DELIVERING SUSTAINABLE HYGIENE INFORMATION
www.incleanmag.com.au
January / February 2021
EDITOR’S LETTER
INCLEAN is published by The Intermedia Group Pty Ltd on behalf of ISSA – The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association. 41 Bridge Road, Glebe NSW 2037 Australia MANAGING DIRECTOR: Simon Grover PUBLISHER: Simon Cooper MANAGING EDITOR Claire Hibbit Email: chibbit@intermedia.com.au Phone: 02 8586 6140 NATIONAL ADVERTISING MANAGER: Samantha Ewart Email: sewart@intermedia.com.au Phone: 02 8586 6106 PRODUCTION MANAGER: Jacqui Cooper PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Natasha Jara GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Alyssa Coundouris Print Post Approved Publication No. PP: 255003/09765 AUSTRALIAN SUBSCRIPTION RATE 12 months (6 issues) - $66 (inc. GST) To subscribe call 1800 651 422 subscriptions@intermedia.com.au
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Editor’s letter
W
elcome to the first issue of 2021 and our Industry Leaders Forum Report. In our second annual report we have spoken exclusively to a number of industry leaders who have candidly shared their highs and lows of 2020, along with their insights on the challenges and opportunities they anticipate will shape the sector post-pandemic. This year’s Leaders Forum focuses heavily on the impact of COVID and subsequent recovery. It is still evolving as to the long-term impact COVID will have on business, and the industry, following a year of significant disruption, however, what is clear is that the pandemic has shone a spotlight on cleaning and the work cleaners do to keep communities safe and places hygienic. Cleaners were among the frontline workers and have played a crucial role in the national recovery. As you will read in this issue, many industry leaders agree there is now opportunity for the industry to lift its profile and be recognised as a critical service in maintaining public health. Participants also weighed in on the future of the work and the predicted hybrid model of working from the office and home, with this expected to have flow on effects for the cleaning sector. Facilities will expect contractors to be highly trained around infection control and the ability to demonstrate how they contribute to a building and its tenants’ wellbeing. Outside of COVID, there are still issues in the industry that need to be addressed, including the need for standardised cleaning practices and terminology as well as the need for responsible outsourcing. Leaders agree, technology and innovation will continue to expand in 2021, and while corporate sustainability might have taken a backseat last year it appears that it will be very much on the agenda for 2021. Thank you to all who participated in our Leaders Forum. I hope you enjoy reading the report and that there are some valuable insights that will help you, your team, and your business in 2021.
Claire Hibbit Managing Editor
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What’s on 2021 Interclean China 19-21 April 2021
The event is the first international trade exhibition for the local cleaning industry. www.intercleanchina.com
ISSA Show Canada 9-11 June 2021
ISSA Show Canada is Canada’s leading trade show for facility service providers. canadashow.issa.com
ISSA Pulire
7-9 September 2021 Italy’s professional cleaning exhibition will be held in Verona. www.pulire-it.com/it
MOST CLICKED www.incleanmag.com.au
Wed 15 - Thu 16 September 2021
New date for ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo
Western Australia to ditch single use plastics
15-16 September 2021
ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo to coincide with Total Facilities at ICC Sydney.
WA state government announces plan to reduce single-use plastics by 2023.
Victoria to trial paid sick and carer’s leave for casual workers
The future economy is circular, according to business leader
State government to offer access to paid sick and carer’s leaves to casual workers under two-year trial.
New report measures how businesses are tracking in their understanding and implementation of the circular economy.
South Pacific Laundry withdraws bid for Spotless Laundries
Hand hygiene top concern for Aussies returning to workplaces, survey finds
Clean NZ
Newmarket Room, Ellerslie Racecourse, Auckland, New Zealand
Clean NZ is New Zealand’s only dedicated trade event for the cleaning industry. www.cleannzexpo.co.nz
CMS
21-24 September 2021 Europe’s leading cleaning trade fair will take place in Berlin. www.cms-berlin.de
SPL withdraws request for merger clearance of proposed acquisition.
Key high-contact surfaces to be mindful of on the daily commute or when back in the office.
ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo 12-13 October 2021
The cleaning industry’s premier trade event will be held at ICC Sydney. www.issacleaninghygieneexpo.com
Total Facilities
12-13 October 2021 The FM event will coincide with the ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo at ICC Sydney. www.totalfacilities.com.au
4 INCLEAN January / February 2021
ON THE COVER Bacteria removal has been top-of-mind for hospital hygienists for decades. Now we are facing a new challenge: virus removal has become paramount in ensuring surfaces are really clean, not only in healthcare facilities but virtually everywhere else that needs to be clean and safe. Oates® is proud to offer high performance cloths and wipes that are certified to remove both VIRUSES (like COVID-19) and BACTERIA. Read more in our cover story on page 14.
IN THIS ISSUE JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2021
ISSUE #1 VOLUME 34
Year in review
10 INCLEAN recaps the key events that shaped the industry in 2020
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Industry Leaders Forum 20 Accord 22 Agar Cleaning Systems 24 Australian Pump Industries 26 BIC Services 28 Building Service Contractors Association of Australia (BSCAA) 30 Callington 32 Cleanstar 34 Daniels Associates 35 Diversey ANZ 36 FreshOps 38 Godfreys 40 Hako Australia 42 High Performance Cleaning (HPC) Solutions 44 ISS Facility Services Australia & New Zealand 46 ISSA Oceania 48 Learning Sphere 50 Makita Australia 52 Quayclean Australia 54 Sabco Professional Australia 56 Sebastian Property Services 58 SEBO Australia 60 Tennant Australia & New Zealand 62 VVIP Cleaning Australia 64 Weploy 66 Whiteley Corporation
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INDUSTRY NEWS Dr Greg Whiteley accepts award from Bob Howes, HBC CEO
Whiteley Corporation cleans up at Hunter Business Awards Whiteley Corporation has won two awards at the Hunter Business Chambers Gala Event. Newcastle-based Whiteley Corporation took out the Excellence in Business and Excellence in Import of Export categories. Whiteley chairman Dr Greg. Whiteley accepted both awards on behalf of Whiteley Corporation and congratulated the entire Whiteley team and thanked the sponsors. “This is truly a companywide award for all of the team at Whiteley. 2020 has been a very challenging year, and our team has risen to the enormous and unexpected challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Well done for a truly outstanding result.” The Excellence in Business Award was sponsored by NSW Minerals Council and
Excellence in Export Award was sponsored by Port of Newcastle. The COVID-19 pandemic saw Whiteley adapt its business operations rapidly in order to maintain supply for the Australian and regional healthcare market. Whiteley more than doubled its production capacity by expanding our workforce, adding a second shift and worked additional days to meet demand. Manufacturing capacity was improved by the recruitment of specialists and procurement roles, wider training for current staff and purchasing additional capital equipment for production, packaging and dispatch. Whiteley optimised its supply chain and brought forward the capital equipment investment program to including the
purchase of new filling machines with enhanced capacity. Investments were also made in staff training, and capital equipment for its research projects. Darran Leyden, managing director of Whiteley, said the company’s business has grown dramatically over the pandemic with a large increase in demand from existing customers, and many new countries coming online. “It is humbling to be recognised amongst so many great Hunter organisations and we empathise with those companies that have been negatively impacted by the pandemic,” said Leyden. The 2020 Hunter Business Awards were held at Newcastle Civic Theatre, with 17 awards presented on the night.
Polivac International launches new and improved Supervac vacuum sanders Polivac International has launched its new and improved Supervac vacuum sanders equipped with features to deliver productivity and performance. Understanding the market requirements for high performing vacuum sander, the company has designed the Polivac Supervac range, the slow-speed SV25 Supervac and high-speed SV30 Supervac Vacuum Sanders are packed with features that aid in executing tough sanding jobs. The Supervac vacuum sanders are equipped with powerful 400-watt long life motor which is fitted into the vacuum
6 INCLEAN January / February 2021
canister along with by-pass dust separator for superior dust extraction. These sanders are fitted with extra weight that offer ideal downward pressure to ensure sanding work is done effectively. These features allow the sanders to offer high performance required to satisfy the rigorous demands of floor sanding applications. Both the Supervac sanders can be used for scrubbing and stripping applications after switching off the vacuum motor, hence get multiple jobs done with just one machine. Ergonomic design of the machines reduces the risk of user error and exhaustion.
INDUSTRY NEWS
New date for ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo The ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo will now take place on 12-13 October 2021 at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Sydney. The trade event will also coincide with facilities management event, Total Facilities, which will also take place on 11-13 October at the ICC Sydney. “We made the decision to change the dates for this event to further strengthen our attendance,” said ISSA Oceania manager, Lauren Micallef. “This is an important annual expo for the facility management sector, which will now take place during the same week, at the same venue, allowing more facility managers and building service contractors to easily attend both shows. “In times like this we recognise that working together creates greater success and we are constantly looking to make this the best experience possible for our loyal supporters.”
“We would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the dedicated planning and effort that goes into the show, and to thank both exhibitors and participants for your patience and continued support throughout this dynamic period. “We look forward to welcoming you to the rescheduled ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo.” The 2021 ISSA INCLEAN Excellence Awards will also be a major drawcard and highlight of the ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo. “We plan to make the Awards bigger and better than ever. The new and improved Awards program will feature a diverse and professional panel of judges from different sectors of the industry, as well as a robust and comprehensive judging process that guarantees transparent, fair and independent results,” said Micallef.
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www.incleanmag.com.au 7
INDUSTRY NEWS
R&J Batteries celebrates 25 years of success Australia’s fastest growing battery company, R&J Batteries, has celebrated its 25th anniversary. The battery distributor, which has 24 company-owned branches and a footprint of more than 8000 stockists and distributors throughout Australia and New Zealand, supplies batteries for all applications including golf carts, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, automotive, commercial, marine, deep cycle, solar and industrial. Established in December 1995 by Ray Robson and John Webb, R&J Batteries’ journey to becoming the renowned battery specialists they are today started from humble beginnings. After gaining work experience at a local battery company and investing every cent they had in a run-down shed in Ballarat, R&J Batteries was established.
8 INCLEAN January / February 2021
The company’s rapid growth since the opening of its second branch in Bendigo in 2001 saw subsequent branches open in Tullamarine, Doveton, Stapylton, Hervey Bay, Fyshwick & Wetherill Park followed by Dubbo, Bayswater, Beresfield, Adelaide, Geelong, Townsville, Brendale, Cairns, Truganina and more recently Darwin, Bairnsdale & Tablelands. Along with merging with Island Batteries Hobart & Launceston this expansion has earned R&J Batteries the reputation of being the ‘fastest growing battery company in Australia.’ In 2017 R&J Batteries opened its first branch in Auckland, followed by a second branch in Christchurch in 2019. 2019 also saw R&J Batteries enter into a purchase agreement to acquire NZ-based battery importer and distributor, ACME Batteries.
R&J Batteries’ commitment to providing the best in battery technology for its customers has led to the inclusion of brands such as U.S Battery, Relion, Delkor, ACDelco, Fullriver, BAE, Deka, Hardcore, Motobatt, Odyssey, Optima, Predator and Fuchs. R&J Batteries is the exclusive distributor for brands including U.S Battery, Delkor, KOBA batteries and ALLiON Batteries in Australia. “One of the key factors to our continued success is securing distribution rights for the highest quality products available then having the best people on the ground providing a high level of customer service” said Ray Robson, managing director of R&J Batteries. “I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank our loyal customers for their continued support and our fantastic staff that make this company what it is today.’ Speaking of R&J Batteries’ plans for the future, Stuart Hamilton, CEO of R&J Batteries, said 2021 and beyond is going to be very strong for the company. “We already have plans in the pipeline for additional company owned branches and distribution points across both Australia and New Zealand. Our R&D team have several new products in the pipeline which will allow us to further expand our product line up. Sourcing the highest quality products possible remains our product focus and these new lines will reflect this commitment.” “We can all look back and be proud of what R&J Batteries has achieved in the past 25 years. Equally we look forward to the next 25 years with great anticipation as we continue to grow and prosper,” adds Hamilton.
INDUSTRY NEWS
Conquest introduces Edge orbital scrubbers to short-term hire fleet
ISSA PULIRE 2021 rescheduled The board of directors of the ISSA PULIRE Network have decided to reschedule the 25th edition of the trade show, originally set to take place in Verona, Italy, from May 18-20, 2021 to September 7-9, 2021. The effects of the pandemic continue to jeopardise productive activities and services, particularly affecting all spheres where contact with the public and social contact among industry professionals are the key elements around which success and consensus are built. The ISSA PULIRE organisational office decided to announce this resolution, taken well in advance so that everyone, whether they be exhibitors or attendees, can plan and reorganise their calendars to take this update into account. “We have taken a reasoned, responsible, and above all definitive decision in the interests of industry professionals, exhibitors and visitors, driven by the desire to ensure optimal safety conditions for all and to lay the foundations for a passionate and effective trade show as always,” said Toni D’Andrea, CEO of ISSA PULIRE Network. “By September next year, we hope that the critical phase of the pandemic will be behind us, thanks in part to the availability of a vaccine, and that normal conditions will have been restored.” ISSA PULIRE Network said its organisational staff are already working to reorganise all its activities, paving the way for a highly anticipated and trade show fair next year.
Conquest Equipment has recently celebrated 12 months success of its short-term floor cleaning equipment hire offer. On the back of that success, Conquest has recently expanded its hire fleet of quality floor cleaning equipment to address a wider range of its customers’ biggest floor cleaning challenges. Dean Molander, Conquest Hire Controller said: “We hear that during and post the holiday season creates a bit of a floor cleaning headache for commercial and industrial facilities, due to built-up grime and dirt from the increased flurry of activity. This is particularly true for tiled shopping centres and retail facilities that experience heavy foot traffic. So temporary scaling of cleaning resources to adapt during this time is important to our customers.” In response to this challenge, Conquest has introduced a range of Edge Series heavy duty scrubbers to their short-term hire fleet. Conquest Edge orbital floor scrubbers are ideal for heavy duty cleaning demands, such as that created by heavy foot traffic in commercial retail spaces. Using a rectangular, high-speed oscillating head, they allow operators to clean right up to the edges, and into corners. The combination of powerful down-pressure and oscillating scrubbing motion unique to Conquest Edge scrubbers can reduce the cost of labour by up to 70 per cent, when compared to less-effective manual cleaning processes. Conquest’s comprehensive short-term hire offer includes fast delivery to site, or pick-up from Conquest’s facilities located in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane with trailer hire optional.
www.incleanmag.com.au 9
YEAR IN REVIEW
Year in review INCLEAN recaps the key events that shaped the industry in 2020
JANUARY/FEBRUARY ISSA acquires INCLEAN, full ownership of ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo
WHO declares coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency At the beginning of the year the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the new strain of coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern. The decision was announced after a Geneva meeting of the international organisation’s emergency committee. Director-General of WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the virus as an “unprecedented outbreak” that has been met with an “unprecedented response”. Coronaviruses (CoV) refers to a family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). In February, WHO announced “COVID-19” as the official name for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
In January worldwide cleaning association ISSA announced its acquisition of INCLEAN from the Intermedia Group and full ownership of the ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo. The acquisition included flagship print publications INCLEAN magazine and INCLEAN NZ magazine and digital assets (incleanmag. com.au and incleanmag.co.nz). At the time of the announcement Dianna Steinbach, international vice president, ISSA, said INCLEAN was a natural and exciting fit for the global cleaning association. “INCLEAN aligns with ISSA’s vision of increasing the appreciation for cleaning as an investment in human health and the environment. It supports our brand promise of changing the way the world view’s cleaning.” Interpoint Events, a division of the Intermedia Group, continues to manage the operational and logistical side of the ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo, which will be held on 12-13 October 2021 at ICC Sydney.
ACT introduces labour hire licensing scheme The ACT Government introduced legislation into its Assembly for a labour hire licensing scheme. Under the ACT scheme, labour hire providers will need to apply for a licence, meet a ‘suitable person’ test and demonstrate a history of ongoing compliance with industry standards and workplace laws. Minister for Employment and Workplace Safety, Suzanne Orr, said the
10 INCLEAN January / February 2021
scheme – the first of its kind for ACT – will better protect workers in the labour hire industry. “A labour hire licensing scheme will ensure the rights and conditions of labour hire workers in the ACT are upheld with new penalties to apply to providers who do the wrong thing. “Recent inquiries across the country, including here in the ACT, have highlighted the vulnerability of labour
hire workers to poor treatment at work. In response to these unacceptable practices, the government is delivering better protection for these workers.” The scheme is anticipated to commence in 2021, with a six-month transition period beginning in January 2021 for labour hire providers to apply for a licence. Labour hire systems already exist in Victoria, South Australia, and Queensland.
YEAR IN REVIEW
MARCH/ APRIL
Hand sanitiser manufacturing rules eased Hand sanitiser manufacturing rules were eased to keep up with unprecedented demand caused by the global coronavirus outbreak. The Australian Government Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) cut the red tape on the manufacturing of hand sanitiser to make it easier for Australian businesses to produce and supply hand sanitiser. The TGA introduced an urgent legislative instrument and guidance to make it easier for local businesses to manufacture hand sanitiser. This included sanitisers for use in health care facilities – such as hospitals, agedcare and other residential facilities – as well as for general consumer use.
Under the legislation, production of hand sanitiser could proceed without the requirement of TGA approval or notification, provided one of the two recipes developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and endorsed by the US Food and Drug Administration are used. It followed several Australian businesses who joined the fight against COVID-19 by commencing local production of hand sanitiser. Local distilleries and breweries also shifted their production focus to produce hand sanitiser including Manly Spirits Co and Archie Rose in Sydney, Adelaide’s Prohibition Liquor Co as well as Beenleigh Rum Distillery – Australia’s oldest distillery – and Bundaberg Rum Distillery.
Tennant ANZ launches IPC in Australia Tennant Australia & New Zealand launched their newly acquired IPC brand at their national sales and distributor conference, held at the company’s Sydney head office. In 2017, Tennant Company acquired the IPC Group, a designer and manufacturer of commercial cleaning solutions. In April, Tennant officially released the IPC floorcare range to the Australian & New Zealand market, as part of its continued growth in the region. “2019 turned into one of the best years in our region’s history”, says Chad Angeli, general manager at Tennant Australia & New Zealand. “IPC expands our product portfolio with the likes of the new CT5 mini scrubber, and in addition to our T7AMR robotic solution, these products will help us continue to build on our strong results in 2020 and beyond.We see it helping our current customers and distributors with a value proposition they need.” “From a market perspective, the launch of our new IPC brand helps expand Tennant’s multi-brand portfolio and existing brand presence across products and direct service in Australia and New Zealand,” says Josh Hastings, marketing manager at Tennant Australia & New Zealand. “We’re extremely happy with the level of interest from our distributors on the IPC products we’re bringing to the Australian and New Zealand markets.” The IPC floorcare range includes small to medium sized commercial cleaning machines and equipment, including floor sweepers and scrubbers, professional vacuum cleaners, high-pressure washers, and related aftermarket parts. www.incleanmag.com.au 11
YEAR IN REVIEW
Industry calls for standardised practices amid COVID-19
Clean NZ announces new date for 2021 The Building Service Contractors Association of New Zealand (BSCNZ) and event organiser, Interpoint Events, announced new dates for Clean NZ. Clean NZ, New Zealand’s only dedicated trade event for the commercial cleaning industry, will be held on 15 - 16 September 2021 at the Ellerslie Events Centre in Auckland. Clean NZ expects around 45 exhibitors and more than 1000 attendees. The two-day event will also offer an extensive education program. Training workshops covering hygiene in health care and hospitals, sustainability, new technology and outdoor cleaning will also be held over the duration of the show. The BSCNZ’s gala event, the CleanSweep Awards, which attracted more than 300 industry executives in 2018, will take place following the second day of the trade show. “We are pleased to be working with Interpoint Events to create an amazing event for 2021,” Sarah McBride, CEO of the BSCNZ, said at the time of the announcement.
