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Jangro member gets trained
Jangro member company, Hygiene Cleaning Supplies (HCS) of Morecambe, recently linked up with Prochem to provide its third carpet and upholstery training day for 15 local carpet cleaners. Prochem Europe, a major Jangro supplier, not only provided in depth training on its cleaning products and machinery, but also gave sessions on application and cleaning techniques.
Prochem’s Paul Robinson highlighted the importance of using pre- sprays and traffic lane cleaners, deodorisers and sanitisers in association with carpet and fabric protective treatments.
Marcus Leeming of HCS said: “There is no substitute for experience and knowledge. We organise our own training sessions with Jangro suppliers to add to the Jangro training programme and DVDs. This combination of knowledge and product understanding means all our clients are up to speed with the latest products, equipment and techniques.”
Issues such as personal safety and health, colour fastness, the ph rating of products and when best to hand or machine clean were all discussed in depth.
www.jangro.net
Hand hygiene on the Olympic agenda
The British Cleaning Council chairman Mark Woodhead has urged the public to ensure that hand-hygiene is taken seriously during the 2012 Olympics Games and beyond, as competing athletes were advised to avoid shaking people’s hands.
The guidance on hand-shakes for Olympians came in a package of health advice from the British Olympic Association medical team. According to the pack, anything from cutlery to door handles could be carrying bugs or germs in the densely populated Olympic village, and athletes are advised to take extra caution when encountering these high-risk areas.
Tips for the 550-strong team of athletes and 450 support staff who will work with them also include regular hand washing and use of special protective hand foam as an extra barrier.
Mark Woodhead said: “We should all wash our hands regularly to prevent spreading bugs, but this good practice will be doubly important during this summer’s Olympic Games. It may seem small, but these changes in the public’s behaviour will create the best environment for our athletes to succeed, and if these changes are adhered to in the long-term, better health and hygiene could become one of the Olympics Game’s most positive legacies in the years to come.”
www.britishcleaningcouncil.org
OCS Group expands in Singapore
OCS Group Ltd has recently acquired the outsourced cleaning company Don Thaker Group (DTG) in Singapore as a key step in the group’s strategic £40 million expansion plan for the region.
Chris Cracknell, chief executive officer for OCS Group, said: “We intend to grow revenues derived from overseas operations rapidly over the next three years. Following the acquisition of DTG, our Singapore- based operations will serve as a critical pillar of this global expansion effort.”
Founded in Singapore in 1992, DTG has specialised in aircraft cabin cleaning and related services for over 20 years. The company lists airport services management companies Singapore Airport Terminal Services Ltd and Asia Pacific Star among its major clients. OCS will build on DTG's existing aircraft services portfolio at Changi Airport, developing this as its new regional hub for a range of aviation- related support and maintenance services.
International facilities services provider OCS will re-name and re- brand DTG by the end of 2012 and will offer total facilities management services under the OCS umbrella. Over the next three years, OCS aims to add another 1000 jobs to the existing 1000 full-time DTG staff in Singapore.
Chris Cracknell continued: "Singapore has a sound infrastructure and is an established business and aviation hub with many regional and global multi-national corporations headquartered here. We will use Singapore to position ourselves as the principal TFM contractor for local, regional and global clients, targeting in particular the aviation, healthcare, education, pharmaceutical and IT manufacturing sectors. Within three years, we intend to more than double our business and our workforce in the South East Asia region by growing within geographies where we are already present and entering new markets such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar and India. By 2015, the Asian business will account for over half of our global revenue.”
www.ocsinternational.com
SYR unveils Florence Nightingale Cleaning Academy
SYR will name its new training centre The Florence Nightingale Cleaning Academy, following long consideration and discussions with various groups including the Florence Nightingale Hospice at Stoke Mandeville.
The state-of-the-art facility, at the company’s HQ in Lye, West Midlands, is designed to bring training in the manual cleaning industry into the 21st century. The name was chosen to honour the woman who brought about a revolution in healthcare, particularly sanitation, which slashed hospital death rates in the Crimean War from 42% to 2%. Her concern to introduce better cleaning and hospital planning established practices that apply to hospitals today. Now the Florence Nightingale Cleaning Academy will equip cleaning operatives to meet that challenge.
SYR has invested heavily in the cleaning academy, with a new training area and a revamped auditorium. These complement the 5000 sq ft activities area, round-table conference room and separate meeting rooms.
The auditorium, which seats 60 people in comfortable cinema-style seating, now boasts surround sound and crystal-clear projection of any presentation on to a giant screen. The new wet mopping area is a purpose-built facility where users will be able to experience the latest cleaning technology on a variety of floor coverings widely found in healthcare settings.
The academy, as well as offering independent training courses leading to nationally recognised qualifications, will provide familiarisation with SYR’s new Ultimate product range, which gives improved cleaning while cutting costs and pollution.
At a time when hospitals are being asked to reduce numbers of infections by 29% for MRSA bloodstream infections and 18% for C.Diff infections, more effective cleaning will be key - but with budgets under pressure, it also needs to be more cost effective.
The Ultimate mopping combos, which give flat and wet mopping in the same combo, are designed to work with the new Clear Solution range of chemicals, including NHS colour-coded detergents specifically for use in the healthcare arena.
www.syrclean.com
The toast of Surrey
A thriving cleaning supplies business has cleaned up at the 2012 Toast of Surrey business awards. Source Supplies claimed the prize for the best business with up to £1 million turnover, shining through against some stiff competition. With over 60,000 small businesses in Surrey, owners Dave Piper and Ollie Rastall were delighted just to be nominated as finalists: “Just being a part of this was a big deal for us - to win is absolutely incredible and very humbling,” said Piper.
Sarah De Lacey, a judge for the awards, said: “Source Supplies’ principles for their business was to meet industry standards, then raise the bar. The very foundation of their company is based on service, understanding their customers and empowering their employees. They demonstrated positive business growth during difficult economic times and have an impressive plan for continuous expansion, which recognises the contribution from staff, customers and their suppliers. An inspiring company.”
The Blackwater-based company was started seven years ago by Piper, with Rastall joining in 2010. “I came into this business knowing we couldn’t compete if we set out to be just like our competitors,” said Piper. “To get above the noise we had to create a unique brand that focuses on what our customers really want but also by delivering a service that commits to delivering our promises with thoughtful touches along the way.”
www.sourcesupplies.co.uk
SCA receives Bunzl award
The customer service excellence and training initiatives of Tork manufacturer SCA have helped win the company Bunzl’s Supplier of the Year award. SCA UK and Ireland sales director, Kevin Starr, was presented with the award at the O2 Arena, London by Matt Johnson, managing director of Bunzl catering and hospitality division.
“I am extremely proud of the whole of the SCA UK organisation,” said Starr. “All functions had a hand in helping us to win this prestigious award. Historically we have not been a major supplier to Bunzl Catering Supplies - a major supplier into the UK HoReCa market - and to achieve our aspirations in this strategically important segment for SCA it was essential we changed that."
An important factor in SCA’s win was a series of Tork Business School premium sales and product training courses which were held in conjunction with Bunzl Catering Supplies. There was also a joint campaign designed to attract new end customer business which included a joint pipeline approach with regular communication and follow-up on all opportunities.
“This enabled both companies to have a better understanding of how each company works and ascertain best practices when working together,” said Starr. “This award is the culmination of three years of close collaboration and hard work by both companies which has resulted in SCA becoming a strategic supplier to BCSS. Well done to all involved.“
www.tork.co.uk
