Automated Attendance Systems

Organizations of all sizes use time and attendance systems to record when employees start and stop work, and the department where the work is performed. However, it is also common to track meals and breaks, the type of work performed and the number of items produced. In addition to tracking when employees work, organizations also need to keep tabs on when employees are not working. Some organizations also keep detailed records of attendance issues such as who calls in sick and who comes in late. Arun Antony Raja, Indian Excellence Centre, ISS Facility Services India Pvt. Ltd gives an account on the time and attendance system of an organizational architecture.

A TIME and attendance system provides many benefits to the organizations. It enables an employer to have full control of all employees working hours. It helps control labour costs by reducing over-payments, which are often caused by transcription error, interpretation error and intentional error. Manual processes are also eliminated as well as the staff needed to maintain them. It is often difficult to comply with labour regulation, but a time and attendance system is invaluable for ensuring compliance with labour regulations regarding proof of attendance.

Companies with large employee numbers might need to install several time clock stations in order to speed up the process of getting all employees to clock in or out quickly or to record activity in dispersed locations.

Depending on the supplier, identification method and number of clocking points required, prices vary widely. A time and attendance system protects a company from payroll fraud and provides both employer and employees with confidence in the accuracy of their wage payments while improving productivity.

Attendance problems remain because there is not a standard format for the attendance register, making the manual analysis of it inconvenient, time consuming and inaccurate. Automated attendance systems can use a variety of technology such as: electronic tags, barcode badges, and magnetic stripe cards. Electronic attendance systems enable more effective and efficient monitoring of attendance as well as allowing the identification of longer-term trends in absence. An electronic solution is a more effective mechanism to for collection, processing, storage and production of attendance reports and long-term analysis.

Automated attendance system is not only used for recording attendance of official personnel but is also used for security purposes.

Automated time and attendance systems which employees touch or swipe to identify themselves and record their working hours as they enter or leave the work area. The recorded information is then ideally automatically transferred to a computer for processing although some systems require an operator to physically transfer data from the clocking point to the computer using a portable memory device. The computer may then be employed to perform all the necessary calculations to generate employee timesheets which are used to calculate the employees’ wages. An automated system reduces the risk of errors that are common in a manual system, and allows the workforce to be more productive instead of wasting time on tedious administrative tasks.

Advantages of Automated Attendance Systems

1) Reduce errors
Time and Attendance software reduces the risk of human error and ensures and easy, impartial, and orderly approach in addressing specific needs without any confusion. In fact, Time and Attendance software has been shown to have an accuracy rate of more than 99% versus manual systems by eliminating errors in data entry and calculations.

2) Increase security
The software may be used to control employee access to certain areas within a facility and track employee entry. Access data collection devices eliminate buddy punching and also help reduce costly liabilities, including theft of equipment or property.

3) Increase productivity
Productivity increases because the process is seamless and makes day-to-day operations more efficient and convenient. Eliminating legacy practices frees up employees time, decreases staffing overhead, and provides supervisors with timely labour data to more effectively manage their operations.

4) Save money
Implementing a technology based time and attendance solution with biometric devices will immediately help to reduce your labour costs. Manually collecting, managing, calculating and processing time data to process payroll can take a lot of time, but with an automated solution, companies are able to increase efficiency and save money.

5) Eliminate fraud
Curbing “buddy punching” and fraudulent clock-ins with a manual time and attendance tracking system is nearly impossible. However, advances in photo auditing capabilities are allowing companies to keep a close watch on their time clocks. Some cloud-based time clock solutions maintain a photographic record of clock-ins, so that employees cannot clock each other in.

All of this data can be made accessible to managers in real time and as historical data, discouraging employees from cheating on their timecards. Even if time clocks are not used, an automated time and attendance tracking solution can be configured with internal controls and policies on the back-end, which helps minimize policy violations like missed lunches and unauthorized overtime.

6) Noncompliance and lawsuits
Without proper documentation, organizations may spend significant resources preparing for compliance audits. Poor time tracking leads to duplicated efforts, poor project execution and audit failures. Companies fail to comply with wage-and-hour regulations, mostly due to inaccurate time tracking, employee misclassification and a lack of accurate workforce data.

Solution

ISS Facility Services India Pvt. Ltd uses a solution of QR (or Quick Response) code It’s a two-dimensional barcode that consists of small black dots arranged in a square pattern on a white background. It can contain alphanumeric information. The QR code is detected and scanned as a 2-dimensional digital image by a semiconductor image sensor and is then digitally analysed by a programmed processor; its versatility allows it to be used over a much wider range of applications.

Information about employees such as name and employee number is translated into a QRcode by a QR generator, which is then displayed electronically or in printed format. Decoding the information is done with any image sensor. The solution using QR technology consists of generating, printing and distributing of individual QR code (including name and Emp number) for all ISS Employees. QR code is printed on any surface, from paper to the back of ISS Employee card. A Mobile with QR image sensor is placed in the entrance of the venue, waiting for employees to place the QR code in front of it to declare their presence before gaining access. That QR image sensor is responsible for sending the collected data to the attendance server. And the App takes a real time pic of the employee and stores in server to compare the actual pic of employee and ensure the right punch.

