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TC signs agreement with Remploy
TC has signed a partnership agreement with Remploy, the first of its kind between Remploy and a contract cleaning company. Signatories to the agreement were Remploy’s head of strategic partnerships Stephen Dunn and Nick Pipping, TC Contractors’ chief executive officer. This key move underlines a longstanding relationship between the two businesses which has resulted in TC employing hundreds of Remploy candidates with complex barriers to work across some of its most prestigious cleaning contracts, including retailers New Look, Tesco, Sainsburys and Budgens.
Under the terms of the agreement, TC has committed to sharing information with Remploy concerning selection and recruitment procedures, culture, values, skills requirements, vacancy details and new store opening programmes. In turn, Remploy is committed to fully understanding TC’s recruitment needs and skills requirements. Remploy provides job ready candidates with the core skills that the company values. Remploy provides support to both management and the individual colleague to achieve sustained employment.
As well as the partnership agreement, TC also provides daily cleaning to a range of Remploy’s rapidly expanding recruitment branches in the midlands, Wales and the south. Utilising Remploy candidates to fulfil the cleaning positions within these branches further strengthens the relationship between the two companies.
Stephen Dunn said: "The partnership agreement with TC will result in increased opportunities of employment being offered to job seekers supported by Remploy. TC provides a consistently excellent service to our branches and places our candidates wherever possible. It’s a win-win situation all round."
Nick Pipping said: "TC is delighted to formalise its relationship with Remploy. The business benefits of using Remploy candidates are numerous including access to highly skilled and trained individuals together with enhanced loyalty and retention. We are passionately committed to providing sustainable work opportunities for those who need it most - making a positive difference to the lives of individuals and communities, and realising commercial benefits for everyone. The new partnership agreement with Remploy further underlines our position as one of the most dynamic and progressive independent contract cleaning companies in the UK."
www.tc-contractors.co.uk
Norfolk cleaning company receives start-up award
A Norfolk cleaning company has been crowned one of the UK’s best new businesses in the 2010 HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards. Lee James and Stuart Ford, who founded Stulee General and Industrial Cleaners in June 2006, were presented with their award at a dinner held at London’s Dorchester Hotel recently.
When Lee James and Stuart Ford couldn’t find anyone to clean their windows they decided the best solution was to start their own cleaning business. Within hours of distributing their first flyers they were taking calls from potential customers. Some 18 months later, the company cleans the windows of more than 500 houses, as well as keeping conservatories shining and gutters clear. On top of that it holds in excess of 40 contracts for office and shop cleaning, not only in East Anglia, but throughout the whole of the UK.
This year the company has also opened a retail outlet selling cleaning supplies and materials to both the domestic and trade market as well as supplying and fitting janitorial dispensers.
Over the last two and a half years the two entrepreneurs have grown the business from an idea to a successful company employing over 70 people. The company is now the approved cleaning contractor for Alworths, working in stores throughout the UK, and has a broad remit from Dereham Town Council. Alton Towers is another big name on its commercial client list.
Head of business banking for HSBC, Huw Morgan, said: "We hope the success of Stulee General and Industrial Cleaners reaching this year’s HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards finals will help it go from strength to strength, as well as prove to other budding entrepreneurs that business dreams really can be turned into reality."
Secretary of State for Business, Vince Cable, said: "Celebrating our enterprising and innovative business culture is a wonderful way to highlight the essential role of entrepreneurship and commerce in Britain today. These companies demonstrate how British entrepreneurship is driving the small and medium sized enterprise sector forward. They have achieved this despite some of the toughest economic conditions for decades, and are succeeding in sectors across our economy and markets across the world."
www.hsbc.co.uk/startupstars
Tork breaks hand sanitising record
Tork manufacturer SCA has set a new Guinness World Record for the highest number of people sanitising their hands at the same time. The event took place at a US football stadium where 2151 supporters simultaneously sanitised their hands before a Philadelphia Union v LA Galaxy football match.
The aim of the world record-breaking attempt was to mark this year’s Global Handwashing Day on 15 October. This annual event aims to highlight the importance of hand washing.
"Professional sporting events such as the Union-Galaxy game - which attracts millions of people annually - are the perfect venue to drive home the important message of proper hand hygiene," said Don Lewis, president of SCA Tissue North America. "We feel it necessary to continue to promote frequent and proper hand sanitation to avoid the spread of germs."
To establish the world record fans placed a small amount of Tork hand sanitiser on their hands and simultaneously rubbed their hands together for 60 seconds before an on-site Guinness representative declared the new record officially established.
