Bidvest Noonan

A leading provider of facilities services and solutions

Content Manager

How technology is changing the cleaning industry for the better – Mairead Stapleton

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The cleaning industry is constantly evolving due to technological advances. These advances are making a difference in the way we clean, the way we work, and the way we interact with our customers. Business Development Director for Bidvest Noonan’s Workplace Solutions Business Unit, Mairead Stapleton, shares just a few of the ways that technology is changing the cleaning industry for the better:

Improvements for People

Technological advances are delivering improvements for people in the industry. With new innovations, we can now clean smarter and faster than ever before. For example, advancements in cobotics and artificial intelligence are helping us to reduce monotony and labour in cleaning tasks.  This, in turn, means that people can be redeployed to other tasks or areas where they are needed most.

The latest cleaning equipment is designed to be lighter and easier to use, which makes the job of cleaning much less physically demanding. This is especially beneficial for cleaners who have to work long hours.

At Bidvest Noonan, we invest in the best equipment and technologies the industry has to offer to support our teams.

More Effective Results

Cleaning is becoming more effective thanks to innovation. Cleaning products have come a long way in recent years, and they are now more successful at removing dirt, grime, and bacteria. This means that cleaners can finish the job faster, and more efficiently.

Cleaning machinery has also undergone a number of improvements in recent years, thanks to advances in technology. The latest generation of machines are much more powerful than older models, and they often come with a number of features that make them more effective at cleaning.

At Bidvest Noonan, we take every opportunity to leverage our unique capabilities and resources to deliver innovative and highly effective cleaning solutions for our customers.

Sustainability

The excess use of water, energy, and chemicals to clean is a major contributor to the global carbon footprint. One way that technology has improved the cleaning industry is by making us more sustainable. 

New ground-breaking machinery that uses less water and energy has a significantly reduced impact on the environment. These machines help achieve faster turnaround times while maintaining the highest standards.

The use of green chemicals to clean is becoming more prevalent. These products are less hazardous and use less packaging. This helps reduce pollution and waste.

We at Bidvest Noonan believe successful companies should lead the way in sustainable and ethical behaviour. We are taking big steps to deliver a greener and more sustainable world. Read our environmental report here

Data-Led Results

Technological advancements have also paved way for data driven solutions. Highly-advanced systems allow cleaning teams to track the progress of their cleaning projects and deploy resources to where they are most needed using sensor technology. These same systems can be used by customers for their own building management insights and space management benefits. This technology can ultimately help cleaning businesses be more efficient, improve quality, and save costs for customers.

At Bidvest Noonan, we equip our teams with the best technologies to enable them to achieve higher levels of productivity and increase safety and sustainability. Learn more here

Helping UCC deliver on its sustainability goals

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We caught up with Katarzyna Sroka, Bidvest Noonan’s Site Manager at University College Cork (UCC), to learn about the environmental initiatives being rolled out on-site, and how we are helping UCC deliver on its sustainability goals.

What does your role at UCC entail? 

My role as site manager involves managing the delivery of a high-standard cleaning service across the campus, ensuring a safe and clean environment for all the students, staff, and visitors to UCC. I also work with the Bidvest Noonan team to bring significant changes to our environmental performance on campus and find solutions that will deliver even better value for our client.

I liaise daily with my site supervisory team and the UCC head of departments to coordinate our services on site. We work in partnership with UCC and support all initiatives and activities on campus. 

Can you share some of the initiatives that you and the Bidvest Noonan team have rolled out since taking up the cleaning service at UCC?

At Bidvest Noonan, we are always looking to reduce the impact our services have on the environment. This ranges from improving how we manage waste to minimising our carbon footprint. 

We have introduced a chemical-free cleaning system that converts tap water into a highly effective cleaning agent. This system has made a significant and positive impact since we first brought it on-site in the Rahilly Building. It has made our cleaning process a lot more efficient across campus

We have moved to a greener fleet. Our vehicles on campus are hybrid and electric, reducing our tailpipe emissions and the impact on the environment.

Taking the lead from the UCC Green Campus Forum, we have also introduced regular awareness talks for our people on sustainability. Topics include car engine idling and the impact on air pollution.

We have invested in the best cleaning equipment the industry has to offer. For us, that means equipment that achieves excellent cleaning results while reducing our environmental impact. Our flat mopping floor cleaning system and i-Mop Floor Cleaning Machines all reduce the level of water usage by our teams on campus. 

We also support the university with its sustainability goals. UCC has rolled out a Paperless Office Project campus-wide by the Procurement and General services team. We are proud to help UCC with this project by adopting a paperless approach.

How have the UCC community of students and staff taken to the changes?

