View The Latest Issue
Official Media Sponsor
C&M is published by
Sodexo ‘first for corporate responsibility’
Sodexo has again been named as one of the best performing companies in its sector to be included in Business in the Community’s (BITC) Corporate Responsibility Index - the UK’s leading voluntary benchmark for responsible business practice.
The Index, in its eighth year, includes organisations that achieved the 100 highest scores in BITC’s CR Index following an assessment of management practices and performance in four key areas of corporate responsibility: environment, community, marketplace and workplace.
In achieving silver status for the fourth year running, Sodexo has demonstrated that it continues to integrate corporate responsibility throughout its operations by providing a systematic approach to managing, measuring and reporting on the economic, social and environmental impacts of its business. This is an integral part of the ‘Better Tomorrow Plan’, the company’s worldwide sustainability strategy to 2020.
The plan aims to consolidate corporate citizenship efforts across operations by combining values and ethical principles, specific sustainability commitments and an assurance to engage with stakeholders. This year’s CR Index was published in the Financial Times Responsible Business supplement on 7 June.
Thomas Jelley, corporate citizenship manager at Sodexo, said: “We are delighted to have achieved the Silver band once again and are working hard under the umbrella of our Better Tomorrow Plan to achieve the next level of performance.”
Phil Hooper, corporate affairs director, added: “Over the last year, we have taken significant strides to consolidate this approach to corporate citizenship challenges, not least through the launch of the Better Tomorrow Plan. Participation in the CR Index guides this approach and helps us keep track of best practice.”
Stephen Howard, chief executive, BITC, said: “I congratulate Sodexo on achieving the Silver band in the 2009 BITC Corporate Responsibility Index. Companies participating in the Index may be at different stages of their responsible business journey, but they have all demonstrated that they take these issues seriously and are leading the field in ensuring this is just how they do business. We believe this is imperative if we are to strengthen and stabilise our businesses and economy.”
Sodexo recently published its fifth annual corporate citizenship report highlighting its commitment and activity across its business.
www.sodexo.com
New OspreyDeepclean distributor in Scotland
The new distributor in Scotland for OspreyDeepclean steam cleaning machines and the branded GumBusters system is Fife-based Royal Warrant holder Cleaning Systems UK.
Awarded the Royal Warrant for specialist cleaning services to Her Majesty the Queen, Cleaning Systems UK has a very simple, but extremely successful formula for its success. According to sales director Craig Manson: “Every cleaning machine or system we sell is backed up with extensive knowledge of correct usage, care, repair and service gained from generations of commercial cleaning experience. The decision to get into steam came about following numerous customer requests and was viewed as a compatible expansion of our business, delivering further benefits to our existing and new customers.
“We did our research and found OspreyDeepclean very informative. The machinery is of a very high standard, and what’s more, it dovetailed nicely with our concerns about eco-friendly cleaning. Using water-only is ‘green’ anyway and the quantity involved is very small, so there’s also less waste. We work for or supply some of the biggest hotel names and nursing home groups in the country and steam is also an automatic choice for sanitising. The applications to which steam cleaning can be applied are virtually endless.
“One of our first sales was to a well-known Highland toffee confectioner who needed to solve the problem of removing sticky sugar residue from production machinery. Previous methods had proven to be time consuming and not particularly satisfactory. A site visit was arranged and the OspreyDeepclean Vega Plus was recommended. Following a successful demonstration the machine was purchased. Whilst not always necessary, training in the correct procedures was provided and the system proved to be so effective a second machine was ordered a few months later.”
www.cleaningsystemsuk.com
Greyland sales up 16%
Greyland has reported a 16% increase in sales over the previous year and, coupled with bad debts of less than 0.15% of turnover, is on a sound financial footing to further develop its business.
“All the good reasons that made customers come to Greyland in the first place, we have remained true to, including low prices and an order to delivery cycle of only four days,” said managing director Richard Dyson. “We have cut nothing. At the same time we have been prudent in keeping our overheads to reasonable levels whilst investing in areas where we could see that any spend we undertook would only bring benefits to our customers, and thereby ultimately to the business.”
