Streamlining Custodial Operations To Eliminate Financial Waste

Although the recession appears to be receding, we may still be vulnerable to dips in the economy before we stabilize. During this time, we can use this as an opportunity to take a critical look at key aspects of custodial operations.  Following are key questions to ask:

• Is your expendable supply budget in line?  

Expendable supplies are items such as glass cleaner, stripper, floor finish, etc. that are used regularly to maintain facilities. There needs to be an inventory management system to protect yourself from pilferage and waste.  

• Is your consumable supply budget in line?  

Consumable supplies are items such as toilet tissue, plastic liners, paper towels and hand soap used by the tenants of the building.  If this item is a pass through cost, then you still should monitor it for pilferage and waste.

• Do you inventory your tools and small items used at the facility to verify need for replacement?  

Items include mop handles, brooms, buckets, brushes and other items that may not be very expensive but still cost real money to replace if lost or damaged.

• Do you monitor your larger pieces of equipment?  

Items include floor machines, auto-scrub machines, carpet cleaning systems and other high productivity units can either be misused or poorly maintained resulting in shortened life and reduced productivity.  

• Where are your vehicles and what is your fuel consumption?  

This is important since in that your company can ill afford side trips resulting in increased maintenance, fuel charges, lost value on your vehicles and increased risk of damage.

• Do you know your productivity rate compared to the industry?  

Labor and benefits are the largest costs of any service type business.  If you provide ongoing training to standard, close supervision and periodically conduct a discreet productivity checks you may identify areas that need improvement resulting in major savings over a period of time.

The old adage “pennies makes dollars” applies to operating a custodial operation.  Knowing your numbers can result in not only being more competitive but also improving your bottom line.

Your comments and questions are important. I hope to hear from you soon. Until then, keep it clean.

Mickey Crowe has been involved in the industry for over 35 years. He is a trainer, speaker and consultant. You can reach Mickey at 678.314.2171 or CTCG50@comcast.net.