Industry News C
&
M
It’s time to go on
the offensive
Raising standards:
IN THIS ISSUE
According to Plimsoll
Publishing Ltd, 116 of the
top 1000 businesses in the
3
UK cleaning services indus-
try are woefully exposed to
News
being snapped up as a ‘bar-
7
gain acquisition’. The
research suggests compa-
A call to arms
Contracts
nies that have built up cash
8
reserves over the last few
years now need to seize the
BCC News
moment and make an
C&M’s regular news update
acquisition while it is still a
from the voice of the
buyers’ market.
untary code of practice over 160 countries, Ecolab is by BICSc accreditation, they
industry - the British Cleaning
David Pattison, senior
before somebody in a global leader in cleaning, will ultimately get better
Council.
analyst and author of the
Whitehall thinks of it and sanitising, food safety and standards of cleaning for 9
latest Plimsoll Analysis, said:
decides that it could be a infection prevention products their budget.
“It is clear that the recession
good way of raising money and services. A letter to the editor of
Golden Service
has caused a sea change in
to employ a few thousand Cleaning & Maintenance, Awards
the cleaning services indus-
more unnecessary civil ser- Join up to follow the flag telling him - and through him A report on one of the win-
try and for companies with
vants. We also think that the his readers - why the BICSc ners from the 2009 Golden
cash to spend, there is a
industry and its customers Please show your support for Accredited Cleaning Systems Service Awards.
pool of targets to choose
would benefit from an the BICSc Accredited Standards scheme will bene-
from. With the market start-
agreed and standardised sys- Cleaning Systems Standards fit both cleaning businesses
ing to recover its better to
tem of colour coding for by joining the Institute - if and their customers will get
spend some of that cash on
chemicals and materials, as a you are not already a mem- the campaign for higher
a discount acquisition than
means of reducing the risk of ber - and by becoming a part standards in British cleaning
have it sat in the bank.”
mistakes and increasing effi- of a campaign of ‘Letters to off the ground more quickly
Pattison suggests that
ciency. the Editor’ of this magazine, than any other approach.
there are 5 factors at the
There is also the issue of expressing your approval of We can help by offering a
heart of this: “The recession
Briefs
10
CARPEX/WINDEX
2010 PREVIEW
15
BICSc Journal
approved standards for and support for the stan- couple of examples of the
has forced 282 companies How can we all contribute
cleaning machinery, materials dards. kind of letters we hope that
16
in the market into a loss to raising standards across
and equipment. Until now, It will take quite a while for you will write in support of Special Report:
making position. As prof- the cleaning industry?
the lack of agreed standards the widely scattered small the scheme, as well as a list
itability has fallen so have Stan Atkins, CEO of The
has also meant that those businesses that make up the of other relevant FM publica-
Window Cleaning
company valuations. In fact British Institute of
buying cleaning machines, majority of the UK cleaning tions you might also wish to 19
one company has seen its Cleaning Science, has a
chemicals and other products trade to become aware of approach. Further details are
value fall to just 40% of its few ideas...
have had very little independ- the BICSc Accredited available from:
Incentive QAS
previous high. For a compa-
ent information available to Cleaning Systems Standards, ceris@cbimarketing.com. 20
ny looking for a cheap and Let’s start with what I don’t
enable them to distinguish and even longer for the And please join the
easy way to ‘buy in’ some want to achieve. I am not a
between what was effective cleaning industry’s customers Institute, and gain the right
Special Report:
extra market share there are ‘good committee man’, and
and good value for money in business, the public sector to put MBICSc after your Carpet & Upholstery
some bargains to be had. have no wish to run the
and what was not. and the general public to name, by going to
“Despite the lock down in cleaning industry by impos-
It became clear during the realise that, by insisting that www.bics.org.uk. Together
Cleaning
the financial sector, corpo- ing a set of arbitrary rules to
last couple of years that one their cleaning contracts are we can raise the standard 20
rate debts are still rising. 48 make the place look tidy. I do
way of establishing reliable carried out using machines and keep the flag flying for
companies in the UK clean- not own, and do not wish to
and acknowledged bench- and materials that are backed decades to come.
