How Rayon helped The Engine streamline its facility management
Insights from a 3-person operations specialists team
Challenge
The Engine is a startup hub catering to +900 innovators. They operate within a five-floor building, including co-working spaces with specialized laboratories and equipment. To streamline operations, The Engine’s facility managers team sought a way to create a visual representation of the space that would allow them to track equipment, monitor tenant workstations and labs, and oversee the entire facility more efficiently.
Nevertheless, the team's lack of training in design tools made it difficult to process floor plan CAD files, and finding a suitable platform to meet their needs was challenging. They tested several tools, but none provided the flexibility they required.
Solution
The Engine discovered Rayon’s user-friendly software, allowing the team to import CAD and PDF floor plan files easily. With Rayon, they created a 'digital twin' of their facility, providing a clear visual representation of the space. They maintained the flexibility they needed by creating custom furniture and equipment blocks to place on their layouts for tracking the locations of items and running accurate test-fits.
By adding metadata to equipment blocks, they could also track and manage information in lists, including special installation requirements, suppliers, and more. Rayon helped significantly improve the efficiency of managing The Engine and enabled collaboration between the team members.
“Finding a way to create floor plans was challenging, especially since we had never used floor plan software before. Rayon made it incredibly simple, giving us the flexibility we needed. Editing floor plan PDFs and managing lab equipment became much more efficient.”
The story behind The Engine
The Engine, founded in 2017 as an initiative from MIT, is a dynamic startup hub designed to bridge the gap between academic innovation and real-world business needs. It supports over 900 people from more than 90 Tough Tech startups, all working to solve global challenges through science and engineering. Housed in a five-floor building, The Engine operates like a co-working space but with specialized infrastructure, including laboratories, meeting rooms, workspaces, and cutting-edge equipment. By providing financial support, expert guidance, and the resources needed to commercialize disruptive technologies, The Engine accelerates the path from lab to market.
Navigating complex operations in The Engine’s 5-floor space
Managing a bustling startup hub with over 900 people across 90+ startups presented a significant operational challenge for The Engine. Housed in a five-floor facility, the team struggled to track equipment, monitor workstations, and efficiently manage the space. Initially, they attempted to use CAD files, but lack of design tool expertise made processing these files difficult. After testing multiple platforms, none of which offered the flexibility they needed, managing the operations without a proper solution became increasingly problematic.
How Rayon streamlined facility management by easily creating a ‘digital twin’
Rayon provided the solution The Engine was searching for, enabling them to create a “digital twin” of their entire facility quickly. The Ops management team uses Rayon weekly to update the locations of equipment across its five floors, with the floor plans then exported and integrated into a booking system for tenants to pre-order machinery. Additionally, the team created a custom equipment library, allowing them to easily rearrange layouts by plugging and playing equipment blocks, saving time and ensuring flexibility.
Rayon’s professional-looking floor plans also help communicate the space to potential start-up tenants, clearly showcasing the division and layout of the facility.
Rayon at The Engine today
Rayon has become an essential tool for The Engine, enabling the efficient management of its five-floor facility thanks to the creation of a digital twin. The platform allows the team to track equipment and monitor workstations easily. With its ability to create and scale furniture and equipment blocks and manage metadata for assets, Rayon has streamlined operations, providing The Engine with a flexible, intuitive solution to track and organize their space and resources effectively. Today, Rayon is integral to ensuring smooth, weekly facility management at The Engine.
Book a demo to discover how Rayon can benefit your team, and apply to our design partner program for a free team trial.