Facilities management is no longer a backstage function. Across the United States, companies are increasingly treating infrastructure, maintenance, and operational services as strategic assets, directly tied to cost control, sustainability targets, and employee experience. Recent industry data confirms this shift and helps explain why the sector has gained national relevance.
According to the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), organizations can reduce operational costs by 10% to 25% through structured facilities management programs that integrate preventive maintenance, energy efficiency, and performance-based contracts. In parallel, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that commercial buildings account for roughly 18% of total U.S. energy consumption, making facilities operations a decisive front in corporate ESG strategies.
For Fabio Toniato, the transformation of facilities management into a strategic discipline is already visible in day-to-day operations across multiple sectors.
“For a long time, facilities management was seen purely as an expense. Today, data shows that it’s a value generator,” Toniato explains. “When infrastructure is managed with intelligence, companies gain predictability, reduce waste, and create safer, more productive environments for people.”
The global outlook reinforces this perspective. Market research firm Grand View Research estimates that the global facilities management market will surpass US$2 trillion by the early 2030s, driven by outsourcing, smart building technologies, and stricter regulatory standards related to safety and sustainability. In the U.S., growth is particularly strong in healthcare, logistics, corporate real estate, and industrial facilities, sectors where operational downtime translates directly into financial loss.
Toniato highlights that the real competitive advantage lies in integration.
“The biggest mistake companies make is treating contracts, maintenance, and people management as separate worlds,” he says. “High-performance operations come from integrating technical data, financial controls, and human leadership into one management vision.”
This integration has proven especially relevant in healthcare and critical infrastructure. Studies published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that well-maintained facilities contribute directly to infection control, equipment reliability, and overall patient safety, reinforcing that facilities decisions are also public-interest decisions.
As businesses face rising energy costs, tighter margins, and growing ESG pressure from investors and regulators, facilities management is rapidly moving into the executive agenda. Voices like Toniato’s underscore a broader consensus forming across industries: infrastructure, when strategically managed, is not just a support function, it is a competitive advantage with national economic impact.