The organisers of Pulire Asia Pacific 2014 - the Asia Pacific Cleaning Industry Expo- recently organised its first ever Singapore Cleaning Industry Forum on 13 February 2014. The event is part of a series of forums planned for in South East Asia to engage regional cleaning sectors. These forums also serve as a prelude to Pulire Asia Pacific exhibition, scheduled to take place later this year in Bangkok, Thailand from 18 to 20 September 2014.
Over 70 cleaning professionals representing more than 50 private and government organisations attended this highly informative forum which aimed at bringing together key players from the cleaning industry to exchange views on the trends and outlook of South East Asian cleaning sectors, and how to deliver better values for the market and industry. The forum also discussed the needs for the adoption of technology to off-set rising labor costs.
Moderated by Associate Professor Mr. Tan Eng Khiam from the National University of Singapore’s Department of Building School of Design and Environment, the forum kicked off with general consensus amongst participants that there is a need to upgrade the image of the cleaning profession which many still see as a low skilled and low paying profession. This is despite the fact that cleaning is regarded as an important function any organisation to fulfill health, hygiene and safety needs. On this subject, Mr. Toni D’ Andrea, Managing Director of the Italian Cleaning Equipment Manufacturers’ Association presented a video depicting the professionalism of the cleaning sector. He also gave a “food for thought” analogy on what could happen to a town, city, or even country if daily cleaning services are stopped entirely for just one week.
Another interesting topic discussed was the role of the government in helping to increase the level of cleanliness of public toilets in Singapore. Mr. Jack Sim, President of World Toilet Organisation told the forum that toilets are points for collection and disposal of human wastes, and as such over a given time, toilets bound to get dirty. Hence instead of pointing the finger at the public for bad toilet habits, the government should work closely with the cleaning sector to improve the efficiency of toilet cleaning.
Both panelists, Ms. Judy Tan, President of the Association of Singapore Housekeepers and Ms. Heather Suksem, Regional Chief Executive Officer for OCS Group for South East Asia and Middle East shared similar notion that in seeking cleaning contracts, the industry should move away from the traditional manpower head count service proposals to new service delivery formats that provide clients with quality instead of quantity.
From the cleaning technology’s perceptive Mr. Richard Lee, General Manager of Karcher Singapore touched on the need for the industry to mechanize cleaning services so as to offset rising labor costs, improve productivity and provide better values to customers. Together with technology, the level of professionalism for the cleaning profession can be raised to the next levels through trainings, certifications and establishing best industry practices.
Pulire Asia Pacific 2014 – the Asia Pacific Cleaning Expo – is a dedicated international exhibition platform showcasing the latest professional cleaning and hygiene technology, solutions and trends for institutional and industrial cleaning sectors in the Asia Pacific region. The event will take place at IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Centre in Bangkok, Thailand this September. For more information, please contact Mr. Ajinveat Vhongthong Tel: +66 (2) 833 5210 Email: ajinveatv@impact.co.th or visit our website at www.pulire-asiapacific.com.
IMPACT Exhibition Management Co., Ltd.
Mr. Ajinveat Vhongthong
+66 (2) 833 5210
ajinveatv@impact.co.th