Automated Attendance Systems

Car Care as a profitable business model

The niche car care sector is developing from garage and repair shops to wellequipped and managed car wash service hubs. Alongside the Clean India Technology Week 2016, Clean India Journal organized an engaging open forum discussion on “Car Care as a profitable business model” to address the issues pertaining to the business. The panelists were Bomi Zarolia, Vice President, International Business-Cleaning Systems Inc, USA; Anil Sethi, MD-Manmachine Works Pvt. Ltd; Karan Sethi, Director-Manmachine Works Pvt. Ltd; Arun Thapar, CMD-Inventa Cleantec Pvt. Ltd; and Karan Thapar, Director-Inventa Cleantec Pvt Ltd.

THERE ARE basically two options – Stationary and Mobile Car Wash. “Stationary model is always the first choice if location permits. It may be costlier at the beginning but brings more ROI in the long run. Nowadays, there is a growing clientele wanting to get the job done at their doorsteps. This is where the demand for mobile car wash comes in,” explained Arun Thapar.

“One can have a right mix of both to cater to the large volumes coming in at the stationary facility and a clientele that can’t come to the facility. They can be serviced at home but of course there is a premium attached to it,” added Karan Thapar.

In a word of caution about mobile car wash, Bomi Zarolia said “Considering the liability law, in a mobile system, the effluent is going to be a dry waste at the site. So as a responsible businessman, we must think about whose liability is to take care of the effluent waste to protect our environment.”

“It is always advised to adopt a cross merchandising model and tie up with other business operators in other domain than car servicing by giving a discounted offer to their customers for car detailing services,” he added.

“Car detailing depends on two parameters: chemicals and training. The precise use of chemical and time of application is most important to get efficient results. For e.g., while doing a ceramic coating, the difference will be much noticeable with the right settling time. So procedural aspects in detailing business affect the quality. It also helps build the company’s rapport in the market,” said Karan Sethi.

“In case of mobile washing, one must choose biodegradable chemicals. Another thing that suits best this model is steam jet as it requires very less amount of water. As far as machines are concerned, one needs to have a steam jet machine, vacuum cleaner, upholstery equipment and an under body wash machine. Installing a single phase generator can save the power, essential for mobile generator,” opined Anil Sethi.

Undoubtedly, it’s a profitable business provided the service standards are maintained. Customer feedback helps improve the service quality. “In fact, social media can extensively be used to show the quality of service by putting the pictures of car before and after the job,” added Karan Sethi.

“However, the cost of mobility in a mobile car wash system must be taking into account. A mobile wash is labour and time intensive exercise. Comparatively, a stationary facility can tend to be more profitable,” Bomi added.

Speaking about automated carwash system, Karan Thapar said, “It is a volume driven concept and if the volume of car wash is not more than 500 per month, it does not make sense to invest in automated care wash facility. Having said that the fixed expenses make this concept viable and one needs to have volume coming in. Also a partner or supplier drawback can severely hit the business.”

Automated car washing is an art and just pressing one button would not do the entire job. “Programming is important in automatic units. It should be coupled with other manual procedures too,” said Arun Thapar.

Quoting a case, Anil Sethi said, “In the year 2000, about 50 investors got automated carwash, but they failed to understand the dynamics of the systematic procedures, capacity of a machine and market condition in India. If one puts a dirty car in the automated car wash system, it will not give satisfactory results. It has to be given a prewash first and then automated wash. Thus, the condition of a car coming to a facility is also a decisive factor to choose the method of washing in sequence.”

Nowadays, people understand the systematic procedural aspects of using automated as well as manual systems as standalone or in coupled format. So in coming years, there would be more automated car wash facilities across India.

All the developed countries are the major markets for car wash, and this segment has caught the attention of independent rich and affluent investors across the globe. “A clean dry and shining car adds much value to the customers’ eyes and that’s what makes it an instant cash-based and quick ROI business model. If managed properly, the running cost can be merely 20-25% on an average,” concluded Bomi.

Car Care as a profitable business model

Technological Transformations & Paradigm Shift

In the keynote address made at Gulf Laundrex Linen Care expo held in Dubai in November last year, Victor Bastian, Assistant Vice President-Linencraft stated that fostering open, free and transparent communication with various stakeholders is the way forward.

WITH 20 million visitors expected by 2020 and the related infrastructure investment and growth of tourism industry, Middle-East region is in an enviable position.

The present imminent growth and the opportunities demand that we must come together and think strategically if we are to benefit. We must not operate in isolation, if we want to maximize what the industry can take out of this growth.

With the population growing at the pace it is, the demand for laundering services in all business verticals is set to further increase. In fact, laundering demand is set to double in the UAE.

