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From rags to riches…and royal praise
When Mark and Graham Wray started their workplace wiper business in 1984 with a £3000 backing from The Prince’s Trust, little did they imagine that 27 years later they would be receiving recognition from The Trust’s Patron, HRH Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales.
The brothers set up their business in Toxteth, Liverpool just after the riots when jobs were very scarce. They bought clothes from charity shops and turned them into wiping cloths for engineering works and garages. The company widened its horizons and today Wray Brothers is a member of Jangro, the national network of over 40 janitorial and
cleaning supplies companies offering 4500 products from a 138-page catalogue.
Mark Wray said: “Without help from The Prince’s Trust we would never have become the business we are today. It provided not only the money but also help from really experienced advisors who showed us how to invoice and manage our paperwork. Once we were operational The Trust kept in constant contact.”
To illustrate their appreciation for the Trust’s support, the brothers set up their own business centre for unemployed people by restoring an old warehouse, which today provides subsidised workspace for 20-30 new businesses and business mentoring.
Mark and Graham Wray, whose business is the longest trading company helped by the Trust, were invited to Clarence House to celebrate 35 years of the Trust.
C diff deaths down by 31%
The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has announced that the number of death certificates mentioning Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection in England and Wales decreased by 31% in 2010, down to 2704 from 3933 in 2009.
A total of 42% of death certificates referenced C. difficile in 2010, where the infection was recorded as the underlying cause of mortality. This figure is compares favourably to the median of 49% over the period 1999 to 2010.
Mark Woodhead, chairman of the British Cleaning Council, commented: "The drop we have seen in C. difficile infections over the past year is a substantial achievement and credit should be given to the hard work of NHS staff who have demonstrated the benefits of focusing on infection control. However, while progress has been made, a multi-faceted approach that maintains a relentless focus on high-levels of cleanliness, best practice guidance and greater infection control staff must be continued if we are to drive down infection rates even further.”
C. difficile can be spread by the hands of healthcare staff, patients and visitors that come into contact with infected patients or contaminated surfaces. Improved disinfection measures, rigorous cleaning regimes and routine hand-washing have all been cited in research as measures which can help reduce the spread of infection.
The British Cleaning Council will hold a session on sustainable cleaning at its annual conference in London on the 11 October.
www.britishcleaningcouncil.org/cleaningconference.html
Kärcher takes action against Tennant
Alfred Kärcher GmbH & Co. KG has filed lawsuits against national companies of its competitor Tennant. The legal dispute in Germany, Belgium and the UK involves false and misleading advertising claims by Tennant for scrubber-driers that use the so-called ec-H2O technology.
Kärcher is taking legal action against several advertising claims made by Tennant, especially the assertion that ordinary tap water can, in scrubber-driers, be converted into ‘active water’ that then has the same effect as a powerful cleaning agent. This process is said to create its own ‘powerful cleaning agent’ with the result that a floor cleaning detergent no longer needs to be bought. These claims were investigated scientifically by an independent research institute and refuted in an indepth expert report.
“In recent years we have achieved significant global sales growth with our scrubber-driers, and also in 2011 we’ll continue to increase,” said Hartmut Jenner, chief executive officer and chairman of the management board of the Kärcher Group. “As a leading cleaning equipment industry company we also stand for the respectability and trustworthiness of our industry. Our customers must be able to rely on their manufacturers. Tennant’s claims are misleading and totally untenable scientifically. The company is thereby trying in a highly unfair manner to set itself apart from the competition - and making a promise to customers that it cannot possibly fulfil.”
Rug Doctor raises £2500 for charity
For the past four years, Rug Doctor has been supporting the training of dogs for the disabled at Canine Partners through the fundraising efforts of Paul Hansford, who runs the Rug Doctor company snack shop in its head office in Worthing.
“For the past four years we have been running a collection box in the 'Snack Shop', which sells cold drinks, chocolate bars, crisps, healthier snacks etc and even ice creams in the summer,” commented Hansford, finance and HR director at Rug Doctor. “Through the generous donations of Rug Doctor staff, we have now managed to raise over £5000 in that time. This is enough to pay for training 10 puppies.”
These recent efforts have resulted in a cheque being presented for £2500 to Canine Partners at its Heyshott office on Thursday 25 August.
The connection between Canine Partners and Rug Doctor comes partly from the fact that Hansford himself worked at Canine Partners as a trainer for two years, and also because Rug Doctor produces a range of special household cleaning products which includes a solution which removes both the stains and underlying odours caused by pet accidents.
Canine Partners was founded in 1990 to assist people with disabilities to enjoy greater independence and a better quality of life, by providing specially trained assistance dogs.
www.rugdoctor.co.uk
Membership milestone for ISSA Europe
ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, has announced that interest in the association from Europe continues to grow particularly strongly with membership in the region passing the 1100 mark during the first week of August 2011.
The 1100th member to be signed up by the ISSA Europe team was Steiner System of Switzerland. They join other European members who are drawn from manufacturers, distributors, building service contractors, facilities managers and end uses alike and geographically spread from Iceland to Turkey. Other organisations who have recently taken up membership include Jangro the distributor group in the UK and RCCA, the Cleaning Industry Association of Russia.
ISSA director of European services, Keith Baker, commented: “The surge in membership across Europe is a strong indication of increased awareness and appreciation of the expanding range of initiatives that we provide tailored to the needs of the region. What is really interesting is how European organisations see ISSA membership as their best route to improving performance in their own core markets and expanding into new sectors and geographies.”
www.issa.com
ISS grows with Wigan Council
Wigan Council has awarded ISS Facility Services North the contract to provide soft services to the whole of the council’s corporate, leisure and educational establishments. The new contract was awarded following a robust tendering exercise with the new contract, valued at £3.3 million per annum for a period of four years, with the option to extend for a further two years. The new contract builds upon ISS’ existing relationship with the council in delivering soft services to part of Wigan’s property estate, which has spanned over seven successful years.
The council’s portfolio, which includes corporate buildings, leisure complexes, 137 educational buildings, nurseries, primary schools and high schools, will be cleaned by ISS and approximately 350 staff TUPE transfered to ISS from the council.
Dennis Kentrop, managing director, ISS Facility Services North, said: “We have always given our relationship with Wigan Council the utmost commitment. We have worked very closely with the council to meet the high quality standards expected by the local community. Over time, we have been able to prove that we can deliver great value, so we are really proud to have been asked to look after the young people of the area and to manage the careers of 350 former council staff. We are now fully focused on both of these groups in order to make sure that schools and nurseries in Wigan are perfectly prepared for the new academic year.”
David Clegg, Wigan Council, added: “ISS have worked well over the last seven years and the new contract will build significantly on this partnership to provide our educational and corporate buildings with a clean working environment. We have been particularly impressed with the management of cleaning standards, fast reaction to issues and the customer focused ethos they portray throughout their organisation.”
www.uk.issworld.com
