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Leading the way in digital transitions
14th of July 2026 Article by Lotte Printz
Lotte Printz reports for ECJ from Industry Day in Denmark where cleaning professionals were recognised for achievements in driving digitalisation.
No comment!
To be honest, this famous phrase often used by elusive politicians and in television crime stories wasn’t actually said out loud on this occasion where sharing knowledge is key. And it wasn’t out of ill will either that I was left with no comment from the award winner of a new digital prize presented for the first time at Industry Day 2026 in Odense, Denmark.
Halil Ismail, the award winner in the employee category, simply rushed out of the venue to get back to his cleaning job that he had begun in the middle of the night to take some time off in the morning to receive the award – and there was some unfinished business he had to take care of. That’s dedication for you!
Pivotal role
Mr Ismail, a cleaner from Forenede Service, has been engaged in the company’s applied digital efforts based on its ‘Service Profit Chain’ approach; the purpose of which is not only to boost efficiency, but also to strengthen the connection between employee well-being, order quality and customer experience. In this case, a robotic floor cleaner was implemented, and Mr Ismail played a pivotal role in turning technology into real value.
He himself had a very positive approach to the change and to getting to know this ‘virtual colleague’ by understanding its strengths and weaknesses. The machine has become an integral part of his job and the tasks he’s fulfilling. Besides, Mr Ismail has been the ‘go-to person’ for his other colleagues by reducing any barriers they may have had in using the machine in their everyday work. Naming it has been another way of demystifying and thus embracing this new virtual colleague.
The implementation of a robot has released time for other tasks, and the clients have experienced higher quality cleaning and more consistent standards. As a result of the reduced physical strain from repetitive floor tasks, the cleaning staff have experienced less fatigue. For Halil Ismail, being so deeply involved in the successful implementation has also been a source of pride.
Praise for staff
Speaking to ECJ, the other award winner, in the manager category, was one big smile:
“This is truly great. I hadn’t seen it coming as I feel as if I’m just doing my job, which is basically to make my employees thrive,” Helle Mølholm, owner and CEO at Ren Service Plus ApS, said. “And I’m deeply touched by their fine words in the nomination.”
Mølholm earned the award for introducing transition from a physical folder that the admin staff at her company handled manually to a full digital solution managing all admin processes, thus facilitating their work.
Even though Mølholm received the award for achievements at managerial level, she was eager to praise her staff:
“In this transition, my principal duty was to make my employees like the idea as much as me. I throw a ball up into the air and – my staff are magnificent – they catch it every time. They have done really well in pulling off this huge task.”
This transition has made operations much more efficient. “Before it was all in our heads and staff had to ‘locate’ other staff to obtain the right information. Now everybody knows everything because we can look it all up,” Mølholm said.
Backbone of cleaning
For a company like hers covering large areas where staff do not necessarily see each other on a daily basis, this is particularly pivotal. In addition, the jury stressed, Helle Mølholm serves as a shining example to other managers who are facing implementation of similar digital solutions that can ease admin procedures for employees, while also ensuring company growth.
One of the cornerstones of this third Industry Day on digital transformation.
“Digitalisation is the backbone of modern cleaning – not an appendix. If you don’t jump on board, you’ll be a thing of the past,” as one of the organisers pointed out in his welcoming speech.
By participating, attendees had taken the first step, though, it was added.
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