Lean Six Sigma ‘revolutionises cleaning’

MITIE is investing heavily in a Lean Six Sigma team that will help to revolutionise the way cleaning services can be delivered. The Lean Environment team is headed by Jon Lightowler who is a qualified Master Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. Lean Six Sigma cleaning operations are already being used to great effect at several of MITIE’s blue chip customers, including international telecoms and high street banking clients.

Lean Six Sigma is used extensively in the engineering and industrial arenas, most notably in industries which require precision through all stages of a manufacturing process. It delivers quality practices and establishes a culture of continuous improvement that lead to greater efficiencies in the workplace. Other sectors have implemented this methodology but, until recently, it has not been widely adopted within the FM industry. However, MITIE has now developed a superior way of applying Lean Six Sigma to its cleaning processes, saving clients time, money and valuable resources including energy.

According to Jon Lightowler there are two major developments from MITIE that are key to the implementation of Lean Six Sigma - its  bespoke lean software and MITIE's own lean training academy.  “We have invested in our own system called ‘Lean IT’ which allows our qualified Six Sigma managers to design lean cleaning routes for specific client buildings. We have also just launched our very own MITIE Lean Academy which features a unique e-learning component, leading to yellow and green belt accreditations for our managers.”

David Johnson, MD of MITIE's cleaning & environmental business, states that many of MITIE's clients already use Lean Six Sigma within other parts of their operations. “MITIE is now taking Six Sigma to the next level in cleaning. Our investment in the Lean IT software and our own Lean Academy demonstrates that we are taking this very seriously.”

www.mitie.com

Sercon picks up excellence award

Scottish based commercial cleaning and security provider, Sercon Support Services Ltd, is celebrating its second business award in six months after being awarded the Ayrshire Excellence Award 2011 in the ‘service’ category at the Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce annual dinner, held at Ayr Racecourse recently.

The award, which was introduced by Business Excellence Ayrshire managing director, Jim McGeehan, and presented by event compere, comedian Fred MacAulay to Sercon’s managing director, Lorraine Stevely, recognised the company’s commitment to service excellence.

Stevely said: “This award is an excellent testament to our ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional customer care and service delivery. It is also a great recognition for all our dedicated staff who consistently deliver the highest levels of service to our clients.”

Jim McGeehan, managing director of Business Excellence Ayrshire, said: “Sercon were worthy winners in the service category which was very competitive this year. They are a profitable organisation which has diversified and greatly increased turnover. Their customer satisfaction ratings were excellent as was demonstrated during the site visit. Overall, Sercon demonstrated continuous improvement and practical implementation of the principles of excellence across all aspects of their business. I wish them every success for the future.”

www.serconltd.co.uk
www.businessexcellenceayrshire.co.uk

SCA retains place in the world’s most ethical list

SCA has been named as one of the most ethical companies in the world for a fifth consecutive year. And the manufacturer of Tork products is the only tissue manufacturer to have appeared on multiple occasions in the prestigious list.

"SCA's track record in ethical business practices and strong environmental performance is a business differentiator strengthening our competitive advantage," said Jan Johansson, SCA president and CEO. “Our ambitious work in this area makes us more attractive for customers, consumers and investors, and also generates considerable savings. SCA puts sustainability on top of the agenda, and we are honoured by Ethisphere's recognition of our achievements."

A record high of nearly 5000 companies were considered for inclusion by the Ethisphere Institute this year. The 2012 list comprises 145 organisations - the highest number since the award’s inception in 2007.

The 2012 listing includes household names such as Starbucks, Costco and Marks and Spencer. Only 43 companies worldwide - SCA included - have appeared in the list five times or more.

“There are more companies on the list this year as the process has become even more competitive,” said Alex Brigham, executive director of the Ethisphere Institute. “More and more companies are realising how ethics can be an important competitive advantage in the global economy. Companies that are ethical tend to realise that doing the right thing is actually good for business - and they drive and encourage a culture that emphasises that.”

