LEADERS FORUM
Quayclean Mark Piwkowski, CEO HOW WAS 2019 FOR QUAYCLEAN? We enjoyed another strong year with over 20 per cent organic growth. We continued to expand in key market sectors including public venues, with the Adelaide Oval, Metricon Stadium and Sydney Showgrounds all joining the Quayclean family. Quayclean was also able to attract many new contracts with several private schools across Australia and in government facilities, which is another new sector for the company. Existing contracts that have come back to market have been retained reinforcing our strong focus on adding customer value. The biggest challenge facing the industry remains the continued lack of awareness and appreciation, across both government and private sectors, for the true cost of employing staff under the Modern Cleaning Services Award. With outstanding service and a first-class team, we have grown into a specialist provider within public facilities and specialist services to private educators. We are an extremely humble and hungry organisation striving to learn and deliver excellence through our people and customers.
WHAT WILL BE THE IMMEDIATE FOCUS IN 2020?
“
We should not undervalue the work and services we provide and not allow ourselves to be cornered by a push for cheap pricing.
”
46 INCLEAN January / February 2020
We have a multi-faceted focus for 2020. Outstanding service is as important today as it has ever been, and it remains an exciting challenge to ensure our organisations continues to thrive and grow. Internally, we will continue with the development and training of staff/ leaders within the company to build strong skills across our team which will optimise labour and leadership resources. We have seen pleasing results in the development of graduate trainees and leadership from the grassroots of the company to generate succession at all levels of our teams. We will also continue to invest in technologies that support our staff and interface with our customers. Sustainable work practices and equipment that support delivering greater recycling results is a key pillar of our value proposition. There will be continued focus on safe work environments and alignment with the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals. Finally, we will continue to build our brand deep within our key market sectors and build wide through new sectors where we feel our skills are relevant and can add value.
WHAT CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES DO YOU SEE LOOKING AHEAD TO 2020? Our greatest challenge and opportunity remains the effective employment, training and deployment of our staff across the facilities we manage. We are, and will remain, a premium service brand renowned for unrivalled customer/ patron experiences, and for our skill in the optimisation of resources presenting a holistic solution for cleaning, sustainability, hygiene, housekeeping and pest control.
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT WILL BE THE BIG TRENDS OF 2020? The cleaning industry is one that has various stats and trends. It has survived the GFC of 2008/2009, hit some lows and peaks, and is now experiencing a new spring of life that could see it rapidly expand in the next few years. Like many others, the cleaning industry has its own challenges ranging from the daily focus on meeting customer requirements, developing and retaining staff, to competition among hundreds of companies. We will see many more organisations aligning with the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals. These goals are the responsibility of all industry and the cleaning industry has an important role to play. Environmental matters will be a priority. The industry needs to be committed to real measurable green initiatives. We need to consider the carbon positive impacts of our actions, a focus towards chemical free cleaning, and the reduction water usage for cleaning and sanitisation. We will also see a greater awareness by commercial, government and private organisations of the true cost of employing cleaning personnel, and their responsibility to ensure tenders focus on correct payment of staff and operations.
WHAT KEY TOPICS DO YOU THINK THE INDUSTRY SHOULD BE DISCUSSING IN 2020? There are a range of topics we can address. From a management and administration perspective, we should produce better hiring practices, increase staff training, develop an apprenticeship program for the industry, online