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Cleaning Services in Ukraine: Demand and Supply, Commercial Property, № 48, August 2007

The owners and leaseholders of commercial property are worried with the maximum income from the exploitation of building or from their own business. They often forget about the main component of these processes, which is a good look of the building and cleanliness of its premises. To make the real estate project give you a maximum profit, you need to get the professional care for it: for the fa?ade, roof, decorative trimming of the premises, equipment, separate interior details, etc.

The cleanliness of the premises in shopping and entertaining malls, hotels or restaurants is a pledge of big amounts of customers and potential lease-holders. The cleanliness of office centers is a pledge of successful and developed business. Of course, the cleaning services aren’t to be done by the staff, because each sphere of cleaning need the professional approach, using of high-tech equipment, and often lots of time. For example, the cleaning of 16 thousands of windows of the Malaysian skyscraper Petronas (height – 451.9 m; 88 stores) needs a whole month.

The appearing of foreign real estate at Ukrainian market made the native players adopt the international experience of managing the commercial premises, including the outsourcing of specialized directions, as cleaning. The western and eastern companies haven’t used the labor of staff employees for cleaning of premises; they conclude the long-term contracts about the partnership with professional cleaning companies.

According to Sergej Gutsaliuk, the general manager of Uch-Cleaning, the professional cleaning is necessary not only for the good look of premises, but also for saving money and time. For example, the professional care for flooring, office and upholstered furniture makes them live for 30% longer. After hiring the cleaning company for care of premises, the management of the company may concentrate just on its business, not on the looking for cleaning staff and controlling its time, refilling of chemicals supply, renewing of equipment assortment.

As Artem Kovalevsky, the marketing specialist of Den, notices, while working with cleaning company, the client gets rid of all problems, concerned with staff (training, hiring, replacing, holiday and medical pays, etc.), expenses on getting the cleaning technique and its repair. Besides, the expenses on cleaning services are deducted from taxed profit, unlike of maintaining of own cleaning department, when different taxes and social deductions into the salary fond are paid.

Dynamics of Market Development

Today the Ukrainian market of cleaning services is on the formation stage. Even though the first cleaning companies appeared in the end of 1990th, their services are now used for cleaning of 15% of real estate only.

Right now there’s a stage of re-interpreting of the meaning of “cleaning”, its influence on the success of business development, effectiveness of work process, durability of any building exploitation, and also the separate interior and exterior details. It’s connected with realizing of necessity of long-term prospect of developing projects (long-term profitability of objects), that’s why the new requirements and technological solutions of fa?ade constructions and engineering systems appear. Correspondently, the requirements of care after the expensive materials, equipment and furniture appear. The professional cleaning services are becoming more profitable for both lessors and leaseholders of commercial premises.

According to Valerij Simonov, the general manager of Clean-Star, cleaning is one of the most popular outsources direction for today. If the single orders were majority in 1990th (because it was almost impossible to convince the native companies in necessity of professional daily cleaning), right now the volume of cleaning services in the sphere of daily serving (long-term contracts) has grown in a couple of times, which is connected with the mass commercial projects, which need the timely care and technologies.

For almost 10 years of Ukrainian cleaning market existing, it has rapidly grown. During the last years the following trends of its development may be named:

• The new type of cleaning companies has been created. They do the qualitative professional cleaning services and are able to work with big corporative customers
• The big number of new workplaces has been created
• The type of customer changed
• The international experience of formatting of corporative cleaning standards has been inculcated
• The new professional high-tech equipment and qualitative chemicals have been appeared

Market Players

Right now there’s a set of professional cleaning companies in Ukraine, which may be divided into two groups. There’re big cleaning organizations, which have already occupied the certain niche of market and may satisfy the requirements of big customers, and the small companies, which work with apartments and small offices. According to the information of Den, the ten-years experience of cleaning market shows, that the 70% of its players are change for the new ones in two-three years.

