Over the past two years, it’s often been the service sector of the economy which has been in the spotlight. So it’s easy to underestimate the importance of manufacturing to the UK. UN data shows that the UK is the ninth-largest manufacturing nation in the world. And within the country, the sector is concentrated in certain powerhouses. As a Midlands-based company, we know that the East and West Midlands form the heart of UK manufacturing. The region has long been known for automotive products, from consumer cars and black cabs to tanks and plant machinery. World-leading companies include Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, Tarmac, Bombardier, and Toyota UK. But the Midlands is also home to businesses of all sizes producing food and drink, cookware, carpets, clothing, furniture, tools, and technology. With its bustling network of small- to medium-sized manufacturers, the region accounts for around a fifth of all UK manufacturing output.
When it comes to manufacturing sector cleaning, we know what we’re doing here at Fidelis. So we thought we’d take the opportunity in this blog to answer five FAQs for potential new manufacturing sector clients.
- Why is cleaning a workplace so important in the manufacturing sector?
We always like to start from the basics. Rather than seeing it only as an unavoidable cost, we always encourage clients to treat cleaning as an investment in the development of their business. With the right cleaning strategy and expertise, manufacturers can protect the welfare and morale of employees and visitors. They also project a professional image to customers. And of course, cleaning properly helps to provide a safe and healthy workplace, which is a key component of health and safety at work regulations.
With so much at stake when it comes to conforming to regulations, it’s simply not worth cutting corners. Here at Fidelis, we’ve got the expertise to deliver some of the more specialist cleaning that manufacturing sites demand, including confined-space cleaning. At a time when infection control is so important, effective cleaning and disinfection are also vital for business continuity.
- How often should you have your manufacturing site cleaned?
The answer to this depends on a number of factors, including the size of your premises, the number of employees, the frequency of visitors, and what your site does. An effective cleaning strategy can involve reactive cleaning, preventative cleaning, and infection control. Our deep cleaning services restore spaces to their immaculate best, while housekeeping services ensure these spaces remain in great, work-friendly condition. And both types of services play a part in controlling infection to keep employees, customers, and visitors safe.
Every organisation we work with is unique, so we’ll always start by assessing your circumstances before recommending a cleaning strategy. When we’ve determined the most suitable strategy, we can provide cleaning and infection control services around the clock to minimise disruption and get the best possible results. However, we do recommend that washroom facilities, kitchens/canteens, and communal areas with high traffic are cleaned as a minimum every working day.
- What are some of the practicalities of outsourcing cleaning for manufacturers?
If you chose to outsource your cleaning duties to us, we’d become responsible for the employment, management, and wages of any existing cleaning operatives in your business. This is under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) regulations, also called TUPE. These were introduced to protect the rights of employees when a contract such as a commercial cleaning agreement transfers from one company to another. They also simplify the process of outsourcing for employers to leave you with more time and resources to spend on core business responsibilities. As we become responsible for the operatives, they’ll be trained by us and work to our processes, meaning you get the best return on your cleaning investment without any disruption.
We can quote based on a set number of hours of cleaning. We always carry out a time and motion exercise first to verify that our time-based quotes are accurate. There are a variety of factors that influence our charge rates, including operative pay rates and TUPE. While there’s no single set hourly rate, we use these factors to ensure your requirements are met in the most cost-efficient way.
- How does Fidelis maintain and monitor standards?
We ensure our audits are reflective of our Service Level Agreement (SLA), and they can be tailored to suit your site and the frequency of our cleaning. We normally carry out our auditing process every four to six weeks to ensure all work meets standards agreed by the customer and the specification. Your dedicated contracts manager will complete this process using a tablet device collecting photographic evidence with actions. The audit is also tracked by GPS, and is time and date stamped. The information collated from the audit is then shared with our operatives in a constructive manner and can form part of our monthly meetings.
- Which cleaning products does Fidelis use in manufacturing sector cleaning?
We know that manufacturers are under pressure to be more sustainable in all their business practices. We use a well-refined family of safe, high-quality chemicals and agents that we and our operatives know extremely well. All our products come from the CloverIT range. They have simple pictorial instruction labels which match the national colour-coded standards and processes to prevent accidental misuse and cross-contamination. All products are supplied as necessary to complete the specified duties. As well as effectiveness, all chemicals and agents supplied are chosen for environmental friendliness and are compliant with COSHH (The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) regulations. What’s more, all Fidelis site operatives are trained to advanced COSHH certification. So not only are we looking after the safety of our manufacturing sector clients’ workplaces, but we’re also making sure they’re sustainable too.
To find out more about Fidelis Group and our expertise in manufacturing sector cleaning, contact one of the team today.
- Telephone: 0845 431 0382 | 0121 289 3258
Post by Jon Shaw
Jon is Managing Director at Fidelis Contract Services Ltd, a business dedicated to performance and professionalism in contract cleaning. Having been part of Fidelis for four years, and MD since December 2021, Jon knows the value of the company’s staff in building trust for successful long-term partnerships with clients in a range of sectors.
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