Business View Oceania | April 2021

41 42 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA APRIL 2021 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA APRIL 2021 www.cleaningsupplies.net.nz Auckland 09 358 3881, 0800 269 253 / 0800 2NZCLEAN, 8 Stanway Place, Ellerslie, Auckland 1023 Wellington 0800 269 253 / 0800 2NZCLEAN, 34 Kaiwharawhara Rd, Kaiwharawhara 6035 World-Class & Sustainable NZ Cleaning Supplies are experts in delivering world-class, sustainable cleaning and hygiene solutions. NZ’s No.1 Cleaning Supplies company PPCS FAC I L I TY SERV I CES products that use ‘good’ bacteria to tackle waste, stains, and odours. Admittedly, there are times where you have to use something that isn’t quite as green, but we’re always trying to use the most sustainable product available.” The company’s forward-thinking approach does not end with its commitment to sustainability. PPCS has embraced mobile technology to simultaneously improve the quality of its service and keep its staff safe. “We have developed a mobile app that can be used both as a communication tool and a quality management tool,” Sarel says. “In addition, we’re currently rolling out a program that allows our staff to log in and out of their jobs via their mobile phones. It will be geo-located so when they log in, we actually know that they’re logging in at work from their site. It’s helping us from a payroll perspective, but there’s also a health and safety component, which is just fantastic.” Planning for the future, Sarel adds that PPCS is exploring ways of further incorporating technology into its cleaning services, through auto-scrubbers and other forms of robotics- based solutions. Looking longer term, the company aims to be recognised as the preferred supplier of cleaning services across New Zealand. “For me, it’s never been about the size of our organisation,” Sarel admits. “Our wish list simply involves becoming the first sustainable cleaning company that our customers think of. It may be a little bit of a pie in the sky dream, but I think it’s definitely something we can achieve.” drop the ball with anyone.” The growth that PPCS has experienced over the last year or so presents another challenge around hiring, namely, finding the right managers to oversee such a pronounced expansion. Sarel says that PPCS conducts most of its new staff training in-house, as it is the best way of ensuring that individuals are a good cultural fit for the company. He emphasises, “People can have all the right qualifications on their CVs, but having the right attitude is more important than having the right skills.” The importance that PPCS places on getting its recruitment right has allowed the firm to largely avoid the high turnover of employees that is normally observed in the cleaning industry. “We probably have the lowest turnover rate in the industry,” says Sarel. “We have members of staff that have been working with us for over 20 years. Of course, around 20 percent of our workforce is transient – perhaps they are students or individuals that are between jobs and looking for a stopgap. This turnover will always be there but, on the whole, we have a very stable workforce.” Aside from using a reliable, consistent workforce, another strength that PPCS is rightly proud of is its embrace of sustainability. The company’s waste management services in Wellington, for example, utilises 12 electric vans, one electric truck, and two electric cars. In total, there remains just one internal combustion engine vehicle used by PPCS across the entirety of its contract with Wellington City Council. In a similar vein, the cleaning products used by PPCS also embody the firm’s environmentally friendly ethos. “One of our focuses is to be among the most sustainable cleaning companies around,” Sarel reports. “Everything we use either has the environmental choice tick of approval or is bio-enzymatic – essentially, chemical-free