As Denis Kish, the general manager of Shaden Group, notices, the Ukrainian cleaning market consists of 10 companies, which do the qualitative services, corresponding to the European standards; the rest of players are private companies (or “one-day companies”). The last ones have 3-7 people of staff, who decided that cleaning business is profitable and fashionable. They didn’t to the market research, training and education of staff. These companies don’t exist too long, even though they always have time to spoil the reputation of cleaning market. You’ll never even get through the phone to one of those companies, even though they place their commercials in mass-media. That’s why it’s too early to say about variety of cleaning companies at Ukrainian market.”

The following companies are considered to be the leaders of the market, which are able to work with big corporative customers: Air Clean, GRIFFIN Group, Shaden Group, Actual Service, Den, Eurocity, Inter Service Lux, Clean Star, Clean Tech, Latcrok, Master Clean, Uch-cleaning, Chistyj Svet etc.

Lots of these companies appeared in 1900-2000 and gradually moved to achieving the high result without saving their money for training of staff, buying the technique and chemicals. According to Denis Kish, these companies are big players of Ukrainian cleaning market. It’s because of their long experience, specialists and park of technique, new methods of education, experience of using the different chemicals etc.

Competition

Today the players of market already notice the competition of cleaning business, which is a good index of its development. The more the competition is, the better the quality of services is. The quality of cleaning, according to Svetlana Mits, the director of Air Clean, is one of the components, which is paid attention on while choosing the cleaning company.

It’s natural, that lots of companies think about their possible advantages in the competition environment. Amongst the competitive advantages you may name the effective system of staff hiring and training, strictly organized managing structure, planned organization of all cleaning process, strict observance of technological cleaning programs and others.

According to Olga Gutsal, the general manager of Allon Ltd of CleanTech TM, one of the most prospective directions of development in competitive environment are improving of service quality by inculcating of new technological processes, cooperation with the best Ukrainian producers of professional chemicals (the native producers are more flexible in cooperation approaches, quickly react on specific unordinary problems, and the quality of their products is a brand new), effective staff education.

Valerij Simonov adds the flexibility of questions solution in work with client, the optimal proportions of price and quality to the main competitive advantages.

Customers

The target audience of cleaning services is pretty wide and diverse. According to Svetlana Mits, the main clients of cleaning companies are supermarkets and shopping malls, industrial enterprises, medical and sport institutions, business-centers, big international and Ukrainian companies, banks, governmental institutions, hotels, entertaining objects (cinemas, clubs, and casinos), stations and airports. Lately the demand on cleaning services of construction companies has grown, and also from the private people.

Denis Kish notices that the potential customer of cleaning services is a company, which takes care of its image, aims to create the comfortable work conditions for its employees, clients and partners.

Today both the foreign companies and native organizations use the cleaning services. The specialists notice that the percentage of foreign and Ukrainian clients is 50/50. During the last years the majority of customers have estimated the advantages of long-term contract, when the necessary types of jobs are listed for a long period of time. The specialists notice that the cleaning on a base of long-term contracts is more essential in the sphere of trade, entertaining and office estate. Its owners have been come to conclusion that it’s more profitable and convenient for them to offer these jobs for the cleaning company. The hotels prefer keeping their own staff for daily cleaning; however they order professional cleaning for single more complicated works (dry cleaning, windows washing, firm surfaces processing).

As Sergej Gutsaliuk states, the organizations order cleaning services when they can’t deal with the certain task. For example, they need the dry cleaning of carpet or upholstered furniture, processing of firm flooring (waxing, polishing), windows and showcases washing in high-rise building. Afterwards they see a great result of professional work. Lots organizations start working with cleaning company on a permanent base; they order complex daily cleaning (before the beginning of workday), maintaining of cleanliness during a day, general cleaning on weekends etc. The frequency of orders depends on the necessities of each company. If it’s a small office, it’s enough to do the complex cleaning three times a weed and general cleaning – once a month. If it’s a shopping and entertaining mall with big crowds, the cleaning specialist should be there during the whole day.

