Teaching An Old Industry New Tricks says Michael Wilson, marketing director for AFFLINK. “Successful companies are now looking at their facilities’ budgets more holistically and in the context of their overall profits and losses. Seeing that a product may save 10 percent on the buy side may not be a wise investment once the cost of acquisition, possession and application of that product are factored in.” it comes to investing in new equipment, products and processes. For some, lack of funds is the reason; but, for others, lack of proper education remains a barrier. But, today’s automated, “smarter” tools and equipment can improve both produc-tivity and results, shifting the debate. And, forward-thinking BSCs and in-house managers now side with long-term value over short-term savings. “We are constantly looking for innovative ways to reduce labor, but still provide the same level of service to our customers,” says Susan Popovic, president of Cleaner Living Services, an Illinois-based BSC. “As an example, during the recession, we invested in machinery and equipment to reduce labor hours. A daily maintenance project that took eight hours a day is now reduced to 45 minutes.” According to Popovic, her company was able to keep costs lower and not reflect any increases to clients. “We continually think of ways to stabilize prices and rely on the partnership with our suppliers to introduce us to the latest innovations in our industry,” comments Popovic. “Every day, we are thinking about how we could provide the same services for our building owners without raising prices — we just have to work smarter and rely on manufacturers to continually introduce us to new ways to improve our business operations.” Reducing costs and delivering the same results challenged equipment and chemi-cal manufacturers in our industry over the past decade and more. In fact, innovation and change on several fronts of the industry continue to advance our businesses. “Innovation throughout the industry con-tinues to power change,” concurs Peter Henson, president and owner of The Henson Sales Group. “Whether it be new product technology, developments in sus-tainability, legislation mandating product reformulations and compliance, logistics and supply chain developments or imple-mentation of new communication tools and software platforms, better, faster, cheaper is what drives most purchasing decisions throughout the channel, and the ability to harness and adopt these changes determines success or failure.” Older Industry Getting Younger Many businesses in the JanSan industry are family-owned and family-operated. As young cleaning professionals and business owners enter the market, shifts on many of the topics discussed so far will change at an even more rapid pace. “As more young people become involved in our industry, it will change exponen-tially,” predicts Guy DiLullo, owner of Alternative Sales Inc. “It’s amazing that there are salespeople in this industry who are still not comfortable on the computer.” DiLullo also believes that green cleaning is not going away, but there is a large edu-cation curve that has to be crossed with regard to capabilities and a definition as to what “green cleaning” actually is. “Everyone says they want their buildings to be cleaned green, but most only think it’s by changing their chemicals — it’s far more than that,” DiLullo adds. Young generations are more prone to advocate and use green and sustainable processes because their education and awareness is heightened. Green cleaning and being more sustain-able, albeit not new trends at all, continue to evolve in this industry. For some, green is not a trend at all, but rather the norm today. “Green cleaning is no longer a trend; it is a way of doing business and it is here to stay,” explains Popovic. “The green movement has compelled initial skeptics to now focus their attention on delivering more environmentally friendly services and products. As the market matures, there will be a demand for services from businesses that understand how to cater and actually deliver the specifics rather than just gre-enwashing.” Henson believes green cleaning is a growing sub-segment of the cleaning industry and BSCs need to demonstrate proficiency by earning certifications such as ISSA’s Cleaning Industry Management Standard for Green Buildings (CIMS-GB) or Green Seal Inc.’s GS-42. One communications and marketing trend that will also further develop as young people enter the market is the use Moving Onward And Upward New approaches to business, commu-nications and technology have changed the face and perception of the JanSan industry. The professionals we interviewed for this article all agreed that business moving forward has changed, for better or worse, and adapting to this change is key. Clearly, the nation is not clear from being affected by key economic indicators, and the recession effect will impact our indus-try for many years to come. However, we learned a lot during this time, and our industry made significant advancements. “When times are good, margins are fat and the government coiffeurs are full — there is no motivation to seek innovation that will reduce costs,” explains Mark Bozich, president of NISSCO LLC. “This new economy has created opportunities for the distributor that attacks the problem not as a race to zero on existing products to the same customers, but uses the mar-ket as a rationale to present more efficient systems, which will reduce their total cost of usage and cleaning.” According to Bozich, the recession will continue for those who are holding onto the old ways of merely dropping prices to meet demands. However, cleaning professionals who are introducing and implementing total system solutions will prosper moving for-ward. Investing In Our Industry Today, the culmination of developing trends and an emphasis on education and proper training have transformed the JanSan industry and its workers. Many building service contractors (BSCs) and in-house cleaning staff man-agers remain in a “holding stage” when 14 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • October 2012
CMM – Archives Oct 2012: 14
