As (OS1) approaches its 20th birthday, the number of organizations using the process continues to grow. Trade publications in North America and Europe have chronicled the system’s success. End-users in all kinds of environments have asked, “Will it work for me?” and determined to put the process to the test.
In August, 2002 the Boeing Company hosted an (OS1) end-users seminar at their Puget Sound, Washington facility. In attendance were representatives from Boeing, Sandia National Laboratories, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, University of New Mexico and others. They shared their experiences since implementing (OS1).
Paul Condie is Director of Operations for KBM Facility Solutions, a California based contract cleaning company. Condie notes, “As I have watched organizations transition to (OS1), I have seen transition activities bring workers, supervisors and management closer together as they focus on a common goal.”
At Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico cleaning managers dropped their cost per square foot of cleaning by 46%. At the same time, safety improved dramatically. In 2000 there were 71 lost workdays. As of August, 2002 there were none.
At the same time Sandia also experienced a 38% increase in the amount of area cleaned per custodian, while the number of custodians dropped from 94 to 77.
At the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, custodians cleaned roughly 27-thousand square feet before (OS1) implementation. Since then, cleaning workers now handle 32-thousand square feet. There has also been a reduction of more than 80% in the amount of accidents reported since the school transitioned to (OS1).
Mary Vosevich, Director of Physical Plant says the school expects to save between 10-20% on labor. UNM also pocketed an additional 20% in vacuum maintenance costs with zero downtime on the machines. According to Vosevich, previous expenses for five different brands of vacuums and parts have been virtually eliminated. She says except for minor plug work, the backpacks required no other equipment maintenance.
On top of that, chemical costs at UNM have dropped by more than 74%.
R. Stuart Holdridge is Director of Boeing’s Shared Services Group Facilities Support Services at Puget Sound. Holdridge says before Boeing implemented (OS1) the company had few standards for chemicals, equipment or processes. Managers were also unhappy with the rate of injuries.
With no consistent way of tracking costs and a lack of management and employee accountability, the company was looking to improve cleaning performance and customer satisfaction.
(OS1) provided the answer. To date, more than half of Boeing’s 16.8 million square feet of cleanable space has been transitioned. With almost 400 buildings, including 23 cafeterias, 4 medical facilities, and more than 14-thousand offices and conference rooms, Holdridge says a standardized process is in place. Since beginning the transition in 2000, Boeing has seen a reduction in injuries and a significant return on its investment. Boeing is also ISO 9001 compliant.
Holdridge says system purity with no deviations was critical to (OS1) success.