The City of Coventry Stadium has introduced an award-winning
maintenance management system in the countdown to hosting football
matches at London 2012.
The venue, which is usually known as the Ricoh Arena, is hosting
12 men's and women's football matches including the women's bronze
medal final at the 2012 Games, starting on July 25.
As preparations get into full swing behind the scenes, the venue
has started using a technology system called Agility from
Wakefield-based technology firm SoftSols Group.
The system helps to automatically schedule maintenance tasks
from making sure the turnstiles work properly to grounds
maintenance.
Maintenance staff will also be using hand-held devices to log
their work with work carried out at a particular part of the site
held in virtual form so work on any item can be tracked and
analysed to drive improvements.
Facilities director Anthony Mundy said a new flexible system was
needed due to the venue being a world-class destination for
business, entertainment and sport.
"We are one of the most versatile venues in the UK since we host
a combination of high-profile concerts, conferences and exhibitions
as well as being the home of Coventry City, an on-site hotel, the
UK's largest casino and having office suites for other businesses,"
he said.
"We needed to introduce a facilities management software system
which could cope with all the different needs of our business and
we believe Agility ticks all the boxes.
"This will mean our maintenance staff can work more efficiently
and quickly which will be particularly pertinent as we approach one
of the busiest few months in our history."
David Hipkin, managing director at SoftSols Group, said: "We
look forward to working with the Ricoh Arena over the coming
months, and we're delighted to be able to support the venue ahead
of the Olympics.
"Agility is a very adaptable system which can be used in many
different situations. Our technology is used by customers across
the world, in sectors as diverse as manufacturing, government,
retail, utilities, healthcare and education. In this case, we're
proud to be helping make sure an Olympic site runs smoothly."