With FM teams under growing pressure to manage complex estates, control costs and meet sustainability targets, making better use of building data is becoming increasingly important. We caught up with Matthew Nelson, CEO at CreevX, to discuss how intelligent water management, real-time monitoring and automation can help facilities managers work smarter, and why connected building intelligence could transform the sector…
Tell us about your company, products and services.
CreevX is a technology company focused on helping organisations make smarter decisions about their buildings. Our platform provides intelligent water management through continuous monitoring, real-time insight and targeted automation.
We help facilities and engineering teams move away from routine, manual processes towards a more data-led approach. CreevX monitors temperature and water movement, highlights where attention is required and can support automated flushing where appropriate.
The platform is designed to work alongside existing systems, including BMS and CAFM platforms, with API connectivity and the ability to scale across complex, multi-site estates. While water is our current focus, the wider platform has been designed to support broader building insight over time.
What have been the biggest challenges the FM industry has faced over the past 12 months?
One of the biggest challenges has been doing more with the resources available. FM teams are managing increasingly complex estates while facing pressure on budgets, staffing and operational time.
There is also a growing expectation to demonstrate measurable improvements in sustainability, alongside maintaining compliance and managing operational risk. The challenge is finding ways to achieve all of this without simply adding more manual processes for already stretched teams.
The biggest opportunity is making better use of the data that buildings are already generating.
There is a huge amount of information available across modern buildings, but the real value comes from turning that information into something useful. For FM teams, that means knowing where attention is actually required rather than treating every building, system or outlet in the same way.
We see a real opportunity to use technology to move FM from reactive and routine activity towards more targeted, proactive decision-making. We want to support them in not only flagging issues, but helping solve those problems in a practical way.
What is the biggest priority for the FM industry next year?
I think efficiency will remain a major priority, but it will increasingly be about intelligent efficiency rather than simply doing things faster or reducing costs.
FM teams need to understand where resources are being used, where risk exists and where intervention will have the greatest impact. Better visibility and better data can help teams prioritise their time and make more informed decisions across an estate.
What are the main trends you are expecting to see in the market next year?
I expect to see continued growth in data-led FM, with greater integration between building systems and the platforms teams already use.
There will also be more focus on automation, particularly where repetitive tasks can be reduced without compromising compliance or operational control.
I think we will also see sustainability become increasingly connected to day-to-day FM decisions. Rather than sustainability being treated as a separate objective, organisations will increasingly look at how operational decisions affect water, energy, carbon and cost together.
What technology is going to have the biggest impact on the market this year?
AI will obviously continue to have a major impact, but I think the bigger opportunity for FM is how AI, real-time data and automation come together.
Collecting data isn’t enough. The real value is being able to understand what that data means, identify where action is needed and, where appropriate, automate the response.
For FM teams, that can turn technology from another system to manage into something that actively helps them manage their estate.
Next year we’ll all be talking about…?
I think we’ll be talking much more about connected building intelligence and what organisations can actually do with the data coming from their buildings.
The conversation is moving beyond individual sensors and technologies towards how different sources of information can work together to support better decisions across an entire estate.
Which person in, or associated with, the FM industry would you most like to meet?
Not a person in particular, but we really love engaging with the folks “on the ground” in the industry. An ESG manager may love our solution, as does procurement. But if the person managing the tasks on a day to day basis doesn’t get on board, everything else falls apart.
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learnt about the FM sector?
I find it fascinating how each Account / Contract Manager likes to mange their end client. Some have really close and personal relationships and constantly suggest new ways of doing things, whilst others like to not bother them at all.
You go to the bar at the Facilities Management Summit – what’s your tipple of choice?
If there’s a Guinness on tap, it’s the one!
What’s the most exciting thing about your job?
The range of different customers we have makes each day different, from Healthcare to Aviation, utilities and logistics – we cover them all
And what’s the most challenging?
Related to the above, is understanding the competing priorities of each industry.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
“Success leaves clues”
Peaky Blinders or The Mandalorian?
Peaky Blinders all the way.