The COVID-19 outbreak led to renewed calls for standardised terminology and practices of “deep cleaning” by the commercial cleaning industry. It followed a rise in deep cleans also referred to as detailed or infectious cleaning, amid fears of contamination and spread of COVID-19 in commercial and residential facilities. Bridget Gardner, director of HPC Solutions, told INCLEAN, the lack of consistent terminology was causing massive confusion. “The lack of agreed definitions for deep or infectious cleaning is a real problem. But underlying it is a lack of government guidance for cleaning during the coronavirus pandemic in commercial and institutional facilities. “There is a lot of fear and opportunism happening. Businesses are offering ‘deep cleaning’ products and services without understanding the difference between preventing the spread of COVID-19, versus mitigation when there has been a confirmed case of COVID-19. “There has to be a clear differentiation between prevention and decontamination in terms of risk, products, methods, PPE and price,” Gardner said.
MAY NSW announces $250m cleaning stimulus package The NSW government announced it would hire up to 3000 full-time cleaners under a new $250 million cleaning stimulus package that aims to help boost the state’s defence against COVID-19. The state government said the $250 million cleaners’ package would improve the cleaning of public facilities including NSW transport, schools and TAFE, while supporting an additional 3000 full-time cleaners by the end of June 2020. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the fresh wave of cleaners would provide a muchneeded social and economic boost to NSW. 12 INCLEAN January / February 2021
“While these cleaners are improving hygiene across the state, this package will provide a much-needed social and economic boost across the state,” Berejiklian said. Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the state government was on track to see the equivalent of 3000 full-time cleaners on board by the end of June. “We’re hiring new cleaners, increasing the hours of existing cleaners and redeploying cleaners who would otherwise have lost jobs due to the temporary closure of some public facilities.”
YEAR IN REVIEW
JUNE Wage theft legislation passes Victorian Parliament
WA introduces mandatory hygiene training for venues Western Australia’s hospitality industry prepared for a return to business, with the launch of a mandatory COVID-19 hygiene training program. The specialised COVID-19 hygiene training course is run in partnership with the state government and the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) WA and draws on state and federal health directions regarding COVID-19. The course is two-tiered, with all staff required to complete the basic training, while a second more detailed Hygiene Officer course will be required for managers and supervisors. Bradley Woods, CEO of AHA(WA), said the new online course will equip hospitality staff and management with a comprehensive understanding of COVID-19 hygiene requirements, helping prepare businesses to re-open safely and responsibly. “This is the first hospitality and tourism specific COVID-19 hygiene course of its type in Australia and will put WA in a front-line position for when venues re-open,” Woods said.
Victoria hires 1500 cleaners amid cleaning blitz The Victorian government announced plans to create short-term positions for 1500 cleaners to work across 10 regional and 26 suburban communities cleaning public infrastructure, retail centres and shopping strips as the staged lifting of restrictions begins. The cleaning blitz was part of the government’s $500 million Working for Victoria initiative, which aims to will create employment for people who have lost work as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The metropolitan councils involved in the four-week blitz included: Banyule, Bayside, Boroondara, Brimbank, Cardinia, Casey, Greater Dandenong, Darebin, Hobsons Bay, Frankston, Glen Eira, Hume, Kingston, Knox, Manningham, Maroondah, Melton, Monash, Moonee Valley, Moreland, Mornington Peninsula, Nillumbik, Whitehorse, Whittlesea, Wyndham and Yarra Ranges. The regional councils were Ballarat, Greater Bendigo, Greater Geelong, Greater Shepparton, Horsham, Latrobe, Mildura, Wangaratta, Warrnambool and Wodonga.
Victoria became the first state to pass laws establishing criminal penalties for employers who deliberately underpay or don’t pay their workers. Employers who dishonestly withhold wages, superannuation, or other employee entitlements, will face fines of up to $198,264 for individuals, $991,320 for companies and up to 10 years’ jail. Offences will also capture employers who falsify employee entitlement records, such as payroll records, or who fail to keep employment records. New record keeping offences are aimed at employers who attempt to conceal wage theft by falsifying or failing to keep records. A Wage Inspectorate of Victoria was also announced as a new statutory authority with powers to investigate and prosecute wage theft offences. Employers who make honest mistakes or who exercise due diligence in paying wages and other employee entitlements will not be subject to the legislation. Minister for Industrial Relations, Tim Pallas, said the establishment of the Wage Inspectorate of Victoria will ensure that employers who do the wrong thing are investigated and held to account. “We said we would replace the existing legal regime and make the changes necessary to protect workers from unscrupulous employers and that’s exactly what we’ve done.”
Union launches campaign for improved conditions, wages In June, United Workers Union launched a campaign calling for improved working conditions and higher wages for cleaners. The campaign, The Cleaners’ Solution, was in response to a national survey conducted by the cleaners’ union with more than 530 cleaners taking part. According to the survey, more than 90 per cent of surveyed cleaners always, often or sometimes have to rush their work because they don’t have enough time, while 80 per cent said they do not have enough clean Almost 75 per cent of participants said they do not have enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to do their job safely, while 70 per cent said they have not received face-to-face training. United Workers Union said the campaign is the answer to many issues and challenges cleaners face in the industry. The campaign has five key demands: more time to clean; better equipment and training; better wages and job security; deals with quality cleaning companies only; and respect and a voice at work. “Cleaning jobs must be better into the future. Cleaners deserve decent wages and secure work now, more than ever,” said Lyndal Ryan, cleaning spokesperson for United Workers Union, at the time of the campaign’s launch. www.incleanmag.com.au 13
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YEAR IN REVIEW
SEPTEMBER Wage theft criminalised in Queensland
JULY/AUGUST Landmark report into on-demand workforce released In July, a landmark report into the on-demand workforce commissioned by the Victorian government was released. The report’s recommendations into the gig-economy included developing a code of conduct that better protects on-demand workers, the removal of barriers to collective bargaining, and a onestop-shop support agency to help these workers when disputes arise. The Inquiry into the Victorian On-Demand Workforce was chaired by former Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James and commissioned by the Victorian Government in 2018 following widespread concern over the wages and conditions offered to workers in the gig economy. Minister for Industrial Relations, Tim Palls, said the gig economy is relied upon by millions of consumers and workers across the country, but there are holes when it comes to industrial relations that put workers’ rights to fair pay and conditions at risk. The inquiry makes 20 recommendations and notes that any regulatory response should balance the needs of platform workers with those of business, so innovation and productivity isn’t stifled. The report also makes a number of recommendations that the Commonwealth has responsibility for, such as Australia’s national work laws. The inquiry received nearly 100 written submissions and consulted with more than 200 participants and undertook a body of research which surveyed 14,000 respondents over their attitudes and habits when it comes to participating in the gig economy.
Distributor fined for alleged COVID-19 advertising breaches The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) issued three infringement notices totalling $39,960 to Melbourne-based company, for alleged unlawful advertising in relation to COVID-19. According to the TGA, the company allegedly promoted its disinfectant as effective against coronavirus, without having the necessary authorisation from the TGA. “Promoting disinfectants that have not been subjected to the TGA’s regulatory framework has the potential to put the public at risk,” Adj. Professor John Skerritt, deputy secretary of the Department of Health said. Under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989, claims or references that a disinfectant has an effect against viruses, including coronavirus, are prohibited representations. The use of prohibited representations in advertisements for therapeutic goods is unlawful without permission from the TGA.
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Queensland employers found to be deliberately stealing from their workers will now face jail time under new state laws passed by the state. Industrial Relations Minister, Grace Grace, said wage theft affects one in four Queensland workers and takes $2.2 billion out of workers’ pockets each year in unpaid wages and superannuation. Under the new laws, the maximum penalty for stealing by an employer will be the same as the current maximum penalty for ‘stealing as a clerk or servant’, which is 10 years’ imprisonment. It will also now be easier and quicker to recoup unpaid wages. “These new laws recognise that the current framework is not doing the job – something needs to change to stop rampant wage theft,” Grace said. “Stronger penalty and deterrence measures are needed for those who commit wage theft, particularly where it is deliberate and systematic and part of an employer’s business model.” The new laws were borne out of a parliamentary inquiry which investigated the prevalence and impact of wage theft on Queensland workers.
Single-use plastics banned in SA In September, South Australia became the first state in the country to ban single-use plastics. The state government’s Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Bill 2020 bans the sale, supply, and distribution of single-use plastic products such as straws, cutlery, and beverage stirrers in SA. However, the commencement of the legislation won’t occur until early 2021. Minister for Environment and Water David Speirs said there was strong feedback from South Australians keen to see action on single-use plastics. “Our legislation at first bans single-use plastic items like straws, cutlery and beverage stirrers and outlines a framework for adding more items in the future. However, with COVID-19 restrictions still impacting on society and in particular the hospitality industry, we will delay the commencement of the legislation. “This will give businesses time to bounce back and properly prepare before the ban comes into effect in early 2021. This approach strikes an appropriate balance between the public’s desire for change and the needs of businesses.” The legislation was developed with the help of its Single-Use Plastics Taskforce which has representation from 15 different organisations, including people living with a disability. “Through this taskforce we’ve developed an approach that balances the benefit to the environment with minimising impact for businesses and accommodating the needs of people living with a disability who might find themselves reliant on certain single-use plastics.”
ORDINARY WET WIPES
Disinfected surface
BAC-OFF ANTI-BACTERIAL WET WIPES
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YEAR IN REVIEW
CSIRO scientists publish new research on SARS-COV-2 virus ‘survivability’
OCTOBER Industry celebrates Thank Your Cleaner Day The vital role of cleaners during COVID-19 was celebrated on Thank Your Cleaner Day. Launched by the BSCNZ, in partnership with Kärcher, Thank Your Cleaner Day was held on Wednesday, 21 October 2020. Now in its sixth year, the day aims to raise the profile of the industry as well as celebrate the role of professional cleaners. Since its launch, the event has continued to garner global attention from building service contractors and their customers, with the event now celebrated in more than 20 countries. Building service contractors and their customers hosted events such as morning teas and barbeques for team members. “Now more than ever we need to thank our essential workers for their hard work and dedication during the COVID-19 crisis,” said Sarah McBride, CEO of BSCNZ. “Through the pandemic commercial cleaners are now recognised for the critical role they play in keeping us all safe.”
Victoria to trial paid sick and carer’s leave for casual workers In November, the Victorian government announced a $5 million two-year trial to provide paid sick leave and carer’s pay for casual and insecure workers. The newly announced Secure Work Pilot Scheme will provide up to five days of sick and carer’s pay at the national minimum wage for casual or insecure workers in priority industries. Once up and running, the two-year pilot will afford these workers sick pay when they’re unwell, and carer’s pay when they need to take time to look after someone. The pilot scheme is expected to cover workers in select sectors with high rates of casualisation, including cleaners, hospitality staff, security guards, supermarket workers and aged care staff. The pilot will roll out in two phases over two years with the occupations eligible for each phase to be finalised after a consultation process that will include workers, industry, and unions. Casual and insecure workers in eligible sectors will be invited to pre-register for the scheme, providing their contact details and information about their employment so that applications can be fast-tracked if they need to apply for payments. In response to the scheme, Kim Puxty, president of the BSCAA said there should be a “realistic dialogue between workers, employers, unions and government about what employment arrangements are going to work in a practical sense to help the economy revive”.
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CSIRO researchers found SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, can survive for up to 28 days on common surfaces including banknotes, glass – such as that found on mobile phone screens – and stainless steel. The research, undertaken at the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), found SARS-CoV-2: survived longer at lower temperatures; tended to survive longer on non-porous or smooth surfaces such as glass, stainless steel and vinyl, compared to porous complex surfaces such as cotton; and survived longer on paper banknotes than plastic banknotes. Results from the study The effect of temperature on persistence of SARS-CoV-2 on common surfaces was published in Virology Journal. CSIRO CEO Dr Larry Marshall said: “Establishing how long the virus really remains viable on surfaces enables us to more accurately predict and mitigate its spread, and do a better job of protecting our people,” Dr Marshall said. Dr Debbie Eagles, deputy director of ACDP, said the results show SARS-CoV-2 can remain infectious on surfaces for long periods of time, reinforcing the need for good practices such as regular handwashing and cleaning surfaces. “At 20°C, which is about room temperature, we found that the virus was extremely robust, surviving for 28 days on smooth surfaces such as glass found on mobile phone screens and plastic banknotes. “For context, similar experiments for Influenza A have found that it survived on surfaces for 17 days, which highlights just how resilient SARS-CoV-2 is.”
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER WA to ditch single-use plastics In November, the WA government released its plan to reduce single-use plastics by 2023. The Plan for Plastics (PfP) scheme will be rolled out in two main stages. Regulations will be developed and implemented by 2023 for the state-wide phase-out of plastic plates, cutlery, stirrers, straws, thick plastic bags, polystyrene food containers and helium balloon releases. Environment Minister, Stephen Dawson, said WA’s Plan for Plastics is a roadmap towards a more sustainable, plastic-free WA. “Reducing our dependence on single-use plastics will help reduce our impact on the environment, waste streams and human health.” A working group will be established to ensure any regulatory actions to phase-out plastic straws will not negatively impact people requiring straws to meet their life needs. This will include continued supply of certain single‑use plastics to those who need them. Phase-outs will be supported by education and behaviour change programs. Plastic-free precincts trials will be established to support community action to reduce single-use plastics, including food containers.
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INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
Bronwyn Capanna Executive Director, Accord
How was 2020 for Accord? As for everyone, it’s been a year of unforeseen disruption, rapid change and much uncertainty for Accord. Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the global upheaval and economic recession it’s caused, has dominated our industry and our activities this year. Along with the impacts on our members’ businesses via border closures, social distancing and the general uncertainty around the pandemic, one of the key challenges our industry faced was the massive supply chain disruptions, resulting in shortages of key ingredients and packaging for our members’ products. Despite all of this, there have been a number of highlights this year. Our industry has remained resilient, rising to the occasion by managing to increase supply of essential hygiene products. Our industry’s products have played a huge and direct role in the fight against the spread of COVID-19. This has resulted in a raised profile and an amplified voice with government and other stakeholders, demonstrating the indispensable nature of our products.
How did Accord adjust to the impact of the pandemic? Firstly, our communications shifted to a crisis-footing, becoming more intensified and targeted to keep members fully informed. We also pivoted to delivering training and events online—our Insight Hours and Regulatory Bites remain extremely popular! We proactively engaged with government and key stakeholders to promote our industry’s capabilities. We compiled industry-wide data on business-impacts to share with decision makers, and we engaged with regulators to streamline rules for disinfectants and sanitisers. 20 INCLEAN January / February 2021
A key achievement was our successful negotiation with the TGA on testing regimes for disinfectants against COVID19. As a result, there are now over 100 products available with TGA approved claims against the virus! We worked hard to ensure ongoing supply of essential products, taking an active leadership role on the Department of Industry’s Hand Sanitiser Roundtable, convened by Karen Andrews MP. In response to urgent product demand, we developed new networks to solve critical supply and logistics issues. We also shared our expertise to ensure ongoing product safety and quality. We offered input into government COVID-19 guidance material and developed two publicly available documents: the ‘Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitiser Manufacturing & Transport Information Sheet’ and the ‘Hand Sanitiser Industry Benchmark for non-therapeutic products’.
What will be the immediate focus for Accord in 2021? Accord’s number one focus every year is to deliver indispensable services to our member companies. This won’t change in 2021, and we’ll be adding to our existing services to provide ongoing value-add in an ever-changing business environment. For example, one of our key focuses in early 2021 will be to establish a benchmark for the industry on packaging usage and policy, to inform our advocacy and specific initiatives to aid in packaging waste reduction. And off the back of the success of our online offerings in 2020, we will be growing our suite of member-exclusive training, webinars, and resources. 2021 will see sessions on a range of topics including Dangerous Goods requirements, New Zealand regulations, disinfectant rules, product category trends, market insights and more. We will also be actively encouraging greater collaboration across the host of players that assist our member companies, including sister organisations locally and internationally such as INCPA and also trade organisations such as lSSA.
What challenges and opportunities do you see for the industry over the next 12 months? The most obvious challenge is the ongoing uncertainty relating to the pandemic, which is still having massive impacts in many countries, as well as the continuing restrictions to global travel. We will also have to contend with the impacts from any local case clusters – we’ve already seen how quickly some states react when it comes to shutting their borders, often with little to no notice! A key opportunity will be continuing to make the most of the heightened general awareness of the importance of cleaning and hygiene products, and to leverage our industry’s relevance and current high profile. There will also be challenges as we continue to navigate the new Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS), and other regulations focused on health and environmental impacts. But there is also opportunity for industry to have meaningful input into the federal government’s proposed deregulation agenda, to achieve more efficient and internationally aligned regulations, which would encourage greater local investment and exports.
Looking at the future – both short and long term – what do you see, as far as changes and adjustments, the global cleaning industry must embrace? Being flexible and nimble is the key – if the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that business-as-usual is gone. In particular, the industry must focus on the lessons from the challenges at the beginning and height of the pandemic, to mitigate the risks for any future resurgence. For instance, options will need to be entrenched within systems for greater supply chain resilience. The pandemic isn’t over and, while Australia finds itself in an enviable position compared to other countries, given the global nature of many of our supply chains we must be ready to face new and emerging issues. Innovation and sustainability go hand in hand and will be even more so
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
in the coming years. Companies will need to take advantage of technology developments across manufacturing and inputs, for optimal formulation to deliver improved cleaning and hygiene products. This is why our formal Innovation Partnership with Monash University, and other academic institutions, is important in facilitating our members’ dialogue on issues such as green chemistry.
What is one issue the industry should urgently address in 2021? Sustainability. And in the first instance packaging, especially plastic packaging. There is a lot of government focus on packaging at the moment, and Accord is coordinating an extensive industry data-gathering and analysis exercise to benchmark current practice and inform our advocacy and future actions in this area. Accord has a proud history of implementing effective, voluntary industry initiatives to achieve positive sustainability outcomes for our sector. These include the Recognised® ecolabel
for environmentally preferable cleaning products, and BeadRecede to coordinate the phase-out of solid plastic microbeads, including in industrial cleaning products. We look forward to capitalising on the success of these past initiatives to work closely with government on industry-led programs to tackle emerging issues.
What additional advice do you have for the cleaning community? If you are not already a member, join your relevant industry association! For manufacturers and suppliers of formulated cleaning and hygiene products, that’s Accord. The benefits, especially during a crisis such as COVID-19, are innumerable and invaluable. Providing targeted information, training, sustainability and innovation programs, representation of your concerns to decisionmakers, and additional resources and tools, are just some of those benefits. With Accord, you have a specialist expert team just a phone call away ready to help with any issues your company might be facing. ■
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Being flexible and nimble is the key – if the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that business-as-usual is gone.
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INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
Steve Agar Joint Managing Director, Agar Cleaning Systems
How was 2020 for Agar? 2020 was an extraordinary year for all of us. When COVID-19 appeared in Australia, and both the consumer and B2B markets were looking to ramp up cleaning and disinfection, it was chemical products they turned to. Consequently, we saw a couple of serious spikes in demand for our products, particularly disinfectants. A highlight for me was that we were able to provide ongoing stable employment for our valued staff at a time when many businesses were cut severely or closed. I’m highly appreciative of our staff who’ve been excellent in working tirelessly, particularly at our branch sites. We had a major challenge in dealing with sudden shifts in customer demand, combined with supply issues with raw materials and packaging relevant to our products in high demand. March was especially challenging, when customers were ‘panic’ buying up all sorts of cleaning product supplies, not just disinfectants and sanitiser, presumably because they were worried that manufacturers and distributors might have to cease operation for an extended period. Eventually though the restrictions imposed by our governments and the economic slowdown certainly had a negative impact on the sales of our wider product range.
How did Agar adjust to the impact of the pandemic? To be honest, we are still adjusting. Already having products with relevance to the fight against the virus, we needed to increase of capacity to manufacture these products. In the early stages when demand for disinfectants and hand sanitisers soared, our production and dispatch teams worked a lot of overtime. 22 INCLEAN January / February 2021
We had to deal with shortages of key raw materials which are normally ordered weeks, if not months in advance. At the peak of the demand, we had to make some tough decisions about what we could supply and to whom, because we simply couldn’t supply enough to meet the total demand. Having already been successfully tested on other viruses, we selected our new CounterFlu disinfectant for testing on the surrogate viruses and obtaining TGA certification and ARTG listing with a claim of efficacy on SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19 virus). We have recently released a readyto-use (RTU) version of this product for convenience and ease of use.
