Communication inside and outside the industry

3rd of September 2013 Article by Markus Asch
Communication inside and outside the industry

Markus Asch, vice chairman of the management board at cleaning equipment manufacturer Kärcher and president of EUnited Cleaning, writes his latest blog for the ECJ website. He emphasises the importance of the cleaning industry communicating the value of its work to the wider public.

I am looking forward to the upcoming CMS, this year's industry event. It will bring together all who share the goal of delivering the best possible solutions to their customers' cleaning tasks. To do so they analyse customers' needs and problems in depth, which enables them to demonstrate economically efficient methods of cleaning and maintaining the value of the premises in question.

An important aspect of this is communication between those involved, who represent the entire range of services and offers in our industry, along the lines of an information chain. This kind of interaction has obvious advantages. Contributing a wide range of expertise and bringing together widely differing perspectives enhances the quality of the solution-finding process. Manufacturers' expertise must be supplemented by user competence. The CMS trade fair is of fundamental significance as a networking platform because it channels the exchange of views and know-how.

However, this is not just about communication within the industry. We must also emphasise the value of our work more clearly to the general public. Cleaning is much more than delivering visible cleanliness. It is one of the most basic human needs. As citizens of highly developed industrial nations we may rarely be aware of its indisputable importance.

Moreover, dirt and cleanliness are highly emotive. In a clean environment we feel good, while dirt is associated with negative emotions. The best-known model in this connection is the US psychologist Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which places cleanliness directly above elementary physical needs such as food and sleep. This general insight is most clearly apparent in instances where dirt endangers life and health.

At the existential level that affects all human beings, cleanliness is about preventing sickness and epidemics, while in an industrial environment, for example, safety requirements come to bear. For instance, by cleaning a floor and making it safe to walk on you are pursuing several goals such as environmental protection and accident prevention.

We must intensify our efforts to communicate the value of our work in all its facets. We will then succeed in generating significant growth potential for our industry.


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