At this stage of Ukrainian cleaning market developing you may notice the difference between Ukrainians and foreign companies. Valerij Simonov states that foreign companies are more orientated on the outsourcing. They have their own standards of cleaning and clearly formulated goals. The cleaning company may be sure that if these requirements are fulfilled, they won’t have any difficulties.

The native companies still organize their own departments for cleaning of premises, and at this stage they don’t have their own cleaning standard. For example, the biggest international retail-operator Metro doesn’t have its own cleaning service. When it started its work in Ukraine, it chose the local partner, which it’s working with right now. The Ukrainian retailer Velyka Kishenya makes cleaning just by itself. It has its own department, which do the cleaning of trade premises. The sphere of cleaning services in Ukraine is gradually coming to western standards.

Services

The services done by cleaning companies may be divided into main and additional (specialized).

The main cleaning works include the general cleaning, cleaning after construction and daily cleaning. Amongst the main services the specialists call the complex cleaning of all surfaces, including the dry and damp cleaning of carpets and upholstered furniture, damp cleaning of floors (if necessary the cleaning technique is used), dust removing, wiping of mirrors, removing of trash, bathroom cleaning, and also care of plants and refilling of support consumables (soap, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.). The same procedures may be daily and single. According to Artem Kovalevsky, the average price of these jobs in Kiev is 8-15 grivnas for one sq. m of office premises of trade areas.

The specialists also add to the additional package of services the washing of asphalt, removing of snow, checking the ash-trays and trash bins, removing of pollutions from parking pillars, cleaning of drains and bars before entrance, greening works, high-rise washing of facades, dry cleaning of furniture, removing of stains, chewing gums, etc. While concluding a contract for long-term service, the prices on specialized works may be 10-30% lower depending on the object.

Cleaning after repair and construction is a separate direction of cleaning, which differs from the general cleaning, where the different equipment and staff are used. Besides, the building is totally cleaned: the stains from paint and cement are removed; the dust and constructional trash are removed.

According to Olga Gutsal, each cleaning company may define its priorities in offering the services just by itself. It depends on lots of factors: presence of turnover capital, trained staff and experiences management, which are able to start working at the object on bases of annual contract.

Some companies choose the narrow segment of activity. These may be the companies, which do the cleaning in offices or trade premises only. Everything depends on the strategy of certain company.

Equipment and Chemicals

Maksim Vinnik, the manager of selling department of Chistyj Svet, notices that each cleaning company should use the professional equipment and tools only, and also the special detergents (not household), because it affects on the final result of work, its quality and productivity.

According to Valerij Simonov, the requirements to equipment should correspond to Ukrainian legislation, it should be certified.

Denis Kish tells, “More often the clients totally rely on the professionalism and work quality of company, discussing the specificity of materials, because the floor and the walls may be covered with special stone or tile, which don’t stand the typical chemicals. But there’re clients who want to control each stage of cleaning. These are those people who have already faced the service of small cleaning companies, which take orders without having the necessary work experience, skills, equipment and tools, they either don’t do the order or damage the property of customer.”

Olga Gutsol says, “While doing the single order there’re no special requirements to the equipment and chemicals, because the main criteria are the terms of job fulfillment and final result. In case of concluding the long-term contract for complex serving, the good productivity of equipment is often required.”

Amongst the most used brands the following stand out: K?RCHER (the official dealer of German concern in Ukraine – Chistyj Svet), VDM, Chemspec, Tecno Trolley System, Ecolab. The most popular cleaners are Strike, Premstrip, Premac Super, Farmos, Laundry Fresh, Release, Carpetclean XL, Window Spirit, Graffiti Remover, Taxat Profi, Palmex Plus, Silex Universal, Palmsil, Ozonit, Tensil, Perovit, Renolit, Rilan, Windus, Sopal, Into Citrus, Pilax, Sator, Chromol, Noxa Liquid, Softenit Perfekt, Contra Saurer and the others.

Price

The price of cleaning services depends on the complexity and volume of jobs. The package is formed individually for each customer. After getting an application for cleaning, the employee of cleaning company checks out the premises for free in order to estimate the volume of jobs. While calculating the price of services the following factors are taken into consideration: the area of premises, the level of pollution, the terms of works fulfillment, etc. The client gets the information about the necessary works, number of employees, schedule of jobs and the price of services.

