Facility Manager Joris De Paep is one of the faces behind ‘Warehouses with brains’

Facility Manager Joris De Paep manages thirty warehouses in Belgium and Northern France with the same care and common sense as if they were his own. We asked Joris how he fills his days. Meet one of the faces behind ‘Warehouses with brains’.

A day in the life of a Facility Manager

As a Facility Manager, Joris manages around thirty warehouses in Northern Belgium and France. “My responsibility is to ensure that our buildings are in good condition by organising maintenance, repairs and investments,” explains Joris. “As Facility Manager, I’m also often the client’s first point of contact, which means that no two days are the same: the one day I may find myself on the roof with a roofer carrying out a repair and the next day finalising a contract extension together with the client and my commercial colleague.”

Keeping cool

“My days largely follow the rhythm of incoming messages and projects,” continues Joris. “When urgent questions or problems arise, it is essential to keep a cool head and exude and maintain a sense of calm. Determining priorities, assessing situations and making links are key to offering a successful solution for the client’s problem.”

Facility management 2.0

Mass digitisation has not escaped the attention of WDP, claims Joris. “Apart from the technical management of the buildings, I am working together with colleagues to develop a digital platform. The goal is to enable a more efficient follow-up to failures, notifications, maintenance work and budgets, both for the facility team and by our clients. Naturally, I enjoy contributing to this important milestone in the digitisation of WDP.”

Meet Michel van Eijk, Facility Manager in the Netherlands. Or get to know the other faces of #TeamWDP.