The laundry industry is diverse, fragmented and many of us work in isolation. As laundries have steadily increased their through puts, so have textile choices and linen specifications for the customer. This has put a strain on industrial laundries. Quality has become the key link between the customer, laundry and textile suppliers – this is to achieve maximum value for guest satisfaction. Traditionally, the customer, laundry and textile suppliers have all competed with each other.

Until recently, there has been no concrete and coordinated effort across the businesses to deliver textile choices and results that lead to sustainability of the entire value chain. We’re each striving to optimize our own businesses, which in isolation leads to wasted time, energy, and financial resources in the value chain.

There needs to be a paradigm shift in the entire industry wherein the interests and limitations of all stakeholders are taken into consideration. This should include the overall guest experience and satisfaction. We must break down the barriers between the various stakeholders, and that we develop a true and transparent environment. It requires insight into our customers’ performance parameters and their measurement yardsticks, so we respect their challenges. It requires cross-company, cross-industry, and cross-cultural insight to find opportunities within the value chain – based on mutual integrity and trust, proven over time.

Customers are an integral part of our business, and meeting if not exceeding their expectations by default is our priority. Thus, strong customer relations are key to our industry. In our desire to create a positive image and to increase our customer base, we tend to offer value-added benefits which are often not in our scope of services.

Shorter turnaround time, laundry privileges such as FOCs and discounts, longer credit periods, providing cages and stationery or in-house logistics support by way of manpower resources are examples of these benefits. All these are now being considered a norm by our customers, and a requirement.

With the current market dynamics and cost control measures in place there could well be a tendency to compromise on quality and service levels, while striving to provide service over and above what has been standard in the past.

The industry is so focused on enhancing customer expectations and service levels that we often neglect our own shareholders. The progressive customer expectations have put an enormous strain on the industry – to deliver. Whilst the industry must acknowledge that standards have been on the rise it must be acknowledged also, that costs have risen too.

Costing our services continues to be a major challenge, globally. To counter the challenges facing the industry we are innovating and falling back on higher levels of automation and other areas of efficiency improvements. But can our share holders continue to invest in the businesses in the current market dynamics and is it fair?

One way to sustain our businesses is to factor in all costs pertaining to the scope of services and appropriately price our services.

Of course, we as laundry service providers operate in an environment where damages, linen losses and colour run are increasingly being attributed to us. When in doubt, the service providers should fall back on a third party professional lab for analysis and clarification.

But how many of us utilize these tools at our disposal? Either we are not aware or we shy away due to the costs of these professional services.

We need to be firm in balancing ‘the customer is always right’ attitude with the need to reduce blame and cost being placed on the industry for issues out of our control.

Lowering of linen specifications due to broader market conditions is putting an enormous strain on the laundry industry. While there are cost benefits in the short-term, there are long-term implications too – for cost, reputation and so on.

We can influence purchasing decisions and, more easily protect our reputations by assessing complaints and seeking clarification, rather than simply accepting blame.

The laundry industry supports the hospitality, healthcare, institutional organizations and not the least, the retail industry. Could these organizations operate without the support of the laundry industry?

Well, providing clean laundry and garments in tight time frames is considered a norm – and fair enough many would say.

It is only at times when there is a disruption in services, usually due to plant failures, that the importance of the laundry industry comes to light. Rooms cannot be sold and or serviced.

Despite the challenges I’ve mentioned, the industry has come a long way since I got involved 20 years ago. It was just a couple of decades ago that we used to operate manual washing machines, standalone extractors, manually feed tape ironers. Our industry has historically been associated with high labour. Over the years, the industry has been transformed – and continues to be. Shop floor personnel who operate equipment have largely benefitted from the introduction and continued evolution of laundry technology. Environmental issues are being addressed through this technology and that’s welcome, not only due to the obvious reduction in the environmental impact but also the real financial benefits that good environmental performance provides.

The advancements have helped achieve higher shop floor efficiencies, increased production and enhanced quality levels.

Today the region has some state – of – the – art laundries that can compete on quality with any other region, and this is complimented by other cutting edge technology,like management software solutions, mobile apps, which further boost the industry’s quest for innovation to enhance its services and to maintain business viability through enhancing efficiency targets.

Safety and sustainability are key areas of focus and drivers of the need to innovate and seek continuous improvement. The focus currently is on efficiencies and laundry plants are designed to reduce the overall costs.

Reducing consumption of natural energy resources, lowering carbon foot prints, association with eco-friendly chemical suppliers and water recycling are some of the sustainable solutions also delivering long-term cost benefits.

Several laundries are still however associated with the high use of natural resources and continued investment needs to be made to address this. It is these key areas of focus that will help improve perception of our industry, as environmental performance is undoubtedly the key consideration in future.

While technology is transformative, the truth is our industry as it currently stands, remains a labour intensive industry. Our teams, largely due to the region we operate in, often work in a challenging environment for most part of the year which restricts higher productivity.

One cannot deny that the majority of our teams are passionate and dedicated. They often proactively deal with challenges to ensure that customers get the very best. Surely we can do more to acknowledge and reward their performances – as this goes hand in hand with achieving the reputation and standing in the community that we would all like.