What will be the immediate focus for Agar in 2021? We’re aiming to get back to our pre-COVID business plan, albeit updated to the new “COVID-normal”. As they say, life goes on, and the direction we’ve been taking recently with product development is still relevant, especially in reducing environmental impact and improving operator safety. We released a number of new products prior to the pandemic, but these had to take a back seat for obvious reasons. We will now promote these more widely, in the context of the altered reality we’re now living in. During the pandemic, there has been much greater reliance on e-commerce and online communications, and with all of the convenience all this provides we will focus more attention in this area.
What challenges and opportunities do you see for the industry over the next 12 months? We all know the pandemic has highlighted the important role cleaning and disinfection plays in human health and protection from infection. In particular, we’ve been reminded cleaning must be frequent and thorough. How often have we seen vision on the nightly news of cleaners applying disinfectants in public places, inside train carriages and so on?
This presents an opportunity to reinforce the value of and improve the perception of cleaning services. You would expect that those cleaning service providers with the systems and technology to be able to demonstrate they have achieved the specified outcomes will win the best contracts and earn better margins. The challenge will be dealing with complacency, and to resist pressure to unrealistically absorb the cost of providing more frequent and thorough cleaning with the best methods and technology. Whilst the latter can bring better efficiency and productivity, the priority is the health and well-being of building occupants, by delivering a full specification provided by trained staff who are paid the correct wages. With the pandemic, we have seen a plethora of new cleaning products and technology launched globally. This presents an opportunity for the cleaning industry to innovate and improve their service delivery and outcomes, but within this comes the challenge of sorting the genuine advances from superficial marketing exercises simply taking advantage of the situation.
Have you seen changes in customer behaviour since the pandemic? How has Agar responded to these changes? When the seriousness of COVID-19 was realised I believe buyers turned to technology, products, and brands they knew they could trust. Perhaps ironically given the discussion around chemicals in recent years, when things became dire with the pandemic, it has been chemical disinfection technology that people have turned to and relied on. The decision making of buyers has been influenced by the various health departments and their guidance on appropriate cleaning and disinfection during the pandemic. An example is the fogging of disinfectants, which after an initial surge fell away following doubts raised about the consistency of application and the question of whether the presence of soil would negate the efficacy of the disinfectant.
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM Looking at the future, what do you see, as far as changes and adjustments, the industry must embrace? In summary, I would say doing more with less. This means greater cleaning productivity and better hygiene and soil removal while using less energy and producing less waste. It can be achieved by training cleaners better, looking for and selectively implementing better technology and using better quality ‘tools’ (good quality, high performance cleaning compounds of which you use less, but achieve more). With regard to consumables, hardware and machinery surely it’s better to wash, re-use, re-cycle, repair, re-deploy or even re-purpose than to throw away a resource after only one of a few uses?
What is one issue the industry should urgently address in 2021? There are many issues to address, but in terms of urgency I would say the time is right to reinforce the value and importance of cleaning, not only to our health and infection control, but also to prevent business interruption.
Along with recognising the importance of thorough cleaning comes the understanding that cleaning staff need to be properly trained, supervised, and paid. Service providers can only deliver thorough cleaning with well-treated and well-trained staff if facility managers are willing to pay what it’s truly worth.
What additional advice do you have for the cleaning community now and after the pandemic? • Be more familiar with the technical and ‘coalface’ aspects of the cleaning services you provide, and don’t stop educating building occupants about the need for regular thorough cleaning by properly trained operators. • Demonstrate to clients that by outsourcing their cleaning services they have engaged experts in their field. • Partner with suppliers and brands you can trust, and be wary of unsubstantiated claims about products, especially with vague statements about efficacy and outcomes. • Recruit good staff, train them well, and try to keep them. • Buy Australian made! ■
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When the seriousness of COVID-19 was realised I believe buyers turned to technology, products, and brands they knew they could trust.
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LOCALLY OWNED AUSTRALIAN MADE INDUSTRY EXPERTS Proudly Australian owned and operated, Agar has grown with the industry and the companies within it since 1968. Catering to industry needs across Australia, we strive to provide high quality, consistent and reliable chemicals for great value that won’t disappointed. OUT CHECKTENSIVE X OUR E E TODAY! G RAN
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Warwick Lorenz Managing Director, Australian Pump Industries What will be the immediate focus for Aussie Pumps in 2021?
How was 2020 for Aussie Pumps? Frankly, we found 2020 extremely stimulating. The challenge of having to face something as dramatic as the coronavirus gave us opportunity to better understand the role pressure cleaning equipment can play in hygiene. We fast tracked engineering developments like our new hot wash Sizzler, conscious of the need for a topquality high-performance hot water machine. Single phase and built like a tank, it was put on the market for under $5000. That was a big breakthrough and we found it sold into a wide range of applications from aged care homes to hire companies, schools, dairies, and food processing plants. We did not really understand the potential until the World Health Organization announced hot water at 60o and above effectively will kill the virus.
How did Aussie Pumps adapt to the impact of the pandemic? Again, the motivation was to help people. To deliver products fast that could effectively help to fight the virus, meant taking radical action to build production numbers up. For example, our AB30 Pocket Rocket 3000psi Honda powered pressure cleaner sales went through the roof. This Australian innovation, conceived, designed, and built in Australia put cheap imports to shame. We simply put more features into the machine and sold it at a reasonable price. Innovations like these are driven by perceived customer needs. That drives our consistent program of surveying customer groups, particularly in the cleaning industry. 24 INCLEAN January / February 2021
For us, the big challenge is beating coronavirus. Although there are touted vaccines, we think this isn’t just an Australian problem but very much one of huge international proportions. On that basis, refining our cleaning range, particularly accessories to use with cold, hot wash, and steam cleaners, that make jobs easier, faster, and safer, is our priority. Our design team is working hard finessing our existing product range and developing new products that are going to not only help us to control the virus but also delivery better results for the folk on the ground. We want customers to be able to carry out pressure washing and vacuuming safely, efficiently, and of course profitably. In fact, the profitability goes up with safety and efficiency. For example, using an Aussir Tele Wand to clean awnings or windows in the exterior of a building with a 6m reach, means no ladders – removing a major potential hazard. It also means the operator is able to reach the job more easily, thus doing a better finish and at the same time, doing it faster and with more convenience.
What do you expect will be the big product trends of 2021? Again, we believe this revolves around COVID. The cleaning industry has evolved over the last 25 years in an amazing way. Although there are some highly professional big operators, the backbone of the industry is the people on the ground who perform a myriad of cleaning tasks. We are in the process of developing a 24-volt wet/dry vacuum cleaner with a Microweb 99.9 per cent filtration system, that can be operated inside a dump truck or any mobile application where only 24 volt is available. That means operators can
clean the truck before a change of shift, again a great precaution against not only dust, germs etc but will play its part in the war against coronavirus.
Looking to the future both short and long term what do you see as far as the adjustments the global cleaning industry must embrace? We don’t think there are any massive new ideas coming out of cleaning. Of course, all of the major manufacturers in the world are working, just like we are, to produce more efficient machines, that get the job done faster, and at the same provide better value for money. Third-world products have flooded the market are often found to be unreliable, poor quality and can also result in real OH&S breaches. That is a big thing as OH&S should be the number one priority of all cleaning operators. When it comes to pressure cleaners, we fully support the new safety standards that require operators to be professionally trained before using high pressure cleaning equipment. We produce a Class A operator training course, which is freely available to everybody in the industry. What we want is safer operation and yet we often see pressure cleaners being operated by folk who have absolutely zero training! Professional pressure cleaners, that’s not the ones you buy at big box stores, are the ones that really get the job done efficiently and safely. Nobody wants to waste time driving a pressure cleaner for 5 or 6 hours when the job can be done in half an hour to an hour with the right equipment. Therefore, training the operator to use those more capable machines in a safer way is so important. Mind you, you can injure yourself even with a big box store special if you are careless and not properly trained.
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM What is one issue the industry should urgently address?
at war with that concept. That is why all our vacuum cleaners have 99.9 per cent Microweb Training is a major issue, which is why we are homopolymer filters. developing training programs not just for familiarity We know there will be huge opportunity for with equipment and creating an awareness of what the cleaning industry to develop. Entrepreneurial is available but also, with a major focus on safety. operators who really understand the way the OH&S is the big challenge for the industry. We may machinery is developing and appreciate what it think the industry is dealing with it but frankly, in brings will reap the benefits. our opinion we have a long way to go. For example, our silenced 4000psi steam cleaners, diesel drive and therefore mobile, What additional advice or guidance do you can operate within the guidelines of the EPA by have for the cleaning community? practicing clean and capture principles. ProductEven manager: Education – magazines like InClean can do local government bodies and major a huge amount to advise the industry and contractors are using machines that are Date technically in breach of the EPAs regulations for operators, whether they are government or private, in how to get cleaning tasks done more pressure cleaning. GeneralFor manager: safely and efficiently. us, the challenge is always the people who We can’t believe there are third world vacuum use the equipment! We want them to be safe, Date cleaners still being used that don’t have 99.9 per efficient, and of course we want a cleaner Australia. cent filtration. We see cleaners generating dust The industry should congratulate itself on the off carpets and blowing half of the dust back out huge improvements that have been made over through the exhaust of the vac into the atmosphere. the last 25 years. It is a health hazard not only for the operator We should be confident about the future but but for the people who work in the environment not complacent. We still have a long way to go they are cleaning. In other words, it’s a in terms of improving efficiencies and reducing superficial clean, not a hygienic clean. We are cost to the workers. ■
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Tony Gorgovski CEO, BIC Services
How was 2020 for BIC? 2020 was incredibly challenging, but we managed to unearth plenty of positives too. The onset of the pandemic was difficult. The national shutdown temporarily affected our operations. Luckily, the strength of the company meant we could weather that storm and come out the other side. The highlight of the year is that we have grown tremendously as a brand. COVID-19 meant that suddenly, cleaning was centre stage, and we were playing a crucial role in the national recovery. We were able to deepen our relationships with clients and win new business during this period, which is a testament to our ability to continue to deliver, despite the challenging broader context. Our cleaning teams have also become frontline workers. It was a challenge, and a very personal concern of mine, to keep them all safe. We’ve never dealt with a challenge of this magnitude before; we had to move quickly to level up our safety plans and make sure our service teams were safe.
How did BIC respond and adapt to the impact of the pandemic? As soon as the pandemic was announced, we established a Pandemic Action Committee. We met every day during the height of the pandemic, and we still hold weekly meetings. Crucially, acting quickly meant we could stay ahead of government restrictions. We stayed cautious and had plans in place for each scenario. It certainly worked for us; we kept our staff safe and completed countless pandemic cleans to get our client’s buildings open again.
What will be the immediate focus for BIC in 2021? Our immediate focus will be continuing to invest in our technology suite. We’ve rolled out our award-nominated Interactive Customer Experience Platform (ICXP) across eight major contracts and clients, with the technology facilitating a more customer-centric and proactive service.
The technology gives our clients immediate access to our service teams. Clients can input service requests via Customer Experience Kiosks, and the closest service team member will be alerted via a smart wearable. The technology also includes heatmapping, so we can track movement through facilities and compare service levels against asset usage. This technology has been vital in stepping up our cleaning and hygiene procedures, without significantly adding to costs for clients. We can build asset usage profiles which show precisely when assets are most used. We can then ensure high touch point cleaning protocols are performed either side of these periods. This targeted, data-driven approach means we can direct our resources to where they are most needed, creating a much more efficient, cost-effective service.
What long-term changes do you think will be implemented to business processes as a result of the pandemic? We’ve always had a strong focus on training and upskilling. Our BIC Training Academy gives us the ability to conduct a lot of our training inhouse, which also means we can control the quality of that training. COVID-19 is here to stay, so high-level training around infection control will need to be provided to all new staff. It will also need to be provided to existing staff regularly.
What challenges and opportunities do you see for the industry over the next 12 months? The challenges and opportunities of 2021 are two sides of the same coin. The biggest challenge will be keeping our clients’ buildings open. We work in a service industry, so keeping buildings open is good for business, and that’s where the big opportunity lies. The entire industry must be continually looking at ways to improve how we do things and make sure we stay ahead of the pandemic. We are at the frontline and being proactive and scientific about the way we approach cleaning and hygiene will ensure businesses stay open, people can continue to come into work, and life goes back to normal.
The industry has never had a moment like this. It’s the impetus we need to make real and lasting improvements – we need to take this opportunity and run with it.
What trends you do expect to see in 2021? The pandemic has temporarily taken climate change and sustainability off the front pages. But, as we move further into recovery, the pressure will still be on for businesses to deliver more sustainable services and products. Clients are demanding it from their cleaning and hygiene service partners, and companies that don’t adapt and find a way to reduce their impact will be left behind. It’s our responsibility to do whatever we can. We’re a national brand, so even small changes across our sites make an enormous difference. Technology and innovation will also continue to expand in 2021. Innovation is good for the industry. It improves service delivery, cuts costs and most importantly, it gives people involved in the industry exposure to technology and access to a broader job market.
What is one issue the industry should urgently address in 2021? Subcontracting and outsourcing mean there is still too much exploitation in the industry. The industry needs to focus on making direct employment the norm. Companies that do subcontract or outsource need to ensure their supply chains are transparent and free from modern slavery or any other form of mistreatment.
What additional advice do you have for the cleaning community? Look after your people and appreciate the sacrifices they made during the pandemic. Reward them by investing in their futures and providing access to rewarding careers. Equip them with quality equipment and technology so they pick up skills they can use for the rest of their lives and transfer these skills into other roles. If you look after your people, they will look after you, and that means they will look after your clients. ■
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INCLEAN Ad Leade
Transforming the cleaning industry Transforming Transforming the the cleaning cleaning industry industry Transforming the cleaning industry
We’ve been delivering innovative, transparent, sustainable and high-value services since 1989, and We’ve We’ve been been delivering delivering innovative, innovative, transparent, transparent, sustainable sustainable and and high-value high-value services services since since 1989, 1989, and and asasone asone one ofofthe ofthethe founding members Cleaning Accountability Framework, wewe areare committed standards and positive founding founding members members ofofthe ofthethe Cleaning Cleaning Accountability Accountability Framework, Framework, we are committed committed totodriving todriving driving standards standards and and positive positive We’ve been delivering innovative, transparent, sustainable and high-value change throughout thethe industry. change change throughout throughout the industry. industry.services since 1989, and as one of the founding members of the Cleaning Accountability Framework, we are committed to driving standards and positive change throughout the industry. We directly employ over 2000 permanent staff and always service contracts with our own people. The BIC Training We We directly directly employ employ over over 2000 2000 permanent permanent staff staff and and always always service service contracts contracts with with our our own own people. people. The The BIC BIC Training Training Academy gives us the ability to invest in our teams and open up pathways to rewarding careers and long-relationships Academy Academy gives gives us the us the ability ability to invest to invest in our in our teams teams and and open open up pathways up pathways to rewarding to rewarding careers careers and and long-relationships long-relationships We directly employ over 2000 permanent staff and always service contracts with our own people. The BIC Training with BIC. with with BIC. BIC. Academy gives us the ability to invest in our teams and open up pathways to rewarding careers and long-relationships with BIC.
BIC Services committed bringing innovation the industry, and the best service our clients. Our award-nominated BIC BIC Services Services is is committed is committed toto bringing to bringing innovation innovation toto the to industry, the industry, and and the best the best service service toto our to clients. our clients. Our Our award-nominated award-nominated Interactive Customer Experience Platform (ICXP) delivers more efficient, customer-centric service bygiving giving our clients Interactive Interactive Customer Customer Experience Experience Platform Platform (ICXP) (ICXP) delivers delivers a amore a more efficient, efficient, customer-centric customer-centric service service byaward-nominated by giving our our clients clients BIC Services is committed to bringing innovation to the industry, and the best service to our clients. Our immediate access to our service teams. immediate immediate access to our to our service service teams. teams. Interactive Customer Experience Platform (ICXP)access delivers a more efficient, customer-centric service by giving our clients immediate access to our service teams.
acompany, company, we’re steadfast our commitment reducing our impact theenvironment. environment. We lead theway way waste AsAsaAs a company, we’re we’re steadfast steadfast ininour in our commitment commitment totoreducing to reducing our our impact impact ononthe on the environment. We We lead lead the the way ininwaste in waste management, and our best-in-class reporting systems give our clients thedata they need enact waste reduction and As a company, we’re steadfast in our commitment to give reducing our impact ondata the environment. We lead the way in waste management, management, and and our our best-in-class best-in-class reporting reporting systems systems give our our clients clients the the data they they need need totoenact to enact waste waste reduction reduction and and landfill diversion strategies. management, and our best-in-class reporting systems give our clients the data they need to enact waste reduction and landfill landfill diversion diversion strategies. strategies. landfill diversion strategies.
We love our people, welove love our clients, and most importantly, welove love what wedo. do. That attitude has given more We We love love our our people, people, we we love our our clients, clients, and and most most importantly, importantly, we we love what what we we do. That That attitude attitude has has given given ususmore us more We love our people,than we love our clients, and most we love what do. That attitude than 30-years success - we can’t wait tosee see where ittakes takes next. than 30-years 30-years ofofsuccess of success - we -importantly, can’t we can’t wait wait to to see where where itwe it takes ususnext. us next. has given us more than 30-years of success - we can’t wait to see where it takes us next.
To speak to one of our friendly team members:
ToTo speak one our friendly team members: To speak speak tototo one one ofofof our our friendly friendly team team members: members: https://bic-services.com.au/contact/ | 1800 683 863 https://bic-services.com.au/contact/ | 1800 683 863 https://bic-services.com.au/contact/ https://bic-services.com.au/contact/ | 1800 | 1800 683 683 863 863
INCLEAN Ad Leadership Forum INDD.indd 1
24/11/2020 3:14:29 PM
INCLEAN Ad Leadership Forum INDD.indd 1
ership Forum INDD.indd 1
INCLEAN Ad Leadership Forum INDD.indd 1
24/11/2020 3:14:29 24/11/2020 3:14:29 PM
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
Kim Puxty CEO, Building Service Contractors Association of Australia (BSCAA) How was 2020 for BSCAA? What were the highlights? What were the challenges? BSCAA had a busy 2020, it was a year of adapting to the changing environment due to COVID-19. Highlights for the year included delivering concise and prompt information to our members during the pandemic, to assist them in navigating their business through an unpredictable environment. The new world of virtual meetings enabled BSCAA to become more involved in projects that may not have been possible previously, due to time constraints with travel. Virtual meetings have increased BSCAA’s ability to be more involved, not just nationally but internationally. Pushing for recognition of the cleaning industries as one of the frontline workers during the pandemic was challenging. The cleaning industry worked around the clock to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their staff and the community, with a limited amount of time to formulate a pandemic management process and updated training programs. BSCAA provided members access to relevant resources, such as HPC Solutions’ Guide to Cleaning for COVID-19 developed by Bridget Gardner, up to date COVID-19 information, training and processes to support the development of COVID-19 safe practices.
How would you rate the industry’s response to the pandemic? BSCAA members responded exceedingly well to the pandemic, leading the drive along with other front-line workers to keep our communities safe. The need for businesses to up or down scale operations based on their mix of essential or non-essential clients was immediate. Logistical challenges surrounding the mobilisation and training of staff in infection control measures, accessing 28 INCLEAN January / February 2021
essential PPE from a ‘broken’ supply chain, and the need to be reactive to clients changing needs presented many challenges for our industry. Our members have and continue to work tirelessly through the pandemic. It is gratifying that our efficiency in responding to the pandemic sees our members being recognised for the important work they do. We are essential workers and hope that this re-evaluation of the value derived for ethically and professionally delivered cleaning services, will not be short lived.