New Products
Inside
ing services industry now own, a clip board. I relish the
marks of quality and per-
have debt levels which I fact that the cleaning indus-
formance would be for the
would class as unmanage- try is, to a large extent, run
British Institute of Cleaning
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able. Some great businesses by hard-working individual-
Science to take the lead by
are available for those able ists who primarily want to
creating recognised stan-
to finance a bail out. make an honest living with-
dards for cleaning products
“We are seeing an ageing out interference.
and systems. That has now
set of owners in the market However, me and my col-
happened and, during
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with 500 individuals work- leagues at the British Institute
January 2010, the Institute
ing beyond retirement age. of Cleaning Science are
announced the launch of
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How many of these older acutely aware that the British
new Accredited Cleaning
owners have the appetite to cleaning industry is probably
Systems Standards for clean-
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rebuild their businesses bat- the least regulated profession
ing equipment and systems
tered by the last 2 years? Of in the land and that it is
manufactured and/or market- +HDOWKFDUH
course some will still have entirely possible for operators
ed by corporate members of
the stomach for it but for of less than perfect ethical
the Institute.
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many a potential sale must standards to come into the
The first company to be
be a serious consideration. business, take the public for
awarded BICSc Accreditation
“Those companies that a ride and get us all a bad
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is Ecolab, for its institutional
didn’t make quick, targeted name. We have no wish for
and industrial cleaning and
cuts in the face of falling legislation for legislation’s
sanitising products. With
demand are no longer com- sake, but believe that our
sales of $6 billion and more
petitive in the current mar- industry needs to agree a vol-
than 26,000 associates in
ket. 446 such companies
are now well behind the
curve and a merger or
takeover could be the best
Carpex/Windex 2010
6WHDP 9DF3UR
way to recoup the
EDU:
economies of scale quickly. 18 & 19 March 2010
“I was shocked at the
level of cash in the market
Ricoh Arena, Coventry
currently. I identified 400
companies that I would
See Pages 10-14
class as ‘cash rich’ that have
the facilities to finance the
right deal at the right Integral acquires property
3UR9DSYDF
EDU:
price.”
The new Plimsoll Industry
maintenance business
Analysis - Cleaning Services
gives an instant perform-
Integral UK has acquired the Midlands-based business of SGMS
ance rating on the top 1000
Technical Services Ltd from its appointed administrators, KPMG.
companies in the market, an
The transaction sees 112 SGMS employees transferred to
overview of which compa-
Integral, together with plant, vehicles, equipment, and 30 con-
nies are ripe for acquisition,
tracted customers. Integral has taken a three months licence on
and who is set to be buying.
the SGMS premises in Solihull, ahead of transferring the opera-
*DOD[\
EDU:
Readers of Cleaning and
tions to Integral’s Birmingham office.
Maintenance are entitled to
Bryan Glastonbury, Integral’s managing director, said: “When
a £50 discount of this new
SGMS Technical Services succumbed to receivership, we
6LPSOHVFLHQFHVLPSO\ZDWHU
special edition of the
stepped in to retain an experienced team and sustain services
Plimsoll Industry Analysis -
to an excellent portfolio of customers. Those customers will
Cleaning Services. Call
now benefit from the Integral formula, based on providing a
01642 626400 for further
comprehensive range of maintenance services, delivered by
details and quote reference
directly employed, trained, and supervised skilled personnel in
7HO
PR/SV20.
every postcode area in Britain.” )D[
www.plimsoll.co.uk
www.integral.co.uk
(PDLOLQIR#RVSUH\GFFRP:HEZZZRVSUH\GFFRP
March 2010 C&M3
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