The way forward for the industry is to engage and unite, diversify by exploring newer avenues of revenue generation and introduce the linen leasing model. The current model of COG, through beneficial in creating a distinct identity, has its pitfalls in efficiencies and in managing a sustainable business model for the laundries.

Technological Transformations & Paradigm Shift

Rising Concerns & Challenges

From keeping all areas of the hotel fresh, clean and tidy to training janitors & supervisors to adopt latest technology & software, housekeeping is much more than just keeping the ‘house’ in order or keeping the guests comfortable. All these entail diverse and daunting challenges. In a Panel Discussion organised by Clean India Journal, Avril Sule, Associate Professor-Housekeeping, Sheila Raheja Institute of Hotel Management; Shilpi Khanna, Executive Housekeeper-J.W. Marriot; Alka Sharma, Vice-President Indiabulls and Renuka Rao, Housekeeper-Sahara Star- Mumbai discussed rising housekeeping concerns & challenges. Excerpts:

HOUSEKEEPING TODAY has grown to encompass much more than just cleaning and guest services; thus, increasing the challenges faced otherwise. Everything in housekeeping begins with the working staff or housekeepers and almost all challenges are related to trained manpower in one way or the other.

Every hotel is facing manpower crisis and is struggling to keep up the retention ratio. Highlighting the present challenges, Renuka Rao said, “Housekeeping department is the backbone of a hotel and newly joined staff are not capable to provide the required results expected by the guests. Further, guests today are more demanding than they were five years back. They do not tolerate anything, be it pests or hygiene issues. Getting trained staff, retaining them and keeping them happy are the challenges which need adequate support and time. Housekeeping is a 24/7 activity.”

In this scenario of guest centric housekeeping, there is little scope for any other activity including skill development. Always at an edge over guest remarks, “online reservations” at times turns a bane for the housekeeping department. “External reservation agencies encourage guests to post online reviews to increase traffic. This, many a time, works adversely for the hotel. Housekeeping is the main target in most of these posts. This again gets carried in the social media and various online platforms available today and a small fault by the housekeeping staff gets blown out of proportion and thereby portrays a negative brand image of the hotel,” added Renuka.

We, as housekeeping staff, are passionate about our jobs and will continue to be so. This sheer passion is what turns a successful housekeeper to a GM.

- Shilpi Khanna

Quoting an extreme case of tragedy which could have been better handled with a trained housekeeping staff, Alka averred that, “One of the biggest challenges in training housekeeping staff, is in enabling them to ‘protect’ guests from possible terror attacks or other disasters. The housekeeper must make a checklist of Dos & Don’ts for a bomb blast scare.”

“Sexual harassment and ensuing repercussions are issues that housekeepers must look into and educate their staff as part of preventive measures. This is important as people coming from different places perceive things differently. Fire safety is one more very essential aspect which must be a part of regular checklist practices.

“Even housekeeping at its core is not an easy task. For e.g, while cleaning the washrooms, care should be taken not to leave behind even a single strand of hair. Once chosen the profession, you simply can’t do it forcefully. One must enjoy and have fun with the work,” added Alka.

Thanks to Clean India Journal for making janitors and cleaners believe they are professionals too… something that‘s worth to win awards.

- Avril Sule

“Getting labour and telling them it is no longer broom and brush but handling machines efficiently is, becomes another challenging task,” said Avril.

Appreciation & motivation is the key to getting things done. This helps housekeeping staff enjoy the job.

- Renuka Rao

Filling up rooms with complementary supplies just to enhance the quality of room can be a costly affair for housekeeping department. “But, we have to do this. Part of Sahara Star hotel is still under construction that generates dust/pollution. To counter the effect, we had to upgrade amenities of existing rooms and fill it with costly things to make guests happy,” explained Renuka.

The Way Forward

In spite of the current challenges, students joining hotel management are increasing on daily basis. They find it a glamorous job. Many staff like Front office and F&B get good number of students. “It is important that we devote sometime and sit with them to discuss their career plans and advise them about their career growth,” said Shilpi.

Today’s housekeeping is extremely concerned about water consumption, waste management, electricity consumption and other practices pertaining to environment. Today, we segregate garbage into eight dif ferent bins — wet, dry, paper, glass, stones and others.

- Alka Sharma

“Some people learn fast, some slowly. However, we must appreciate, motivate and teach them to get things better. This is never meant to be a one sided affair. Staff also needs to be given cross exposure,” concluded Alka.

Rising Concerns & Challenges

Food, Hygiene & Flights

The flight kitchen is like a military regiment, that rolls with rules and regulations. The stringency starts from maintaining a sterile atmosphere and thrives on functional modalities, technicalities and logistics. Precision, hygiene and sanitation play a predominant and all-encopassing role in delivering the prepared meals. Clean India Journal takes a peek.

