ELB Services Press Review

Editor Asfia Khan finds out how Kiehl Middle East and Dussmann Gulf successfully partner to help Abu Dhabi Airport Company provide five star quality service for the Germany-based Kiehl Group set up in 1904, manufacturing oils and waxes was the main activity till the onset of the professional cleaning industry.

Today, the Kiehl Group manufactures a range of solutions to fulfill all requirements of the professional cleaning and car wash industries.When a family-owned business like Kiehl with a reputation of providing innovative products for 105 years, takes its business abroad, it is run on the same lines and principles that distinguishes it from the others in its home country – quality service available at all times.

In fact such is the culture of openness, transparency and service at Kiehl that Samy Khaswaneh, general manager of Kiehl Middle East says: “If you call our chairman Johannes Kiehl, he is sure to talk to you.” Equally well known is the fact that Johannes Kiehl is known to have cleaned washrooms himself so as to get a better understanding of the requirements in order to create the perfect product. Kiehl Middle East as a subsidiary company was set up in Abu Dhabi at the beginning of last year in a mature market already dominated by products from stalwart companies such as JohnsonDiversey and Ecolab. Considering this as a challenge, Khaswaneh admits that while Kiehl cannot compete with the global players in terms of company size and global outreach, it can however compete in terms of product quality and efficiency of service.

The UAE market penetration by Kiehl Middle East started with a contract for the supply of chemicals and equipment for two hotels in Abu Dhabi. Kiehl Middle East also supplies cleaning equipment from Vermop and floor care equipment from Columbus. A hospital contract in Abu Dhabi thereafter made Khaswaneh realize the need to educate the cleaning staff on the selection and use of proper equipment. He helped the janitorial staff to phase out the Kentucky mop which does not do justice to chemicals at all and introduced the flap mop from

Vermop. Khaswaneh also promoted the use of microfiber cleaning cloth and microfiber pads for ride-on and walkbehind scrubber driers.

However, Kiehl Middle East’s most successful venture in Abu Dhabi till date remains the contract to supply cleaning equipment and chemicals to the Abu Dhabi Airport Company (ADAC) for the Abu Dhabi and Al Ain International Airports. “The Kiehl group has enough experience in servicing major airports like Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Stuttgart and Munich in Germany, which helped facility management service provider Dussmann Gulf tender for the project in association with Kiehl Middle East,” says Khaswaneh.

Successful association

In fact, the association between Dussmann Gulf and Kiehl Middle East stems from a longstanding strategic partnership of over forty years between the Kiehl Group and the Dussmann Group of companies in Germany and other European countries, where Kiehl is the main supplier for Dussmann. Jan Wilhem, project manager of Dussmann Gulf states: “We would not have won the tender had it not been for the support of a strong supplier like Kiehl who supplied chemicals and equipment from Vermop within the short time span of a week, once we won the contract.”

The commitment and round-the –clock attendance of Kiehl Middle East helped Dussmann Gulf organize the construction cleaning of Terminal 3 and facilitate its opening in March this year, which was a gigantic task of cleaning nearly 80,000 square metres across 6 levels. Once the terminal was open, Dussmann Gulf became involved in regular routine cleaning and maintenance of the facility which includes 80 washrooms. According to Wilhelm, the high quality of Kiehl chemicals and the strong service support of Kiehl Middle East enable Dussmann to offer and maintain a five star level of cleanliness and maintenance of the Abu Dhabi International Airport. ADAC has a performance management system in place wherein the premises of the terminals and the washrooms are routinely monitored for cleaning and noncleaning Key Performance Indexes (KPIs) on a daily basis.

According to Neil McLaren, ADAC’s cleaning, waste management and pest control manager, the parameters by which daily maintenance cleaning and deep cleaning are judged detailed within the Scope of Service documents issued at the time of the tender and there are Key Performance Indicators applied to the service provision which are also detailed in the Scope of Service. “We utilize personnel from Cleanevent to assist with the recorded cleaning monitoring surveys and the generation of the related data and primary reports. “Our objective of these daily monitoring surveys is to ensure that we are achieving the standards of service as detailed within the Scope of Service documents. The KPIs relate to a range of criteria linked to the service provision including data generated from the daily cleaning monitoring surveys and management systems,” says McLaren. ADAC worked closely with business partners Dussmann and Kiehl to overcome the challenge of resolving the system mobilization issues which are mainly related to the operation of the process as the KPIs are closely aligned to the service operation.

Dussmann earned 92 points on cleaning KPIs in July this year following the routine daily quality checks for parameters such as the availability of consumables in washrooms and the

cleanliness of the floors, doors and toilet bowls etc. “A facility management service provider can only perform well if the right product, right equipment and rightly trained people are available,” says Wilhelm while lauding the contributory efforts of Kiehl as well as that of Dussmann’s cleaning staff. In fact, the wide product range of Kiehl chemicals leaves no scope for dissatisfaction or the need to order even one chemical from any other supplier. Kiehl’s comprehensive product literature, safety data sheets according to European management standards, concentrated solutions and chemical dosing systems enable Dussmann’s employees to know their chemicals well and handle them safely. In addition, Kiehl Middle East also offers regular training on chemicals and equipment. On its part, Dussmann has 30 trained European supervisors to exact cleaners to do a good job.