We are delighted to constantly receive positive feedback from staff and students. A clean and safe environment is one conducive to learning. We want to ensure students feel comfortable on campus at UCC.

We also received recognition for our sustainability initiatives on campus from the stakeholders on the Green Campus Forum at UCC. Positive feedback like this spurs our team to innovate further.

Have you any other environmental initiatives planned for UCC?

Part of our vision here at Bidvest Noonan is to be so valuable to our customers’ business. This means helping them achieve their strategic objectives, some of which are around sustainability and environmental initiatives. The Bidvest Noonan team is committed to taking all the necessary steps to help UCC achieve its environmental goals.

We have already made a significant impact, but our on-site team is always looking to improve. Our next big project is to identify initiatives that will help reduce our carbon footprint on campus.

What do you like most about your role with Bidvest Noonan at UCC?

No two days are the same and delighted to work with such a fantastic team. We are delighted to see the changes we are making are helping UCC and its sustainability goals. We feel like we are making a real difference on campus for students and faculty and having a positive impact on the planet.

Bidvest Noonan partners with Enable Ireland

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Bidvest Noonan, Ireland’s market-leading facilities services provider, and Enable Ireland Disability Services, have launched their new charity partnership for the next two years. The agreement will see Enable Ireland become Bidvest Noonan’s official charity partner.

Bidvest Noonan has committed to using its considerable resources to support Enable Ireland’s services for children and young people with disabilities. The business will work with Enable Ireland to raise funds for crucial projects across its children’s service centres.

Commenting on the new charity partnerships announcement, Bidvest Noonan’s ESG Director, John King, said: “We’re proud to launch this charity partnership with Enable Ireland. We believe that Enable Ireland’s work is vital, and we are delighted that Bidvest Noonan can help support them to create a better future for children with disabilities in Ireland.”

Further to the announcement, Enable Ireland’s National Fundraising Manager Dónal Kitt said: “We’re delighted to launch this partnership with Bidvest Noonan which will support our essential services for children and young people with disabilities. After a challenging number of years, we look forward to working with Bidvest Noonan on a number of events and activities to raise funds for crucial projects in our children’s service centres.”

About Enable Ireland

Enable Ireland provides services to children and adults with disabilities and their families in 15 counties. Covering childhood to adulthood its expert teams work with the individual and their family on a plan for each life stage. Its services for children and their families cover all aspects of a child’s physical, educational, and social development from early infancy through adolescence. They offer a range of services to adults with disabilities which include day services, training, personal development, supported and independent living, and social and leisure activities.

About Bidvest Noonan

Bidvest Noonan is an award-winning and highly accredited customer-focused services group. They employ over 27,000 people across the UK & Ireland. The business is a market leader for a wide range of facilities services across the UK & Ireland. These services include cleaning, security, reception, decontamination, electronic security, industrial services, and many more. Its success has been achieved by designing and delivering facilities solutions that provide exceptional quality and value for customers.

Vision in Action Series – Kieran Fitzgerald

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Earlier this year, we launched our vision. This new vision sets out our ambition for the future. 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.

As part of our new Vision in Action Series, we are asking people from around our business what part of the vision stands out to them and their team the most. First up is Kieran Fitzgerald. Kieran is a Strategic Account Lead and has been a colleague at Bidvest Noonan for 6 years. He leads a very large team at one of the largest pharmaceutical facilities in Ireland.

“The part of our vision that resonates most with me is ‘being so important to our customers’. The work we do on this site is of the highest importance. We are critical to the continued operation of the site. Our client pushes the boundaries of medicine and technology to treat life-threatening and devastating conditions all around the world. Their aim is to make life better for people living with these conditions. My team and I play a big role in supporting this goal.

We work together to support our client by ensuring production facilities are contamination-free so they can continue delivering life-changing medicines. Our teams go through frequent meticulous training to ensure the services we provide in this highly controlled environment are of the highest standards.

We do all of this because we know the significance of our actions and how important they are to support breakthrough developments in the life sciences sector.”

Ancove progressing with Bidvest Noonan – Jane Tobin

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We recently caught up with Jane Tobin, Admin for Ancove, who gives us an insight into Ancove’s progress since joining the Bidvest Noonan family.

How has the Ancove business changed since it became part of Bidvest Noonan? 

Although we still have the same name above the door and we are continuing to offer the same core services to all our clients, there has been a real positive change to Ancove since becoming part of Bidvest Noonan. There has been a new injection of energy, and our ambitions have been backed. Both businesses share a similar aim, to help our clients by providing a great service.

The level of support provided by management has been fantastic. We now have local management teams to help guide us and there is a real focus on career development for employees.