AIR CATERES are striving to go that extra mile to move the bar up in terms of giving quality food. And yet, the variables are too many to handle. Flight food gets cooked, assembled, chilled, transported, reheated and regenerated, and hence are subjected to high altitude, pressure and less humidity requiring complete hygiene programme right from the start of the preparation.

Quality is at the heart of this service that is achieved by keeping the food hygienic, clean and free from disease causing bacteria. Speaking to Clean India Journal, VB Rajan, Chief Operating Officer, Casino Air Caterers & Flight Services (CAFS), Cochin, said, “All food contact surfaces are non-corrosive and non-toxic. All equipment in the manufacturing system are designed in a manner that facilitates easy cleaning and disinfecting. The related records are mandatorily kept. Only safe cleaning compounds and sanitizing agents are used in the company, stored separately under control and issued properly to avoid contamination of food with toxic chemicals. Effective measures are taken to exclude pests, insects and vermin from the process areas. A proper cleaning schedule is followed as detailed in the SOP.”

Raw materials are sourced locally and stored in separate cold storages for cut, cleaned and cooked stuff maintained at ambient temperatures. Work areas are segregated with colour coded bins and cutlery in order to avoid cross- contamination. Separate spec sheets indicate the amount of ingredients to be used and the order of assembling… Here below is an account of how things work in the flight kitchen of CAFS in keeping with the hygiene standards for a contamination free preparation and delivery.

Cleaning Containment in Preparation Kitchen.

The major source of contamination arises from waste generated at the time of preparation. The solid waste generated in various processing areas and from offloading is collected in big foot operated waste bins lined with polythene cover. Once the bin is full, the garbage is transferred to a store maintained at 5oC or below. The waste is collected and disposed off from the store by an external agency three times daily. Garbage disposal record is maintained. The liquid waste generated in the processing is treated in a effluent treatment plant where the water is recycled for use in house gardening.

“While all procedures are in place, it is only through constant monitoring, regular training and auditing hygienic food processing, preparation and delivery is possible.”

Waste Management System

Environmental standards are strictly followed in packing materials and food additives. A waste management system is adopted to segregate and dispose off the kitchen waste. Says A R Shine, Director, Envac Environmental Technology (P) Ltd, “The state of the art facility at Oberoi Flight Catering, T3, New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport is the most modern flight catering facility in India installed with an Envac Automated waste system. It collects waste from ware wash, dish wash and food preparation areas as well. The system is fully equipped with trash chute in benches, trash chutes located in the food prep areas, customs bonded warehouse and the conveyor systems receiving the food trays from the aircraft.”

A microbiology wing oversees the in flight prep kitchens. Samples of cooked and served meals are regularly collected and tested for quality and consistency. HACCP monitors and certifies the quality and safety regulations in the kitchens. Food safety regulations insist that wastages in preparations be destroyed and discarded.

Cleaning Schedule

“We follow a strict cleaning, monitoring and record keeping schedule. Broadly divided into two ways: To maintain cleanliness of contact surfaces, we have a daily cleaning schedule and a checklist maintained. As a routine, there is a visual check on cleanliness done at least four times during the day. On a weekly basis, the QA executive verifies the records. Besides this, the QC staff conduct swab tests to check the microbial levels of the contact surfaces and an analysis record is maintained which is again verified at the end of the week by the QA manager. A team of 25 are engaged in cleaning round the clock,” explained Rajan.

Prevent Cross Contamination

Prevention of cross-contamination includes insanitary objects to food, food packaging material, and other food contact surfaces, including utensils, gloves, and outer garments; and from raw product to cooked product.

“The entire layout of CAFS is unidirectional and ensures complete isolation of finished product from raw materials. The facility is designed for ease in cleaning, sanitation, and traffic control.“Plant grounds are in a condition that protects against contamination of food. Waste is collected in blue colour waste bins lined with black colour polythene cover and is removed from processing areas at definite intervals. Raw-product processing and cooked-product processing areas are separated. Drip or condensate does not contaminate food or packaging materials. Safety-type light fixtures are used in processing and packaging areas. Coolers, including the evaporators, are cleaned periodically. Nonfoodcontact surfaces in processing and packaging areas are cleaned daily at the end of the shift. Raw and cooked products are physically separated in coolers. Packaging materials are protected from contamination during storage.”Cleaning equipment are dedicated for each area. Production staff are given basic food sanitation training. Workers wear clean uniform, caps, mask and do not wear jewelry or other objects that might fall into the product, equipment, or containers. Workers wear disposable gloves and replace them as needed; wash their hands and gloves thoroughly and sanitize them before starting work or after each absence from their workstation; and anytime they have become soiled or contaminated clothing and personal belongings are not stored in production areas. Workers are not allowed to eat food, chew gum, drink beverages, or use tobacco in production areas. Hand cleaning and sanitizing stations are provided in each and every section.

Prevention of Microbial Contamination

“Work tables, and sinks for the preparation and handling of raw foods of animal origin are not used for preparation or handling of raw foods of vegetable origin or ready-to-eat foods, unless a documented procedure of cleaning and disinfection of machine after preparing raw foods is in place and vice-versa.

