Comfort and safety through the services of GEI PALAT CFR

    As a consequence of the interest raised by the information we furnished in the interview with Manager Gheorghe Degeratu that we published in our last issue about the way the building of the CFR Palace is managed we decided to provide supplementary information on the activities of the Exploitation and Maintenance Group (GEI). In 1996, in accordance with HG (Government Decision) no. 1.124, the building of the CFR Palace was give to be administered by SNCFR. On December 1^st 1996, according to the decision above mentioned, the Administrative Direction of SNCFR was established and then (on May 1^st 1997) was restructured and turned into the Palace Exploitation and Maintenance Group (GEI).
    GEI Palat CFR has as attribution, aside from the obligation to administrate the spaces within the building of the CFR Palace (the 82% that fall under its jurisdiction according to HG 1.124) another important task – that of maintaining the installations in the entire building and the annex buildings – the rented spaces (including the afferent installations). This important activity is established through services contracts with the economical agents in the building who also have the quality of tenants and constitute an important source of income for GEI.
    The tenants have for their use a building with spaces and furnishings that insure the good functioning of the economical units in the building in safety and comfort conditions. The “levers” GEI Palat CFR uses to insure the maintenance of the building and offer assistance are three sections thought effectively as strictly operational units and the Civilian Firemen Service (with a special status).

The Building Maintenance and Repair Section (SIRC) is made of:

* Installation Atelier – including complex formations of specialists, electricians and sanitary agents and thermo-mechanics. This atelier is led by engineer Carmen Stoian and insures the good functioning of the 14 elevators of the building.

* Building Maintenance Atellier – including complex formations of locksmiths, wood workers and utility painters is led by the chief of the section, engineer Gabriela Ionita.

    This section plays an important role in the good functioning of the building, considering that an establishment of this size needs installations (electrical, water, sanitary, residual water evacuation, gas, etc.) and maintenance services for the construction (interior furnishings, metallic parts, woodwork, etc.).
    A building summing over 67 000 square meters of surface and approximately 5000 permanent workers and another 1500 that come daily as visitors or delegates, where the management, headquarters and central apparatus of the Transport Ministry activate, as well as some other specific units related to transport and belonging to the infrastructure of the communication network (projects and execution units), traffic control and monitoring for railway, air and naval transportation needs optimal conditions 24 –7 and these conditions are insured by the Building Maintenance and Repair Section.
    To this end, SIRC disposes of spaces (ateliers) for maintenance and repairs, well equipped with materials and adequate for current interventions and even for large repairs. Within these ateliers, highly qualified personnel works; well trained professionals, people with a good knowledge of the building’s installations and, most important, people who understand that maintenance means more than just interventions during a crisis – it’s also preventing and troubleshooting various misfortunes that may appear and treating them in a professional manner and through thorough work. That is why we have to say that through the care of the management CNCF “CFR” – SA and the management of GEI PALAT CFR premises were created to insure that the activity of this section with a maintenance specific will be somewhat eased and made more cost-worthy with the help of first rate equipment, vital to the building that became the interest of SIRC immediately after installation.
    Such installations are:

• Back-up stationary power generator for interventions – to insure the good functioning of vital points throughout the building in the event of power failure;
• Counter-current equipment – a heat exchanger that supplies thermo agent and utility water at superior temperatures, limiting waste and insuring comfortable temperatures in the rooms and utility water for the toilets
• Improved elevator installations that offer the elevators technical parameters according to the 2000 year regulations, speed, capacity, viability and safety
• A complete counter system in the border area between caterers and the entrance to the general appliances of the building both in the electrical and thermo installations as well the gas and water plumbing for a better and more correct follow-up on consumption (problems that were treated derisively until 1996).

The Services Section

The section is led by Atanasie Georgescu and includes several activities.

* The maintenance sector (cleaning personnel) insures the cleaning services of the building both inside and outside. Works are executed on common spaces (halls, stairs, toilets, elevator halls, etc.) and in the offices that form the administrative headquarters of the tenant firms.