I have no doubt we will see success as part of the Bidvest Noonan family. We can help each other. Ancove can help Bidvest Noonan grow their service offering by offering waste handling solutions for its clients’ sites complementing its current overall service package.

How does Ancove help Bidvest Noonan clients with their environmental performance?

As a leading provider of Waste Handling Solutions in Ireland, we help our clients reduce their carbon footprint. We identify their different waste streams on-site and offer solutions to manage their waste volumes to ensure all possible products are getting recycled correctly. By enabling our clients to recycle more of their waste, we help them create an additional source of revenue.

A reduction in the volumes of waste comes with it a reduction in transportation costs. This not only saves money for our clients but minimises the damage to our environment with a reduced number of trips for waste removal.

How have you found engaging with your new colleagues?

We joined Bidvest Noonan’s Industrial Team last year and it has been fantastic. Director of Operations, Ken Kehoe, and the whole team have given us great support. We have a weekly call with them, and there is a real togetherness within the group.

The integration into Bidvest Noonan has been made easier with the help of many of the central support teams too. The EHS, HR, and Shared Services teams have made us feel very welcome and have been on hand to answer any questions we’ve had.

I speak for the rest of the Ancove team in saying we really feel like we have been made part of a bigger team with great ambitions and I am looking forward to getting to know even more colleagues in the months and years ahead.

What are you now looking forward to the most as part of the Bidvest Noonan family?

The whole team and I are excited about the future of Ancove under Bidvest Noonan. With the backing of such a strong brand, we are excited to add value for our clients, and the prospect of our business growing to new heights.

Personally, with the support of Bidvest Noonan, I look forward to opportunities that will allow me to progress my career within the business. I have already begun developing my skills and look forward to growing my knowledge and abilities even further in the years ahead.

Interview – David Casey – Sourcing Solutions

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Our Marketing Team sat down with Managing Director, David Casey, to discuss the launch of Sourcing Solutions, our newest business unit in Ireland.

Tell us about your experience of launching the Sourcing Solutions business unit

The launch of the Sourcing Division has been very exciting, and it has been a huge learning experience for me personally. I am very grateful for all the enthusiasm and support I have received from our leadership and operations teams

With the launch of any new division, you need help and support. At Bidvest Noonan you never really have to look too far for support, to date, I have had colleagues from South Africa, the UK, and Ireland all reaching out to support the launch of the Sourcing Solutions division. I am particularly grateful to our colleagues from our communities such as the Innovation, Procurement, and ESG teams, they have generously given their time to help me with the new business unit.

Why did you launch the Sourcing Solutions business unit?

Cleaning, security, and technical services have been the three core pillars of Bidvest Noonan’s business in Ireland. We have always sought to identify and design the best solution for our clients in our core services. However, we want to add even more value, by offering more support.

To truly add value and be aligned to our clients’ needs it is important that we identify every opportunity to enhance the service offering. This brought our attention to some of the smaller spend lines. I believe we have an opportunity to deliver a new range of bundled services with a focus on cost-saving and convenience for our clients.

What are your long-term goals for the business unit?

My goal is to build a successful business unit that is delivering for both our clients and our operational teams. This business unit will strive to deliver on our new vision “To be so important to our customers, so valuable to their business, and provide experiences so good, that we are always their partner of choice”.

Have you been collaborating with others in our group?

I have been working closely with all the existing business unit leaders from Workplace, Integrated and Technical Solutions. In addition, we have a Customer Experience (CX) team that is engaging with clients directly. Our CX team provides some insightful information and feedback from our clients which helps us understand their needs and wants both now and into the future. The CX team along with our ESG, Innovation, and procurement leaders, are all collaborating with our Sourcing Solutions team to ensure we are positioned to offer service excellence to our clients while focussing on our carbon pledge.

What experience do you bring to your role?

With a background in Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) and Total Facilities Management (TFM) I fully understand Facility Management Outsourcing and the benefits of bundled service models. I will draw upon my 20+ years of industry experience in Facilities Management and the relationships built with suppliers and internal FM professionals within our industry. My team and I aim to listen to our clients and demonstrate models that will help them realise real value and service excellence in an ever-evolving sector.

What are you most looking forward to?

Getting out to meet all of our existing and future clients face to face. It has been too long since we have been able to share a coffee and have a conversation. The digital platforms have been amazing over the last two years to ensure we can still meet and maintain operations, but nothing beats a face to face interaction. I am excited to see this business unit grow into the fourth pillar of our business in Ireland. We have many great minds on our team and I look forward to harvesting some of their entrepreneurial flair and shaping new business ideas.