The Hungarian Cleaning Technology Association (MATISZ) recently held its 12th annual professional conference by the title “New World, New World Order”. Csaba Szij, Deputy CEO of B+N spoke about the most significant issues having an impact on the sector and the development of the industry.
Due to the pandemic situation, the event was held online where information was given about the fact that the revenue of companies engaged in cleaning has risen in the past few years and also during the pandemic, however the number of employees has fallen. A reason to be optimistic is that the level of efficiency and added value have significantly increased in the sector.
There is extra market demand for expertise in the field of trainings, as a result, the Budapest Chamber of Commerce and Industry has decided to take part in the organisation of educational tasks.
CSABA SZIJ: B+N IS THE ONLY COMPANY IN THE hungarian THE MARKET WITH AN IN-HOUSE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
Csaba Szij highlighted that the shortage of labour is one of the most cardinal among the challenges of the future. One of the adequate answers given by B+N Referencia Zrt. was automation and technical development. This is the only company in the Hungarian market with an in-house research & development department. B+N was the one to introduce robotics in the sector. It sets new trends with its activities. Such products include the ROBIN R3000 autonomous industrial cleaning robot which makes the efficient cleaning of large, continuous areas possible. The mobile UVC disinfection device takes the UV disinfection and cleaning of passenger transport vehicles to a whole new level.
However, we must make it clear that technological developments cannot bring a solution to every problem. 80-85% of the costs of cleaning activities are made up of labour costs. Therefore, the supply of qualified human resources is essential. B+N has been making great efforts for the recognition of this profession. This is what the ”Look around and see” campaign is all about, asking a simple question: „What would this world look like without cleaners?” Most of the time we do not even notice cleanliness and those to whom we should be grateful for this. The aim of the campaign is to ensure that cleaners get the respect they deserve for their work.
B+N is building the future through international expansion
The issue of minimum wage increase was also raised at the MATISZ conference. According to Csaba Szij, this decision is basically to be welcomed, for it is another gesture of appreciation for the work carried out by blue-collar workers. We know we have a lot to make up for; however, companies may easily get into trouble, since not all the customers will accept a price increase. The cleaning profession is not a well-paid job and due to the pandemic, costs and the amount of work (e.g. the disinfection of hospitals, offices and other facilities) have skyrocketed, which is not at all true for the recognition of this kind of service.
B+N is building the future also with international expansion. “We took over the Hungarian, Czech, Slovakian, Romanian and Slovenian subsidiaries of the ISS Group in 2021, as a result, we have become the most dominant facility management company in the Central European region. With more than 10,000 employees, we generated revenues of nearly EUR 300 million, providing services to the most significant companies of the region in the facility management sector” – concluded the Deputy CEO of B+N.