NEST is investing $200,000 in an AI initiative aimed at helping technicians work more efficiently without having to replace them.
Facility management company invests $200,000 in artificial intelligence to help improve the productivity of skilled workers.
New Jersey-based NEST Integrated Facilities Management last week announced a partnership with St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia on “Eagle’s Nest: Building the Future of IFM and Skilled Transaction Intelligence.”
The initiative uses AI and machine learning to improve technician scheduling, service quoting, and operational efficiency.
NEST CEO Rob Almond told FOX Business that the technology is intended to support engineers, not replace them.
“AI can help troubleshoot issues in the field, but technicians need to be on site,” says Almond.
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St. Joseph’s University Haub School of Business Dean Joseph DiAngelo (left) is pictured next to NEST CEO Rob Almond. NEST is investing $200,000 in a new initiative with St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. (NEST integrated facility management)
NEST coordinates services for more than 60,000 commercial establishments in the United States and Canada, including stores, banks, and restaurants.
Its network includes thousands of independent providers operating in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, janitorial services, landscaping and other industries.
NEST said AI could help contractors plan their next stop, find parts, diagnose problems and get more work done.
Almond said the tool could also help address the industry’s persistent shortage of skilled workers.
“It’s a serious shortage,” Almond said of the labor pool. “…That won’t go away anytime soon.”
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St. Joseph’s University Haub School of Business Dean Joseph DiAngelo (far left) and NEST CEO Rob Almond (far right). Posing with students from St. Joseph’s University. NEST and St. Joseph’s University have been working together for more than a decade. (NEST integrated facility management)
NEST and St. Joseph’s University began collaborating on AI projects about 18 months ago, building 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 in the first year.
Almond said the goal is to make skilled workers “better, stronger and faster.”
“The human element never goes away,” Almond said.
Almond said both more support and awareness are needed to attract workers to the industry.
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NEST CEO Rob Almond said AI tools could help make skilled trade workers more efficient. (St. Petersburg)
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“A career path in industry is probably just as good, if not better, than a career in college,” he said.
For NEST, investments in AI are aimed at both increasing efficiency and easing pressures caused by labor shortages.
“Giving these companies … tools to be more efficient means they can get to their next job faster and maybe even be a little bit more cost-competitive. We all want that,” Almond said.