How will BSCAA engage with members and the market in 2021? Now more than ever there is a need for cleaning organisations to belong to the BSCAA. The rapidly changing global environment we work in necessitates the need for accurate and up to date information. Our engagement will focus on virtual events, social media, and face-to-face functions in states that permit. Our ability to gather and disseminate relevant information to our members has been exemplary during the pandemic. We will continue to be a source of truth for key stakeholders in our industry moving forward. Outside of COVID, we continue to push for a more co-operative approach to national operations. While state interests will still be managed by state boards, there is a recognition that pooling specific national resources will benefit members. Our ability to reduce the duplication of activity through a co-operative national approach, will significantly free up local resources, ensuring the most effective use of the boards volunteer inputs. We are also pleased to be engaged in the review of cleaning qualifications for Certificates 2, 3 and 4 as part of the overseeing Technical Advisory Group. This project is expected to be finalised mid-2021.
How will COVID-19 impact the industry in 2021 and beyond? Industry dependant, it is expected that a hybrid model of working from the office and home will become the new norm. Many employees have embraced the opportunity to work from home. This has resulted in some building owners and property managers being hit hard with requests for rental reductions and loss of tenants due to business closure. This will have a flow on effect for the cleaning sector as funds become tighter and tenant push for expenses to be cut. While we may see a temporary downturn in ‘traditional’ office cleaning, essential services should continue to see an increase in cleaning activity. Sectors such as aged care, health, transport, and education will require a greater level of cleaning to ensure they can continue operations without interruption. As time progresses and we increase our capacity to ‘live’ with COVID in the workplace, employers will want to reassure staff that it is safe to return to the office – perception is everything. Accordingly, we are expecting to see more visibility around cleaning activities whilst people are on site during the day. It is anticipated that there will be a change in how cleaning specifications are written to include HTP cleaning as a standard service. In addition, the ability to provide pandemic and/or infection control management and training processes will become more important when tendering for work. Our industry has been pushed to the forefront, effectively responsible for reducing the risk of transmission of a dangerous illness. We believe that going forward, all stakeholders will expect their contractors to be prepared for the next pandemic and, more importantly, able to demonstrate the ability to contribute to a building and its tenants’ wellbeing.
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM What is one issue the industry should urgently address in 2021? The industry needs a clear benchmark for what is acceptable cleaning, and how it is delivered ethically. Once this benchmark is clear, it will better inform property managers and building owners before engaging a contractor and mitigating potential illegal engagement.
What additional advice or guidance do you have for the cleaning community now and after the pandemic? Even as the immediate risk of contracting COVID-19 in Australia appears to have diminished, it is still vitally important that we maintain good cleaning and disinfection principals. The TGA website is an excellent guide to the products currently endorsed by the TGA for use in ‘killing’ COVID-19 virus on hard surfaces. Significant fines have been levied for companies making false claims in their marketing — be careful what you promise. Before making claims about what you can do, consider the following: • Are your staff adequately trained in all aspects of the job? Do they understand the
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risks? Do they know how to appropriately use the PPE? Can you verify the staff have had appropriate training? Have you supplied the correct PPE, and do you have processes in place to ensure it is being used correctly at all times? Are you using the correct techniques, i.e. cleaning before disinfecting? Are you using the appropriate products? Are standard WHS protocols being met, i.e. labelled spray bottles, appropriate dilution techniques? Are you providing the correct level of clean to address the client’s requirements? Do you understand the client’s requirements? High touch point cleaning, a precautionary clean, and a confirmed COVID-19 clean are quite different, and whilst the cleaning provider may have a good understanding of the differences, the client phoning in the request may not. Make sure you are giving them what they really need. Always make yourself aware of the fine print of the products you are basing your cleaning around. Some products may claim residual efficacy; make sure you understand what it means (and what it doesn’t mean). ■
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We believe that going forward, all stakeholders will expect their contractors to be prepared for the next pandemic and, more importantly, able to demonstrate the ability to contribute to a building and its tenants’ wellbeing.
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INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
Ivan Zrilic Group Marketing Manager, Callington Group of Companies How was 2020 for Callington? What were the highlights? What were the challenges? It was no ordinary year for Callington in 2020. Servicing the global airline industry with specialty chemical solutions for more than 50 years, it was difficult to predict what was going to happen in the year ahead. The early indicators were in January where we saw our major airlines such as Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Air New Zealand, Emirates, Air France, and Thai Airways, urgently seeking outbreak solutions in order continue their normal flying operations. The requirements for our globally approved COVID-19 disinfectants, wipes, and hand sanitisers skyrocketed. A key highlight for us was when the French Military requested the use of our Netbiokem DSAM disinfectant, for repatriation of French citizens out of Wuhan, China. The challenges were around the corner when governments across the world decided to put a hold on international travel.
How did Callington adjust to the impact of the pandemic? Our expertise and experience in disinfectant technology and regulations locally meant we were able to rapidly achieve some of the fastest verified kill results against COVID-19. Our disinfectant technology uses innovative ingredients which results in quicker kill times, and the ability to safely and easily use these in all application methods, including fogging and bio-misting, without causing any concern for both surface compatibility or operator and consumer safety. As the airline industry went to a grinding halt, we saw the need that other industries would also require our COVID-19 solutions to navigate through this global crisis. We quickly pivoted to service industries such as aged care, child care, hospitals, education, hospitality, mass transit, government agencies, military, essential services, corporate offices, and the public sector with our globally approved COVID-19 disinfectants and hand hygiene products. 30 INCLEAN January / February 2021
We continue to actively work with both local and global regulatory authorities such as the TGA, WHO, IATA and key industry associations and companies to continually improve our product performance and safety.
What will be the immediate focus for the business in 2021? The focus is to continue to provide outbreak solution products to the cleaning industry. Our disinfectants are providing more benefits as we continue further efficacy testing. Viruses such as Norovirus, Poliovirus and Adenovirus are now included on the list for our disinfectants. We also plan to launch more products in 2021 to complement our existing range. The focus will still be on outbreak solutions, however, incorporating different methods of delivery for these products. Our dedicated R&D team remains focussed on formulating innovative solutions that add value to the end user, as well as highly trained technical sales representatives who are experienced in their respective fields and applications. We want to ensure there is the best application method available for all the industries that we are servicing, from large scale entertainment venues all the way down to small, confined spaces. With our experience in guiding both regulations and industry codes of practices for cleaning and disinfection, our aim is to continue to help train and educate the cleaning industry.
Looking at the future – both short and long term – what do you see, as far as changes and adjustments, that the cleaning industry must embrace? Even with the potential arrival of vaccines for COVID-19, there will be a continued higher focus and emphasis on hygiene, cleaning, and disinfection. COVID-19 is unlikely to completely disappear in the foreseeable future, and there is always the concern of the next pandemic organism. The industry will need to be more adaptable and reactive to new technologies and processes and keep up to date and educated on the credentials of both existing and new products and technologies.
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
There will be likely many new innovations that will arrive, including surfaces that claim hygienic and antimicrobial properties, as well as treatments offering improved safety and efficacy. All of these need to be properly understood, well supported, and approved by the correct regulatory bodies. A side effect of this could well be exposure to a variety of new chemicals or treatments, meaning Workplace Health and Safety and Chemical Handling procedures and practices will need reviewing and updating. There are interesting and exciting times ahead.
COVID-19 realities, and there are potentially some practices and treatments that will not stand up to future scrutiny, either from a safety or efficacy point of view. Not all products, treatments and technologies are the same, they each have their own strengths and weaknesses. Continue to ask the hard questions from the suppliers and providers to ensure that you are using the right product in the right way.
What additional advice or guidance do you have for the cleaning community now and after the pandemic?
We believe public health and safety is best served by the right selection of products, combined with correct protocols and procedures, backed by knowledgeable, experienced, and fully tested technology. Callington will continue to help provide solutions for the cleaning industry moving forward. ■
Due diligence on the performance, safety, suitability and legality of each product or treatment used is paramount. The regulatory authorities worldwide have had to also educate themselves about the new
Is there a message you would like to share with the industry?
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We believe public health and safety is best served by the right selection of products, combined with correct protocols and procedures, backed by knowledgeable, experienced, and fully tested technology.
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The global standard in outbreak solutions Offering world class outbreak solutions for a global pandemic, Callington has you protected. Australian ARTG listed COVID-19 disinfectants
Safe for high touch point cleaning, approved for fogging & bio-misting applications
Kills COVID-19, Poliovirus, Norovirus, Adenovirus, Influenza A (H1N1)
Outbreak solutions providing INSTANT infection control
Global standard hand sanitisers
Surface wipes and biohazard kits also available
Find out more at www.callington.com
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
Garth Michalson Managing Director, Cleanstar
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Cleanstar is aiming to launch a suite of innovative products in 2021 in line with our quest to keep moving, stay relevant, and be proactive in this space.
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How was 2020 for Cleanstar? What were the highlights? What were the challenges? Let us just say that it was the most interesting year as I am sure could be said for many businesses. It would be hard to say that 2020 was a year of significant highlights. I think surviving the economic headwinds was the main goal, and then capitalising on opportunities that presented themselves. The biggest challenge was dealing with all the uncertainty that prevailed in the economic and thus trading arena. It is extremely hard to make decisions in your business that can have a profound effect in an environment that was so uncertain and unpredictable.
How did Cleanstar adjust to the impact of the pandemic? We ‘hustled’. Thinking creatively outside of the square was essential. Moving into different product areas that catered for the pandemic which were outside of our normal scope of business was necessary.
How would you rate the industry’s response to COVID-19? Generally speaking, I would say that the industry responded quite well. We even saw companies from other industries enter into the cleaning industry for the first time out of necessity when their traditional industries slowed down.
What will be the immediate focus for the Cleanstar in 2021? While still having a mind to the pandemic business environment, we will continue to carry on as we normally do, which is continuing to remain proactive, seeking out new products, developing new products, and maintaining our relevance to our customers as best we can.
What challenges and opportunities do you see for Cleanstar in 2021? While the cleaning industry has shown it is an essential industry and can survive (and in some cases, thrive!), regardless of what is happening around it, the legacy of the pandemic still has to play out. 32 INCLEAN January / February 2021
Again, the recurring theme of uncertainty still remains to some extent, so trying to predict what 2021 will hold would be a bold call. These challenges will remain. I think when government assistance such as JobKeeper comes to an end in March, more uncertainty will prevail. Victoria of course has been hardest hit, so what businesses can recover and what businesses can hang in and not collapse remains to be seen. The effect of the pandemic on overseas manufacturers and their global distribution framework no doubt will also have pressures to bear. We have yet to see how this will play out. As for opportunities, they are always around. While there has been much devastation, this too will bring with it opportunity.
What role will innovation play for Cleanstar in 2021? Innovation has been for some time a key to success. New technologies and new ideas which advance at such a rapid pace bring with them efficiencies and higher productivity at a lower cost. The cleaning industry has already seen a major influx of innovation over the past few years, and this will only continue at an increasing pace. Cleanstar is aiming to launch a suite of new and innovative products in 2021 in line with our quest to keep moving, stay relevant, and be proactive in this space.
Looking at the future – both short and long term – what do you see, as far as changes and adjustments, the industry must embrace? Avoid cheap product and not focus on pricing only. As a wholesaler we focus on working with quality manufacturers from around the world to offer the best product into the Australian market. We have such a diverse range of product and work hard to maintain a great level of product.
Is there a message you would like to share with the industry? We need to continue to innovate and offer product to keep hygiene at its ultimate level. ■
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
Bruce Whiteley Operations Director, Daniels Associates How was 2020 for Daniels Associates? What were the highlights? What were the challenges? Like for most, this year has had its ups and downs, however, our training division for the cleaning industry has remained steady throughout the year. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic we released a Clinical Cleaning for Infection Control course through the BSCAA, and the Rapid Group; to date over 3000 people have complete these courses. In June, a new competency unit HLTINFCOV001 was released, representing best practice and being promoted by the Federal Department of Education, Skills and Employment as the gold standard in cleaning hygiene skills and knowledge across a number of industries. We currently offer 15 online courses covering all basic aspects of cleaning operations. These courses can be used to build an RPL portfolio for a Certificates III in Cleaning Operations qualification. We have just released 10 new online courses focused on cleaning management for small cleaning businesses and supervisors in larger cleaning organisations. Our most recently launched course, Marketing Commercial Cleaning Services is designed to provide a comprehensive guide for marketing professional cleaning services. These courses are all available on the Daniels Associates website.
What will be the immediate focus for Daniels Associates in 2021?
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Succession planning and career pathways are critical issues for industry.
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We want to develop our business to be more than a registered training organisation, offering training and HR solutions that support employees throughout their career life cycle and professional development. There needs to be more focus on upskilling and succession planning in the industry and we would like to offer genuine training solutions to this area without the need for government funding. Our recently released cleaning management courses are affordable to everyone. There is a pathway from the non-accredited courses to accredited units of competency, and a Certificate IV in Cleaning Management. We are confident these new manage courses will offer a professional development pathway which has been missing from the cleaning industry.
What challenges and opportunities do you see for the cleaning industry in 2021? The immediate challenge we hear is that many cleaning companies, in both metro and regional areas, are struggling to recruit workers due to the current government Jobseeker subsidies available. Another challenge faced by the industry is the need for a stable workforce, particularly at a supervisor level. Succession planning and career pathways are critical issues for industry due to the large number of overseas students and temporary visa holders working in the cleaning industry. We are hoping the affordable education pathways we have developed will support industry in addressing these issues. There is now opportunity for the industry to lift its profile and be recognised as a critical service in maintaining public health. There is no doubt about a fundamental shift in the mindset across government, private and public facilities recognising the import of workplace hygiene. Not to mention the Workplace Health and Safety risks associated with the potential spread of COVID-19 from inadequate cleaning standards. There is now great opportunity to keep quality and performance top of customers minds when reviewing their cleaning specifications and tenders.
Do you have a message you would like to share with the industry? There is a great opportunity for the cleaning industry to change the way they communicate and engage with clients and start conversations around managing their client’s hygiene risks; cleaning being a function of this risk management process. We should be talking about risks associated with functional areas, and in particular high touch surfaces, anywhere people congregate in a workplace or office environment pose increased hygiene risks and require more frequent cleaning of all contact surfaces. We should be discussing the risk associated with various client groups and in particular the type of building and type of client (aged and other health risks) associated with chronic illness. We should be taking a new approach to cleaning specifications and reviewing them based on the various risks associated with each functional area. ■
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
Wayne Hill Managing Director, Diversey ANZ How was 2020 for Diversey? As with everyone 2020 was challenging, but also rewarding. Our top priority was the health and safety of our team and customers as we partnered to protect Australia against the COVID-19 pandemic. Like so many we faced the disruption of remote working, however, from day one I can proudly say the entire Diversey team rose up. When gaps appeared (that at times surprised us) the immediate and intrinsic response from our team members ensured nothing fell through, we covered off and even excelled. It was rewarding to have 11 disinfectants approved by ARTG to kill SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) enabling us to provide solutions for not only the healthcare industry but also many other sectors.
What were the highlights? Two areas stand out as highlights during 2020. Due to our global footprint we were able to quickly reach out and launch solutions based on our extensive global range. We journeyed with local and international suppliers to submit testing and data to support a swift approval process as we worked to meet our customers growing demands. Diversey are currently leading the way in Australia with 11 disinfectants approved with the ARTG to kill SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) further helping in the fight against COVID-19. The second highlight was our customer feedback. Throughout the year I received dozens of emails from both our own team and customers of `personal stories’. Stories which reported our Diversey team providing time critical COVID-19 solutions and when demand exceeded supply they worked tirelessly to offer alternatives to maintain momentum during the height of the pandemic.
What were the challenges? Keeping up with demand in the market was one of our greatest challenges. Customers required disinfectants and the demand
escalated quickly. But just like the famous ‘toilet paper’ situation, demand was difficult to predict for both for ourselves and for our customers. However, our COVID-19 taskforce team worked hard to ensure we met customer demand wherever possible, at times with extreme measures to ensure customer satisfaction.
opportunity for growth in the area of infection prevention. This growth will drive our industry into new innovations and solutions in 2021.
How did Diversey respond to the impact of the pandemic?
Globally there is now a greater understanding and appreciation of how important good cleaning practices are to a facility, business image and the safety of people. This has bought with it new cleaning processes and systems which our industry must continue to embrace in order to meet customer satisfaction.
Our response was immediate with alternative sources and formulations being reviewed daily. Our COVID-19 taskforce team had to be flexible enough to pivot between multiple local and international supply sources to deliver approved COVID-19 products to the market. An example of this pivot included the chartering of 747 commercial planes full of stock to meet the rising customer demand. With the added advantage of having a global footprint and being part of a global company, we were able to reach out and devise immediate solutions to meet the demands of the AU market.
What will be the immediate focus in 2021? On the back of the pandemic there is a continued need to invest in solutions for healthcare, that will remain one of our main focus areas. That said, as we see demand normalise there is also now an increased awareness of hygiene levels required in all facilities and businesses. Thus, our immediate focus on the healthcare sector and new solutions generated for this sector will inevitably work hand in hand to sustain other sectors in the hygiene and disinfecting space.
What challenges and opportunities do you see for the industry looking ahead to 2021? Of course, after such a huge change it will not be a matter of snapping back to the way it was before, introducing and maintaining heightened cleaning processes will be a challenge. However, alongside this challenge comes the
Looking at the future what do you see, as far as changes and adjustments, the global cleaning industry must embrace?
What is one issue the industry should urgently address in 2021? Despite dramatic improvements in cleaning practices during the pandemic there still remains some complacency or lack of understanding about the right kind of disinfection and approved practices. We see many settling for disinfectants that may not be the correct grade or not have required approvals for individual facilities. With the threat of COVID-19 still active the industry needs to plan carefully and intentionally provide guidelines to ensure education and awareness is implemented in this space in order to avoid further outbreaks.
What additional advice do you have for the industry now and after the pandemic? My advice is that infection prevention is not just for healthcare facilities (where it has generally been regarded as essential in the past). We now understand based on the pandemic how easily viruses and bacteria spread and therefore just how important infection prevention is, not just for healthcare, but all sectors of business. Diversey along with our cleaning community needs to be collaborative as we all play a critical role in providing hygiene for the fight against COVID-19 both now and in the future. ■ www.incleanmag.com.au 35
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
Martin Callan CEO, FreshOps How was 2020 for FreshOps? What were the highlights? What were the challenges?
What will be the immediate focus for FreshOps in 2021?
2020 was a tough year for many, but with the adoption of digital tools for monitoring remote workers it has been a solid year of growth. We have also used this year to rebuild some of our key features and are excited to be bringing them to the market now and help our clients grow strongly into 2021. This year we saw our 10,000th mobile app user come onboard. Expansion of our team of developers internationally and the recruitment of a Business Development Manager in Barry Williams. We keep adding bigger and better pieces of the puzzle as all businesses do, and this year we have our sights set on key international markets. We are growing quickly and we’re expanding the team for sales as well as our technical team with new developers. And this is a bit boring, but we just finished a major overhaul of our system architecture that will allow us to speed up delivery of new features and improvements over the coming year to better support the growth of our clients businesses.
We have been building our suite of tools now for five years and it is starting to come together. In no small part to the ongoing and close feedback from the clients, we talk to daily. This year we will be adding communication tools and auditing to our existing scheduling, rostering, time & attendance, task management & verification, timesheets and payroll integrations as well as launching brand new mobile apps for the cleaners in the field. Running mobile operations is not easy, but with these tools together help us deliver a culture of quality and commitment across the team, whether in the office or in the field. team chat and quality audits/Inspections provide a top and tail to our solid operational support for a cleaning business.
How did FreshOps adapt and respond to the impact of the pandemic?
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COVID has highlighted the importance of ensuring that work is done thoroughly and correctly. Our job is to make sure that is the case first time, every time.
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With clients across the globe, we had to respond based on how the pandemic was affecting clients in each area. Some clients we helped to deliver COVID reporting and ensure disinfection and cleaning principles are adhered to. And others needed help with their bills while things got tough. We found many clients leveraged our proof of service delivery and task monitoring to track who was on site at various times. Our task management and verifications was perfect for that. And others needed subscription relief over periods of complete lockdown while their whole business was no longer able to operate. We have often spoke about how it is a special privilege to be able to help clients do their work at a high standard in the face of the pandemic, while also being able to help others get by with some relief on their bills until things picked up again.
What do you see as the major opportunities for FreshOps over the next 12 months? Deepening our service offering and expanding our geographies. We have a tool that can help cleaning companies around the world and this year we get to take our solution on the road. COVID has highlighted the importance of ensuring that work is done thoroughly and correctly. Our job is to make sure that is the case first time, every time.
