Bidvest Noonan

A leading provider of facilities services and solutions

Site Manager

Making Strides with ED&I

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In 2021, Bidvest Noonan launched its very own Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Council, with the aim of developing a more diverse workforce and a more inclusive workplace to make its teams stronger and more creative. The council is made up of people from every corner of its business, each with their own unique background.

The business recently caught up with Marina Goncalves, the IOI Chairperson of the ED&I council. In discussion, Marina talks about the journey the ED&I council has been on so far, the council’s latest achievements and initiatives, as well as some brief plans for the year ahead.

Tell us why the Bidvest Noonan ED&I council was formed?

We established our ED&I Council to bring colleagues together from across our business from different backgrounds but with one shared goal, to create a more diverse workforce and a more inclusive workplace.  We want to ensure that inclusion is part of our culture. We are making tremendous strides to achieve this. We respect each other, we care for each other, and we communicate with each other.

What has the council achieved so far?

The council has worked hard to build a foundation, setting plans and targets for the short, medium, and long term. We were recently awarded the Bronze Diversity Mark; a credit to the hard work of everyone involved with the council. I am very proud to lead the council and to have played my part in laying these foundations. It has undoubtedly made Bidvest Noonan an even more diverse and inclusive place to work. We have exciting initiatives in motion to further help us on our journey.

Tell us more about these exciting initiatives.

We have just embarked on a new ED&I Champions programme. The main purpose of this initiative is to embed ‘ED&I champions’ across our sites. These nominated champions will be trained and supported by a member of the ED&I council.  Their role is to raise awareness and encourage site-based activity and engagement around ED&I. The council has developed and provided useful toolkits for the champions to use. These toolkits include ED&I event calendars, toolbox talk tips, policies, and so much more.

We will also continue to use our people data to measure the impact of our activity and to shape our future endeavours. We believe in equal opportunity for all.  ED&I features on the agenda of our Group Executive Meetings, Country Executive Meetings, and Business Unit Meetings.

What other methods are the council using to improve our commitment to ED&I?

As a council we are always open to learning, seeking ways to improve policies and strategies to make real change. At a recent council meeting, an external trainer was invited to discuss the topic of “Inclusion for All”.  This training focussed on different types of bias and how to be more conscious when we are making decisions. We got some fantastic insights and enjoyed some anonymous activities to encourage engagement. A key takeaway from the training is that it is important to listen to what colleagues have to say and understand how they are experiencing the culture within Bidvest Noonan.

What is planned for the year ahead?

We are excited for the year ahead and the plans we have to continue this journey. We will keep our strategy a living document, one that will continue to evolve. We plan to further improve gender balance across leadership and under-represented roles, and raise awareness across the business around LGBTQI+, disability, age, social mobility, and ethnicity.

How data is reshaping the workplace

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Data analytics is changing how we design, plan, manage and maintain workplaces. Data analytics provides a comprehensive and refined understanding of how workplaces are used, enabling managers and facilities teams to make better decisions.

View of an Open Magazine and Cover Mockup

Our report on how data is reshaping the workplace discusses:

  • How working practices are changing
  • Leveraging data analytics
  • Data-driven service solutions
  • Data enabling workplace sustainability

Going the extra mile for innovation: Eddie Ingram, Jon Moore, Peter Smyth

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At Bidvest Noonan, our vision is to be so important to our customers, so valuable to their business, and provide experiences so good, we are always their partner of choice. To achieve this vision, we need to stay at the forefront of our industry, leveraging technology and innovation to deliver better service and more value to our customers.

This dedication to uncovering innovation drives so many senior figures from across our business to make time in their busy diaries to visit conferences, meet our suppliers, participate in round table discussions, and conduct research to improve the services we offer.

We asked Chief Services Officer, Eddie Ingram, Technology and Innovation Director, Peter Smyth, and Director of Operations Support and Risk, Jonathan Moore, why innovation is so important to our business and what role industry events play in helping us uncover new ideas and progress our innovation agenda.

Eddie Ingram, who recently attended the IFSEC International exhibition, an event that attracts over 30,000 visitors and brings together industry professionals from far and wide, said:

“Innovation is critical to our success. Our ability to challenge conventions, find better ways of working, and create greater value for clients sets us apart from our competition. Investing the time to go meet suppliers and hear from thought leaders in our industry and adjacent industries is very worthwhile. Attending industry events gives us the opportunity to meet new suppliers and catch up with existing ones too.

We recently attended the IFSEC International exhibition and had some interesting discussions around the increased use and spread of CCTV across the UK and how it might lead to a new British Standard around AI and facial recognition.

Some of the innovation happening in the security industry today is truly remarkable, and we are harnessing many of these advances for the benefit of our clients.”

Peter Smyth, who recently visited the Netherlands to attend the high-profile 2022 Interclean Amsterdam event added:

“Innovation really matters to us. We want to lead the way in our industry and use the latest innovations to help reinvent and improve solutions for our clients.

Attending some of the largest FM trade shows in the world gives us a great opportunity to see the latest products on offer from existing customers, but also allows us to meet new suppliers that are disrupting the industry with a new generation of robotics, machinery, and equipment.

The 2022 Interclean Amsterdam event gave the team and I an incredible insight into the work being done to improve how we manage waste, consume energy, and use water. I look forward to adopting the very best of these to improve the service we provide to our clients.”

Jonathan Moore, Director of Operations Support and Risk, commenting on his attendance at the IFSEC event said:

 “We met with suppliers to talk about their upcoming innovations, exploring ways in which we can work together to deploy these new products. It was refreshing to see a blend of technology, physical security, and a healthy number of organisations offering professional development routes.

