Looking good, feeling good
June 1st 2009 When Europe's largest shopping mall, the 43 acre Westfield Centre in West London, was specifying washroom facilities, the focus was on buying the best. In the end it plumped for Metsa Tissue's paper products,because a little luxury goes a long way
With the possibility of supplying toilet tissue and paper hand towels to a potential 20m visitors a year, every manufacturer wanted a slice of the action at Westfield. Once the architects had specified the stylish stainless sunken dispensers, shopping mall specialist contract cleaners Clean Domain, in association with The Supplies House, checked the suitability of all manufacturers' paper products. Of the 12 organisations chosen, only two brands met all the product requirements and Metsa Tissue's Katrin and Lambi brands won the day.
"So many operators buy on price alone, but for us, it is cost-in-use that is the deciding factor," says Paul Lunn, general manager operations at Clean Domain."A small amount of a luxury brand – where you can feel the product quality – fulfils the same task as a large quantity of inferior product. It literally is the 'feel good' factor." The centre opened in October 2008, and has Black Label Shopping Centre status – attracting brands unheard of in the London shopping mall market. It receives visitors from all walks of life, including TV personalities from the BBC Centre just across the road. It has 39 toilet areas including three 'up-market'baby-changing areas, which include microwave ovens to heat babies bottles.
Shining through the night
Although the Centre is currently closed overnight, cleaning staff work 24/7. During the day they continuously maintain the high standards specified by the Westfield management. During the night each facility receives a thorough deep clean and all vanity units are dried and polished, fittings are sanitised and particular attention is given to the baby changing rooms and their microwave ovens.
Since its opening,Westfield has been using Metsa Tissue's Lambi 3- ply luxury toilet tissue and its 2-ply Katrin luxury white hand towels.
"Our washroom product selection was a detailed process," explains Brian Chapman, MD of The Supplies House, who provide all cleaning, washroom and janitorial supplies."We had to recommend items that provide luxury and quality but also had to consider cost-in-use and the environment."
Environmental tissue issues
Being a winner in quality, softness and cost-in-use,Metsa Tissue's environmental policy was checked out too. "I knew that Metsa Tissue as a paper manufacturer has the Nordic Swan environmental quality stamp," says Chapman,"but I was amazed to find out that the company uses its production sludge to heat 5,000 homes," ( in Mariestad, a town near to its production mill in Sweden).
The environmental issue is followed from 'cradle to grave' and Clean Domain, through its sister CE Property Services Group company Clean Waste Solutions, has organised recycling of the hundreds of bags of used hand towels each day.
Maintaining standards does not rely solely upon providing quality products. Staff training is also essential as the site cleaners have identifiable uniform and are ambassadors for the company. All staff receive product basic training from Metsa Tissue including how to correctly refill towel cabinets so that they dispense one at a time and not a handful, reducing wastage.Clean Domain also organises continuous cleaning technique training and an induction course for new staff.
The washrooms at Westfield are scrupulously clean. This is down to a team effort which is relationship led.Communications between site management, contractor, product supplier and manufacturer are close and aim to be in tune with every possible need.At peak periods all parties react to the pressure so that washrooms remain as pristine as the day the centre opened.All parties are available 24/7.The 160+ staff are aware of their responsibilities, are on radio control and when needed can be on the scene in minutes. In this way the washrooms meet the standards expected in a centre where the top international designer brands have their UK flagship stores. More articles from Metsa Tissue Ltd: | 
