Cleaning up facilities management

The market

According to the Office of National Statistics, the UK cleaning industry (domestic and industrial) in 2012 had an estimated turnover of £4.7bn. Mid downturn, the industry was holding its own and indications are that it will keep on growing. The industrial, or commercial, elements of this market are perhaps most protected thanks to the regulations that govern hygiene requirements and the use of chemicals – regulations that cannot be compromised regardless of the state of the economy.

The Industrial Cleaning Activities Market Research Report 2013 predicts that, despite the recession, revenue in the industrial cleaning sector is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 1.8% through 2014.  

The benefits of effective commercial cleaning are tangible. The spread of infection can be minimised, reducing absenteeism; good office and building maintenance can help improve returns on property development and reduce dilapidation costs, and good cleaning can create a safer working environment. According to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, infections cost the NHS an estimated £1 billion each year. £944 million of this cost relates to hospital-based infections. The introduction of one new cleaner into a hospital ward can achieve savings of between £30,000 and £70,000.  

So where next?  There are two main drivers pushing the industry forward, both of which remain significant facilities management issues: the green agenda and cost management.

The green agenda

The ongoing focus by businesses on sustainability is having a marked impact on the disruptive technologies being developed for commercial cleaning use.  

According to PIRA International’s ‘The Future of Green Cleaning Products’ the environmental status of products is changing.  This is in part due to governmental legislation, partly due to a drive by manufacturers to reduce their own carbon footprints and be more environmentally responsible, and also due to customer demand for products that are sustainable and less ‘harsh’. 

At Office Depot, we are already seeing increased demand from customers for cleaning products that contain natural ingredients – such as the Ecover range – especially by customers which have strict sustainability targets like Marks and Spencer. This demand is likely to become more discerning with some natural ingredients that have experienced a backlash from environmentalists, like palm oil and coconut oil, being replaced by new ingredients or even those produced as a result of developments in biotechnology.     

However, environmental developments are not restricted to cleaning solutions and chemicals. One development likely to have a marked impact on the commercial cleaning market is microfiber and demand for complete microfiber trolley systems is rapidly increasing as enlightened facilities managers look for products that can deliver more for less. 

Microfiber can dramatically reduce – and even eliminate – the need for cleaning chemicals. Each fibre is thinner than a human hair enabling it to penetrate and clean cracks that traditional cleaning cloths and mops cannot. The sustainable benefit comes in the longevity of the product. Top quality microfiber pads and cloths can be washed at 95 degrees Celsius 500 times before they need replacing.  

Cost management

Despite the fact that the commercial cleaning market has been protected from the most severe impacts of the downturn, it is not recession proof and the continued pressures on the industries it serves means that cost remains a massive driver shaping the market. However, procurement driven cost savings are reaching their limits and as the UK has its first experience of growth for a number of years, so the procurement pressures on the cleaning industry are likely to lessen.  

Focus is likely to shift towards innovations such as effective dilution control systems and multi-use products. Dilution control systems, such as Diversey’s SmartDose, bring simplicity to dilution control, providing cleaning operatives with the ability to dilute concentrated cleaning solutions. This not only helps save product amounts but it also helps maximise the standard of cleaning as incorrect dilution can result in the deposit of oily residues on surfaces. Similarly, multi-use products can help businesses reduce costs by minimising the administration investment involved in multiple risk assessments and storage.