At Bidvest Noonan, we aim to stay ahead of the curve, continuously finding new ways to improve the service we provide to our customers. Attending industry events and networking with thought leaders and innovators informs and inspires our own innovation research”.

Volunteering at Enable Ireland’s Children Services Centre

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People from across our business, including some of our Irish Executive team, took time out of their diaries today to visit Enable Ireland’s Children Services Centre in Naas, Co. Kildare, where they lent a hand at some refurbishment work across the site.

Enable Ireland provides services to children and adults with disabilities from over 40 locations in 15 counties across Ireland. Part of Bidvest Noonan’s partnership with Enable Ireland is to provide support to reconditioning programmes across many of these locations.

Building great security teams in the Life Sciences Sector

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Bidvest Noonan supports many of the best-known and most important companies in the life sciences sector. Our clients include companies who produce many of the world’s most important and ground-breaking medicines and biotechnologies. We provide a wide range of services to our customers.

We spoke with Niall Bennis to understand how he prepares his security teams to support our customers in the life sciences sector.

Tell us about your journey and role in security.

I have over 15 years of experience in Security Management. Having worked in several sectors and engaged with diverse customers, I have acquired a vast knowledge of the security industry. I am very passionate about security and customer experience.

At Bidvest Noonan, I am responsible for Security Operations. My primary focus is on supporting the Life Sciences customers of our integrated solutions business unit. My job is to ensure the delivery of the operational plan at all levels, including training and development, talent and performance management, and recruitment and selection. My role is to build strong teams and put the right processes and technologies in place to deliver outstanding results for our customers.

What makes a good security team for the life sciences sector?

I believe that communication is critical to any team. As security teams are also ambassadors of customers’ brands, a good security team needs to be friendly and approachable while remaining assertive and confident at all times. They need to be passionate about security and have developed expertise in the field. A good team will be able to problem-solve and know when to escalate issues. They will support each other and know when to look for support. Good security teams earn our customers’ trust by demonstrating high performance and professionalism at all times.

How do you ensure your teams are prepared to deliver great service to our Life Sciences customers?

We work tirelessly with our teams to ensure they are delivering the best possible outcomes and experience for our customers. We put the right people in the right role to ensure they can be successful. We invest in strong management and subject matter expertise to support our teams.

We deliver bespoke training to our teams through a wide range of platforms to ensure that they are confident and competent in delivering a quality service to the sector. We identify, coach, and reward team members who go above and beyond their daily duties. We are visible and pride ourselves on building close relationships with our customers.

Our vision is to be so important to our customers, so valuable to their business, and provide experiences so good, we are always their partner of choice. What part of our vision resonates with you the most? Why?

Our vision in full resonates with me. The security service we provide makes us an integral part of their business, and we strive to add value through innovation and dedicated teams who always go the extra mile for our customers. We build strong relationships with our customers to always provide the best customer experience. We get this feedback through our engagement with our customers. It’s about trust and transparency.

Four Trends Shaping the Future of our Industry

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As Technology and Innovation Director at Bidvest Noonan, Peter Smyth spends much of his time studying innovative solutions and cutting-edge technologies. Peter’s research helps the business to achieve better outcomes for its customers, people, business, and environment.

We asked Peter to identify four areas where innovation and technological advances are beginning to impact our industry.

Cobotics

Cobotics is still an emerging field; however, at Bidvest Noonan, we have begun to introduce cobots to a number of sites where they can add value.

These machines work alongside our people, handling repetitive and monotonous tasks such as large area cleaning. Cobots are not a substitute for cleaning teams, but they can augment them, increasing their resilience and capacity. 

Cobots can offer several benefits. The cobots that we have invested in use up to 80% less water than traditional cleaning methods. They use smart mapping systems to take the most energy-efficient cleaning path and can work in the dark, further reducing energy consumption.

The data captured by our cobots support evidence-based cleaning and the development of valuable insights for planning. Significantly, by handling some of the most monotonous work, cobots improve job satisfaction for our team members and enable them to spend more time on higher-order tasks.

Dynamic Cleaning

Dynamic cleaning improves the productivity and sustainability of cleaning operations. The approach uses sensor technologies to identify which spaces have been occupied and require cleaning and which do not.

Dynamic cleaning enables teams to become more productive, with no time wasted on unnecessary cleaning in unused areas. In addition, cleaning operations become more sustainable as teams use less water, energy and materials overall.

The approach leverages real-time and historical building usage data to improve planning, enabling managers to determine the exact resourcing requirements for every period and every area of the site.

Smart Buildings

Smart buildings use a combination of technologies to improve the efficiency, utilisation and environmental performance of buildings and assets while creating a safe and comfortable environment for occupants. 

Bidvest Noonan uses a range of these technologies at some of its own buildings to monitor and manage building occupancy, powering down unoccupied rooms, spaces, or even entire floors to save energy. We only make these spaces available again when needed.

Using our digital booking system, our building users always have access to the resources they need, such as desks, meeting rooms, smart lockers and parking spaces. 

The insights provided by our smart building technologies enable us to make significant cost and energy savings in areas such as lighting, heating and air-conditioning systems while providing optimum conditions for building users. In addition, the data we gather helps to improve our workplace planning.

Waste Management

Businesses have used waste compactors and balers to manage waste for many years; however, these technologies have continued to advance, and developments in recycling and regulation have boosted their use.

Modern compactors and balers such as those provided by our specialist waste handling business, Ancove, are more powerful, economical and compact. As a result, they efficiently reduce waste volumes by more than 90%; Consequently less space is required to store waste, and fewer waste collections are needed. Additionally, waste materials have become a source of revenue for our customers. They receive payment for valuable waste materials such as paper, cardboard and plastic. This is a win-win situation for business and the environment.