How do you think COVID-19 will impact the cleaning industry in 2021 and beyond? COVID has and will continue to ask questions of hygiene management of the work environment. If we are to keep people healthy and well, they need to come to workplaces that are healthy and well. Cleaning companies using software to support the team can be clear about what is due to be done, when and where. Reports are empirical and proof of performance can be provided if needed. COVID-19 will drive the audit requirements of many remote field workers, but few more so than cleaners who
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM are responsible for the completeness and correctness of the work. Importantly we can also check that the contracted work is sufficient for use. If the work is being done, perhaps the site needs more work to maintain an agreed standard and we want to provide the proof of that for an objective discussion. We want freshOps to be the key to making that work well end to end.
What do you expect to be the big trends of 2021? With COVID we have seen remote working impact other industries and it has highlighted how much work is needed to clearly provide instructions to staff in the field. In Commercial Cleaning we have been doing this for years. We do, however, anticipate that site owners and clients are going to demand more transparency and accountability. We are working with our clients to ensure they are ahead of this curve and the quality and consistency of their work stands out from the crowd.
What is one issue the industry should urgently address in 2021? Ensuring accurate payment for workers and providing safe work practices and on-site training for staff. We fundamentally believe most people go to work to do a good job. As business leaders, we need to ensure that our teams know what a good job entails, and we also need to give them the tools to perform their cleaning well. The tools needed is no longer just the latest microfibre product or auto scrubber, but digital technologies that also help them deliver excellent work every time.
What additional advice do you have for the cleaning community? Manage what you can measure. 2020 has been extremely hard for lots of our clients and your readers. To remain competitive in tough times we need to lift the standards of our management. The best way to do this is to measure more of your business’ activity and using software to measure your teams is the easiest way to do this. The analytics we capture via mobile
operations software gives users a distinct advantage. More decisions made more quickly without making errors is the goal.
Is there a message you would like to share with the industry? Simple data points help us make better decision more often. Our industry’s best leaders are already looking for better data to be better managers. The days of running your team from a coffee-stained diary or onboarding new team members “on the job” are over. We help clients do so much better than that from day one. The importance of the right data can be shown with a simple example. Let’s look at monitoring of footsteps. By aiming for 10,000 steps each day people get a clear and simple goal. By monitoring the right data point we see people be more proactive and keep going to achieve their daily goals. They can work out how to get to their goal, and we want to measure that they have done so. management software can deliver the same simplicity for you and your team. ■
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INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
Daniel Pisaniello GM Wholesale, Godfreys How was 2020 for Godfreys? What were the highlights? What were the challenges? As leaders in cleanliness and hygiene, we found ourselves in a particularly unique position in 2020. With COVID-19 on the rise, the Godfreys leadership team were determined to offer our support and expertise, not only within our business but through a continued commitment to our customers. To achieve this, we had to push through despite disruptions. With staff working from home, our business processes and procedures had to be adapted, while store closures and changing restrictions affected daily retail operations. Like all Australians (and indeed, the world) we persevered, ‘banding together’ from a safe distance to support one another. In spite of these challenges, our brand position continued to grow. Through our various divisions, the implementation of our strategic plan has ensured continued growth in 2020 and success for our people and the Godfreys brand. Even though the Australian economy faced a battle like never before, Godfreys continued to invest in infrastructure, new innovative products and additional team members for the strategic growth of our company.
What will be the immediate focus for the Godfreys in 2021? We have several exciting initiatives in the pipeline, which we believe will forge new ground for the industry. Our immediate focus is to continue investing in our people, as they are the heart and success of our company. Our team members are excited to play their part improving the cleaning industry. Godfreys’ Pullman range will continue to be a key focus within the commercial market. Pullman provides consumers with a high quality, certified and cost-effective cleaning solution. We’re also excited to launch several new products to our distributor and corporate networks. 38 INCLEAN January / February 2021
Did you notice any changes in customer behaviour in 2020? How did Godfreys respond to these changes? Traditionally, our industry has been heavily focused on price. However, this year, we noticed an increased need for more support and education around our products, especially with our wholesale and commercial customers. We responded by supporting our team members to build on their knowledge. This training allowed them to provide superior help and advice when assisting customers, an approach for which feedback has been very positive.
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We have several exciting initiatives in the pipeline, which we believe will forge new ground for the industry.
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What challenges and opportunities do you see for the industry over the next 12 months? A COVID normal will be something we will all need to adjust to. Organically, our industry should prosper as cleaning is a frontline battle to ensure our environments are cleaned and sanitised. An improved focus towards preventative cleaning, proper sanitation and education will shape a different pathway from what our industry traditionally has seen. Indeed, the pandemic has transformed the way we operate. How businesses operated one or two years ago is completely different to the new age we live and work in. COVID-19 changed many facets and fast tracked the way we need to operate. At Godfreys, we see this as an opportunity to lead the way through the years to come.
What is one issue you think the industry should urgently address in 2021? Certification and education. Our market has seen many cheap and non-compliant machines being sold and imported for years. Our industry should invest in machinery that has properly undergone testing and certification according to Australian standards. This gives our customers confidence, as they can trust our products to be professional, sustainable and risk-free.
What additional advice or guidance do you have for the cleaning community now and after the pandemic? I’ve been part of this great industry for more than 20 years and I am proud to consider myself a student of the industry. By continuing to learn and educate yourself, you can learn something different every day. I look forward to sharing my knowledge and experience with the cleaning community. Forget about price being the most important focus. Price is only a small part of the equation. Higher standards and improved efficiencies are of greater importance. Adaptation is something we can all lean towards and improve; this only comes from embracing the opportunities that come with change. If you want to aspire to the highest standard of cleaning, you need to invest time on education and lean towards better cleaning practices. Invest in your staff as they are your biggest asset! Then purchase the right certified equipment. This will separate your before and after results.
Is there a message you would like to share with the industry? Our cleaners have been on the frontline like never before. Support and help them. Be proud of the hard work they do every day because cleaning has never become so important. We need to continue to increase our expectations for better hygiene practices and support our frontline workers within our industry giving them the training, knowledge and tools of trade, so that they can put their best foot forward in 2021. ■
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INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
Frank Cupido Managing Director, Hako Australia
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People are placing a much higher regard on cleaning and hygiene, which is an opportunity for the industry to promote their value and in turn, improve profitability.
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How was 2020 for Hako What were the highlights? What were the challenges? Like everyone else this year has been a massive adjustment, both professionally and personally. We were down year-on-year in 2020, compared to 2019, which was a massive growth year for the business, however, we remained in a stable position and were able to keep all our staff working. We operated as ‘business as usual’ in an unusual business environment which is why I think we managed to achieve what we have. The challenge has been learning about COVID-19 and implementing COVID-safe protocols correctly. It was important for us as a business to not just give these protocols lip service but for everyone to properly understand and implement. The highlight for me has been the work of our team. I am so proud of how our team came together, looked after each other, backed each other, and adapted to the changes that we implemented. Likewise the way our HQ Germany management team handled this major global pandemic with focus on people and health, along with prudent financial management. It has really strengthened and unified our global teams as one unit.
What will be the immediate focus for Hako in 2021? Our team really stepped up in 2020. The immediate focus is reconciling everything we have done in 2020. Taking a minute to catch our breath. We want 2021 to reflect on those efforts by continuing to move forward in a positive and productive way. Our focus will be to continue our strategic growth plans, albeit cautiously. Staying on course with our new product releases, adapting our strategic plans to the new ‘normal’ of doing business. Adding new roles and expecting to achieve modest growth in 2021. Despite the impact of the pandemic and its challenges, we want to set our own path and not let it decide what 2021 looks like.
What challenges and opportunities do you see for the industry over the next 12 months? The challenges in our industry, both cleaning and equipment supply seem to always remain the same. I see a lot of opportunity over the next 12 months. COVID-19 has elevated the value of cleaning. People are placing a much higher 40 INCLEAN January / February 2021
regard on cleaning and hygiene, which is an opportunity for the industry to promote their value and in turn, improve profitability. Autonomous cleaning interest will increase and perhaps adoption will be faster. Companies wanting to consolidate what they have learnt in 2020 about workplace health and safety, leading to implementing sustainable solutions to achieve better work, health and hygiene cleaning practices day to day. I believe the process of cleaning is no longer a ‘spray and wipe’ and move on concept. People are more aware and knowledgeable of what clean looks like.
What is one issue you think the industry should urgently address in 2021? I don’t know if there is anything that urgently needs addressing, as I think the industry has come a long way in recent years. I think it is incumbent on our industry to make sure our cleaners are undertaking more education and training programs in 2021 to meet the increasing hygiene standards expected and required to keep Australia COVID clear. From an equipment supply perspective, that would also include a stronger acceptance and understanding of the importance of floorcare and its role in removing or reducing contamination in facilities, which is often underestimated. If a floor is not cleaned properly, building occupants will transfer bacteria throughout the facility via foot and/or forklift traffic. Proper upkeep, training and use of the equipment is imperative to achieve higher standards and reduce cleaning costs for BSC clients. Cleaning is not just disinfecting high touch points such as handles or buttons, it is a complete cleaning process, including floors.
Is there a message you would like to share with the industry? I am incredibly proud of the way cleaners around the country have put themselves on the frontline during the most challenging period our world has faced in a century. Cleaners have played a critical role helping stop the spread, and they have placed themselves in settings during times of unknown and panic. I am sure there was fear and apprehension, but they continued to do their job. I am proud to be associated with this industry, and although we are not a cleaning company, helping and assisting cleaners do their job has been phenomenal. ■
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INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
Bridget Gardner Director, High Performance Cleaning (HPC) Solutions How was 2020 for HPC What were the highlights? What were the challenges?
What will be the immediate focus for HPC in 2021?
Despite talking about pandemic preparedness in conferences and training courses over the last few years, nothing prepared me for the impact of this coronavirus. But along with the challenges, 2020 certainly brought some incredible highlights and opportunities. A personal highlight was being interviewed on Channel 10’s The Project talking about the unsung heroes of COVID19. Working with the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to develop the Coronavirus (COVID-19) cleaning guidelines for workplaces was another achievement I’m proud of. For 20 years I have been researching and advocating for evidence-based cleaning for health. It’s been really gratifying to be able to use my knowledge to help the industry and the wider community this year. For example, when COVID-19 reached Australia back in April, Government information was confusing and even conflicting and there was an urgent need for practical advice. So, after multiple requests for advice from cleaning companies, I decided to write the Guide to Cleaning for COVID19. The guide is supported with a suite of seven procedures and tools for putting COVID-Safe plans into practice and is now up to its sixth free update for users. To be honest, the biggest challenge for me this year has been managing the increased training and consultancy workload and the often-urgent nature of these requests.
The immediate focus for HPC Solutions in 2021 will be launching our exciting new micro-learning training app, Clean for Success, to add to our three HPC Solutions packages. This is such an innovative system. It got delayed due to COVID, so I’m really excited to be releasing it at last.
Unfortunately, we also saw a rise of ‘COVID cowboys’ – opportunists with zero cleaning industry experience or qualifications, advertising dangerous practices and often charging exorbitant fees for doing so. Such exploitation has been very disappointing as it undermines those that are doing the right thing have earned their ‘stipes’.
How has the pandemic changed consumer attitude and behaviour in respect to cleaning standards?
What challenges and opportunities do you see for the industry over the next 12 months?
There has been a huge shift in community attitude. The invisible has become visible. Before COVID-19 I don’t think many people knew what a high touch point (HTP) was, now everyone is an expert! So it’s definitely time to start a conversation about cleaning standards, qualifications and even licensing frameworks to legitimise quality companies and the work cleaners do. Watch this space…
The focus on wellbeing and occupant health will continue to be a priority in 2021, however, the biggest challenge for cleaning companies will be dealing with cleaning budgets that have already been spent. We may also see ‘virus fatigue’ with the imperative for continued vigilance and increased high touch point cleaning dropping-off. A more fluid use of buildings will be another challenge for the industry. Many people will still want to work from home and use workplaces in shifts, and organisations are reducing their office footprint. All of this will flow-on to cleaning schedules and I anticipate that contracts will start to demand flexible, reactive pricing. Cleaning companies will need to use scheduling software that can respond to the activity in the building. This is a pivotal time for the cleaning industry. We have a window of opportunity to build on the momentum created by COVID-19 and awareness about the importance of cleaning. HPC Solutions is seeing a renewed interest in skills and training.
42 INCLEAN January / February 2021
How would you rate the industry’s response to the pandemic? That’s an interesting question. I would have to say very mixed! On the positive side, I saw a renewed focus on the workers who do the cleaning, rather than the software and product innovations that has dominated the story over the last few years. There’s been a palpable sense of pride in their frontline workers from many cleaning companies, and real concern for their physical and metal welfare. Judging by the number of Guides we sold, I would say most companies wanted to do the right thing and make sure their cleaning was effective.
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
Facilities managers are asking about what cleaning qualifications should be specified and what training cleaners should be given. Just look at the appetite for TGA registered disinfectants effective against COVID-19. There’s a real desire for transparency and validation - around both price and methodology. The challenge will be to educate the building occupier about the extra cost of training, supervision, IT systems and cleaning for infection prevention.
What is one issue the industry should urgently address in 2021? There’s a lot of fear right now that now needs to be managed. People need confidence that your cleaning products and processes can keep them safe. But looking like a hero, waving a disinfection gun over every surface of the building, is not the answer. If your client thinks effective cleaning can only be achieved via a product, then the service industry has nothing to sell. Knowledge is the best antidote to fear and the most effective way to demonstrate your authority and value. Educate your customers
with facts about how well your targeted and proven methods of cleaning and disinfection will mitigate the risk of infection. And promote the value and professionalism of your services via your trained and skilful teams.
What additional advice or guidance do you have for the cleaning community now and after the pandemic? I predict that the current focus on COVID-Safe cleaning will extend to all aspects of occupant health and wellbeing in 2021 and beyond. High performance cleaning will mean doing more with less, through smart, sustainable, and efficient practices and proven methods. Investing in the training of your cleaners and supervisors and retaining these skills and IP in your organisation, will be critical. That’s actually the premise of HPC Solution’s programs: to empower your supervisors to teach your cleaners to deliver high performance cleaning, with stepby-step visual cleaning manuals, e-learning apps and train-the-trainer resources, all customised to your company’s best practices. Pride in cleaning is back again in 2021. ■
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There has been a huge shift in community attitude. The invisible has become visible.
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INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
Stuart Rose CEO, ISS Facility Services Australia & New Zealand How was 2020 for ISS? What were the highlights? What were the challenges? It has been a challenging year for us as it has been for everyone. COVID-19 hit quickly and without warning, and it was a rapid pace of change that everyone had to adapt to. Like most, we have had business interruption. Our contracts in leisure and aviation were hit hard, however, other parts of the business have been right at the forefront during the pandemic. We service almost 2000 schools across Victoria and New South Wales and more than 30 hospitals across Australia and New Zealand. Our frontline team members in these divisions swung into action straight away at the start of COVID-19, and we are so incredibly proud of the work they have done. One significant highlight for us this year was our involvement in the Victorian state government’s program to increase cleaning of public spaces and infrastructure, such as bus shelters and playgrounds, following the first state lockdown. We employed 1200 people on 48 hours’ notice. It was a massive exercise in a short amount of time that we successfully completed. It was also a rewarding experience for our team to be involved in a program that was providing safety and reassurance to the community.
How did ISS adjust to the impact of the pandemic? I think the way our team has responded to the pandemic has been fantastic. We are fortunate that we have the support of a strong global business and we have been able to 44 INCLEAN January / February 2021
leverage our global supply chains for chemicals and PPE during the pandemic. We were also able to leverage global insights from our Cleaning Excellence Community during the pandemic. During this time, we also developed new solutions for clients such as Back to Work programs and Pure Space – a service where the quality of cleaning outcome is tested and measured after each clean and reported for all building occupants to build confidence.
What will be the immediate focus for ISS in 2021? As we return to a sense of ‘normal’ our focus will be to work with our customers and assist them with providing safe and hygienic workplaces for their employees to return to. We will work with our customers to rebuild parts of the business that were the hardest hit and while there is still a way to go, we feel like we are coming out of it and returning to normal. It’s a big challenge for not just our industry, but businesses in general, to get employees back to the office, and commuting to their places of work, while also making them feel safe. We also want to take the time to thank our staff for their work over the past few months. There were thousands of front liners that went to work every day, which at times were some pretty high-risk environments. The work of the thousands of front-liners in places like hospitals and schools has been amazing and we need to connect with all our team members and make sure they are appropriately rewarded, recognised, and thanked.
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
What long-term changes do you think will be implemented to business processes as a result of the pandemic? It’s still evolving as to what long term changes will be implemented as a result of the pandemic, however, it is evident working from home will still be prevalent for many businesses and it will be some time before offices return to pre-COVID occupant levels. Because of this, ISS and our clients will need to focus on creating safe and healthy workplaces. There will be changes to workplace sizes and layouts, but it will also be our focus to entice people back to the office and reassure them that it is safe to commute to work and be at the office.
What challenges and opportunities do you see for the industry over the next 12 months? A challenge and an opportunity for the industry is responsible outsourcing. The pandemic and to some extent the hotel quarantine inquiry in Victoria, has shone a light on the need for responsible outsourcing. There is an opportunity for responsible, reputable, and accountable organisations, who recruit properly, pay fairly, and provide correct training and equipment such as PPE, to stand out from the pack. For too long there have been contractors in the industry who haven’t done the right thing by society – their staff, their customers, the environment. I think there is an opportunity to be led by government and large organisations to say that we can’t accept this anymore. There needs to be a behaviour change in the way people procure services such as cleaning. If you see a price and think it’s too good to be true, then it probably is – and what it also means is that the cleaner is probably getting underpaid. There is a huge opportunity for this industry to take responsibility and stamp out that behaviour. Those companies that help protect the brand and reputation of their clients by employing ethically and being accountable and responsible will be most successful.
Has the pandemic fast-tracked digitalisation, or new technologies in the industry? There is a growing focus on robotics, and on equipment to enhance cleaning and sanitation – such as safe fogging and spraying technology, temperature monitors, and systems to prove that an area is clean. We are currently looking at new technologies including robots. We were already looking at increasing our use of robotics prior to COVID, however, I think there
is now more acceptance with the use of robots as organisations start to review their real estate costs. If a robot can clean the floors and spray disinfectant and the same time, that is going to reduce cost and provide a great hygienic outcome then people will start to look at that solution more.
What do you expect to be the big trends of 2021? Hopefully, it is a gradual return to normal – offices and places of work are important meeting places where face-to-face interactions happens. The second one is recognition of cleaning as a critical service. In the past the cleaner was often forgotten, working at night unrecognised but I think we have seen a huge change in that regard. They’re now seen as a vital part of the community which is fantastic.
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There is an opportunity for responsible, reputable, and accountable organisations, who recruit properly, pay fairly, and provide correct training and equipment such as PPE, to stand out from the pack.
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What are some of key issues the industry should urgently address in 2021? Firstly, we need to work with our customers and communities to rebuild confidence in returning to the workplace. We need our cities to re-open and I think the cleaning industry has a big part to play in that. We need people to have confidence that it’s safe to go into the city and that it is safe to go to work. Secondly, modern slavery is an enormous societal issue. Underpayment of cleaners has been systemic for many years. No major corporation or Government entity should be awarding work to a cleaning company if the price “looks too good to be true”. The outsourced cleaning industry is currently in the spotlight and as an industry we need to be responsible and help keep our communities safe. This industry has a huge role to play and we have all witnessed first-hand that cutting corners can have catastrophic impacts!
