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May/June 2012
“Another service we perform, especially with our industrial customers, is keeping track of a client’s inventory. We conduct an analysis of how much product a customer actually uses per week. If a customer typically orders 10 cases of a product per week and, when we check, there are 2 cases remaining, we order 8 cases for them. We offer this service on all the products that the customer orders from Kinney Paper & Chemical.� Training For Customers Important Value-Added Service
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ike many other successful distributorships across North America, Kinney Paper & Chemical has the expertise and experience to offer valuable training for customers. The company prefers to conduct training sessions and/or seminars at the customer’s location. One of Kinney Paper & Chemical’s specialties is the sale and application of floor care products; however, the company is able to train customers on most types of cleaning. “Floor care, especially gym floors, is definitely one of the major areas we specialize in when it comes to training,� Gilda Wettschurack said. “We sell a product that is very quick drying, which is a huge deal for customers who want to have a floor or surface ready for use as soon as possible.� Many times Kinney Paper & Chemical will have an agreement in place with a school to allow the company to come in and work on a classroom floor as a training session — at no charge to the school. Kinney Paper & Chemical’s sales people are well versed in, not only conducting training in floor care, but also in all aspects of cleaning a facility.
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Kinney Paper & Chemical’s main office, showroom and warehouse facility in Columbus, IN.
“For example, our sales people are very good at training a facility’s cleaning staff or janitor in such tasks as cleaning a restroom,� Kevin Wettschurack said. “They will use the black light method to show a customer whether or not a certain area is really clean or just looks clean to the untrained eye. “There are times when we conduct cleaning seminars. It can be a seminar on floor equipment where we will bring in an equipment specialist from one of our vendors to train on the use of a piece of equipment and/or inform customers about new products. “We will also conduct training as needed by the customer. A customer might ask us, “I just hired a couple of new people and could you come over and hold a training seminar?’ We are more than happy to honor such requests.� Gilda Wettschurack added: “I remember when we conducted training for the graveyard shift of an industry here in town. We had to be there at 3 a.m. because that was when the cleaning staff worked. “Another time, we received some new towel cabinets. It was a little tricky to load the cabinets. I put together a video presentation to teach customers how to load the cabinets. “Some of our suppliers also have videos on how to clean a restroom and other cleaning “Another service we perform, tasks. There are many ways we can help customers in adespecially with our industrial dition to hands-on training.� While Kinney Paper & customers, is keeping track Chemical customers have of a client’s inventory. We been a little slow in jumping on the green cleaning bandconduct an analysis of how wagon, the company does offer a full slate of environmuch product a customer mentally friendly products and training on how to use actually uses per week.� them effectively. — Gilda Wettschurack Kevin Wettschurack has earned a green cleaning specialist certification from one of Kinney Paper & Chemical’s large chemical suppliers. “I have been able to conduct in-house training here with the other reps, keeping them updated on new products coming out,� he said. “When it comes to green products, we make customers aware of the products and our ability to train in this field, but we don’t say, ‘Hey, you need to do this.’ We leave it up to the customer. “However, we conducted a training session in late May where I demonstrated a green floor finish product and explained that utilizing this product promotes better air quality. A customer allowed us to strip and refinish a floor, and we invited customers and potential customers to take part in the demonstration.� While “green� has become mainstream in the jan/san cleaning in recent years, another environmental concern has entered the conversation. “I recently returned from participating in training given by one of our equipment suppliers, where I learned one big issue being discussed in many manufacturing circles is combustible dust,� Kevin Wettschurack said. “OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has been on a mission to make companies aware of combustible dust exposure and the hazards contained therein.� Kevin Wettschurack alluded to a recent incident involving an explosion at a pharmaceutical company related to combustible dust. “If you use a regular vacuum cleaner that can spark in areas where there is a certain amount of combustible dust, you can have a major problem,� Kevin Wettschurack said.