According to Donna Duberg, assistant professor of clinical laboratory science at Saint Louis University, and a member of the Tork Green Hygiene Council,: "The best way to prevent the spread of germs is to wash and dry hands often, and instant hand sanitiser is one of the most effective ways to maintain proper hand hygiene when warm water and soap are not available."
www.tork.co.uk
Frightened pupils avoid school toilets, survey finds
Children are deterred from using school toilets in secondary schools because they are dirty and occupied by smokers and bullies, a survey has revealed. A quarter of the 300 children surveyed by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said they avoided toilets if possible.
Nearly 40% of secondary school girls reported ‘holding it in' so they didn't have to go to the toilet. And 16% of secondary school boys reported ‘bad things’ happening in the toilets, making them wary of going in there. Over a third (36%) of pupils questioned said their toilets were never clean, with 42% saying soap was only available sometimes. Meanwhile, around a fifth (19%) said there was never any soap.
Mark Woodhead, chairman of the British Cleaning Council, said more action needs to be taken to protect children: "This survey has found hygiene in Britain's school toilets to be inadequate. It is easy to blame the kids for poor hygiene, but clearly the problem lies with poor and dirty facilities, particularly in secondary schools. Pupils deserve better than to be needlessly exposed to illnesses because there are not enough safe and clean toilets in our schools."
www.britishcleaningcouncil.org
Green credentials all the way
The UK Government has committed to reduce carbon emissions by a minimum of 20% by 2020 compared to 1990 levels. The new coalition government has recently gone one step further in announcing an 80% cut in the UK’s carbon emissions by 2050.
The Nilfisk Group takes its environmental responsibility seriously, recognising that as a large organisation it needs to work actively on reducing its carbon footprint. As a result, the group is a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and is enrolled as a participant within the Carbon Disclosure Project.
With 43 subsidiaries around the globe and over 5000 employees, levels of travel are significant and a major element in collective CO2 emissions. In a bid to cut travel emissions Nilfisk has equipped 11 video rooms at offices in several countries including Denmark, US, China, Italy and Hungary. The investment is expected to enhance general communication in addition to saving cost and travel time.
The investment in video conferencing equipment was 1.1 million Danish kroner compared to travel expenses in the same year of 61 million kroner. It is clear that the system will soon pay for itself irrespective of valuable time savings and productivity.
President and CEO of Nilfisk-Advance, Jorgen Jensen, said: "Face to face meetings are still important but as we have grown increasingly familiar with the technology we are finding that video conferencing can provide us with effective and constructive meetings. We are firmly committed to reducing our total carbon emissions, and we are convinced that we will reach our target of a 12% reduction in the period 2009 to 2011."
The Nilfisk UK/IE subsidiary is also tasked with analysis of its collective carbon footprint and as a result has recently outlined a new vehicle policy across the fleet. Changes to sales vehicles are already underway and will see key account manager vehicles changed to Peugeot 3008 1.6 Hdi Sports. CO2 emissions are reduced from 159g per kilometre to 137g with increased fuel efficiency.
National account manager vehicles will change from the current Passat 2.0 Tdi diesel to the new blue motion technology versions. CO2 emissions will fall from 158g per kilometre to 124g.
The service van fleet will also change from November 2010 onwards with the van choice moving to Renault SL19 DEi 115 SWB. CO2 emission reduction is also significant, moving from 232g per kilometre to 195g.
UK general manager, Stewart Dennett, said: "Our collective CO2 emissions will fall significantly as a result of the new policy. Other beneficial factors include a lower road tax liability and increased fuel efficiency which will benefit our cost base going forward. Additionally, of course, any individuals who are taxed for personal vehicle use will pay less tax as a result of the reduced ‘benefit in kind’ vehicle value. Overall a winner all round and we are delighted to be contributing so positively to group efforts."
www.nilfisk.co.uk
Sales prove success of partnership
Cromwell and Peter Grant Papers are celebrating after achieving a year on year sales growth of 27%, a remarkable achievement in the current economic climate.
Cromwell has been working with Peter Grant Papers, manufacturer of away from home paper products, since 2002. Building on the current success, Peter Grant Papers launched its Perform range of wipers at The Event, Cromwell’s bi-annual exhibition for its customers that took place in mid-October.
Stuart Berry, national account manager at Peter Grant Papers, puts the sales success down to a close working relationship at the individual branch level: "Our relationship with Cromwell has blossomed from being centred on one branch to working with them all, without compromising on our commitment to forge strong local and regional relationships that enable us to really deliver what Cromwell’s customers need. The sales success can also be attributed to our commitment solely to Cromwell in the industrial sector. This has enabled us to build trust, which has proved the basis for our continued expansion."
www.cromwell.co.uk
