3 mins read
Ecowize Group is a leading provider of non-cyclical, mission-critical cleaning and sanitation services to the Food and Beverage Industry. They began operations in South Africa during the early 90s. Today, they have 200 plus facilities in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the USA, employing over 4,000+ people.
Ecowize offers a low-pressure technology engineered specifically for the food industry that provides environmentally-conscious detergents and water savings efficiencies. This cutting-edge technology was brought in from Europe to strengthen its partnership with the food safety industry.
At a Glance
Ecowize Group maintains multiple certifications for quality (ISO 9001:2008), workplace health and safety (AS/NZ4801 and OHSAS 18001), food safety (ISO 22000:2008) and other standards set by their regions and clients. The fundamentals and processes associated with these standards have transformed Ecowize into a more effective, transparent and accountable organization with record growth and client retention rates. Ecowize realizes the following benefits:
- Increased customer satisfaction
- Better account management
- Sharper competitive edge
- Strengthened leadership
- Improved internal communications
Ecowize devoted themselves to the safety of the food industry as demonstrated by being the first cleaning and sanitation company on record to receive an ISO 22000 Food Safety Management System. Earning certification after another, Ecowize began to see real results, including a nearly 100% client retention rate for the past 5 consecutive years.
If we maintain our balance of an external focus on customer relationships with an internal focus on our people, processes and technology, we can strengthen our partnerships in the retail agrifood industry by replicating the past three years and deliver another three years of 50% growth.
Challenge
In 2006, Ecowize Group was focused on their niche business of combining their cleaning process with cutting edge technology to provide efficiencies with labour and environmental protection. They offered a total package, including cleaning labour, supervision, and account management backed by solid technology.
However, as competition increased, their competitive advantage started to diminish. Their quality assurance system and supporting documentation were meeting only the minimum requirements. Industry demands required more control of documentation regarding training initiatives and proficiency testing. These activities were put in place to ensure compliance with the workplace, health and safety and food standards applicable to food processing and manufacturing environments.
Ecowize was challenged with maintaining an effective quality management system, especially since a geographically dispersed client base accessed the system. Paper manuals would either be out of date or missing. Ecowize soon realized they were operating in a new world, an increasingly globalized food industry with a multitude of international, national, industry, and customer-specific food standards. They saw this as an opportunity to transition the company to a more transparent organisation that could identify risks quicker.