ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

MITIE, one of the UK’s largest building services companies, has changed the name of its cleaning and environmental business to Environmental +.

The Environmental + business provides cleaning, pest control, landscaping, waste recycling and winter gritting. It has over 32,000 employees.

The new name, MITIE says, reflects its integrated approach to the provision of soft services, with a more joined-up sustainable offering for clients. The workforce is therefore becoming more multi-skilled, reducing the number of visits management makes to a site.

David Johnson, managing director of Environmental + said: “With our name change to Environmental + it really is a case of ‘not business as usual’.  We have realigned the way
our team works so that there is a truly seamless operational delivery for the benefit of our clients.”

Separate teams

Speaking exclusively to ECJ Johnson explained: “For over 25 years we’ve had the word ‘cleaning’  in our business title and it’s something we’ve been very proud of.  Over the years however our business also built up separate teams in pest control, landscaping and winter gritting, with the result that these teams were able to handle multinational contracts and also integrate with cleaning when needed. This was an innovative methodology at the time.

“But the change to Environmental + has been on the cards for a while now – many of our clients already use various combinations of our services and this is the final push in that direction, bringing together cleaning, waste and recycling, landscaping, gritting and pest control under one roof with one single point of contact.

“The way it works is very simple; clients can still use us for one service, say, cleaning. But they can then add another service with no fuss, at a moment’s notice.  They can have cleaning plus waste plus gritting. Or pest control plus landscaping.  Our operational teams have been moving closer together for a long time and the synergies this produces with just one reporting structure
are compelling.”

Johnson went on to highlight the events leading to the change. “We’ve learned that it’s a demanding time for clients right now. I don’t think there’s a single client business or sector that’s not under intense pressure, cost-wise and we’ve all lived with this for several years now.

“I’ve noticed that clients want even less paperwork, a flatter reporting structure, often coupled with more accountability. It’s worth noting that most clients are still interested in our sustainable credentials and approach to the planet. This may be down to reporting needs but I suspect that they are genuinely concerned too for our long-term future.”

He went on: “Hand in hand with the need for better management information is the need to reduce costs.  It’s always been there of course – nothing new, but there is a greater urgency to ensure that costs are managed. Anyone in the cleaning industry reading this will know that each department in their own company faces the same cost pressures and we recognise that clients rightly demand more innovation and more savings.”

More services

As far as clients are concerned, MITIE is promising a new approach to the marketplace that allows them to add more services as they need them - under a single management team. “Integrating as many services as possible reduces something else that’s really vital for clients and that’s time,” said Johnson. “It means we and our client management don’t need to meet up so often. Meeting once a week covering lots of activities is far better than four separate meetings with different teams. It means our people don’t need to make so many visits, reducing carbon footprints and it also allows busy clients to concentrate on their day job.”

Cleaners will continue to do their usual jobs but with more opportunities to multi-skill. “I am particularly enthusiastic about our Lean Academy, which is training up hundreds of our supervisors and account managers in lean six sigma techniques,” Johnson said.

www.mitie.com