When you’re operating a large facility, you face multiple challenges. Managing costs can be an ongoing battle but there are four key areas in which savings opportunities exist. They are:

• labour costs;
• understanding your environment;
• identifying ways to reduce chemical and water usage; and
• keeping your equipment well maintained.

Reduce costs of labour

Approximately two thirds of the costs of cleaning can be attributed to labour. The better equipped your employees are to perform the tasks required of them, the more productive and efficient they can be. When looking at lowering labour costs, the first answer does not have to be to hire fewer workers or terminate existing employees.

• Provide adequate training – Ensure your team are properly trained in all aspects of their roles. Rather than a set-and-forget option, ongoing training is vital to ensure everyone is across current processes, policies and procedures.
• Invest in up to date equipment – Technology advances rapidly and with every new generation of a machine, efficiencies are greatly improved.
  • Machines that feature pre-set options make it possible for crews to start their cleaning tasks immediately and mean shift changeover is seamless.
  • Newer battery-operated machines can run for the duration of an entire shift without needing to be recharged.
  • Mixing by hand is redundant when you have equipment that automatically mixes chemicals and water.
  • Equipment that boasts on-board maintenance features requires far less time to be spent on manual maintenance.
• Choose machines wisely – When you purchase machines from the same family, your operators needn’t waste time learning a range of different systems. Purchasing multiple machines from a single supplier is usually more economical as well.

Understand your environment

Before investing in new equipment or tools to keep your facility in clean and safe condition, it’s important to be mindful of:

• the layout and size of your facility;
• the floor surface and coating types found in and around it; and
• the various kinds of dirt, dust, debris and other pollutants in play.

Identify ways to reduce chemical and water usage

Excess water charges and the cost of chemicals can dramatically impact your bottom line. It’s also important to limit their usage in order to meet your organisation’s sustainability goals. Technologies are available to clean a wide variety of different contaminants without the use of conventional chemicals. For instance, machines that electrically convert water into highly effective cleaning solutions offer three major benefits:

1. They use up to 70 percent less water than what is required with chemicals.
2. They eliminate the use of costly chemicals.
3. Your cleaning crews can continue working up to three times as long without having to stop to empty then refill the tank.

Well maintained equipment saves you money

When you invest in quality cleaning equipment, it’s important to keep it well maintained so they perform optimally and last longer, saving money in the long run. Here are some tips to keep your machines working more efficiently, for longer:

• Train operators appropriately – When operators are fully trained in the use of the machines, they handle them correctly. This means less chance of breakdowns or damage (to the machine or the surfaces it works on).
• Make proactive maintenance a priority – Set up a simple service and maintenance schedule and assign an employee the duty of ensuring it is attended to. If issues are resolved as they arise, they are more manageable and less costly.
• Draw up a service checklist – Keep operators accountable for the smooth running of the machines they use by having them complete a step-by-step checklist that covers routine service requirements.
• Conduct regular and routine equipment inspections – Have your operators and team supervisors inspect machines after each use to check for wear and tear, leaks and other indicators of problems.