COVER STORY
A CLEAN SHEET
The changing face of the facilities services industry has triggered an urgent
need for new ways of working. Stuart Hands from Tork manufacturer Essity explains how data-driven cleaning can bring huge benefits to this sector.
The facilities services industry is in a state of flux.
On the one hand, demand for FM services continues to rise. According to one report a staggering $780bn in global revenue was brought in by the industry in 2016. And this figure is projected to rise to $945bn by 2025.
On the other hand, the sector is facing key challenges. These include low profit margins, high staff turnover, high levels of absenteeism and a frequent change in customer base. This is particularly the case in cleaning: The Domestic Cleaning Alliance estimates that the average cleaning company loses up to 55% of its total customer base each year.
The customer environment itself is also changing rapidly. Large, high-traffic facilities such as airports and stadiums are becoming more versatile and complex in their design and use. As a result, service providers are increasingly being required to handle irregular and unpredictable traffic – which means that traditional approaches to cleaning are no longer able to meet shifting customer demands.
Meanwhile, the cleaning and FM industries remain highly dependent on labour. As electronic and automated systems bring efficiencies to workplaces everywhere, labour costs in the cleaning sector still account for around 70-75% of the total.
In the past, businesses have tried to boost efficiency by asking staff to achieve more in the same amount of time. But this can lead to high rates of staff turnover and absenteeism along with all the costs this entails. It is therefore critical that service providers do what they can to keep their employees happy and engaged.
Both the cleaning and facility services industries are looking to seize new opportunities to enhance efficiency. But in these relatively low profit-margin sectors, how can they be sure that any investment in innovation will pay off?
Data-driven cleaning is providing a new route to efficiency gains. For example, facilities management software solution Tork EasyCube® can reduce cleaning time while also enhancing efficiency and improving service quality.
Tork EasyCube uses sensors placed in washroom dispensers and on doors to “connect” areas in large
44 | TOMORROW’S FM
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