Alecta Properties is investing in data coordination in digital twins to enable better analysis and data-driven decisions regarding the properties. To make data from physical properties available, the company collaborates with external service providers, who also get the opportunity to use the tool to streamline their own work. 

"We use the twins for our systematic fire safety work; it saves time, and you can really feel secure that you have checked everything," says Joel Forsberg, operations technician at Retta.  

Better oversight and control, as well as efficiencies and cost savings, are some of the main driving forces among property owners investing in digitalization.

"By taking control of our data and making it available so that everyone in the operation can see how the properties are performing, we can foresee problems in the properties at an early stage and implement the right measures to reduce costs and create a better customer experience for our tenants in the long term," says Mattias Bergström, head of technology development and safety at Alecta Properties.

Alecta Properties is also conducting a project where digital twins are built on the proptech company Vyer's platform in order to obtain a real-time overview of the properties that facilitates analysis and decision-making. 

"We chose Vyer because it is best for us where we stand today; it is easy to work with and does not lock in the data. There is also a responsiveness to us as property owners when it comes to customizing and developing the platform," says Mattias Bergström. 

He emphasizes that a prerequisite for being able to work data-driven is that the information collected in various systems can be made available and utilized freely in different systems and services.

"We aim to become a leader in digitalization in the real estate industry. Owning the data is incredibly important. An advantage for us, as a relatively newly started company, is that we have been able to start from scratch, allowing us to avoid being locked into a mass of systems, instead choosing those that are most suitable, have good APIs, and are easy to integrate from the start.

Collaboration with external service providers for data centralization

The digital twins enable mapping and visualization of management-critical information in digital drawings, as well as associated outdoor environments.

Fixed geometries, structures, and components are drawn from BIM models, while dynamic data for areas, technical equipment, processes, and routines is gathered from integrated systems and through ongoing mapping and updates from employees in the operation.

Since Alecta Properties hires external property management on contract, it is also important to establish collaboration with these companies regarding digitalization and data centralization, he argues. 

"We work with several service companies, and they have solutions that are more or less challenging to integrate with. Today, it is sufficient for us to be able to extract data from the systems, but I also believe that providers with their own systems have a journey ahead of them to adapt to property companies' digitalization."

Retta is one of the companies that, in connection with the implementation of digital twins at Alecta, has been asked to use the tool in its management assignments.  

"It is very important for us to have them on board in the digitalization journey. That Retta works more digitally is an advantage to make as much data as possible about the property available," says Mattias Bergström.

Increased control and security in fire safety work

As an external service company, Retta is responsible for supervision and maintenance, corrective maintenance, operational optimization, as well as preventive and statutory rounds in their clients' properties. 

"We work a lot with rounds, so there are quite a few checks over the year. We check our operation rooms once a week, go through common areas, perform sprinkler and fire protection system checks, among other things," reports Joel Forsberg, operations technician at Retta.

For Retta, the focus has been on inventorying and mapping technology as well as components for fire protection, as well as planning and conducting fire protection rounds with the support of the twins. 

"We have not had any specialized program for fire safety or component inventory in these properties before. It is very easy to miss things without a checklist, so that is the biggest difference."

Joel Forsberg, operations technician at Retta, performs a fire safety round supported by a digital twin. Photo: Vyer

In Vyer's platform, management can now follow a checklist with control points for fire safety, while also seeing the points' locations in the property's digital twin.

"It saves time, and you can really feel secure that you have checked everything. Anyone can easily see what needs to be done with the map on their mobile, which also makes it easier to cover for colleagues if someone is ill," says Joel Forsberg.