The World’s Most Ethical Companies list recognises those organisations that go beyond making statements about doing business ‘ethically’ and that actually translate their words into action. SCA regularly receives recognition for its sustainable policies. Earlier this year the company was ranked best in the tissue category in WWF’s latest environmental assessment of paper producers. And in February SCA was awarded first prize in the Ecology category of the Grünes Band Sustainability Award at the 2012 Intergastra fair in Stuttgart.

www.tork.co.uk

Jangro breaks through

Jangro, the UK’s largest network of independent janitorial supply companies, has won a ‘Breakthrough’ award from cost analysts, The Independent Buyers Group.

This national Group works for SMEs and large corporates and is focused on reducing prices for its clients, without lowering standards. Now in its second year, the six awards in the programme - which relate to exceptional sales growth or new suppliers - can only be entered by the group’s nomination. Jangro was invited to the Breakthrough Suppliers’ Awards Dinner and nominated for its exceptional sales growth, which saw a 100% increase year on year from 2010 to 2011.

Jangro director Jo Gilliard, who received the award trophy Independent Buyers Group MD, Dave Hawthorne, said: “We were thrilled to receive this prestigious award. It is tremendous to know that we have hit the right spot on price and delivery for this cost conscious and professional organisation.  Servicing the business with our 41 member companies has proved once again that we work well with national accounts.”

www.jangro.net

Asset Skills secures £5 million for training

Asset Skills has secured £5 million to support skills training in facilities management, housing, property, planning, cleaning and parking. This includes:

• £2 million from the Employer Investment Fund (EIF) to raise skills and create growth across the sector.
• £1.1 million from the Higher Apprenticeship Fund for degree-level training in facilities management.
• £1 million support for Green Deal Advisor Training.
• £450,000 from the Sector Priorities Fund Pilot (SPFP) to extend built environment training in Wales.
• £300,000 from the Employer Investment Fund for further Green Deal training.
• £100,000 of European funding to lead a consortium of Sector Skills Councils as part of the Intelligent Energy Europe (Build Up Skills) project.

Sarah Bentley, chief executive of Asset Skills, said: "This funding of £5 million is really positive news for the industries we represent and we are still in negotiation with other bodies on different projects. This is a difficult time and it is encouraging that skills training and the importance of our footprint are being recognised at high levels. This investment shows skills improvement is understood as playing a key part in helping lift industry out of recession and towards growth.”

£5 million up for grabs for Britain’s start-up stars

Entrepreneurs seeking start-up capital for their business ideas are invited to pitch for a share of a £5 million investment fund from MITIE Group. MITIE is the only FTSE firm to fund and operate an investment start-up programme, which is done via its £10 million Entrepreneurial Fund.

It has invested half of the money since the fund was launched in 2011 and now plans to invest the second £5 million at a live ‘MITIE Millions’ pitching afternoon on 28 May.

The four hour session will see six entrepreneurs competing for a slice of the £5 million fund in front of a panel of top business leaders, led by MITIE CEO Ruby McGregor-Smith. She said: “At MITIE, entrepreneurialism has always been at the heart of our organisation. Since we started 25 years ago, we’ve been partnering with entrepreneurs to grow businesses and we’re as passionate about this today as we were when we started. It has shaped our entrepreneurial culture, helped drive our excellent track record of growth, and provided the basis for hundreds of people to develop successful careers in outsourcing. We are looking for inspirational business people of all ages to continue this rich heritage going forward. The MITIE Millions event will change the lives of those who are successful - it promises to be a brilliant event.”

Anyone with a new business idea or with an existing business in its early stages can put their name forward for the MITIE Millions afternoon. The proposed business should complement MITIE’s strategy and add to its services and growing client base.

Applicants will then be filtered down to a final six who will receive free advice in advance from global business consultants PwC and Ernst & Young to help create a business plan and presentation before the pitching event takes place.

MITIE has been partnering with entrepreneurs to grow British businesses for a quarter of a century and has supported over 100 start- up businesses to grow using the MITIE model, with a 95% success rate.

The MITIE Model is structured so that a management team takes an equity stake of up to 49% in a business which they grow over a five to ten-year period, and is eventually acquired by MITIE in full.

www.mitie.com/entrepreneurs