Industrial facilities are complex environments that require a coordinated operations effort in order to function. If any aspect of operations – including janitorial services – are not executed properly, the overall efficiency of the facility can be compromised. A steel mill in Oregon was encountering inconsistent and poor service from their janitorial service provider. The mill was experiencing missed areas, increased safety concerns and liabilities, and inconsistent consumables supply restocking and inventory maintenance. As a result, the mill’s overall operations were struggling. The employees’ productivity and morale were negatively impacted. All departments made repeated complaints to the manager without seeing results. The manager, in turn, lost valuable time addressing these complaints instead of focusing on other important mill operations.

After spending 15 months trying to solve the problem and hiring three different janitorial providers, the mill continued to face the same challenges. In 2017, the mill hired Marsden because of our reputation and capabilities in the commercial cleaning industry. After performing site tours and discussing the service issues with the client, Marsden identified the root causes of the problem: an outdated scope of work, a lack of consistency with ordering consumables, and no scheduling for periodic work. The mill is a large facility, comprised of almost 20 different departments, 38 different buildings, an offsite location, industrial areas, break areas, and office space. Such a complex environment requires intentionality in order to ensure every area is serviced correctly every shift. With the client’s permission, we rewrote the scope of work and created a new, detailed schedule with appropriate work frequency. Marsden assessed the mill and created a precise cleaning route and timeline for each shift. Marsden also conducted a risk assessment and developed a site-specific safety plan that included proper equipment and PPE as well as team cleaning in order to ensure compliance and accountability. Finally, Marsden established a new consumables supply program that included managing supply orders and regular supply inventories.

Marsden was able to eliminate the ongoing janitorial problems at the mill by creating a detailed, site-specific service plan that implemented the client’s priorities and needs. Using this program, we have consistently exceeded the client’s expectations and as a result, the mill has continued to expand our service contract. Because Marsden created a sustainable and scalable process for service at the mill, we were able to incorporate regular increases in service scope, frequency, and responsibility without compromising service quality.