“We have become so big”

Who needs an IT department? The property management department is driving its own digitization. A wise initiative when 40 stores have grown to 220.

“Stores shouldn’t have to call around to find the right person. It takes up unnecessary time, for all parties,” says Per Rosenlund, Property and Security Manager at Alligo.

He’s talking about the digitization of the property management department, a project that they have run themselves to move systems and processes online. Together with the concept and construction department, they are developing, among other things, a system where stores can report errors via the internet. The aim is that a report about a flickering fluorescent lightbulb or a broken shelf immediately ends up with the right person.

When different activities have to be coordinated in a new organization, there are always challenges. Routines, agreements and methods often differ. This applies not least to Alligo’s property management department, who now therefore have several large digitization projects underway.

Among other things, they have digitized their fire protection system – the program that was already being used by Swedol has now also been implemented at TOOLS. Now they are working with a comprehensive digital property register.

“Already today we have a system for property designations and lease agreements, but we want to expand this with electricity agreements, floor plans and all other background information,” says Per Rosenlund. “If I click on a store in Smålandsstenar, I should be able to retrieve information about retail space, warehouse space, annual rent, the electricity supplier, the recycling supplier and so on. I should also be able to see when these contracts expire.”

This will make it easier to centralize large framework agreements. In addition, it will be easier to work with KPIs concerning quality, environmental impact and the workplace, as statistics for things like energy consumption must be included in the register.

Per believes that it is essential that the property management department pushes for the digitization of its business.

“We do it to make it easier for our stores, so that everyone can focus on what they do best. It wouldn’t be manageable otherwise, as we’ve gotten so big. When I started at Swedol, we had around 40 stores – now we have approximately 220 stores within Alligo. We must digitize to maintain quality and focus on doing the right things.”