It could be argued that ensuring an industrial plant is kept
clean is a fairly straightforward function. However, says
Charlie McCarthy, divisional director for Industrial FM at
Interserve, the ultimate challenge for a support services
provider is to ensure that the service delivered factors in the
criticality of each piece of plant equipment and the impact
that it can have on the profitable operation of the site

The difficult economic climate clearly
presents new challenges to industrial
and manufacturing companies, with
fears of a ‘double-dip’ recession causing most
senior managers to review budgets. This can
potentially put a well-planned cleaning and
support services schedule at risk as the
demand for short-term savings outweighs
the promise of long-term efficiency gains.

However, even with these issues it is
essential that companies review their cleaning
and maintenance plans, to ensure existing
equipment is operating at peak efficiency and
ultimately to limit downtime, which clearly
has a major impact on profitability.

Outsource the resource?
Using an outsourced provider enables
companies to focus on the business activities
that are core to them, putting their skills and
expertise to the best use and using external
providers to deliver the additional services
required for a plant to run efficiently.

Outsourcing can, of course, also reduce
costs – being able to buy in multi-skilled staff
means that workers do not have to be trained
internally. In addition, having staff that are
skilled in more than one area means that if a
cleaning schedule has to fit around a 24/7
environment, or if problems arise on site,
then the team is ready for any eventuality.

The right provider could also raise the bar
in the standard of cleaning provided. For
example, Interserve not only ensures that
floors are kept clean but also looks for
anything 6ft above this level, ensuring a
more through and stringent cleaning regime
is delivered. For quick evidence and
reporting so that at any one time any
individual can see what has been completed,
a list of duties is completed on a daily basis.

Safe and sound
It’s not just about keeping a site clean though,
it’s about keeping it safe. For example, the
wrong spillage in the wrong place could lead
to part of the plant being shut down which
could amount to upwards of tens of
thousands of pounds per hour, and once lost,
this time and revenue can never be
reclaimed.

If an incident can be prevented by
ensuring that a planned cleaning schedule is
in place, then it follows that incidents, such
as dust gathering in a piece of equipment or
a spillage stopping an area of the plant from
functioning properly, can also be avoided.

The health and safety implications of a
working industrial environment cannot be
underestimated. Any reputable support
services provider will be expected to adhere
to stringent site regulations, as well as adding
its own value through improving practices
that help to change the day-to-day behaviour
of individuals and contribute towards a safer
working environment.

Importantly, health and safety will have a
direct impact on plant productivity and, an
effectively managed site can realise
significant efficiency improvements when
the right culture is developed.

So this may see teams actively encouraged
to report any safety issues, such as spillages,
blockages, a build up of potentially-explosive
dust and so on, which, if left unchecked,
could result in equipment downtime or an
area of the factory having to be temporarily
closed.

In summary, cleaning must be seen as a
vital part of every day industrial plant life.

Not only so that everything ‘looks’ clean and
gives a positive impression to both visitors
and employees, but because it can have a
very real impact on productivity, health and
safety and, of course, ? the bottom line.