Wide range of innovative solutions

Dussmann recommends Kiehl’s Veriprop Concentrate for water resistant floor coverings and porcelain tiles, Profloor Concentrate for routine damp mopping of floor surfaces including marble and terrazzo and Profless Concentrate foam spray cleaner for daily routine cleaning of surfaces. While Dussmann uses Tornado Power cleaner which is capable of dissolving grease, dirt and nicotine for routine and maintenance cleaning including glass cleaning, the Dopomat range is used for deep cleaning and in the cargo terminals. It’s worthwhile here to mention Dopomat brilliant and Dopomat-secure, an anti-slip maintenance cleaner for scrubber driers which reduces the excessive build-up of coatings with regular use.

Dussmann also uses low-foaming stripper Copex for all floor surfaces, Econa Concentrate, an all-purpose routine cleaner concentrate with European Eco-label ideal for daily cleaning and carpet cleaner Carpasol for use in spray extraction machines and routine sanitary cleaner Kiehl-SanEco Concentrate for its long-lasting fresh fragrance for the quick removal of lime scale and dirt. In fact, according to Khaswaneh, it is the first and so far only German highly concentrated sanitary cleaner to be awarded with the European Eco-Label.

Wilhelm is particularly pleased with Procur Concentrate, Kiehl’s maintenance cleaner which avoids adherence of chewing gum and self-adhesive labels and reduces formation of black heel marks. “Tablefit is another product which is very helpful in removing the glue of old advertisements from the walls of the airport.” Of significant importance to the airport is Kiehl’s Verodur-Satina matt emulsion polish which dries to a satin finish and is especially designed for the protection of areas with high anti-slip requirements, “ideal for high-traffic areas like the tunnel connecting the airport with the aircraft.” “With Verodur-satina, we were able to care for high-traffic areas and assure a significant longer lifetime of the floor,” says Wilhelm.

Certain of Kiehl’s chemicals are endorsed by the European Union Eco-Label, branding them as eco-friendly products. Kiehl’s uncompromising cleaning and hygiene standards according to the RKI directives (Robert Koch Institute, the German federal institution responsible for disease control and prevention), permeates down to the preparation and disinfection of cleaning cloths and mops as well.

Kiehl’s basic, advanced and premium versions of the ProMop® system which includes washing machines, dosing pumps and systems, etc, enables any facility to prepare laundered mop covers and cleaning textiles with no over- or underdosing of the products. The system saves setup time, simplifies workflow, avoids application errors and more importantly, rules out contact with the cleaning solution.

“Once the system is set up, cleaning textiles can also be prepared and carried to other sites,” elaborates Khaswaneh. Kiehl Middle East has installed washing machines in cooperation with Dussmann at the Abu Dhabi International Airport where the mops are washed and prepared for the next cleaning cycle. On the back of a very successful partnership with Dussmann in Abu Dhabi, Kiehl Middle East is hopeful of establishing other such associations in Qatar and Oman and other GCC countries. The Kiehl motto of “Always close at hand” is therefore set to resonate across the Middle East following its implementation in France, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Romania, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.

Schmalkalden in Thuringia, Germany with a population of 18,000 and maximum temperatures of 32 ° C. The climate is very like Winterthur near Zurich in Switzerland which has a population of 98,000. Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE with a population of 1.7 million and temperatures of up to 50 °C and 90 percent humidity. Forget »desert climate«.

»The heat doesn’t bother me, everywhere is air conditioned,« says Jan Wilhelm about the third location of his short career and turns the vehicle’s air conditioning up as he circumnavigates the stop-and-go rush hour traffic. Wilhelm is 28 and Operations Manager at Dussmann Gulf LLC. He studied in Schmalkalden and Winterthur leaving with a degree in Corporate Law and earned his spurs in the German cleaning industry. He then applied to Dussmann Service. »I sent my application to the service division in Berlin but I was able to begin an internship in Abu Dhabi right away.« It has long became a permanent position and Jan Wilhelm is now prepared for an extended stay in this country, where friendships must be made swiftly because people always move on so quickly.

For some professions, the UAE may no longer be the land of unlimited opportunity. This, however, does not apply to the FM industry. The new office centers, residential blocks and hotels which sparked the construction boom have also created huge demand for specialists like Wilhelm. He lives in a »villa« with the street number 123. It is, in fact, more a terraced house than a villa and it stands in a compound alongside many identical houses, right behind the Khalidiyah Mall. Dussmann colleague Tobias Schorstaedt lives in the same street which is decidedly more Mediterranean in style than Arabic. Huge vehicles are parked in front of the houses with Ikea furniture in the bedrooms and in the evening, Wilhelm occasionally dives into the pool. Next-door-neighbor Carmen, from Austria, is holding a farewell party this evening – with Kässpatzen, Kaiserschmarrn and Jägermeister.

85 percent of UAE residents are foreigners and in private life, Europeans stick together even though the locals are very affable. »I’m already as attentive as an Arab,« claims Jan Wilhelm and grins his youthful grin contrasting with the touch of grey in his hair. Was the message received?