Svetlana Mits says, “The prices for cleaning after repair are between 10 and 20 grivnas for one square meter of surface, the dry cleaning of upholstered furniture is between 30 and 40 grivnas for one seating place. Especially popular are the dry cleaning of carpets and carpet coverings, which costs 10-15 grivnas for one square meter. More often the cleaning companies have to do the services concerned with washing of windows, showcases and stained-glass windows. This service costs 7-20 grivnas, depending on its complexity.”

Besides, as Valerij Simonov notices, “the prices on daily cleaning services are formed according to the company’s expenses – staff’s salary, amortization of equipment, expenses on detergents etc. Depending on the expenses the full cost of cleaning works is forms.”

The special (additional) works may include the cost of contract, and may be done separately or by the application for additional cost. The special services cost as written in the price-list, sometimes the price is corrected depending on the volume and complexity of jobs, and also on the customer’s potential (prospects of long-term cooperation).

As Maksim Vinnik says, “The job experience, reputation and price are the main factors, which are taken into consideration while choosing the cleaning company. But sometimes a customer chooses a company just because of the low cost of its services; mostly they don’t get a necessary result. The specialists recommend comparing the price after comparing of the technological program of cleaning. The complex approach is a full set of services, which do the company. This is a full service of the whole building, which allows reducing the cost of jobs, keeping their high quality, unlike the situation, when the client tries to organize the service just by themselves and attract a couple of subcontractors.”

Employees of Cleaning Companies

The biggest problem of cleaning business is a fluidity of staff because of the small attractiveness of profession. That’s why, according to Svetlana Mits, “the most essential problem for today is staff hiring and their professional training. We still don’t have a professional school of cleaning in Ukraine, but there’re trainings and seminars, which help to train the lowest service staff.
As Valerij Simonov states, “the managers are trained within the company in Ukraine; the trainings are orientated on the specialized jobs.”

The main requirements to the cleaning staff, according to Olga Gutsal, are “decency, honesty, hard-working and ability to stand the firm schedule”.

According to Denis Kish, “the employee should have at least three main qualities: responsibility, decency, wish to work and study. At first, these qualities are the main ones, after the training and seminars on using the technique and chemicals the work direction and growth prospects are defined. Each employee should be a specialist in the field they work. Besides, the employees of specialized companies should have a good look – a corporative style has to be considered up to the smallest details. The technique – from the smallest mop to the modern floor-washing machine – should always be perfectly clean, because the cleanliness is perfect just when it’s a lifestyle.”

Maksim Vinnik states, that “the cleaning staff market is still a small one, but the biggest companies still try to improve the work conditions, provide the free training and career growth. The material motivation of staff is also an important question. Each month the best employees should be given a bonus.”

Prospects

The native professional cleaning, including the contract one, has good prospects of development. With time it’ll have a good demand of the wide circle of customers. According to the information of Clean-Star, the important factor of cleaning market development is a number of employed staff (the number of professional cleaners).

Denis Kish says:

— The same index in USA is about 80%, in Russia – about 10%. This index in Ukraine didn’t reach even 1-2%. The potential of native market is huge. The prospective of its development depends on the quantity of objects which are built, the volume of investments, using of western model of managing the company. Because of the big construction in Kiev, you may state, that cleaning companies have even more work to do. It’s already a norm to hire the professional cleaners for doing of cleaning after construction.

Sergej Gutsaliuk says:

— The competition, which is going to be soon between the shopping malls, office centers, supermarkets, will start a new stage of cleaning in Ukraine. To be a competitive one, the company should attract the clients with its prices, goods and services assortment, and also with the comfort. As the experience shows, the staff doesn’t have the certain job skills, they can’t do the task.

The potential of cleaning market is huge. Each year more and more companies occupy the cleaning industry, at the same time more and more companies offer the unprofile types of jobs, including cleaning.

Source: “Commercial property”

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