“Cutting boards for the preparation and handling of different types of foods e.g. (foods of animal origin, foods of vegetable origin or readyto- eat foods) are clearly identified by specific color or any other appropriate method and are not used for handling of other foods.

“Knives and other handling utensils are cleaned and or disinfected after each handling job. separate colour coded chopping boards / knives are used for cooked / under cooked / raw foods. Similarly separate colour coded chopping boards / knives are used for veg. and non-veg. items.”

Food handling equipment are cleaned and disinfected after each use and thereafter re-used or stored clean and dry as described in SOP (CAFSFSPR- 02, SSOP-2).

Outer packaging material like cartons, plastic bags, gunny bags etc. are decanted/removed in foodhandling area.

Prevention of Chemical Contamination

Cleaning chemicals, sanitizing agents, lubricants and pesticides are properly labeled and stored separately outside processing and packaging areas. Sanitation supervisor inspects chemical storage areas daily and inspects processing and packaging areas.

Unapproved chemicals are used in non-processing areas. Sanitation supervisor initiates correction of any potentially contaminating condition. Repairs are made as needed.

Pest Control

Pest control service is contracted to Rentokil Initial to carry out complete pest control activity in the unit under the supervision of QA Manager. The trained staff has been employed by the agency on daily basis. The Rentokil supervisor discusses the performance with QA Manager on a weekly basis. The daily service is recorded by the technician and is verified by the QA Manager.

The pest control chemicals are brought into the unit in sealed containers, cross checked with the approved pesticide list (APL) by the quality assurance representative and stored in the cupboard located outside the main building under lock and key.

As and when the fumigation is to be carried out, the required chemical is taken out and diluted as per the directions mentioned in the contract by the technician. These diluted chemicals are poured in spray pumps and these pumps are carried inside the unit.

There is a set schedule for spraying in the emptied food processing/handling area, drain holes inside and out the unit and fogging in external area.

Cleaning Raw material

“We use Ecolab cleaning solution for airline dish washing and Diversey chemicals for cleaning of food contact surfaces/ kitchen pot washing raw material. For sanitizing, we resort to steam and sodium hypochlorite solution.

While all procedures are in place, it is only through constant monitoring, regular training and auditing that hygienic food processing, preparation and delivery are possible.

Inputs from Vijayalakshmi Sridhar

 

Food, Hygiene & Flights

Nothing more to CLEAN?

In spite of the recent Swachh Bharat Mission achievement figures, the fact remains that India tops the global list of Open Defecation with 58% of the entire population practising the same, an issue which the government is committed to eradicate by 2019. To make the mission economically sustainable, the government has also imposed 0.5% Swachh Bharat Cess to the existing service tax. Last year, while cleaning & hygiene industry managed to capture the government and common man’s attention, expectations were sky high when the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced the budget this year. Clean India Journal analyses…

A day before the general budget 2016, PM Narendra Modi set the agenda of budget by announcing agriculture to be at the centre in his address in ‘Mann ki Baat’. There is huge allocation for infrastructure and a 0.5% Krishi Kalyan cess to the existing service tax of 14.5%.

Coming to the cleaning & hygiene, out of planned expenditure of `5.5 trillion, Jaitley has announced `9000cr for Swachh Bharat Mission. The sector yet again missed the focus and is somewhere at the epicycle of the budget.

” We all agree, steps must be taken to support the agricultural sector, once a booming industry, now a bane for farmers. Ironically, the cleaning and hygiene sector, which is aggressively engaged in reaching cleaning solutions to the nooks and corners of India, has been slapped with all kinds of cess – infrastructure, education, clean environment, Krishi Kalyan and Swachch Bharat!

The cleaning & hygiene sector and associated service industry, which provides training and employment to the needy and less privileged sections of the society, has been left without any support or tax exemption. In fact, the government, as done with certain sectors, should not only take back the Cess levied on cleaning products and services but must also provide tax exemptions over loans sought for cleaning businesses. If India has to become clean… if Swachch Bharat Abhiyan has to succeed, the cleaning sector has to take the lead. And this is possible only with essential government provisions.”

Real Estate & Infrastructure to drive cleaning

Amidst the global slow down, Real Estate has been badly affected and taking a note, certain measures have been taken that are poised to boost the growth. These are: increase in HRA deduction, removal of Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT) from Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and boost to affordable housing by allowing 100% deduction on profits made by entities constructing them. With home cleaning and institutional cleaning becoming a good prospect for the cleaning & hygiene industry, the real estate measures will help upkeep the industry. Anuj Puri, Chairman & Country Head at JLL India said, “We expect a few listings to happen in the current year itself, either by financial institutions or developers. Currently, around 229 million sqft of office space can be seen as REIT-compliant. If we assume that even 50% of these get listed, we are looking at a total REITs listing worth USD 18.5 bn.”

