (average time from reporting to start and end of intervention)
  • Implementing preventive inspections (percentage of maintenance work performed according to schedule)
  • SLA fulfilment rate (percentage of reports closed within the set time frame)
  • Customer satisfaction – short surveys after key services, such as cleaning or technical service
  • Cost efficiency (cost of service per m², energy savings)

The customer gets access to our intuitive Clever panel, where they can see the status of requests, the implementation of preventive work and key indicators in one place – without unnecessary charts or documents. Every month, we prepare a simple, clear summary report that summarises the most important data and optimisation recommendations. We simplify communication to a minimum: the customer indicates their preferred channel (app, email or phone) and one contact person in our organisation. All information – from notifications of critical events to monthly reports – goes directly to that person. In urgent situations, the customer receives a short, specific update, allowing them to focus on their business and us to act quickly and effectively.

Poland’s labour market continues to present challenges. How do you attract, retain, and develop skilled facilities management professionals to maintain a high quality of service across your diverse client portfolio? And in terms of cleaning, security and catering staff – is recruitment and retention a greater or lesser challenge than in the case of professional talent?

Higher turnover, strong competition for employees in local markets and seasonality make it challenging to maintain stable line teams – it requires constant adjustment of schedules, incentive systems and quick response to absences.

The limited pool of qualified specialists means that recruiting them requires a longer, targeted process, although ultimately turnover in this group remains lower. We attract and develop qualified specialists by combining attractive remuneration with clear career paths and intensive training support. Transparent career paths and regular mentoring mean that our specialists see real prospects for development.

Recruitment and retention of line services is based on ensuring job stability and maximum flexibility. We offer contracts tailored to individual needs and a shift system tailored to individual preferences. This allows us to build long-term relationships, thereby reducing employee turnover and increasing job satisfaction.

Looking ahead, what do you see as the biggest trends and challenges impacting the facilities-management industry in Poland over the next three to five years, and how is your company preparing to address them to remain a market leader in outsourced services?

Over the next three to five years, the key factors will be digital transformation (PropTech, IoT, cloud analytics), growing requirements for sustainability and energy efficiency (PV, storage, ESG reporting) and flexible operating models in the face of staff shortages (on-demand services, robotisation, mobile rapid response teams) will be key. Ever Grupa is preparing for this by developing its own IoT solutions and the Clever app, expanding its range of audits and renewable energy management services, and automating repetitive tasks, which will allow us to maintain our competitive advantage and the highest standards of service.