Is there one key message you would like to share with the industry? COVID-19 has shone a spotlight on the brilliant work cleaners do to keep community safe and to make places hygienic. We have 17,000 employees across Australia and New Zealand, and more than half of those team members are cleaners. We are so proud of the role our front liners played during this time in cleaning schools, hospitals, and workplaces. But it’s not just the cleaners at ISS, there’s many hundreds of thousands of cleaners across the country working during COVID-19 and they should all be thanked, rewarded, and recognised. We need to treat them as heroes. ■ www.incleanmag.com.au 45
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
Lauren Micallef Oceania Manager, ISSA How did ISSA adjust to the impact of the pandemic? The pandemic presented challenges to organisations across all sectors, but there’s no doubt the cleaning and hygiene industry was impacted as much or more than most. That said, ISSA responded to the ‘new normal’ as proactively as possible. As an industry association, we took the opportunity to support our members and industry stakeholders through these unprecedented circumstances with information for members updated through the global and Oceania COVID-19 Update pages on the ISSA website, newsletters, and relevant alerts. We worked with member benefits to ensure information was distributed to the industry. In mid-2019 the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a recognised leader in training, education, and certification in Forensic Restoration biorisk management, decontamination, and infection-control disciplines became a division of ISSA. This was a key alignment for the association, especially with the emergence of COVID-19. 46 INCLEAN January / February 2021
Throughout the year the GBAC Fundamentals course and GBAC Star Facility accreditation became available as well the production of various infographics and tip sheets designed to benefit and support the market. In 2020, ISSA Oceania took ownership of the INCLEAN brand and the ISSA North America Show became virtual as well, which opened up wonderful opportunities for even more people from our region to attend, network and learn. Although it was unfortunate to have to postpone the ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo to October 2021, we’re working hard to make the rescheduled show to be bigger and better than ever – with more leading industry experts engaged as speakers, and more facility managers and building service contractors expected to attend.
What will be the immediate focus for ISSA in 2021? As the leading trade association for the cleaning industry worldwide, the overall goal for ISSA is always to provide unparalleled opportunities for members to make connections, improve
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
operations and boost their bottom line while demonstrating the value of clean. Heading into the new year, our immediate focus will be on continuing to provide a high level of support as we all work to change the way the world views cleaning. We look to achieve this with a focus behind industry, cleaning and facility education, training, and certification. Quality management processes and education are key to success. A personal favourite quote is, “Quality is never an accident: it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skilful execution: it represents the wise choice of many alternatives,” - Will A. Foster. The industry will be entering a new phase of excellence. This focus behind education, industry support and recognition will be present at the ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo. The event will now take place 12-13 October 2020 at the International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney and will coincide with Total Facilities. This exciting opportunity will provide both the facility management and cleaning industry the opportunity to attend two key shows at the one time, in one location, while also liaising with leading companies about their latest innovative products and services. In addition, we will be working towards delivering the new and improved INCLEAN Excellence Awards in 2021.
How would you rate the industry’s response to the pandemic? The industry has done well and worked incredibly hard. When predicting trends in 2019 for the year ahead no one could have foreseen the events that were about to unfold and the disruptions that were to take place. Certain sectors of the industry were impacted by the Australian bushfires and floods at the beginning of the year, which was followed by COVID-19 as it took global centre stage. While 2020 has been challenging it has also brought the cleaning’ industry to the forefront of market and community attention. It has played a significant role in the combat and management of COVID-19 in the marketplace. There is better general understanding surrounding hygiene and cleaning practices, and the community and workplace is commencing to understand that there is true value in clean, it is not just a cost but a necessary investment in better health. The industry adapted with new product developments, changes in operational and production management as well as procurement. The industry, their teams, and front line cleaning staff worked tirelessly to support the Australian market so it could continue to operate and function to its best ability and ensure that essential products and services were still available and that business could continue to operate.
How will COVID-19 impact the cleaning industry in 2021 and beyond? Locally as an industry we will need to embrace the next phase of the COVID-19 recovery. We still do not completely know the final outlook on the national economy, nor do we have confirmation on a vaccine or rollout plan. Both the Australian and New Zealand market are in a different situation to many of our global counterparts. However, at present, COVID-19 is still active and with a foreseen increase in interstate travel and reduced restrictions in venue numbers, the industry will need to support the community and facilities in remaining vigilant, with new cleaning processes and practices. The new age of cleaning requirements will continue to directly impact the roles, responsibilities and expectations of facility managers and building service contractors. Demand for new products and services will develop and increase as growing needs emerge, presenting exciting opportunities for our market. Industry stakeholders must ensure they consistently adhere to strict protocols and guidelines. What is also top of mind, going forward will continue to be occupant and employee safety and well-being. Also, a need to support the community through social procurement and sustainability. And finally, we must always address the concerns of employees, occupants, customers, and contractors in the post-COVID-19 world.
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In 2021, ISSA Oceania will focus on widening member benefits and business opportunities for local members.
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How will ISSA engage with members and the wider market in 2021? In 2021, ISSA Oceania will focus on widening member benefits and business opportunities for local members. In terms of ISSA Oceania local benefits, we will put on the ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo, deliver the valuable INCLEAN Magazine – the leading trade publication for the Australian and New Zealand cleaning and hygiene industry, and provide ongoing information, tools and resources around responding to pandemics as a cleaning authority. Our aim will always be to support the industry in enabling and helping them to achieve positive outcomes.
Is there a message you would like to share with the industry? What has been brought to light in the year 2020 is the impact of pandemics on the global economy which has intensified the needs of our customers. The cleaning and hygiene industry plays a vital role in infection prevention and the world has seen that they rely on the skills and effort of our market. We are here to support the industry with our resources in aiding them to help promote and deliver successful outcomes. ■ www.incleanmag.com.au 47
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
Luke Bordin Industry Programs Specialist, Learning Sphere Training Solutions
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Cleaning companies are feeling the weight of greater contract expectations with many requiring a measurable understanding of how competent the cleaning staff are.
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How was 2020 for Learning Sphere? It certainly has been a different year as we all know. Despite this, Learning Sphere has had an exceptional year. Firstly, as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, we delivered infectious clean training across almost 90 per cent of NSW Government service delivery sites including public schools, Police and Defence facilities. So really, when most where forced into hibernation we were out training essential services how to respond. This led to a request for advice from the Australian Government on disinfecting practices for all workplaces. Add to this the acquisition by Angus Knight of Learning Sphere, which started in December 2019, and completed end of June 2020, as well as being a NSW finalist for Training Provider of the Year; a lot of highlights.
What do you see as the major opportunities for Learning Sphere under the new ownership of Angus Knight? COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of cleaners and having a skilled workforce. Cleaning companies are feeling the weight of greater contract expectations with many requiring a measurable understanding of how competent the cleaning staff are. This is just the beginning, we can expect to see more benchmarking of cleaning and supervision staff to Australian qualifications or Skill Sets. Now Learning Sphere is under the Angus Knight Group, we have been able to give more assistance to our clients recruiting new workers – through Jobfind and Joblife - and local Aboriginal employees through Real Futures and Rise – are all part of the Angus Knight Group. Even for companies looking to meet their social procurement targets we can assist. The other advantage is that our operational footprint is now much larger, which means we are able to offer more services across most of Australia.
What will be the focus for Learning Sphere in 2021? There has been a huge uptake of new clients in 2020, so we expect another busy year. The introduction of new disinfectants that adhere to surfaces longer and can control microbial growths is becoming more important. 48 INCLEAN January / February 2021
We are pleased to have been involved in trials with Australian-made products like BioPROTECT. We are also on the Technical Advisory Group panel for updating Certificates II, III and IV Cleaning qualifications. We expect these updates to result in better flexibility across the cleaning industry, as well as the introduction of new Skill Sets – specific competencies to help people gain skills for entry into health, residential care, hard floor specialisation, and others.
How will COVID-19 impact contract expectations for cleaning companies post-pandemic? Having been involved in trials around the country, and observing how cleaners work, there is still some poor cleaning practices that need to change. The trials have involved observations and pre-and post-testing of surfaces using ATP readings, and sadly some have been totally ineffective to infection control. A number of cleaners, and even supervisors, still do not understand how bacteria lives, what correct steps need to be followed for infection control, as well as using disinfectants properly and understanding the difference between cleaning and disinfecting. These are important areas where the industries skills and knowledge must continue to lift not just for COVID-19 specific-cleaning, but for any potential outbreak in the future, or at least to prevent an outbreak occurring.
Do you have a message you would like to share with the industry? We see through innovation so many changes in our processes, the equipment we use and even our knowledge, so lifting the capacity of our industry’s people to embrace these change and advancements is paramount. We will keep seeing more guidelines and benchmarking in our tenders, and these need to be understood at every level of the business from the decision makers to the font line staff, that’s the only way companies can be sure contract expectations are being met. We keep saying that education needs to be a focal part of cleaning companies and this is still true. In fact, these skills need to be adopted at the top so more upskilling of managers and supervisors in the cleaning industry will help greatly. ■
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
Greg Hill Product Manager, Makita Australia
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How was 2020 for Makita? What were the highlights? What were the challenges?
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How did Makita adjust to the impact wof the pandemic?
2021 is shaping up to be another great year for new products.
2020 was another successful year for Makita. Considering the difficulties many businesses have faced this year we are fortunate to have been able to achieve the result we have. The main challenge has been adjusting our forecasts to manage the demand and maintain adequate stock levels.
The primary change was with our customer facing teams where we introduced cleaning and disinfecting of demo tools between appointments to ensure safety and reduce risk of transmissions. As our face to face time with customers was reduced, we maintained focus on marketing through a range of channels to keep up our exposure in the market.
Did you notice any changes in customer behaviour in 2020 as a result of the pandemic? How did Makita respond to these changes? The limit in face to face contact was the primary change, in line with government social distancing directives. Delivering information efficiently was key along with maintaining flexibility by meeting outside or presenting from a distance and using video conferencing platforms to engage safely.
What will be the immediate focus for Makita in 2021? Maintaining our high level of engagement with our existing consumers and distributers under the ‘new normal.’ We’re also excited about promoting Makita and the advantages of our battery platforms with our national business development team. Looking towards October, we are excited to be the major sponsor of the ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo. We’re hopeful COVID-19 will remain under control until then so regardless of where you are in Australia you can join the experience in person.
What role will innovation play for Makita in 2021? Innovation will continue to play an important role for Makita. Innovating is defined by making 50 INCLEAN January / February 2021
changes, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products. Particularly after the pandemic people want products to make their job either more efficient or more effective, simply putting a battery on an existing product isn’t innovation. We want to answer the consumers desire of a “better way to do it.” We will also be listening to our consumers and distributors to identify opportunities for totally new products we can develop for our 18V LXT & 40V XGT battery platforms.
Are there any new products to be launched in 2021? Having just released our Cordless LXT Upright Vacuum in December, 2021 is shaping up to be another great year for new products. We are expecting to release our first XGT 40V Max Stick Vacuum which is set to move Makita further ahead in this product category. We also anticipate making some additions to our Robotic Vacuum range which will include additional functions like area mapping & return to start position.
What do you expect will be the big product trends of 2021? With the heightened awareness of disinfection, we expect to see more equipment be developed around the fight against COVID-19 as well as an additional emphasis on robotics and automation. Less people means less contact and potential for outbreaks as well as the associated efficiency increases. We also expect to see more battery platforms in the market as equipment manufactures continue to follow the trend to cordless.
Is there a message you would like to share with the industry? Makita is open for business! We have a healthy pipeline of innovative new products tailored to the industry. We have staff nationally who offer comprehensive product demonstrations to provide you and your business with the most effective solution for your application. If you are interested in a demonstration, please contact our customer service team and they can set you up with one of our business development or sales representatives. ■
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SOLUTIONS
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Mark Piwkowski CEO, Quayclean How was 2020 for Quayclean? What were the highlights? What were the challenges?
What will be the immediate focus for Quayclean in 2021?
2020 will go down as a year of challenge, opportunity, and change. We emerged a stronger, more diverse enterprise both geographically and by service. Quayclean secured several new customers, notably the Australian Turf Club and Venues Canberra, extensive COVID-19 related work opportunities for public health authorities in Victoria, medical institutes, local councils, court authorities and private schools. Quayclean was the unsung hero for the AFL season with cleaning responsibility at over 120 AFL games in the 2020 season, including 78 fixtures in the Queensland “bubble” of the Gabba and Metricon Stadium. These outstanding results were once again only possible through the commitment and dedication of our people. While this has been the case for many years, these qualities, which are central to Quayclean’s culture, stood out like a beacon last year. They were exceptional, going above and beyond to keep our customers, students, patrons, and their facilities or venues safe and hygienic.
Continue to build deep in existing market sectors across the country in metropolitan and regional locations whilst building wider markets in key target markets. Focus on building customers for life, providing broader services and value. We earn customers trust through our actions and adding beyond the job of cleaning by having systems of cleaning, sustainability, technologies and resources that are at the core of our capability. Together, they support the optimisation of labour and equipment in the most efficient and effective manner.
How did Quayclean respond to the impact of the pandemic?
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2020 will go down as a year of challenge, opportunity, and change. We emerged a stronger, more diverse enterprise both geographically and by service.
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Our experience from the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games supported our experience when there were Norovirus outbreaks among athletes and officials. Using this experience, we were able to respond quickly to the pandemic, developing COVID-19 operations manuals and safe space guidelines for staff, venues, health and educational facilities. Hundreds of staff completed online and in-house COVID-19 training and developed clear procedures on how to respond to customer and government demands for services. Additional emphasis on high levels of communication, sanitising and disinfection ensured we had clear procedures and contact with our customers. Our new commercial arm, Quay Supply Network, was established to source and supply hygiene, sanitary and PPE and we saw early and ongoing success.
What long-term changes do you think will be implemented to business processes as a result of the pandemic? Quay Academy provides a staff training platform, leadership development programmes and foundation ‘apprenticeships’ for our staff that are second to none. 2020 has shown for our industry that cleaning is not merely a mop and a bucket, but an essential front-line service in combating COVID-19 and other potential viruses. Currently, there are Certificate Courses available at TAFE’s, but we believe strongly that a tertiary education-backed apprenticeship programs for the industry, where more industry training and a deeper understanding of sustainable cleaning techniques, needs to be established. Just like an apprenticeship for a plumber, electrician or carpenter, customers must have demonstratable evidence and confidence that all cleaning has been performed to a standard consistent with recognised government standards including verification of how and when cleaning was performed.
What challenges and opportunities do you see for the wider industry in 2021? Our industry has allowed itself to be exploited to low competitive pricing for too long. Combined with competition for labour, the industry has allowed the evolution of labour that is either underpaid, employed under sham contracting, or where employees are employed under an ABN.
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM Too much of the industry lacks the skill and specialty, and they have been exposed during this pandemic. There is a lack of qualified staff, and stronger training and development is a real opportunity for the industry to pursue.
Looking at the future – both short and long term – what do you see, as far as changes and adjustments, that the global cleaning industry must embrace? Globally, the industry needs to adopt world-wide industry sanitisation and cleaning standard benchmarks. At present, standards vary from country to country, and continent to continent. Sadly, we have seen second and third waves in outbreaks of COVID-19 in many countries for a variety of reasons. But the cleaning industry can help mitigate the spread of the virus by adopting standard industry practices and the use of globally accepted cleaning products. The World Health Organisation approves hospital-grade cleaning and disinfectant products, but as an industry, we need to go further.
What is one issue the industry should urgently address in 2021? Currently, there are too many confusing and unfounded regulations, all designed to get the industry to adopt effective labour practices. The Fair Work Commission has been developed to ensure labour practices are carried out according to its requirements, yet many businesses continue to demand cheap pricing. The industry’s focus must be on developing skills to train and optimise labour, and not battle for cheap unskilled labour which adds less value operationally.
What do you expect to be the big trends of 2021? Significant focus on sustainability and recycling within the cleaning industry. In Australia, our population has increased by 30 per cent in 20 years, but waste volumes have increased by 170 per cent. We must reduce the volume of waste generated in addition to achieving high levels of recycling. We will be setting new benchmarks with our customers in waste, energy and
water management by adopting the three Rs - reduce, reuse and recycle. Together with facilities owners and their customers, we should be looking to reduce waste generated and move towards carbon neutral facilities. The Sydney Opera House is certified as Carbon Neutral, and we have ambitious sustainability and recycling targets with customers such as the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust and the Australian Turf Club’s horse racing venues.
What additional advice or guidance do you have for the cleaning community now and after the pandemic? We should not undervalue the work and services we provide. COVID-19 has demonstrated that cleaning is an essential, premium front line service. We should not be pressured by hiring procurement managers who press for lower prices because they do not fully understand the scope of works industry professionals provide. At the end of the day, a lower price cannot sustain high level cleaning services over the longer term. ■
CLEANING PARTNERS
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Gerard Searl Sales Director, Sabco Professional How was 2020 for Sabco? What were the highlights? What were the challenges?
What will be the immediate focus for Sabco in 2021?
A key highlight of 2020 was re-inventing our Sabco Professional business and the way we service the commercial cleaning market. This has included additional, industry experienced account managers, a national commercial product manager, and a new national account manager joining the Sabco Professional team. The recruitment of these industry professionals also coincided with the relocation of our Sabco Professional head office to Sydney from Melbourne. Our strategy has also been overhauled so that we work even closer with our key distribution partners to provide sales support and training to their end user customers in partnership with them. Our new 2020 Sabco Professional catalogue was also launched in a new easy to read format and was very well received. Sabco remained open at all times during the pandemic. Ensuring we had adequate product in stock, creating a safe working environment and maintaining a high level of service with legally binding reduced staffing levels in our warehouse was certainly a challenge towards the back end of 2020. A challenge I am sure many other organisations also experienced.
Sabco or ‘The South Australian Brush Company’, began in Adelaide in 1892 with limited production facilities and only three employees. Today, it is one of the Australia’s oldest business’ and has grown under the current management to be a market leader. In 2021, we will return home to South Australia, with the appointment of a new SA and NT State Manager, Ben Veale. We are also making some exciting changes to our range during 2021 to meet the changes as a result of COVD-19.
How did Sabco adjust to the impact of the pandemic? Our operations team were closely monitoring the pandemic once it started and they took early steps to secure additional stock of key commercial cleaning lines and safety equipment. A number of operational changes were made to due to having to reduce our warehouse staff on a daily basis. Our dedicated team worked additional shifts and seven days per week as required to meet the increased demand. Another adjustment in this period was to launch the TGA approved Sabco Ultra Shield Pro 750ml Hospital Grade Disinfectant that protects against virus’ including COVID-19 for up to seven days. 54 INCLEAN January / February 2021
How will you engage with the market in 2021? We now have account managers servicing all states who will continue to work closely with our key distribution partners and end users. Under our new model, we have a large number of distributors and end users contacting us to conduct site audits and make cross contamination reduction recommendations across all industries. We encourage organisations to continue contacting us so we can assist in providing them with the right cleaning solutions.
What challenges and opportunities do you see for the wider industry over the next 12 months? At present, our industry is experiencing extremely high national demand for commercial cleaning and protective equipment. I believe the ability to source reliable supplies of these products will continue to create challenges for the wider industry well beyond 2021. This increase in demand will potentially fuel higher prices for these items as well the impact the availability of cost-effective international freight. This increase in demand certainly creates an opportunity for our industry to supply quality, innovative and cost-effective cleaning solutions that help in the fight against COVID-19. It will be important to work even closer with our customers
moving forward to ensure the public are adequately protected as a result of the right cleaning procedures being implemented.
How has the pandemic changed public attitude and behaviours in respect to hygiene and cleaning standards? We have seen an increase in demand from end user customers wanting to only use a known reputable cleaning brands that they trust, such as Sabco Professional. I believe this will continue to increase as a result of the current pandemic and the desire for cheaper, untested inferior products will reduce.
What is one issue the industry should urgently address in 2021? I strongly feel our industry still needs to continue working towards more sustainable products that have a better impact on our environment. We have a range of sustainable products including biodegradable mop heads, traditional wet mop handles made from recycled plastic bottles and fibreglass and our Italian made IPC Brix cleaning cart that is made from over 75 per cent recycled plastic. In addition to this, this month we are launching our 40cm x 40cm Sabco Professional Biodegradable colour coded cleaning cloths. Once these cloths enter landfill, they will completely dissolve within three months. This product is an important step in reducing the thousands of disposable microfibre cloths that currently enters landfill in Australia annually and never breakdown.