Besides RE, Infrastructure gets a big boost from the budget. Total outlay for infrastructure in Budget 2016 stands at `2,21,246cr. `97,000cr has been provided for roadways. The plan is to construct 10,000km of national highways, clearly another window for road sweepers. Further, “The Budget has outlined revival plans for non-functional airports in partnership with state governments, with a vision to spend around `100-150cr on each airport to make them functional again. This will give a boost to infrastructure in many tier-II and tier-III cities, and is without a doubt positive for their real estate markets. A select few projects that are commercially viable with good ridership could pick up pace in the near term.”

Policies that matter

In India, majority of cleaning companies are SMEs. Encouraging SMEs to expand their business, the FM has offered tax exemptions for small businesses with turnover of up to `2cr, twice the previous limit. The scheme will benefit 33 lakhs of existing SMEs. New investors looking to investing in the business of service segment Cleaning & Hygiene both maintanance and services, will get benefitted by the Startup India policy providing 100% tax deduction over the benefits for first three years. “The budget has attempted to boost the growth in manufacturing sector by giving the new manufacturing setups an option to choose concessional tax rate of 25%+surcharge without option for any profitlinked and investment-linked incentives. However, there should have been a level playing field not just for fresh investments, but for all existing companies across sectors,” feels Komal Sudhir, Senior Analyst-Probity Advisors Pvt Ltd.

Railways Budget

What is there for Cleaning & Hygiene?

• Clean my Coach’ service through SMS
• Ranking of A1 and A stations based on periodic third party audit and passenger feedback
• Waste segregation and recycling centres
• Awareness campaigns’ for cleanliness
• Additional 30,000 bio-toilets
• Providing portable structures with bio-toilets at all platforms of select stations for senior citizens, Divyang and women travellers

Services to go costlier

In recent years, service tax has been kept on increasing. Recalling the past, till 2003 it was just 5%, which was increased to 8% and then 10.20% in 2006. On June 1, 2015, the tax was increased from 12.36% to 14% and then to 14.5% on November 15. Barely three months has passed since then, the government has levied 0.5% Krishi Kalyan Cess. Jayaraman Nair, Chairman-VIS Group comments, “While the weak economic outlook, reduced consumer spending, and rising costs would remain the moot points of the industry, due to the combined effect of the imposed Krishi Kalyan cess, the average sales price of the cleaning products might increase by 5-6%”.

Un-addressing the addressed: COP21 Action Plan

Undoubtedly, Infrastructure, Real State, Startup funding and fund provided to actualise Swachh Bharat Abhiyan are few issues that will help cleaning & hygiene segment emerge stronger than ever before. However, what was signed at the climate change conference, COP21 in Paris, which once seemed congenial to India now looks like a forgone matter with having no special focus in the budget. Here, it is also worth noting that India ranks 120th out of 122 nations in quality of drinking water supplied to its citizens. Surface waters treated by civic bodies are not enough to meet the growing demand. Treatment and reuse of wastewater is still negligible. Government policies and guidelines to tackle these issues could have been taken up on priority. Raising the same concern, Rajul Parikh, President, Water Quality India Association and co-founder & Director Alfaa UV said, “Government seems serious about the SBM as demonstrated by allocations in the budget. However, allocation towards the national rural drinking water programme NRDWP has been reduced. This is not a welcome move. Overall the budget will stimulate rural demand and the big outlay on infrastructure will kick-start the economy.”

In short, as Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, CMDBiocon Ltd puts, “Manufacturing investment is unlikely to see an uptick despite an offer of a 25% tax rate for new projects as the incentive is grossly inadequate. Overall, I would rate it as a reasonable budget with no surprises. Nothing to worry about but no euphoria either!”

Budgeting the Workloading

Cleaning represents 20% to 35% of the total maintenance and operations budget for nearly any type of organization. In other words, cleaning – whether performed in house or by a building service contractor (BSC) – is a big piece of the budget pie… and often a big target. Understanding the fundamentals of workloading and using the right tools allows FSPs to identify improvement opportunities and get the most out of their work forces.

Clean the Slate

Before starting the workloading process, determine total amount of cleanable space in the facility or building, tasks and frequencies (scope of work) and labour cost.

Simplify With Software

Whether it is an in-house cleaning operation, outsource the services, head up a cleaning business – or sell to any of these groups –knowing the number of labor hours is key to effective management. Calculating these numbers faster and more easily is even better.

Make Better Decisions

There are many ways cleaning managers can use the data collected during the workloading process. With square footage, cleaning times, and tasks calculated, managers can note areas where their facilities or cleaning jobs might be overstaffed or understaffed. In addition to collecting data, workloading reports are excellent tools in the boardroom for justifying a budget request or backing up the need for an additional full-time employee.

A cleaning business or department is only as good as their work force, and cleaning managers are only as good as their taskmanagement skills. By putting proper workloading to use, one can be a great cleaning manager, get the most out of their work force, and improve their cleaning business or department and profit. And as an informed distributor, it will help their clients meet these workloading goals.

- David Frank, President-American Institute for Cleaning

Nothing more to CLEAN?

