building
maintenance services (performed on a contract-basis only) are
forecast to advance 5.6 percent per year to $91.6 billion in
2011.
Growth will be aided by ongoing increases in
both the number of households and the number of business
establishments. Increasing availability and affordability of
building maintenance services are anticipated to aid demand.
However, competition will remain fierce in many
service segments, including the large landscaping market,
limiting firms’ ability to raise prices. These and other trends
are presented in “Building Maintenance Services,” a new study
from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry
market research firm. The shift away from “do-it-yourself” to
“do-it-for-me” building maintenance will persist, particularly
in the residential market. Changes in demographics will support
increasing building maintenance service revenues, as the number
of
dual-income households rises and the U.S. population ages.
The growing number of baby boomers in the U.S.
generally has the financial wherewithal to use professional
services on a routine basis. Nevertheless, a cool down in the
new construction market from historical highs between 2001 to
2006 will limit residential gains.
The nonresidential market is expected to benefit
from the ongoing trend toward outsourcing non-core functions to
cut costs. While the office market has already seen much of this
shift, others such as institutional, commercial and industrial
will continue to see contract service growth. Strong new
nonresidential construction activity will also expand the
potential market for contract services.
Building maintenance services include
landscaping, pest control, exterior building cleaning, swimming
pool cleaning, snowplowing and others (e.g., HVAC and restroom
deodorizing).
Barriers to entry are low,
with most segments being highly labor-intensive and requiring
little fixed investment. For instance, a start-up landscaping
company often needs little more than a truck and a lawnmower.
New pest control and swimming pool firms face the most barriers,
including insurance and licensing requirements.
Ecolab Earnings Rise 22
Percent
Ecolab Inc., maker of cleaning
chemicals for industrial and institutional applications, is
reporting that its second-quarter profit rose 18 percent as
demand for sanitizing products increased.
The company said net income
climbed to $110.3 million, or 44 cents a share, on sales of
$1.36 billion, compared to $93.2 million, or 36 cents, on sales
of $1.22 billion in last year’s second quarter.
Continued strong growth from
its U.S., Canada and Latin America operations led the increases.
Measured in fixed currencies, sales rose 8 percent.
“We turned in another excellent quarter as we continued to enjoy
the benefits of our global business balance,” said Douglas M.
Baker, Jr., Ecolab’s chairman, president and CEO. “We continue
to expect strong results for 2007, as we both deliver on the
current year and invest for future growth.”
Sales for U.S. Cleaning &
Sanitizing operations rose 8 percent to $589 million, led by
strong Institutional, Healthcare and Textile Care gains and
continued good growth from Food & Beverage and Vehicle Care.
Ecolab’s U.S. Cleaning & Sanitizing operating income rose 16
percent to $100 million.
U.S. Other Services sales
increased 8 percent to $114 million in the second quarter
benefiting from strong gains by Pest Elimination and improved
sales growth by GCS.
Sales of Ecolab’s
International operations, when measured at fixed currency rates,
rose 7 percent to $633 million in the second quarter. Latin
America reported double-digit sales growth and Asia Pacific and
Canada showed attractive gains. The company has assets of $4.1
billion, and liabilities of $2.5 billion.
Auto Toilet Tissue Dispenser
Ready
Maybe Cheryl Crowe was on to
something with her one-sheet suggestion. Either way,
Kimberly-Clark Professional is about to go where no health and
hygiene company has gone before – crossing the final touch-less
restroom frontier – with the introduction of the first
electronic bath tissue dispenser that features a pre-measured
amount of toilet paper.
While many public restrooms
offer hygienic no-touch dispensing for sinks, hand towels and
soap, bath tissue has not been included in this trend.
“The electronic revolution has
entered the bathroom stall,” said Richard Thorne, director of
the washroom business, North America, for Kimberly-Clark
Professional. “It’s a major leap forward in restroom hygiene
because it eliminates the need to touch the dispenser during
use.”
The new system automatically
dispenses a pre-measured amount of toilet paper when users place
their hands under the dispenser.
The result: enhanced restroom
hygiene, reduced consumption and hassle-free performance.
Another plus is compliance with the Federal Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA), when properly installed, because of the
system’s easy one-handed dispensing.
Users can also obtain bath
tissue manually, by pushing and turning a knob on the front of
the dispenser.
In addition, the unit offers a
stub roll feature that allows for manual feeding of the tissue.
LED lights let maintenance workers know when paper and battery
levels are low to reduce the risk of battery or product run out.
Safety Guide Designed for
Custodians
While people in schools,
health care facilities or office buildings conduct their
business, cleaning and maintenance staff work behind the scenes.
To help them do it safely, the Canadian Centre for Occupational
Health and Safety (CCOHS) recently released the Health and
Safety Guide for Custodial Workers.
Custodians work on roofs and
in basement boiler rooms and everywhere in between, handling
chemicals, machines, hot surfaces and other hazards — all to
ensure a safe, comfortable and sanitary environment for everyone
in the building.
Designed specifically for
these workers, this latest title in CCOHS’ popular series of
pocket guides outlines how to recognize and control health and
safety hazards in custodial work. In an easy-to read format it
describes safe work practices for common custodial tasks and
outlines procedures for working alone, workplace violence, and
emergency preparedness.
Custodial workers can also
refer to the guide for recommendations on personal protective
equipment (PPE), how to improve their work environment, and much
more.
This 170-page booklet will
assist custodial service workers, as well as health and safety
committee members, supervisors, managers, engineers, and health
and safety professionals.
Anyone concerned with health
and safety in custodial work can consult this on-the-job
reference tool as needed.
It offers step-by-step
guidance on how to develop and implement programs to prevent
occupational injuries and illnesses.
In addition, the guide
outlines what health and safety law requires of workers,
managers, supervisors, and how to comply. The booklet is a
helpful resource for creating a safety-minded workplace culture.
Like all CCOHS publications,
the Health and Safety Guide for Custodial Workers is a
collaborative work. It was written by occupational health and
safety experts and peer-reviewed by government health and safety
authorities, representatives of workers and employers, and
specialists in the field of custodial work.
The Health and Safety Guide
for Custodial Workers is available online as a PDF document, or
as a printed, spiral bound, pocket-sized (4” X 6-5/8”) booklet.
Each costs $10, plus shipping and handling for the printed
version. CCOHS offers discounts for quantity orders.
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