Is there a message you would like to share with the industry? I would like to say thank you to all of the cleaners and other essential service workers who continued working in our industry during the pandemic. Our dedicated team of industry professionals look forward to providing even better support to our key distribution partners and end users of our products in 2021. ■
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Matt Marsh Managing Director, Sebastian Property Services How did Sebastian Property Services adjust to the impact of the pandemic? We knew early on that as a business we had to be agile and that we had to have the right attitude. We needed to be operationally ready for restarts by clients and be prepared for any other needs that our clients had during and post-lockdown. We ensured that we had supply of products such as toilet paper, hand sanitiser, sanitising systems, and masks for our team members performing COVID-cleans as well as for our clients, if needed. We also focused on supporting regional areas where some of our clients are based. There were a couple of instances in regional areas where we supplied products for our clients to sell. At one stage, some regional areas ran out of their supply of sanitiser and we were able to deliver that for them.
What will be the immediate focus for Sebastian Property Services in 2021? We are focused on remaining a stable business environment for our people, on providing certainty for our people, and on solidifying some of the system and management changes in our business over the past 12 months. In 2020 we had the opportunity to diversify into R&D so we will also continue to develop some of the initiatives and opportunities in that space which we took up during COVID.
What challenges and opportunities do you expect to face over next 12 months? The challenge is to remain agile for our clients. We still do not know the full economic fallout from COVID-19 and neither do our clients, but we have to be ready to respond. Another challenge is the long-term mental health of our people from lockdown, particularly in Victoria. The mental health impact of the 56 INCLEAN January / February 2021
lockdowns that we have been through cannot be underestimated, and we have to look after our team members and our clients. I think with our industry and services now under the spotlight, we have the opportunity to showcase our processes and the professionalism of our teams. There is also an opportunity for the industry to work with facility managers on trends, economic outcomes, and innovations born from COVID-19. When there is a major crisis or disruption like what we have been through, that is often when a lot of innovation does happen.
How will the pandemic impact industry expectations of service providers? One of the most talked-about trends is the future of work and people working from home. I believe working from home will continue, to an extent, but we are social beings and I think more people will return to offices, more than what is being prescribed. There are a lot of businesses currently doing a lot to keep staff coming into the office. Because of this, the expectation of cleaning versus facility hygiene and sanitisation will change because people have now become more educated on cleanliness and hygiene standards, but we also have the competing forces of economics versus enhanced services. The challenge is to get the right tipping point for the client. There will be a larger emphasis on the visual aspect of our service and the work we are performing. Proof of service will also be vital. Clients will also want demonstrative evidence of the work being done, particularly in the sanitising space. Cleaning companies will need to be efficient in their processes and the onus will be on them to train and educate staff, as well as clients, on the difference between cleaning and sanitising. Public awareness has already improved but there are still a lot of misconceptions and misinformation out there.
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However, as expectations increase and enhanced services are delivered, there will need to conversations on the costs associated with providing COVID-safe facilities and workplaces over the long term. The reality is that there is a big impost on facilities and business which will flow through to contract expectations – are they going to expect more for the same? Or will they have an understanding that things will have to be different? For example, there are discussions taking place now on the future of the workplace. While there are discussions around less staff in the workplace and organisations down-sizing their footprints, I think many businesses will need the same space in order for them to be COVIDsafe with their staff. The design of the facility will change internally, which will then change what we do.
What is one issue the industry should urgently address in 2021? The industry needs to establish itself as experts in conversation with government and drive the modernisation of government
guidelines regarding infectious cleaning. What we are seeing are a range of guidelines which are not in-line with the product and technology advancements that are taking place in the industry. Suppliers over the past few years have launched a range of innovations which have been suitable for the cleaning environment but conflict with government guidelines. As COVID continues around the world, we will continue to see new technologies being developed and generated and as an industry, need to be ready to adapt. Industry terminology also needs to be standardised and this also needs to be developed with government. As an industry we shouldn’t have to go back to where we were pre-COVID – why can’t we do better moving forward?
What additional advice or guidance do you have for the cleaning community?
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The industry needs to establish itself as experts in conversation with government and drive the modernisation of government guidelines regarding infectious cleaning.
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We’re now being watched by the community, government, and our clients as to how and what we deliver more than ever before, and if we are in a pandemic mode, that is going to continue. ■
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Kristine Collins Product Manager, SEBO Australia How was 2020 for SEBO? What were the highlights? What were the challenges? At the beginning of 2020 we had plans to showcase a number of new products at exhibitions both local and overseas. Instead we brought the products to market via a ‘cyber’ launch event. All four new vacuum cleaners – SEBO XP10, XP20, XP30 and SEBO Professional G5 were designed in mind to suit hospital, aged care, and healthcare sectors featuring our superior SEBO S-Class filtration system. To meet the S-CLASS standard the filtration system has to remove a minimum of 99.97 per cent of particles of 0.3 microns and ensure that the fine dust particles and allergens stay in the closed vacuum cleaner system. This high-performance filtration system improves indoor air quality (IAQ) for occupants as well as protecting the Operator’s health and safety too. SEBO vacuums are the perfect choice for correct soft floor care and maintenance in premises where high IAQ is of paramount importance. Strong marketing and educational campaigns produced significant sales results over the past two quarters. Where it was initially reported at the start of the pandemic households would ‘tighten their purse strings’, the government assisted cash injections, people working from home, a greater focus on health, hygiene and domestic cleaning duties, SEBO website traffic tripled and we ran out of stock. Fortunately, we had containers on the water and we could once again meet the high demand.
How did SEBO adjust to the impact of the pandemic? Providing a safe environment for our customers and staff will always be our number one priority. In the interests of staff and customer safety, and as part of ongoing efforts to give customers’ access to the SEBO products they need, SEBO offered staff the ability to work off site using the existing network in place. 58 INCLEAN January / February 2021
With more than 50 per cent of our workforce female we identified early on in business the importance of flexible working hours and conditions especially for those who were returning to work from maternity leave. With these provisions already in place it was very easy for us to implement a COVID safe plan with flexible working conditions, if required, for those staff members who were returned traveller’s, parents home schooling or caring for family members who were considered high risk in regards to health issues.
human eye so no longer can society turn a blind eye and accept ‘if it looks clean, it must be clean’. According to the National Asthma Council Australia, around two out of five Australians have allergies, including most people with asthma. Using a vacuum cleaner, like SEBO with an electric driven brush roller, that can extract maximum debris, dust and allergens from soft floor covers and seal them in an airtight system is paramount for improving IAQ. SEBO vacuums not only clean the floors you walk on but also the air you breathe!
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What challenges and opportunities do you see for the industry over the next 12 months?
It’s time for business leaders to seize the moment and consider how they want to evolve their workplace to be fit for the future.
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We experienced little disruption to our overall business activities. I congratulate the entire SEBO team both local and overseas who remained committed and compliant during this unprecedented time.
What will be the immediate focus for SEBO in 2021? We have always placed high importance on providing industry specific education and tailored cleaning programs for our customers. We remain committed to giving advice on the correct cleaning methods for soft floor care. Global media coverage has put a spotlight on harmful pathogens and allergens that cannot be detected by the
Most companies have already pivoted to a ‘new normal’, however, maintaining a high level of cleaning as the ‘norm’ across all industries is of great importance. Consistent messages from health authorities, the government and cleaning experts as well as the need for tailored health education programs of which we in the cleaning industry can contribute and promote, to improve levels of knowledge, attitudes, and practices. The saying goes ‘Old habits die hard’. The cleaning industry must lead by example and consistently maintain a highlevel cleaning standard. Using correct cleaning equipment to suit the application and operator is instrumental to protecting society and supporting the workforce and the economy back to recovery.
How has the pandemic changed public attitude and behaviours in respect to hygiene and cleaning standards? Do you expect these changes to continue post-COVID? The mitigation of COVID was highly dependent on cooperation and compliance of the whole of society. The knowledge, attitudes, and practices people (including
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businesses) hold toward COVID play an integral role in determining a society’s readiness to accept behavioural change measures from health authorities. Society rightly deserves and expects a new level of clean and hygienic environment, however, we all have a duty of care, both as individuals and businesses, to ensure the correct education and equipment is available and that the message of the importance of hygienic conditions remains in focus.
Looking at the future what changes and adjustments should the cleaning industry embrace? Lead by example and maintain the best practices and highest standards. Supply effective and efficient products and technologies to the consumer. Sustainable cleaning is a key component but this must all begin at the origin - at the products manufacturing plant. SEBO’s manufacturing plant in Germany was designed all those years ago with the
environment in mind. A combined heat and power system recovers virtually 100 per cent of its primary energy source. The products and packaging must be at the forefront of technology that reduces the carbon footprint and does not add readily to landfill.
What additional advice or guidance do you have for the cleaning community now and after the pandemic? It’s time for business leaders to seize the moment and consider how they want to evolve their workplace to be fit for the future. Tempted as you might be to save a few dollars, avoid resorting to back to ‘old cleaning hacks’ as a cost saving measure. Speak to a qualified cleaning expert (or two) and get the right piece of cleaning equipment for the application. Invest now to save later.
Is there a message you would like to share with the industry? Looking after your mental health and wellbeing is just as important as your
physical safety at work. We are all trying to build new skills to be resilient in ways we have not had to before. The World Health Organization outlines mental health as “a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.” Understanding the new situations, you and your staff face as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic should be taken just as seriously as business-related considerations. These may include but not limited to: • Stress and anxiety for people who may not yet feel comfortable or safe returning to work. • Reviewing expectations around productivity as a result of frequent cleaning of workspaces, hand-washing breaks, and other safety protocols. • Ways to further support remote working for those who need it. ■
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Chad Angeli General Manager, Tennant Australia & New Zealand How was 2020 for Tennant Australia? What were the highlights? What were the challenges? There are numerous internet memes with the highlight, “My plans…2020.” I think every business has experienced that to some extent. 2020 has been different than what our plans were heading out of a strong 2019, but when I compare our results to our peers across the globe, we had a very positive year. We’ve launched numerous new products, like our autonomous robotic scrubbers and HEPA rated industrial sweepers. These new technologies have allowed us to help customer in new areas that are even more critical today, like re-deploying labour and minimising airborne silica dust. We also re-launched our IPC brand, which has allowed us to help a broader base of customer with keeping their facilities clean. The biggest highlight by far was seeing how our Tennant ANZ team members came together to navigate the challenges of 2020. They found a way to work safer and smarter, but they kept showing up to work each day to help our customers and keep our business moving forward.
How did Tennant adjust to the impact of the pandemic? We built a strong team across ANZ in 2019, which allowed us to have local leadership at the ground level. This allowed us to understand the different laws, restrictions, and guidelines and adapt quicker. Throughout 2020 our direct service team found ways to adapt and keep helping our customers. They changed their procedures to keep themselves and our customers safe, but still managed to help our customers with up-time. Our sales and marketing team looked into new technologies with Linked In as a way to stay active with their new customer goals, which was critical in a year where all tradeshows were postponed. Our operations team reacted quickly by placing orders for inventory in April/May, 60 INCLEAN January / February 2021
which has allowed us to keep up our local stock on hand in October/November. One of our team’s core values is adaptability and I am extremely proud of how the team adapted throughout 2020.
Did you notice any changes in customer behaviour in 2020? How did Tennant respond to these changes? Rental became a preferable option with some customers who typically buy outright. We already support customers with this option, so it was not a difficult transition for us to make. Re-deploying labour became a bigger focus compared to prior years with the importance of sanitizing/disinfecting. We launched our autonomous robotics scrubbers in 2020 to support this.
What will be the immediate focus for Tennant in 2021? We have the next sizes in our robotics scrubber line coming in 2021. We have our smaller T380AMR, which is more manoeuvrable and is designed to help customers that want autonomy in spaces that are more confined. We also have the larger T16AMR coming, which gives a more productive solution to customers in warehousing, logistics, and food and beverage. We will also be launching more HEPA sweepers, including our new S16, which has a carpet care/HEPA package. It’s also more manoeuvrable than our S30, so it gives customers with a smaller warehouse space a HEPA option to reduce airborne silica dust. IPC will continue to be a big focus as we come out with the next phase of products to help our distributors and customers in this range.
What challenges and opportunities do you see for the industry over the next 12 months? I think most people felt once we get to 2021 things would be more “normal,” but this is not going to be the case.
ANZ has done exceptionally well with COVID-19, but the rest of the world is largely still struggling. This not only impacts supply chains into ANZ, but also tourism and economic investment into ANZ. This will create additional opportunities for teams and companies to look at initiatives they otherwise would not in a traditional year. It’s an opportunity to look at new vertical markets and customers that are doing well through the pandemic. It’s also an opportunity to bring new technologies to customers that need to adapt. It’s an opportunity to look at where money is traditionally spent and look at creative ways to grow in a year where travel and tradeshows will continue to be limited.
Do you think the pandemic will fast track the use of technology such as robotics and autonomous machines? In some cases. We’ve certainly seen some customers reach out and talk about the importance of re-deploying labour. In these cases we have seen customers get the resources they need to purchase or rent a robotics machine. However, the challenge for some customers is that they have already gone down a path with a conventional machine (in 2018, 2019, or early 2020), so in order to change to robotics it would require removing the machine they previously purchased. In some cases the change can be more drastic if the end-user has an outside contractor and there is an agreement in place. We try to do all we can to work with our customers that have older Tennant machines. We take trade-ins and can use the older machines for our reconditioned business. It allows some customers to have an option to move quicker with robotics.
Are there any new products to be launched in 2021? We have two new robotic scrubbers coming out in 2021. One to help customers with a smaller space, and the larger
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM T16AMR, which is a solution for customers in warehousing/logistics. It will be the largest robotic scrubber on the market. More HEPA rated sweepers, with some being geared towards industrial spaces with homebuilding products, and other options for customers that want a HEPA rated rider vacuum/sweeper.
to be important. With economic uncertainty it’s important to give customers different options, from multiple brands, to rental options, and even the ability to have a strong service team that can help them with a repair, which may allow a customer to delay a capital equipment purchase for another year.
What do you expect will be the big product trends of 2021?
What additional advice or guidance do you have for the cleaning community now and after the pandemic?
We certainly believe robotics will continue to be important. Autonomous machines are a tool that customers that can use to unlock a variety of benefits, from re-deploying labour, to ensuring their facility is cleaned the right way. One of the common pieces of feedback we receive after a robotics trial is that the floor seems cleaner. This is because a robot will take the same methodical approach every time, going at the right speed to make sure the floor is scrubbed correctly, which delivers a higher and more consistent level of clean. Additionally, the employee that was previously sitting on the scrubber can be used to do more detail cleaning (sanitsing/disinfecting).I think having more choice for customers will continue
As challenging as 2020 has been, it has put cleaning at the forefront. More people are paying attention to how their facilities are cleaned and they understand the importance of using high quality products that deliver the results they require. We could focus on what 2020 has taken away, but it has also given the industry many opportunities. It has put cleaning and hygiene at the forefront more so than any other time in recent history. There is no doubt 2021 will likely be a “bridge year” to get us back to a more normal economy in 2022, but 2021 has a lot of opportunities in it. Focus on the opportunities we now have because of COVID and use 2021 to gain momentum heading into 2022. ■
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More people are paying attention to how their facilities are cleaned and they understand the importance of using high quality products that deliver the results they require.
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Ammar Desho Director, VVIP Cleaning Australia
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Our immediate focus is to continue to develop our product range.
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How was 2020 for VVIP Cleaning Australia? 2020 was a very business year for us. We opened our new 230sqm showroom in Smithfield, NSW. We are very proud of our new display centre which has our extensive range of cleaning products and equipment including our own VVIP Cleaning branded range of floorcare machinery. The official opening of our showroom was attended by Mayor Frank Carbone; Hugh McDermott, state member for Prospect; Guy Zangari, state member for Fairfield; and councillor Charbel Saliba. Our range of machinery is used for residential, commercial, and industrial, and includes batterypowered ride-on floor scrubbers, walk behind floor scrubbers, semi enclosed sweepers, full enclosed sweepers, and ride on floor scrubbers. In response to COVID-19 we also introduced fogging machines to our range, which have
been used by some of our major clients in government, medical centres, city councils and major retail centres across New South Wales. In addition to our machinery range, we also sell cleaning consumables and accessories. We are excited to showcase the new products that we are currently developing at the ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo in Sydney in 2021.
What will be the immediate focus for VVIP Cleaning Australia in 2021? Our immediate focus is to continue to develop our product range. We are always looking at new ways to improve our existing offering, as well as introduce new and innovative technologies to the market. New products that we are looking to develop include a backpack vacuum and a range of wet and dry carpet machines.
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM We are also looking to open more showrooms across the country including in Melbourne and Perth. We are currently researching both markets to ensure that we choose the right locations for our stores.
What challenges and opportunities do you expect the industry to face over the next 12 months? The cleaning industry has been in the spotlight during COVID-19 and it will be propelled even further in 2021. Facilities, organisations, and government will hold cleaning, and cleaning processes, to a higher standard. There will be more responsibility on contractors to professionally clean and sanitise as well as use the right equipment for the job.
What additional advice or guidance do you have for the cleaning community now and after the pandemic? Chose the right people and partners to work with. One of the main issues in this industry is that anyone can set up a business, however, if they aren’t professionally trained and educated on correct equipment handling and application it can cause more damage. When we sell our machines, we provide extensive training and work with the users on-site to ensure the machinery is being used correctly. My advice is to choose the right equipment and people for the job. â–
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
Nick La Founder, Talent Tap, Weploy
Emmanuel Giannakis Managing Director, Direct Property Services
Above: Workers can easily clock in and clock out from the app on their phones, giving managers the ability to track scheduled tasks with greater accuracy and transparency.
What is Weploy? NL: Weploy was started as an on-demand recruitment platform that matches businesses with job seekers. We have always strived to be a people first, but tech-centric business. Since Weploy’s launch five years ago, we’ve continued to develop its functionality to create a new platform that is able to streamline workforce management and general administrative tasks such as time sheets, payroll, and scheduling, for the services industry. We launched Talent Tap as a SaaS business two months ago and that’s what I’m focussed on for 2021.
What were the challenges that led Direct Property Services to Talent Tap? EG: Many of Weploy’s features alleviate and simplify the common staffing and workforce management issues faced by the cleaning industry. The need for traceability and visibility of staff is crucial now more than ever, and Weploy has created Talent Tap to provide that. It was also important for me and my team to find a platform that enables our teams to more easily connect with one another, and to our clients, from anywhere and at any time. 64 INCLEAN January / February 2021
NL: A lot of the challenges we’ve faced as a business over the past five years have been overcome with technology. An example of this is payroll and timesheets. We used to have a large finance and admin team which led us to start looking at ways in which we could help simplify, automate, and optimise the team. Weploy is a national business, which has also just recently expanded to New Zealand, and we now operate with a finance team of two team members. We have been able to work just as efficiently through the use of technology which started to make us think about what other types of businesses we can help to drive efficiencies for, by leveraging the power of tech. COVID-19 has also presented some serious concerns and issues for the services industry. The most obvious right now is traceability and visibility of staff, not from a micromanagement point of view, but from a OH&S standpoint. Until there is a vaccine for COVID-19, it is important to know where your workforce are at any given time, and if there is a cluster or outbreak, we can trace and control it through management software.
INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
How can technology be used to improve efficiency and transparency? NL: People look at technology in various ways. The way we look at it at Talent Tap is that it should be able to give back, empower staff, and simplify work. There are lot of leaders in the cleaning industry, even those of large businesses, that are stuck in a vicious cycle of being busy without wider visibility of their business processes. We started asking ourselves, how can we use technology to give business owners back the gift of time, while also giving them visibility of their organisation? EG: The main focus for finding the right platform for my business was to create efficiencies – whether that was being able to find areas [onsite] that staff needed more time, or where we were completing work early and therefore, able to apply that excess of time to other areas, or better yet - pass those savings back to our client. My goal [using Talent Tap] is to improve staff management and build trust with clients by being as transparent as possible.
Looking at the future – both short and long term – what do you see, as far as changes and adjustments, the cleaning industry must embrace? EG: The cleaning industry is still very much pen and paper-based, and that is not limited to small businesses in the industry. [Talent Tap] is an opportunity to give companies, of any size, the correct structure to operate their business with full transparency, and give them a platform to communicate instantly with their staff and clients. NL: A lot of people who start their own business fall into the pattern of being busy working in the business and not on it – and that is really clear in the cleaning industry. You start your own busines
to create a lifestyle, but it can quickly become a vicious cycle when you are busy executing because you have to be across everything! That pressure can be alleviated through the use of the right technology.
