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A facilities management company is investing $200,000 in artificial intelligence to help skilled trades workers become more productive.
New Jersey-based NEST Integrated Facilities Management announced last week that it is partnering with Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia on “The Hawk’s NEST: Building the Future of IFM and Skilled Trades Intelligence.”
The initiative will use AI and machine learning to improve technician scheduling, service estimates and operational efficiency.
NEST CEO Rob Almond told FOX Business that the technology is intended to support technicians, not replace them.
“As much as AI can help us with troubleshooting a problem at a job site, the technician still needs to be there,” Almond said.
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NEST coordinates services for more than 60,000 commercial properties across the U.S. and Canada, including stores, banks and restaurants.
Its network includes thousands of independent providers working across HVAC, plumbing, electrical, janitorial services, landscaping and other trades.
NEST said AI could help contractors plan their next stops, locate parts, diagnose problems and complete more jobs.
The tools could also help address the industry’s persistent shortage of skilled workers, according to Almond.
“It’s severely short,” Almond said of the labor pool. “… It’s not going to go away anytime soon.”
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NEST and Saint Joseph’s began collaborating on AI projects about 18 months ago, building on a relationship that spans more than a decade.
Under the expanded partnership, students, faculty and researchers will use NEST’s operational data to develop tools for technicians, service providers, employees and customers.
NEST expects the initiative to analyze more than 1 billion data points during its first year.
The goal, Almond said, is to make skilled workers “better, stronger and faster.”
“The human element will never go away,” Almond said.
Almond said more support and awareness are both needed to attract workers to the trades.
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“A career path in the trades is just as good, if not better, than maybe a college career,” he said.
For NEST, the AI investment is aimed at both improving efficiency and easing the pressure created by the labor shortage.
“Giving these companies… tools that can make them more efficient so they can get to the next job faster and maybe even be a little bit more cost competitive — we’re all in for that,” Almond said.
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