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O&G selects ‘green’ range
Office and General (O&G) has begun using Delphis Eco’s EU Ecolabel accredited cleaning chemical range.
O&G was founded in 1987 and is known for its ‘one-stop shop’ support solutions incorporating cleaning, concierge and housekeeping functions as well as waste management. O&G cleans 1000 different sites supported by a strong management team which oversees 1700 staff.
Grae Scott, managing director of O&G, said: “Sustainability is the founding principle of O&G. It’s not a bandwagon we have jumped on. With Delphis we can continue to push the boundaries of sustainability in commercial cleaning.”
www.delphisworld.com
Nilfisk launches ‘closer to the market’ initiative
Nilfisk UK has announced UK stockholding to complement the European distribution centre in Copenhagen. With immediate effect, Nilfisk will maintain a local inventory covering fast moving vacuums, floor care machines, spares and accessories which will be available to customers in the UK and Ireland.
UK sales director, Leigh Mason, said: “This development is driven by a real desire to react to the demands of our customers for a faster flow of key products. Our determination to be closer to our customers inspired some genuine self examination and we believe that it will be a significant advantage to hold machines here in the UK. Our aim is to be the customers’ preferred choice and that means delivering what they need, when they need it. We are convinced that this is a fantastic opportunity to bring our customers and ourselves closer together and to show the market our commitment to the future and the demands that will prevail.”
This initiative follows on from the N-sure IT project that saw a major investment made in a bespoke call management system that provides real time machine and service status to clients via a web portal. Client machines are fitted with an electronic tag that identifies the machine type, serial number and service history. All engineers carry a handheld PDA device on which they receive their calls and update service information to head office in an instant.
www.nilfisk.co.uk
Hako expands into Scotland
Hako Machines is expanding into Scotland with a direct sales and service team, dedicated to looking after existing and new customers north of the border.
Scottish sales manager, Robert Frew, is no stranger to the cleaning sector having worked in the industry for over 10 years. He said: “Dealing directly with the customer will enable us to offer more competitive pricing and have more control over parts distribution and service. I shall be looking to grow Hako’s market share in Scotland particularly in the municipal and industrial sales.”
Hako also has a team of fully trained, directly employed mobile service engineers covering Scotland, each carrying an extensive range of spare parts onboard so that your machine is kept in perfect working order. The bespoke Mobile Service Solution management system ensures absolute efficiency and transparency for both its customers and service engineers offering shared benefits such as quick response times, automatic workflow tracking so no job is delayed or overlooked and the highest possible first fix levels. The use of electronic data allows for far easier and faster internal analysis and further product development.
www.hako.co.uk
Interserve announces ‘Supplier of the Year 2011’
PHS Washrooms was named ‘Supplier of the Year Award’ at Interserve’s ‘Best of the Best’ Awards. The annual awards recognise and celebrate Interserve’s employees for their commitment, ingenuity and determination in their work every day. The award ceremonies also recognise Interserve’s suppliers for their support to the businesses operations.
PHS has been Interserve’s preferred supplier of washroom services since 2003, and in addition to this award it has recently been rewarded with a new three-year agreement. Throughout their longstanding relationship PHS and Interserve work closely together to ensure success and maintain the highest standards of service to all their customers. This strong partnership has helped to win business, support mobilisations and maintain longstanding customer relationships.
www.phs.co.uk/washrooms
Sodexo acquires Zehnacker Ireland
Onsite service solutions provider Sodexo Ireland has acquired Zehnacker Ireland, which provides specialist facilities management services for hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities.
The company, which employs 25 people in Ireland, will be renamed Sodexo Zehnacker Healthcare. There will be no changes to the current staff numbers or management team. A new board of directors will be appointed which will include Zehnacker’s current managing director John O’Carroll. Stuart Carter, director of investment and infrastructure, Sodexo UK and Ireland, will act as chairman.
John O’Carroll, managing director of Zehnacker Ireland, said: “The amalgamation will allow us further access into the European healthcare markets thereby increasing the exchange of technical advances, industry trends and benchmarks which may prove valuable to our customers in their pursuit of cost savings initiatives and allow Sodexo Zehnacker Healthcare deliver a superior service offering.”
Stuart Carter said: “Our investment in Zehnacker marks a new and exciting phase for us here in Ireland. The new company will continue to trade separately but will now be working closely and alongside our existing management team and operations here, specifically in the area of new business development.”
Sodexo Ireland provides catering and an extensive range of support services like cleaning, security, reception, waste management and grounds maintenance to clients primarily in business and industry, financial services, pharma and the semi-states. It also has a number of clients in the healthcare and education sectors.
Jeremy Dicks, managing director of Sodexo Ireland, said: “We’re very pleased with the move as Sodexo has a large and well-established medical-healthcare client portfolio in the UK and we are looking to develop that side of our business in Ireland. We look forward to a close and fruitful working relationship with John and his team.”
Hako expands with new parts centre
Hako Machines Ltd is expanding with the opening of a dedicated parts centre to house its £2.6 million central stock of spares and disposables currently held in the UK.
Managing director Stuart Taylor said: “In a time where other manufacturers rely on offshore parts supply to save costs, we continue to make a considerable financial commitment to UK parts support. Its a major undertaking but it takes that level of commitment and financial ability to offer the amount of stock needed to deliver a premium level of service. Parts supply is the key to offering an efficient service. As our business in the UK has grown, so has our commitment. The new parts centre is based a short distance from our Crick office so its a great central location with more space to store and catalogue the items in our expanding product range. This ensures the continuing efficient dispatch to customers. Its a dedicated stand alone operation that is second to none in the UK. We already have a ‘first pick’ rate of 95% when it comes to parts availability so it will be nice to get it to 100%. Regardless of the number of engineers any company has, the key to getting the machine up and running on the first visit is the supply of parts. The success of our parts operation is a combination of the supply of parts, our mobile service system and the continuous investment in our engineers. We have the ability and commitment to meet the expectations of our customers in a demanding marketplace.”
www.hako.co.uk