    The specialized personnel of the section and the equipment and materials the have allow the execution of varied specific services: daily cleaning and general cleaning, clean floors maintenance, washing the some 2000 windows and sky windows at least three times a year, maintaining the exterior perimeter of the building clean as well as the cellars and the daily evacuation of wastes.
    Even though this is a field that usually leaves a few malcontents, we have to say the maintenance sector, although understaffed and overworked keeps clean the common spaces in the building and also the offices (with the exception of a few units which clean their own offices) and, most important, has crews of great moral integrity – we can offer as proof the fact that they never had a complaint from the beneficiaries all these years. This no small feat for it is well known that cleaning personnel come ion close contact with valuables both of personal nature and belonging to the offices they serve.

* The washing atelier is equipped with the newest and most productive machinery and insures the washing and cleaning (upon request) of inventory items in the offices (drapes, carpets, etc.). This is an activity intended to bring a plus of profit also catering for the companies and also providing hotel reservation for third parties in the area including single persons.

* The book atelier insures dossier works and handles putting covers on various documents (technical, accounting, etc.) that they may be solicited. This particular atelier is well equipped and its personnel, people with great experience execute a large number of works that the beneficiary came to appreciate and recommend. You have to realize that any section in the building sum up in a year a real collection of documents that, according to the legislation have to be kept in archives for a certain number of years. That is why we are proud to say we cover the needs of the entire building. the elevator companions activity insures traffic services for up to five elevators in the areas of maximum traffic and wee keep the presentation levels of the building at agreeable levels. We left for last a series of activities with an area somewhat more closed but, nevertheless, important. Thus, specialized personnel of the section execute currier activities and archive evidence, registrations and others. For this particular activity, we cover the needs of the rail transport firms and companies and in the near future we will cover those of the companies that used to belong to the Transport Ministry.

The Automotive Exploitation Section

    This section is led by engineer Valentin Oanta and insures the coordination of the auto park, which serves mainly the companies, sisters to SNCFR and also the headquarters of the ministry and a few other beneficiaries with headquarters at the CFR Palace that may be soliciting transport.
    This section’s activity has three main directions and they are:

• Coordination and dispatching for 97 utility vehicles;
• Technical revisions and current maintenance and repairs to toe auto park, executed in the auto repairs shop led by eng Andrei Mariago;
• Coordinating vehicle access in the building’s driveways, on a contract basis for as many as 260 vehicles.

    The dispatching activity is executed in shifts, supervised by specialized personnel that coordinate the park and keeps the tabs. This is a non-stop service for the ministry and it insures civilized working space and rest locations for the shift personnel.
    The auto repair shop provides planned technical revisions and current maintenance especially for vehicles fabricated in Romania and partially for the imported ones. Its equipment; control and tuning dates from 1998 and will continue. They foresee that in 2001 all exploited vehicles will be diagnosed and repaired here. The section also restricts access for vehicles and insures their protection in three parking lots thus arranged:Subterranean parking offers special conditions during winter; the space is illuminated and heatedThe 1 and 2 parking lots above grounds offer high safety conditions, are guarded round the clock, are illuminated and fence-protected.

Civilian Firemen ServiceIt is led by Dumitru Gherghinuta.

    The No.212/1997 law regarding fire protection authorizes this service. Their activity is 24 – 7 and insures the prevention and security against fires for all common spaces of the CFR Palace building. The Civilian Firemen Service also upholds the PSI (Fire Fight and Prevention) norms and makes sure that all economical agents in the building are respecting them. They are well equipped to handle all events. The fact that the last three years have not registered such unwanted events speaks volumes about the quality of the people at the Civilian Firemen Service.

    As a matter of fact all people inside this group (GEI Palat CFR) are competent, serious, dedicated and skilled. A proof is the fact that all things turn round here even though this edifice of our capital is no longer “in its youth.” However, the CFR Palace is now experiencing a new youth!