Case Studies Great American Insurance Company: Putting a Premium on Successful Space Management
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Great American Insurance Company: Putting a Premium on Successful Space Management

Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics
Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems
Business Operation
Facility Management
Asset Health Management (AHM)
Building Automation & Control
Building Energy Management
Software Design & Engineering Services
System Integration
Great American Insurance Company faced significant challenges in managing its extensive real estate portfolio, which included 1.8 million square feet under lease across 133 leases in 100 buildings. The company struggled with outdated space management methods, initially using a people-on-board (POB) system that assigned space charges based on headcount rather than actual usage. This method led to inefficiencies, especially with a 26% annual churn rate and Human Resources' inability to maintain real-time headcounts or location information. The transition to Excel spreadsheets and a Microsoft Access database for space allocation and rent calculations introduced further complications, including double manual data entry and lack of integration with AutoCAD drawings. These limitations hindered the company's ability to identify vacant space, improve allocations, and manage space utilization effectively.
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Great American Insurance Company, founded in 1872 in Cincinnati, Ohio, is one of the top 20 insurance companies in the United States. The company specializes in annuities, life insurance, supplemental health insurance, and specialty insurance products. With a workforce of 5,000 employees and managing 1.8 million square feet of leased space across 133 leases in 100 buildings, primarily in the US, Great American has a significant real estate footprint. The company's real estate department has recently focused on state-of-the-art space management to optimize the use of its properties. Despite its extensive operations, the company faced challenges in effectively managing its space and integrating its systems, prompting a search for a more efficient solution.
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To address its space management challenges, Great American Insurance Company implemented ARCHIBUS' Space Management solution with the assistance of Business Partner GBBN. The solution was chosen for its ability to integrate seamlessly with AutoCAD, allowing for easy linking and manipulation of information. Within three months, the ARCHIBUS Space Management solution was operational in two of Great American's downtown Cincinnati buildings. The implementation transitioned the company from group area configurations to individual room areas linked with occupant information, significantly improving space management and data integration. The solution also enhanced the collection and integration of lease, rent, and employee space allocation/utilization data. Additionally, ARCHIBUS' dynamic Workforce Search feature, linked to floor plans, enabled the company to conduct employee searches by various criteria and manage telecom infrastructure more effectively. The solution's mapping utilities provided detailed views from global company sites down to floor-plan levels, further aiding in space management and planning.
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Great American's ARCHIBUS implementation allowed the company to identify vacant space and exercise early termination of leases, leading to workspace consolidation and reduced rent payments.
The company avoided opening new offices by optimizing the use of existing space, thanks to the improved space management capabilities provided by ARCHIBUS.
ARCHIBUS enabled Great American to query existing space data for future space initiatives, facilitating better planning and decision-making.
Great American saved $417,000 in the first year of implementing the ARCHIBUS solution.
The company managed 1.8 million square feet under lease across 133 leases in 100 buildings.
The solution supported 5,000 employees with improved space management and data integration.
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