When a company decides to renovate or install a control center there are factors, mainly possible mistakes, that both the client and the service provider company must consider for the project to be successful.
Below, the five most important mistakes are listed.
Mistake nº 1: Not understanding that a control center is not an office
The design of the space and the specifications of the furniture should not be considered in the same way in a control center and in a common office as the work carried out in it or the way of working is not the same. In companies, as a general rule, is it not taken into consideration that this kind of space can not house conventional furniture because the deficiencies that the lack of specialized technical furniture could cause at the control center can be catastrophic for the performance of the operators.
Due to their general lack of knowledge about the needs of the control center, they make quickly decisions with short-term serious consequences for the continuity of their management, this being the first mistake they make. This carries, on occasions, that they hire companies thay are not specialized in control rooms, limiting the global vision of the project, since they are generally companies specialized in facilities or security, but not in design and equipment.
In addition, not making a correct evaluation of the existing ingeneering and characteristics of the space or arranging the control room and the workstations in an inefficient maner can cause that there is no proper circulation, a complete visualization of the videowall or minimal comfort for the operators.
GESAB applies its 30 years of specialization and experience in the design and implantation of control centers at an international level, using technical furniture according with the requirements of this kind of environments, as well as high-quality and durability materials.
Its team of engineers and architects also studies carefully the use of suitable materials for the floor such as false floors for wiring, suitable luminaires that do not cause reflections or shadows that affect visibility, the use of the technologies for the display systems of use 24/7 professional to avoid fatal consequences of security for the operators.
Mistake nº 2: Incorrect design and ergonomics of the workspace
Another of the most common errors found in control centers, both in large size and in small, is the ergonomics of technical furniture and the workspace where the operators are placed.
The dimensions of the control consoles is a fundamental aspect to consider, since if the background turns out to be very short the monitors will not be at a correct distance and the work space for the operator will be small, making their arms hang. On this projects noone thinks about chairs, that must be ergonomic prepared for 24/7 environments, or the arms where the monitors are placed, being both accesories as important as the control console itself.
So that no detail is left to chance, GESAB designs, manufactures and installs furniture that complies with the ergonomics regulationsand and technical durability tests required for control centers, as well as ergonomic chairs and arms for monitors that solve all the functional and operational requirements of 24/7 environments.
To avoid present and future ergonomic problems, GESAB carries out a first fundamental action: carrying out and presenting a risks assessment to implement a proposal in accordance with the regulations of a critical environment.
Mistake nº 3: Not listening to the company or considering its needs
A very common mistake from the supplier company is to assume what the client needs for its control center instead of listening to them to analyze their requirements, thus presenting an inadequate proposal both technically and economically.
Propose elements that are not actually of value to the client, design spaces without the participation of the client and that are not correctly aligned in all its dimensions with its needs, not requesting enough information from the company, omitting information about the global proposal… Actions that must be avoided at all costs for the project to be a sucsess.
GESAB holds several meetings with each client to know in detail any aspect of the project, any need or specification to avoid making the mistake here mentioned. The GESAB team provides all its help to advise the company and be able to guide it towards the best solutions by contributing its knowledge and long experience, solving, on occasions, the obstacle of a client who considers having more knowledge than they really have on the item.
Mistake nº 4: Lack of planning in economic investment
Not carrying out an investment plan in stages accompanied by an analysis of the return on investment, mainly when the project includes interior design, technical furniture and audio-visual systems as videowall, implies not knowing from the beginning of the project its economic implications.
GESAB executes this economic, expense and return of investment analysis, showing each client the importance of investing properly to implement the control center.
Some companies do not see the need to invest money in materials of intensive use stating that “the important thing is that it works” and others mention that “there are those who offer the same for half the price” without conisdering the quality, guarantee or maintenance of the furniture, obtaining poorly executed control centers in search of a lower investment from the projet manager.
Most companies do not usually have an initial item in their annual budget to remodel or build their control center so they only appreciate the high initial expense without stopping to understand that it is really a long-term investment. Consequently, they tend to build low-quality control consoles without wiring management or ergonomically inadequate, they install screens for non-professional use and with little useful life, they buy inappropriate chairs that generate exhaustion to operator, install floor materials that wear quickly resulting hazards or inadequate lighting and ventilation.
GESAB, through its experience, demonstrates to each client that an investment in good quality furniture and materials, as well as an ergonomically adequate design of the space, can allow the company to save costs in the long-term, although the short-term investment is greater. For GESAB it is very important to make each client understand that a quality control center is not an expense, but an investment for the present and the future.
Mistake nº 5: Not understanding the functionality of the crisis room
Some control center have an adjacent crisis room where the Direction meets to analyze the results and make critical decisions. The main mistake about this space is not consider the characteristics that make it up: which activities are carried out in the room, what level of privacy it should have, who will use it, which information will be displayed on their screens, the source of the information or whether or not such information can be shared with third parties.
To avoid that the crisis room does not meet all the needs and requirements of the client, GESAB carries out an exhaustive analysis of all these integrals to adapt the design, the technical furniture -the meeting table possibly equipped with advanced interactive technology-, the multimedia elements, the automation, the collaboration equipment and the visualization systems that solve the criticality of the room.
The professionalism and long experience of GESAB and its concern to meet the expectations and requirements of each client makes GESAB the indicated supplier for the implementation or renovation of a control center.