Award-winning Derrycourt Cleaning Specialists has grown its business over the past three decades by offering a highly personalised and professional service to its customers throughout Ireland. Committed to providing a sustainable and green service to its clients, the company only works with products that support this objective. The latest phase in this process has seen Derrycourt roll out Diversey’s SURE range of plant-based and 100 per-cent biodegradable cleaning products to hundreds of sites they service.
“There were a number of factors in our decision to go with SURE including it being plant-based and 100 per-cent biodegradable,” says Gerard McCarthy, Operations Manager at Derrycourt. “A circular economy is good for business, people, and the environment. As a company, Derrycourt strives to be sustainable, green, and efficient, with this in mind we have faith in the SURE range. Being environmentally conscious is an issue also becoming increasingly important to everyone, including businesses we work with. The SURE team has been helpful, extending help when we need to make presentations to potential customers who are evaluating suppliers. With the SURE range we are able to retain our award-winning reputation for high-quality service while being mindful of the environment. We have faith in the products as they do what they say they do.”
A family-owned business established in 1992 by Ann and Martin O’Hanlon, Derrycourt is now one of Ireland’s largest contract cleaning and facilities management service providers. Over 750 clients spanning hundreds of sites across the country receive Derrycourt’s extensive range of services, from its bases in Dublin and Cork. Derrycourt was the first Irish contract cleaning company to win the Golden Service Awards on four consecutive occasions. It has won additional awards such as the Award for the Cleanest Premises in Ireland & UK for Healthcare and the Best company to work for.
The company is a long-term user of Diversey products. From the outset it has aimed to streamline the number of products and systems it uses to simplify processes and promote sustainability. This standardisation makes the training of staff easier which ensures Derrycourt continues to deliver their renowned high standards and promote excellent health and safety. Deploying staff flexibly is also made easier with this approach which also removes the need for local site managers to source their own products.
Derrycourt initially standardised on just three core products covering washroom, hard surface, and floor cleaning for the majority of sites. Alternative or additional products are only used to meet localised or site-specific requirements. Products are generally supplied as ultra concentrates in two Diversey platforms: SmartDose for small to medium sites and QuattroSelect for larger facilities. Cleaning teams prepare consistent solutions by adding product and water to a bucket, a reusable spray bottle, or a cleaning bottle. SmartDose dispenses two different dosing volumes so the same container can be used to prepare, for example, solutions for buckets and bottles. QuattroSelect automatically dispenses the precise mixture of product and water. These systems are easier and safer to use due to their self-contained nature. They reduce the risk of users coming into contact with undiluted product.
“We serve over 750 sites and hundreds of clients with multiple products,” says Bruce Hart, Environmental Quality Health & Safety Manager at Derrycourt. “Using a smaller number of products that are simpler and safer to use makes our job easier. It reduces risk and it is less complex to manage across the estate when compared to the old glug, glug options. For example, we don’t need to produce as many different Safety Data Sheets.”
Ultra concentrates support sustainability because water is added at the point of use, not in the production plant. Smaller, or fewer, packs are required to support a cleaning operation so less plastics and packaging are used. Reducing the amount of product also minimises procurement and supply chain burdens. Fewer deliveries are needed which reduces the number of vehicles on the road. There is also less empty packaging to recycle and process. All of this helps enhance sustainability and reduce costs.
“With systems like QuattroSelect and SmartDose the ability to reuse screen-printed plastic bottles is a huge, huge bonus,” says Gerard McCarthy. “By closing the loop, we are sending less waste to the landfill. This is one of the many ways we are constantly able to improve our sustainability.”
While Derrycourt recognised the advantages of Diversey’s original products and platforms, it wanted to go further. Always an advocate for innovation, Derrycourt decided to trial a number of Diversey’s Pur Eco products after discussions with Eugene Grogan, Diversey’s BSC Sales Lead in Ireland. Diversey’s Pur Eco products carry certifications and combined with the advantages of concentrates they offer higher levels of sustainability.
Adopting Pur Eco products proved to be just a stepping-stone because Diversey was about to launch a new range of products with even more sustainability credentials.
“Derrycourt was already comfortable using Pur Eco and if they were not so adept at identifying the right products and implementing them efficiently it could have seemed like a big challenge to move to SURE,” says Eugene Grogan. “But it was a great success.”
The SURE range which covers all daily cleaning requirements and is manufactured from environmentally responsible plant-based ingredients using renewable resources. Products contain no artificial dyes, perfumes, quats, chlorine, phosphates, or oxide compounds, and generally have lower safety classifications than conventional alternatives. The range is certified Gold by the Cradle-to-Cradle Products Innovation Institute and, where applicable, they are also EU Ecolabel certified.
“We were willing to try the SURE range, however we needed details as to what was in the products and how they are produced,” says Gerard McCarthy. “Eugene provided the necessary information and we tested them across a range of sites to ensure they were right for our business. The clients were very excited and there was only positive response to this trial. SURE has supported us in becoming an even more sustainable company and this option has also surprised clients when we have presentations. It does not cause any damage because we are not introducing something that is incompatible.”
The two companies worked closely to ensure a smooth transition. In addition to the products and the logistical aspects of the changeover they also needed to agree on the commercial terms. The roll-out started in 2018 and was proceeding well until some minor supply disruptions early in the Covid-19 pandemic. These have since been resolved and SURE has become the preferred chemical range used by Derrycourt.
“The roll-out didn’t happen without some hiccups but Eugene and his team were always there to support us and provide a solution,” says Gerard McCarthy. “We always got what we needed.”
Derrycourt also works with Diversey to introduce new ways of working in other parts of its operations. One major example has been switching from traditional mopping systems and disposable cloths to flat mopping with reusable microfibre. Microfibre is inherently more efficient and sustainable than traditional equipment. For example, it reduces water consumption by up to 95 per-cent and it can also be used without chemicals. This has required investment in processes, including laundry, to manage the microfibre but Derrycourt believes this will easily be repaid by long-term savings and sustainability benefits. Microfibre can be used with products in the SURE range, if required, offering an integrated and highly sustainable solution.
“We are working to achieve eco-accreditation and part of the process assesses the chemicals we use,” says Bruce Hart. “It is easier to achieve that accreditation because we are using environmental products.”
Derrycourt has also been a long-term user of TASKI floorcare machinery, particularly walk-behind scrubber driers like the TASKI swingo 455. This mid-range machine is ideal for floorcare and can be used with a wide range of pads for cleaning and buffing. These machines, and others in the range, incorporate features to reduce water and energy consumption that help to support a more sustainable cleaning operation.
“Derrycourt has been a fantastic success story,” says Eugene Grogan. “As we have evolved our innovations, they have bought into them so that, with our support, they are always working on the ideal platforms and products. They have won so many awards because of their approach and the way they work.”
The two companies continue to examine ways to introduce additional performance and sustainability benefits. For example, they are currently looking at different designs for cleaning bottles used in washrooms to remove complexity and to improve processes.
“Our business has had significant challenges over the past few years, like most, but through meaningful partnerships with suppliers, like Diversey, we have managed to grow the business and we are in a good position to grow further,” says Gerard McCarthy. “The relationship with Diversey has proved fruitful, it is working well for us both.”