Do you have a message you would like to share with the industry? NL: The future of work is here. All the signs are pointing towards software solutions and technological innovations that can drive efficiencies, visibility and traceability within your organisation. At Talent Tap we say, “it is not the big fish which eats the small fish, it’s the fast fish which eats the slow fish”. Ultimately, to keep up with your competitors, companies in the services industry must operate with agility and if you do not have a mixture of technology, contingent and full-time staff, then the likelihood of your business surviving is low. Business owners need to ask themselves, where do you see your business in five years, and will there still be a market for you? ■
Above left: The Talent Tap dashboard gives users an overview of all current jobs for a full, 360 degree view on their workforces. Track tasks and communicate with workers directly with our in-app chat function. Above right: Tasks can be documented and noted in detail, with evidence to support - allowing managers to collect meaningful data that will help them manage their workforces to service their clients better and build trust.
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The future of work is here. All the signs are pointing towards software solutions and technological innovations that can drive efficiencies, visibility, and traceability within your organisation.
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INDUSTRY LEADERS FORUM
Dr Greg Whiteley Chairman, Whiteley Corporation How would you rate the industry’s response to the pandemic? How was 2020 for Whiteley Corporation? 2020 was a challenging year for Whiteley, as it was for most companies. However, in amongst the challenges there were highlights including: • Overcoming numerous supply chain issues to massively ramp up production of infection prevention products for supply to the Pacific Region and beyond • Viraclean being the first hard surface disinfectant to have a TGA approved kill claim against COVID-19 • Being awarded Hunter Manufacturer of the Year 2020 • Signing a one-year Innovation Connections collaborative research grant as part of the Australian Government’s Entrepreneurs’ Programme with the University of Newcastle. • Acquiring two new sites (and buildings), including space for a dedicated Human Therapeutics Plant, which will be the first in the Hunter Region.
How did Whiteley Corporation adjust to the impact of the pandemic? The COVID-19 pandemic saw Whiteley Corporation adapt its business operations rapidly in order to maintain supply for the Australian and regional healthcare market. Whiteley Corporation more than doubled its production capacity by expanding our workforce, adding a second shift, and worked additional days to meet demand. We improved manufacturing capacity by the recruitment of specialists and procurement roles, wider training for current staff and purchasing additional capital equipment for production, packaging, and dispatch. We optimised our supply chain and brought forward our capital equipment investment program to including the purchase of new filling machines with enhanced capacity. Investments were also made in staff training, and capital equipment for our research projects. 66 INCLEAN January / February 2021
Overall, the Australian cleaning industry has done an excellent job during the pandemic. Many companies recruited extra staff, implemented a range of new protocols, and worked very long hours to keep businesses, schools, hospitality and countries operational as soon as possible after and outbreak. Without the dedication and commitment from so many in the cleaning industry I am certain that the country would not perform so well in limiting the spread of COVID-19. However, it was disappointing to see how many industrial suppliers that were willing to promote products that weren’t suitably tested or approved for use against COVID-19. Our various regulatory bodies including the TGA were kept exceptionally busy managing these rogue players and significant fines are still being issued regularly to companies that are willing to compromise public safety for the sake of a quick sale.
What will be the immediate focus in 2021? Our dedication to research for better and more effective products remains a core focus for our business now, for 2021 and beyond. We are also moving as fast as possible to bring online the new Human Therapeutics Plant in Tomago.
What challenges and opportunities do you see for 2021? While there have been some great advances in vaccine development there are still questions that need to be answered before wide scale introduction of any new vaccine(s). The virus is currently running rampant in the Northern Hemisphere winter so if we open up our borders and trade, we will face increased risk now and in our colder months in 2021. We will continue to consolidate the advances made in our operation efficiencies, expand into new markets, and adapt our business to the evolving marketplace. We want to ensure that we do not get distracted from our important goals
in expansion of plant, new product development, and our growing body of collaborative tertiary research. This research is our forward plan for when (eventually) the pandemic ends, and we move back to a new normal across our planet.
Looking at the future what do you see, as far as changes and adjustments, the industry must embrace? Infection prevention will be an important factor considered not just in healthcare but in the wider community and commercial sectors. A cornerstone of infection prevention is cleaning and good hygiene practices so this will lead to more resources, more contracts, and more jobs in the cleaning sector. Those businesses that make infection prevention a cornerstone of good practise within their organisations will outperform those that do not take up the infection prevention challenge. In the longer term there is always the dynamic tension between automation, roboticisation vs human intervention in cleaning processes. As technology progresses countries with a higher cost of labour will make economic efficiencies of robotics more attractive.
What is one issue the industry should urgently address in 2021? Cleaners are the most important people in the sector. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic absolutely highlighted this. Can we make them number one and value them accordingly? Training – poorly trained cleaners can act as mobile fomites and spread infectious organisms through poor methods and cleaning practice. Therefore, training, and appropriate measurements and supervision will become increasingly important for the cleaning sector and their customers. Focusing on their role as front line defence against ‘superbugs’ will mark a major change in current levels of investment in cleaning staff, and their training. ■
PRODUCTS
Terminator Plus Introducing the all Australian designed and built Terminator Plus carpet extractor machine. A powerful and compact carpet extractor, ideal for small and large spaces. The machine easily fits into back of most station wagons and allows you to get into tight spaces for fast, efficient cleaning. This high performing machine is equipped with Pumptec pump driven by a Marathon motor. • Powerful working pressure of maximum 600 PSI, factory set to 500 PSI • Fiberglass body with aluminium frame for ultra-strong and light weight machine, helps reduce risk and damage to furniture and fittings • Comes with a 5m solution hose, 5m vacuum hose and a 12” 2-jet stainless steel wand (Optional 7.5m and 10m hoses are available) • Brute power in compact sized body providing all the power and performance of larger carpet extractors with a compact body size for maximum manoeuvrability • Vacuum system: 2 X 1100-watt 2 stage suspension mounted bypass vacuum motors • Solution Tank 50 litre and Recovery tank 20 litre
Polivac International Contact Nearest Distributor www.polivac.com.au
Tile Plus Tile Plus is a water soluble, concentrated alkaline detergent designed for use as a heavy-duty cleaner and degreaser. It rapidly emulsifies, suspends, and removes all types of animal, vegetable, and petroleum oils. It is also extremely efficient at removing greases and grime in industrial, commercial and food processing areas. Tile Plus has a corrosion inhibitor to protect surfaces and equipment, it does not impart any cleaning odours and is nonflammable. Tile plus is available in a 5 litre pack size.
Whiteley Corporation 1800 833 566 marketing@whiteley.com.au
Pullman Advance PL950 Lithium Cordless Backpack Cleaning has never been easier with the Pullman Advance Lithium Backpack. This powerful cordless backpack is engineered and designed specifically for commercial cleaners to provide convenient cleaning without sacrificing performance. Whether it’s cleaning homes, offices or classrooms, the Pullman Lithium Backpack can get the job done quickly, quietly and conveniently. • Superior performance 43.2v lithium batteries providing up to one hour of runtime • Patented blower port transforms your backpack into a powerful blower • Easy adjustable harness with a three-stage height adjustment to ensure weight is correctly centred on your hips • Low noise which is ideal for daytime cleaning in noise sensitive areas such in offices and hospital wards
Godfreys 1800 815 270 corporate@godfreys.com.au www.godfreys.com.au www.incleanmag.com.au 67
PRODUCTS
Sabco Biodegradable Cloths These innovative 40cm x 40cm biodegradable cleaning cloths will completely dissolve within three months after they enter landfill. Colour coded to reduce cross contamination, they are also super absorbent and can be used as a single or multiple use cloth even after washing. The Sabco Biodegradable Cloths are made from a unique blend of natural fibres. They have been tested by an independent laboratory and remove 99.9 per cent of bacteria when used with a hospital grade disinfect. Whilst re-usable microfibre cloths will continue to be popular, this product is an important step in reducing the thousands of disposable microfibre cloths that currently enters landfill in Australia annually and never breakdown.
Sabco Australia Free call: 1800 066 522 Sabcoprofessional.com.au customerservice@sabco.com.au
New Release – Makita 18Vx2 Brushless Wet/Dry Vacuum Makita’s NEW 18Vx2 Brushless Wet/Dry Vacuum (DVC155LZX1) provides powerful suction at 11kPa while remaining cord-free and quiet at just 64dB! • • • • •
Powerful 35 litre Max. airflow 40 minutes continuous runtime on 6.0Ah batteries Market leading charge time of 55 minutes with DC18RD charger Ergonomic handle and low-profile floor tool Rubber bumper prevents scratches to walls and furniture
Makita Australia 1300 361 690 enquries@makita.com.au www.makita.com.au
New – SANITOL™ Jade Antibacterial Sanitiser Sanitol Jade is a new addition to the Sanitol range, with a refreshing new fragrance. Sanitol is uniquely formulated to prevent the spread of harmful germs. Sanitol Jade’s rapidly acting formula kills 99.99 per cent of germs - protecting you against a range of potentially unsafe micro-organisms. It is an effective component of a hand and personal hygiene program and its scientifically advanced formula is gentle on most skin types. Sanitol Jade contains natural emollients to replenish the skin’s lipids leaving hands feeling soft, smooth and revitalised. Its natural skin conditioners and light pleasant fragrance is ideal for all ages to use. Sanitol Jade is proudly Australian made in Whiteley Corporation’s manufacturing facility in the Hunter region of NSW, ensuring superior service and support for the Australian and NZ market. Sanitol Jade is available in 500ml pump bottles and 1 litre pods for use in Whiteley Dispensing Systems (automated or manual), and a 5 litre bottle. Watch Whiteley’s ‘How to sanitise hands’ educational video www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7i8KugYhz4
Whiteley Corporation 1800 833 566 www.whiteley.com.au/our-products/sanitol 68 INCLEAN January / February 2021
PRODUCTS
S7 NEW Battery Walk Behind Sweeper The Versatile Walk-Behind Sweeper – Clean both hard floors and carpeted spaces with the versatile, quiet and efficient S7 walkbehind battery-operated sweeper. The steel frame, durable covers, and chrome-plated tubular handle makes the S7 built tough to clean even light industrial environments. Key features and benefits: • Increase productivity with 45 litre hopper capacity • Continuously clean for up to three hours with powerful battery operation • Dust free operation with a self-cleaning filter shaker in combination with filtration of 99.5 per cent at 5 microns • Large debris hopper ensures productivity and engagement of flap trap allows the capture of larger debris • Clean hard and soft floors, in addition to outdoor spaces, with one versatile sweeper • Clean multiple surfaces such as carpet, VCT, polished stone, terrazzo, grouted ceramic and porcelain tile, concrete, and asphalt • Easily clean corners and edges with an adjustable side brush
Tennant Australia & New Zealand 1800 226 843 contactus@tennantco.com
PROUDLY CELEBRATING
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NOW AVAILABLE IN MELBOURNE, SYDNEY & BRISBANE
HIRE MACHINES READY WHEN YOU ARE
• Short term hire options from as little as 1 day • State-of-the-art sweepers and scrubbers • Expert advice & training • Trailer hire available
OF BEING AUSTRALIA’S FASTEST GROWING BATTERY COMPANY
CONTACT THE BATTERY EXPERTS | www.rjbatt.com.au
CONTACT FOR PRICE & AVAILABILITY CALL TODAY: 1800 826 789 sales@conquestequipment.com.au www.conquestequipment.com.au
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PRODUCTS
Battery-operated fogger from Polivac Complete and effective coverage can be achieved using less spray solution in relatively short period of time, helps in saving time, labour, and resources. The battery-operated fogger Is equipped with spray range of Max 8m (best spray distance is 0.5-6m) gives excellent range to cover ceiling and inaccessible areas. • Spray volume: discharge capacity of 0-9L/H and hour particle of 15-50µm • Tank capacity: 5 litres • Powered by DC Motor (165W, 2000RPM) • 10AH, 24V Lithium rechargeable battery, one charge lasts one hour, battery charger included • Shoulder strap available, this makes it easy to carry • CE certified and comes with necessary service kits
Polivac International Contact nearest distributor www.polivac.com.au
Keep childcare centres clean and safe with SEBO
Willmop 50 Vertical Scrubber-Dryer Willmop 50 is a light and extremely manageable vertical scrubber-dryer, combining the high performance of a professional machine with the flexibility of a traditional mop. Perfect for crowded spaces. • Fully 360° rotatable steering guarantees revolutionary manoeuvrability • When hands are removed, the machine will remain upright and automatically enters the stand-by mode • Interchangeable lithium battery • 50cm scrubbing paths, 2100m2/hr coverage and ~1h 15 mins working time
As a parent you want your childcare provider’s premises to be clean and free from allergens. Flooring in childcare centres must be durable, easy to clean and comfortable for little tots to sit on during story time. The SEBO Professional G5 with four level brush height adjustment simply glides over carpet planks and tiles picking up dust, sand and left-over craft bits and pieces. With high performance filtration the dust and other nasty allergens are retained inside the sealed vacuum system keeping our future leaders safe.
SEBO www.sebo.com.au
Free demonstration available Central Cleaning Supplies 1300 347 347 www.centralcleaning.com.au
3D GLOSS 3D-GLOSS is a super-glossy sealer finish for vinyl, timber, and stone floors. It is designed with a fast cure-rate for use in supermarkets where it buffs up easily under UHS buffing machines to provide a crystal-clear, dazzling gloss. • • • •
3D-GLOSS is non-slip Stays shiny for longer because of its high scratch repair Responds to both gas and electric buffing machines Excellent for supermarkets and other busy floors
Agar Cleaning Systems 03 9480 3000 www.agar.com.au
70 INCLEAN January / February 2021
PRODUCTS
Vacspare Vacspare is Australia’s leading wholesale distributor of commercial and domestic cleaning products and parts. Vacspare offers a wide range of domestic, commercial, and ducted vacuums, vacuum bags, filters, janitorial supplies, motors, hoses, electrical cords as well as many other vacuum spare parts and accessories. It stocks leading brands including Pullman, Ghibli, Domel, Wessel-Werk and more. Vacspare teams have extensive experience and product knowledge and have been working with customers to build successful business partnerships for more than 15 years.
Wessel Werk Turbo Brush available from Cleanstar
1300 722 886 sales@vacspare.com.au
Wessel Werk has launched a new air-driven turbo brush. Made in Germany and available in Australia from Cleanstar, the turbo nozzle works at maximum capacity with all types of vacuum cleaners and effectively removes dust, pet hair, mites, and allergens from carpets and rugs. Other features of the Wessel Werk Turbo Brush include: • • • •
Durable roller brush Swivel neck Soft wheels Easy to remove cleaning flap
Cleanstar 03 9460 5655 sales@cleanstar.com.au www.cleanstar.com.au
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PRODUCTS
Green’n’Gold GREEN’N’GOLD Carpet Detergent is an environmentally preferable detergent for cleaning carpets by hot water extraction. It contains fastacting cleaning agents and is pH controlled to be safe to use on 100 per cent wool carpets, nylons and all washable synthetic fibres. • Excellent cleaning power • pH neutral, which enables it to be safely used on 100 per cent wool carpets • Perfume dispels “wet carpet” odours and leaves a fresh citrus fragrance • Contains biodegradable surfactants, is phosphate-free and environmentally responsible
Agar Cleaning Systems 03 9480 3000 www.agar.com.au
Riser-TEQ escalator cleaning system
Janitor Commercial Backpack Vacuum – JV500
Keep public spaces clean and building patrons safe with the EscaTEQ and Riser-TEQ escalator cleaning systems available from Cleanstar.
At only 4.6kg, this lightweight, commercial vacuum will make your cleaning quicker and easier. The adjustable harness ensures optimum comfort while the Gulper floor head and long power cord give you more reach. Ideal for small to medium sized spaces.
The EscaTEQ and Riser-TEQ escalator cleaning systems provide high performance escalator cleaning in high traffic facilities such as airports, train stations, hotels, office buildings, and retail centres. The easy to use Riser-TEQ system cleans the vertical risers of escalators quickly and easily. The head unit is lightweight, so it moves quickly, with little effort for faster, more effective cleaning.
• • • •
1200W motor 4 litre dust bag capacity Ambidextrous design Includes crevice tool and dusting brush
Cleanstar
Godfreys
03 9460 5655
1800 815 270
sales@cleanstar.com.au
corporate@godfreys.com.au
www.cleanstar.com.au
www.godfreys.com.au
New – Peach Disinfectant This new addition to the commercial disinfectant range will leave a pleasant peach fragrance wherever its used. Peach Disinfectant is a commercial grade disinfectant and multi-purpose cleaner designed for use in healthcare, institutional and commercial facilities. Being pH neutral and solvent free, Peach Disinfectant is safe for use on most surfaces including plastics, metals, stainless steel, ceramics, glass, enamels and painted surfaces. Peach Disinfectant can be used in any area where soiling is a problem, including floors, walls, bench tops, doors, etc. Peach Disinfectant Passes TGA option C at 50ml/L water. Peach Disinfectant is available in a 5 litre bottle and has refillable 500ml trigger spray bottle.
Whiteley Corporation 1800 833 566 marketing@whiteley.com.au 72 INCLEAN January / February 2021
PRODUCTS
EcoVac 240 – The eco-friendly street cleaning solution The EcoVac 240 electric street vacuum is a lightweight yet powerful, environmentally friendly litter collection solution. Whisper-quiet and 100 per cent battery powered, the EcoVac 240 outdoor vacuum features an advanced electric motor and vacuum system to deliver plenty of power with low-noise and zero harmful emissions. The lightweight carbon wand suction hose collects debris, allowing operators to recover waste from hard to reach places including from garden beds, guttering and along pathways. Simple to operate with self-propelled electronic drive and solid tyres.
EcoTeq 1800 826 789
Electric ULV fogger from Polivac Mitigate concerns related to the spread of infections, maintain cleanliness and sterility with the help of these high-quality electric ULV fogger. The electric ULV fogger is easy to handle, lightweight and portable, best for effortless operations and reaching those inaccessible areas. • Spray volume: discharge capacity of 5-25 litres and hour particle of 15-50µm • Tank Capacity: Max 4 litres • Motor rating: 1100 W and Voltage: 220V, 50hz • CE certified
Polivac International Contact nearest distributor www.polivac.com.au
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PRODUCTS
Leobots and LeoRay - Cleaning and disinfection robots LeoBots and LeoRay are specialised robots, crafted to perform specific tasks so as to achieve maximum efficiency in its cleaning or disinfecting operations. The LeoRay can be deployed to disinfect surfaces using high concentration UV-C radiation and the LeoBots are a family of four robots that are experts in their cleaning tasks and can also collaborate as a team. • LeoScrub: Scrubbing expert - Uses up to 70 per cent less water with high cleaning results • LeoVac: Vacuum genius -comes with Optional HEPA filter for cleaner air • LeoMop: Silent mopper - leaves behind much drier floors • LeoPull: Small but strong worker - able to pull 450kg bin • LeoRay: Autonomous UV-C Disinfection Robot
Foldable counter and desk shields
Free demonstration available
Protect staff and customers from the spread of germs with Cleanstar’s new foldable counter and desk shields. The clear acrylic panel (4mm thickness) is foldable to fit many counter, desk, or table sizes. The shields are enclosed for protection, provide strong visibility, and feature a pass through cut out. The partitions are ideal for use in retail, offices, medical practices, hospitality, and beauty salons.
Central Cleaning Supplies 1300 347 347 www.centralcleaning.com.au
Cleanstar 03 9460 5655 sales@cleanstar.com.au www.cleanstar.com.au
Pullman Commander PV900 Backpack Vacuum A high-powered commercial backpack designed for maximum user comfort in any commercial setting. Featuring the world-first Comfort System harness complete with three height settings, anti-vibration and air ventilation systems, a turbo suction mode and HEPA13 filtration for a healthier environment. • Transforms into a powerful blower • Eco and Turbo modes for tailored suction strength • Professional-grade HEPA13 filter ensures clean air output
Godfreys 1800 815 270 corporate@godfreys.com.au www.godfreys.com.au 74 INCLEAN January / February 2021
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