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Floor cleaning to hospital standards
Broomfield Hospital in Essex achieves outstanding scores for overall quality and cleanliness of wards in patient surveys. Helping it achieve these high standards are Duplex scrubber dryers.
The Duplex 420 washes, mops, scrubs, dries, polishes and disinfects all floors. Broomfield Hospital has 30 Duplex 420s. They are used throughout the wards, and will soon be used to maintain the floors in the new hospital building opening later this year.
Domestic services team leader, Debbie Munn, is particularly impressed with the Duplex’s performance on hard to clean safety flooring: “Nothing brings up the washroom floors like the Duplex. And they’re so quick and simple to use, and lightweight across the floor.”
www.duplex-cleaning.com
Strong response to FM Apprenticeship
Asset Skills was greatly encouraged by the employer response to the first of six regional events to register candidates onto the new Facilities Management Apprenticeship. More than 40 turned up to the early evening network seminar held for London businesses despite the glorious sunshine, the emergency budget and the World Cup.
The FM Apprenticeship is a level 3 programme being piloted across England as part of the new Virtual Academy for Business Services, run by the Sector Skills Council for FM, Asset Skills.
“We were delighted with the numbers who attended our event to recruit to the new apprenticeship,” said Steven Proudfoot, director of UK operations at Asset Skills. “We will now be following up on each employer to assist them with the registration process.”
The Virtual Academy for Business Services is an innovative pilot being funded by employers. It seeks to help the facilities management industry in the training of its workforce by simplifying the process for employers and achieving economies of scale. One of its first projects has been to kick start FM Apprenticeship schemes in London, the South West, the East of England, North West, North East, and Yorkshire & the Humber.
The event in London included speakers from Asset Skills, the British Institute of Facilities Management and the National Apprenticeship Service. They outlined how the new training will benefit the diverse range of staff found in FM, who include facilities managers, building managers, energy managers, buildings maintenance teams, cleaners, security guards, receptionists, caterers, gardeners and hospital porters. The new apprenticeship will also help the sector meet environmental targets through raising the skills needed to achieve low carbon working practices.
“We developed this training in consultation with FM employers,” said Karen Waterlow, facilities management specialist at Asset Skills. “It is highly relevant to industry needs and will have a big impact on raising skills across the workforce. We want to hear from employers who are interested in getting involved.”
The date is now confirmed for an apprenticeship event in Manchester on 21 September.
www.assetskills.org/virtualacademy
Proventec secures NHS deal
Proventec Healthcare, the specialist division of Proventec plc, has received a Framework Agreement from the NHS Supply Chain for cleaning brushes, mops, buckets and associated products.
The company already supplies steam decontamination equipment to both the English and Scottish Health Services.
The Framework Agreement, valued at £4 million over two years, will see the goods supplied by Proventec Healthcare.
Contico, also part of the Proventec group of companies, will be the logistical and operational centre of excellence from its state-of-the- art manufacturing base in Redruth, Cornwall.
Contico supplies UK and international customers with cleaning trolleys and mopping systems, professional window cleaning products, floor cleaning pads, microfibre products including disposable versions for high risk areas, trigger and pump sprayers, and literally hundreds of other products.
Thomas Stuecken, chief commercial officer of Proventec, said: "We are delighted to be building on the strength of our continuing association with the NHS, which recognises the high quality of Contico branded products, and, with the excellent manufacturing facility at Redruth, the assurance of continuity of supply over two years. The Framework Agreement is a significant endorsement for Proventec Healthcare’s ‘one stop shop’ approach and has been won only after much effort in this hard-fought market.”
www.proventechealthcare.com
Dust Guard system at Wienerberger
A Nilfisk sweeper with a patented Dust Guard system is securing results at the Wienerberger brick works in Kidderminster. Wienerberger is the world’s largest brick manufacturer with 234 plants in 24 countries worldwide. The busy Kidderminster site undertakes the full process, from digging out the clay to final firing.
Fine dusts populate the site varying from fine clay particles to brick dust and chippings. Keeping kiln and clay processing areas clean is a constant problem.
Originally all areas were cleaned manually using yard brooms and operatives with face masks. The site now utilises a diesel powered Nilfisk SR1601 ride on sweeper complete with a patented Dust Guard system.
The system constantly sprays a very fine mist of water over the brushes to suppress air borne dust. Dust is visually improved and a large 10m2 washable panel filter ensures dust free sweeping throughout. A filter shaker facility prevents the build up of dust and any potential clogging. The main broom is free floating with the ride on machine providing a sweeping path of up to 1600mm.
The machine boasts a steel chassis with strong yet lightweight roto- moulded polyethylene covers and bumpers. All in all automobile industry quality protection.
Power steering allows for excellent manoeuvrability whilst ‘linked controls’ prevent tipping errors by automatically closing the hopper when sweeping functions are turned off.
The high dump hopper is capable of tipping into standard containers up to a height of 159cm. Additionally, the SR1601 has a ramp climbing ability of up to 25%.
Gordon Podmore, works manager for the site, said: “The SR1601 is a replacement for a previous machine - I would say it is 15% quicker and visually does a much better job. The Dust Guard water mist system is a clear improvement. The Nilfisk service has been very good - we trialled various brush types to see what would suit us best. The adjustable brush facility also allows us to take the machine over kiln and dryer tracks. Nilfisk individually trained all operatives but we do work on an approved licence basis. This means that only certain individuals are allowed to operate the unit, the aim here is to improve ownership of the unit and therefore its condition. Actual service and maintenance is provided by Briggs Equipment, our service provider. This works well for us as they are regularly on site to take care of our fork trucks.”
The SR1601 sweeper is also available in petrol, LPG and 48v battery versions.
www.nilfisk.co.uk
Clinical cleaning contract
KM Cleaning Services has announced its latest contract win - a three year agreement with Quintiles, the only fully integrated bio and pharmaceutical services provider offering clinical, commercial and capital solutions. KM Cleaning Services will bring its clinical cleaning expertise to the Quintiles drug research unit at Guys Hospital in London.
Mark Quinnell, operations director at KM Cleaning Services, said: “We are delighted our expert cleaning teams will be working with Quintiles at Guys Hospital. We understand the importance of thorough and sterile cleans in clinical environments, especially in high controlled settings such as those at Quintiles.”
www.kmsgroup.co.uk
A platform for growth
The recession has made many UK contract cleaning companies look internally at business processes and systems, and many are waking up to the reality that improved systems allow for business growth and cut unnecessary waste.
Templa Computer Systems Ltd, a software development company established in 1977, launched Templa-CMS in the Spring of last year. It is a fully integrated contract management system specifically designed for UK contract cleaning companies. The industry was seeking a modern, well-supported solution to replace the use of multiple, non- specific systems and Templa-CMS is now being rolled out at four key cleaning companies across the UK, with more on the way. These include: Exclusive Contracts, Hertfordshire; Glen Cleaning, Bristol; and Kentklean, Maidstone.
Rick Stoor, MD of Templa, said: “As an added advantage to the industry we bring our ability and track record of listening to customers’ needs and our commitment to growing and adapting Templa- CMS in line with this. The great benefit our company offers this industry is our quality-led development team who have been delivering reliable and trusted software to our UK and overseas customers for more than 30 years.”
www.templa.com
