Barbecue with the winner of our anniversary raffle

Who actually won our 10th anniversary grill? It was Arne Richel, Division Manager at UMG facilities GmbH. So, this Wednesday, I drove to Göttingen to meet with the lucky winner of our The Big Green Egg Raffle at the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) and enjoy a barbecue with him and his colleagues. Along with the official handover, we also had a private tour of the hospital, where I got a firsthand look at how our workforce management system is used in the daily operations of a critical infrastructure company to support safety.

Just last week, the renowned American news magazine Newsweek published its list of the world’s best specialized hospitals. The University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) excelled in five of twelve disciplines and is among the world’s top hospitals. I was even more excited to gain insight into the hospital's work and safety concepts at this outstanding institution.

UMG facilities GmbH, a subsidiary of the University Medical Center Göttingen, offers extensive services in security, facility management, and craftsmanship. Their focus is on ensuring smooth infrastructural and technical processes on the University Medical Center Göttingen campus.

As a service provider for a critical infrastructure company, they meet high standards in their work. COREDINATE’s workforce management system helps them tackle these challenges. The functions of the workforce management system bring structure and clearly defined processes into daily operations. According to Arne Richel, flexible forms ensure standardized documentation, significantly contributing to error prevention and quality assurance.

The services provided by UMG facilities GmbH include security for people and facilities as well as a variety of facility management services, including infrastructural and administrative facility management, reception services, and the maintenance of outdoor and indoor green spaces. They also provide maintenance services tailored to the needs of healthcare facilities.

Their services also cover building and operational technology, cleaning and logistics as well as technical and infrastructural services. With their experienced team and COREDINATE^® as their digital assistant, UMG facilities GmbH ensures that facilities are maintained and operational around the clock—supporting optimal work and treatment conditions at the hospital.

We kicked things off with a quick photo session, followed by a shared lunch with delicious grilled dishes and salads. Present were the CEO of UMG facilities GmbH, Sascha Thomae, the winner Arne Richel, and several colleagues from administration.

Afterward, I accompanied Etienne Lux on his guard tour through the hospital and university, gaining valuable insights into the daily work of the security teams. We visited various stations and departments, where I saw several checkpoint stations to ensure comprehensive documentation and strengthen the security and protection of people and facilities.

The monitoring center with its numerous screens was particularly impressive. Together in the COREDINATE Portal, we observed the guards’ locations. This is essential for a critical infrastructure company like the University Medical Center Göttingen, with uses ranging from access control to detailed documentation, securing parking lots, managing parking machine revenue, and rapid incident reporting.

I was also fascinated by the building’s size, the intricate study spaces with a ’70s charm, and the numerous green plants throughout the structure. Securing a facility of this scale is definitely a challenging task.

The University Medical Center Göttingen seamlessly connects with the Georg-August University, though only the medical faculty is located here. The rest of the university is spread throughout Göttingen, which means UMG facilities GmbH’s security teams have to cover large distances.

A small glimpse at some of the learning materials provided to medical students.

By evening, we returned from our tour and spent the last hour chatting with Sascha Thomae. Our discussion about the wide range of COREDINATE^® applications was incredibly interesting, and we agreed to stay in touch.

Thank you to UMG facilities GmbH and especially to Mr. Richel for the warm invitation and the fascinating tour of the hospital and university. The insights into the diverse processes and security requirements in hospital and university operations were incredibly enriching and broadened my perspective, especially regarding new ideas for our workforce management system.