Make In India week at Mumbai

At the first ever Make In India Week held on February 13-18, 2016 in Mumbai, showing manufacturing prowess of the Country, MoUs to the tune of `15.2 lakhsCr were signed. The weeklong program discussed upcoming mega projects, Industrial Corridors and Smart Cities. Surely the Cleaning Industry can look for opportunities.

The week showcased strengths and opportunities in 11 sectors covering aerospace & defence, automobiles, chemicals & petrochemicals, construction machinery, food processing, infrastructure, IT & electronics, industrial equipment & machinery, MSME, pharmaceuticals and textiles. While 17 States participated in the event, Maharashtra led the way by securing an investment commitment over `8 lakhsCr.

Key deals concluded during the MIIW.

• Sterlite Group Company TwinStar Display Technologies & MIDC for LCD manufacturing unit in technical collaboration with Autron of Taiwan


• BAE Systems and Mahindra for assembling and testing of M777 Howitzers


• ORACLE’s USD 400 million investment in India to set up 9 incubation centre


• Trivitron healthcare manufacturing unit in Chennai


• Gujarat Government and Vestas (Denmark) for wind mill blades manufacturing unit at Ahmedabad


• Raymond Industries to invest `1400Cr for manufacturing linen yarn and fabric facility


• Mahindra & Mahindra: Investment – `8000Cr (Nashik: `6500Crs, Chakan – `1,500Cr)


• Gujarat Government and Tar Kovacs Systems (France) for offshore platform to develop marine applications in Gujarat


• Tar Kovacs and Government of Karnataka for setting up ocean based renewable energy project


• Yes Bank and IREDA for financing of renewable power projects


• Ascendas: Investment: `4571Cr; Employment: 1.09 Lakh


• Mercedes: Investment: `1500Cr; Employment: 4270


• Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers: Investment: `6204cr; Employment: 140


• Godrej Industries: Investment: `3000cr | Employment: 2000


• JSW Jaigarh Port Ltd | Investment: `6000Crs; Employment: 1000


• CREDAI and MCHI for 5.7 Lakh affordable homes with an investment of `.1.1 lakhCr and 7.6 lakh jobs


• Government of Jharkhand and Vedanta Ltd


• Government of Jharkhand and Adani group to set up a thermal power plant with a total capacity of 1,600 MW to be supplied to Bangladesh Grid


• Agreement between Government of Jharkhand and Adani Group to set up a Coal based Methane fertilizer plant


• Uber and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Department (SDED) of the Maharashtra government


• Solar Industries and Government of Maharashtra to set up a Nagpur plant for manufacturing of ammunition for armed forces

Policies / initiatives unveiled

• `2,200Cr Electronics Development Fund was unveiled by the Communications & IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to finance innovations, research and development in electronics manufacturing sector.


• National Capital Goods Policy was unveiled by the Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete aimed at creating an ecosystem for a globally competitive capital goods sector.


• Investment Opportunities in Food Processing Industry by Harsimrat Kaur Badal.


• E toll policy covering 360 toll plazas on the National Highways across the country.

State specific policies

The Maharashtra government unveiled five new policies

1. Maharashtra Retail Policy


2. Single Window Policy


3. Maharashtra Maritime Industries Policy


4. Electronics Policy covering FAB manufacturing


5. Special package for SC/ST entrepreneurs.

Odisha Industrial Development Plan 2025 and Jharkhand Industrial Promotion Policy 2016 were also unveiled during the week.

Make In India Mittelstand initiative was aimed at attracting Small & Medium Enterprises from Germany to set up manufacturing facilities in India. 19 Mittelstand companies had enrolled for the programme.

Other key initiatives of the Make In India Week included Industry- Academia Partnership, role of design in manufacturing, Make In India: Way Forward seminar with focus on domestic manufacturing, digital India initiative, smart cities and skill India programme.

Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor

Aimed to compete with the best manufacturing and investment destinations in the world, the Government of India laid out a plan to develop Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor as a global manufacturing and investment destination utilising the 1500km long, high capacity western Dedicated Railway Freight Corridor (DFC) as the backbone. The plan is to develop new manufacturing cities, logistical hubs and residential townships along the 1500km stretch. Incorporating the philosophy of sustainability and development, each manufacturing city will boast of worldclass infrastructure, convenient public transport, power management and efficient water and waste management system. Once completed, these nodal towns will ease the pressure on the burgeoning cities and will be the hallmark of a resurgent India.

DMIC: Highlights

• Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) of 1500Km is the backbone


• Pegged at an investment of $90 billion


• Intersects 7 states, namely Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.


• 24 manufacturing cities (Investment Region, IR and Investment Area, IA) are envisioned in the master plan

Potential sectors:

a) General Manufacturing
b) IT/ITES Component
c) Electronics including High-Tech industries
d) Automobile and Auto ancillary
e) Agro and Food processing
f) Heavy Engineering
g) Metals and Metallurgical products
h) Pharmaceuticals and Biotech
i) Service sector

Make In India week at Mumbai