Questions his probing glance. So what is there to do in Abu Dhabi? »Work,« says Jan Wilhelm without hesitation and it doesn’t sound regretful. There is little time for private life and he is energetic by nature anyway. Restless too when things don’t go as quickly as in Germany. »An Arab always has time.« When visiting clients, he often drives through areas of the capital such as Musaffah which are dominated by dozens of car-parts dealers, workshops and labor camps of the worst sort.

He is interested in understanding the less glamorous side of the country too. Jan Wilhelm could have returned to the cool climate and steady pace of Switzerland after leaving university. But it would have been a pity.

Picture: Jan Wilhelm (l.) with Abdulla Saeed Al Qamzi

A German is committed at the ZHW to academic exchange across national borders. Jasmin Bodmer

The business law student Jan Wilhelm from Schmalkalden near the Thuringian Forest is visiting the Zurich University of Applied Sciences Winterthur for the summer semester 2005. The 25-year-old is the first exchange student of the still young business law degree program at the ZHW. The offer here convinced him, the aspiring business lawyer says. «Besides, I can take a neutral look at Europe this way.» Jan Wilhelm was particularly taken by the topic of European integration. He discussed it a lot with fellow students. It is great to be able to exchange ideas like this and then form your own opinion, he says.

Jan Wilhelm takes nothing but positive experiences back with him from Switzerland when he returns to Schmalkalden at the end of July to continue his studies. "The Swiss are somehow a bit more relaxed than we are, although they can be quite thorough when it comes to bureaucracy," Wilhelm explains. But Wilhelm was thorough too. During his stay, he worked as a representative of the Fachhochschule Schmalkalden's Project for International Relations (PIB), joined various student fraternities, and diligently made contacts in Switzerland.

Networking with Impact

Wilhelm's efforts have paid off: The Institute for Commercial Law at ZHW has signed an agreement with the Department of Commercial Law at Fachhochschule Schmalkalden. As early as next year, seven students from Germany will study at ZHW for one semester. In turn, ZHW lecturers and students can also spend a guest semester abroad. "This is a promising collaboration that we are, of course, very pleased about and that corresponds to the international orientation of our degree program," says Peter Münch, head of the Institute for Commercial Law at ZHW. After completing his studies, Jan Wilhelm could certainly imagine returning to Switzerland. Perhaps he will meet like-minded people from France or Ireland then. The ZHW Institute has also developed exchange programs with these countries. So Jan Wilhelm is right when he says: "Switzerland is a little Europe."

Image caption: "Commercial law from a Swiss perspective for Jan Wilhelm."

Students drink and party, that's the stereotype. Au contraire, as 21 committed exchange students at ZHW prove. Jasmin Bodmer

They had almost all come to the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) welcome apéro. They are students from, among others, Germany, Austria, France, Finland, and Slovenia. As part of the ESN exchange program, they study for one to two semesters at the Zürcher Hochschule Winterthur (ZHW).

Good Reasons

The reasons for studying abroad are as diverse as the nations represented that evening. "I want to learn German, but I didn't want to go to Germany," says Louis Willem, 19, who comes from a suburb of Paris, in a slightly laconic explanation. Steffen Hengesbach, one of the older exchange students at 27, came "because of the reputation of the banks and the good education at ZHW." Jan Wilhelm from Fachhochschule Schmalkalden in Germany also has pragmatic reasons. As part of a project for international relations, he is supposed to acquire partner schools for the Department of Commercial Law. The Finnish student Ana Liinamaa and the Slovenian student Rok Zerjal chose Switzerland primarily for geographical reasons. Snowboard enthusiast Rok raves about the mountains, and Ana immediately launches into a full-throated hymn of praise for Switzerland: "The people, the mentality, the nature... everything is so beautiful." In Winterthur, she particularly likes the coffee culture and the Marktgasse.

Stereotypes Not Confirmed

At the welcome apéro, ESN representatives explain the most important information about their university, the city, and the leisure options to the exchange students. They are repeatedly told about party opportunities. Do the students only come for the lively atmosphere? Marc Bürgi, interim president of ESN, waves it away. "That's a cliché. Of course, you also have to enjoy an exchange year and have fun. You don't go abroad just for studying." At the apéro, many actually toast each other with a beer. But if you ask, it becomes clear:

It's about more than just partying hard. The international students also want to benefit, learn, and broaden their horizons. "Switzerland is just perfectly suited to give us, the rest of Europe, a perspective that is not entirely accessible to us," muses Flo Ranner. He studies journalism and organizational communication in Graz and attends the same degree program for one semester at the Zürcher Hochschule Winterthur (ZHW). From his time here, he hopes for "new input, so that I can perhaps throw one or two entrenched ways of thinking overboard." Lucas Martinez from Geneva also wants cultural insights. Instead of national borders, he crossed the Röstigraben to get to know the mentality. "Anyone working in Switzerland should also understand Swiss German culture," says Martinez. Cultural understanding thanks to an exchange semester. In that case, you can take the Swiss French directly as a role model.

Image caption: "Nine of the 21 international students pose at the ESN welcome apéro. Most study business administration."