One of the most significant investments the company made in the last year has been in a new digital laser printer. “Many companies might have balked at the cost and put the purchase off for another, better year,” continued Dyson. “I know we nearly did. But then we could see immediately that the much higher definition of the new digital laser printer could only enhance our existing customers’ own label products without it costing them anything extra. At the same time it has proved to be an added - I might say key - attraction to new customers, so the investment has paid off extremely well.”
Greyland assures both existing and new customers that its manufacturing and warehousing capacity remains ‘more than adequate’ for the future and that planned new products in the current year will not impinge on the quick delivery cycles nor the company’s stock levels.
www.greyland.co.uk
Further integration of Proventec Group companies
As part of the further integration of the OspreyDeepclean, Contico and Frank brands into the Proventec Group of companies, from 1 June 2010 the OspreyDeepclean Cheltenham facility will be dedicated to provide a customer care only function for the Proventec Group UK and international businesses.
The company says that this is a strategic development that will strengthen the business and improve customer service levels with a greatly expanded service, conferencing, product display and on-site training facility.
Customers requiring engineer service or support need only call the Cheltenham office to receive attention. A dedicated training school and permanent product display area is currently under construction within the vacated space previously given over to machine storage.
The OspreyDeepclean customer service and distribution warehouse sales department is to be relocated to: Cardrew Way, Redruth, Cornwall, TR15 1ST. Tel: 01209 312110.
The Redruth facility is an established, efficiently functioning purpose-built administrative and warehousing hub that already provides customer services, administration and distribution for many thousands of Contico and Proventec Healthcare products.
OspreyDeepclean sales director, Mike Osiadacz, said: "The transfer of OspreyDeepclean machine sales and distribution to this single site will further improve order fulfilment of mixed product sales to any of our customers, or equally well for machine-only customers. We anticipate that, with the exception of a new telephone number for customer service and a different despatch address, customers will hardly notice the above changes. If anyone requires further information on the transfer please contact Proventec group customer care manager Shirley-Ann Chick on 01242 513 123 who will be pleased to help you."
www.ospreydc.com
FM apprenticeship scheme launched
A new facilities management apprenticeship programme is being launched in London and the South East. It is one of six FM apprenticeship projects being trialled across England as part of the new employer funded Virtual Academy for Business Services pilot, set up by the Sector Skills Council for FM, Asset Skills.
As the economy continues to recover there is widespread acknowledgement among employers of the ongoing need to raise skills in the workforce to retain a competitive advantage, particularly in an economic climate in which efficiency and effectiveness are paramount to success.
“This apprenticeship is a brand new training programme for the industry which we developed with FM employers,” said Karen Waterlow, FM specialist at Asset Skills. “We believe it will have a big impact on raising skills across the facilities management workforce and we want to hear from employers who are interested in getting involved.”
Apprenticeships have been identified by all political parties as an effective way of developing the highly skilled staff needed for long term economic prosperity.
www.assetskills.org
Awards for Team Clean Challenge participants
An awards ceremony has taken place to mark the achievements of prisoners who took part in a national cleaning skills competition, the Team Clean Challenge.
The event, now in its third year, is run by Asset Skills, the Sector Skills Council for cleaning. It aims to showcase the high quality training that takes place within prisons as part of preparing offenders with work skills to help their rehabilitation on release.
Richard Beamish, chief executive of Asset Skills, said: “The Team Clean Challenge is the only official skills competition taking place inside prisons. Despite the recession, there is still a shortage of cleaners and more employers are now recognising the benefits of hiring a well-trained ex-offender, who will have been thoroughly vetted and sees the job as a chance to start a new life. There are clear career paths in cleaning, and cleaning can offer a rewarding and worthwhile job.”
Through the Team Clean Challenge a number of former prisoners have been able to find work as cleaners. Getting a job has been shown to be a key factor in helping ex offenders move on from a life of crime and in cutting the re-offending rate that costs the UK billions each year.
The competition also operates an ‘open strand’ in which cleaning employers across the UK enter teams of staff. The competition seeks to raise the profile of cleaning and instil pride in those who do such an essential job.
The 2010 prisons challenge ran in several categories. Winners included: HMP Lindholme for best prison; Rochester for best young offenders institute; Amy Boorman from HMP Holloway for best manager; Adam Marsh from Wormwood Scrubs for best supervisor; and Samantha Bradley from HMP Bronzefield for best operative.
www.assetskills.org
