Business View Oceania | April 2021

57 58 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA APRIL 2021 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA APRIL 2021 of approximately 160, working together with some key partners. However, as Allan says, “We’re a little bit different to the big guys… we compete with the big players in the market, we’re big enough to do that, but we’re still family-owned and we care about what we do. I’ve never used the word ‘cares’ to describe any other company that I’ve worked for, but I can certainly do so to describe UMS-NZ as a company and its ethos. Everyone I talk to – be it clients, end users, staff, the wider community – the word that always comes up is ‘care’. We genuinely care - we don’t manage by spreadsheet from head office, which the big guys tend to do.” To help deliver specialist FM tasks for their clients, UMS-NZ occasionally partner with experts in a specific field. They value partnerships that are transparent and reliable, such as their partnership with 100% New Zealand owned and operated company PPCS (Professional Property & Cleaning Services). PPCS’s values are well-aligned to those of UMS- NZ; they provide approximately 50 employees to carry out contracted cleaning and sanitation of buildings for UMS-NZ. Looking after a significant part of Auckland Council for its entire facilities management is of course a sizeable undertaking for UMS-NZ, given (a) the wide scope of the contract, (b) the number of stakeholders involved in or affected by the contract and (c) the complexity of the work detail required. It’s undoubtedly one of the most varied contracts of its kind in New Zealand. Customers and Other Stakeholders A customer-focused attitude also sets UMS-NZ apart. Allan reports, “What sets us apart is our can-do attitude and our willingness to work with our clients. When they’ve got something they’re not happy with we tend to just go, ‘Oh, let’s have a look at it,’ instead of saying, ‘It’s not spec and we’re not doing it’. Again, it comes back to us truly caring.” One of the biggest challenges the company has to contend with is having different stakeholders within their customers who have varying views that need to be taken into consideration. This challenge has led the company to include a principle known as ‘design thinking’ into its client offering, whereby a facilitator is brought in (at UMS-NZ’s cost) to discuss proactive problem solving with the client and relevant stakeholders. Another challenge is having to ensure that a client’s assets look pristine all the time whilst ensuring service-related costings remain viable for UMS-NZ. Deciding between fixing an asset, such as an air-conditioning unit, and replacing it, is a constant balancing act. A Sustainable Company There is a strong emphasis on environmental issues at UMS-NZ. For example, the company is close to diverting up to 50 percent of waste away from landfill. Another initiative is working Are You Looking For A Fast, Friendly & Professional Team To Take Care Of All Your Property Maintenance Needs? Window Cleaning Commercial Property Maintenance Full Painting Services Building Washing Gutter Cleaning Pressure Washing High Rise Window Cleaning Floor Cleaning & Restoration TradieVac www.nzfacilities.co.nz | 0800 567 472 Tubman Heating Limited We supply, install and service boilers, burners, heaters, calorifiers, valves, expansion vessels and related heating equipment. WWW. T U B M A N . C O . N Z +64 9 444 5076 URBAN MA INTENANCE SYSTEMS NEW ZEALAND (UMS-NZ)