A Day In The Life Of A Clemas Engineer

Servicing, Refurbishment And Repairs Still The Core 

Clemas & Co Ltd was established in 1988 offering servicing, refurbishment and repair of industrial cleaning machines. Building on this success, the sale and hire of new and used cleaning machines has also been included, however, the servicing of cleaning machines has remained the core of the business to this day.

Businesses realise that preventative maintenance has become more important than ever as budgets continue to be tightened and the focus on costs is key. Cleaning machines that are regularly maintained will last longer and become more cost effective in the long run, also, the trade in or part exchange value will most of the time be higher, saving even more money.

Never A Dull Moment 

Andy is one of eight experienced engineers who has worked at Clemas for 6 years, there is never a dull moment when he’s around, Andy loves a joke which always puts a smile on the face of anyone around him. Andy’s tattoos are always of great interest in the workshop and the office, what’s the next one going to be? Where will it be?  Even customers he has worked with for years and built up a good relationship with are interested and keep up to date with developments.

The working day of a cleaning machine engineer is an interesting and varied one and often with many challenges along the way. It is an important role where customer service needs to be of the highest standard at all times, working in the marketing department means I need to have a good knowledge of the business so I have decided to spend the day with Andy to understand more about the role that represents the very core of Clemas & Co.

What’s Up Today? 

Andy is at the head office in Tewkesbury where he collects the servicing paperwork and instructions for the day from Louise the Office Manager. It’s like an airport control tower as Louise coordinates the activities of the engineers across most of England and Wales in a way that optimises their time so customers are given the best, most efficient service as possible. The first stop for Andy today is a floor screeding company in Bristol and he quickly loads up his van with an Orbis Duo 400 Polisher. The flooring company hired one the previous week on a trial basis and decided to purchase one from us, within a matter of days it’s on it’s way.

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It’s an easy drive to Bristol and the traffic on the M5 thankfully is flowing well. Andy said that he travels much further on some days, as far as Yorkshire or Blackpool, it just depends on the work schedule. Clemas & Co Ltd service and repair large complex industrial cleaning machines as well as smaller ones throughout most of England and Wales so the engineers really get to know their way around the country.

Today’s outing is a perfect opportunity to get to know Andy better, I know he has a good reputation as an experienced reliable engineer but find out from him that he has recently got married in Cuba, (very exotic!)  and enjoys a well deserved holiday in Benidorm every year with his family. The time flies by as he entertains me with interesting stories fun times in Spain. We also talk about his work and from years of experience he explains that “cleaning machines are an important and often expensive asset to customers and if they get serviced regularly and are fitted with the right brushes, squeegees or other consumables for the cleaning job at hand it makes life so much easier for the customer and for us”. He went on to say that “the reason for this is that we are less likely to be called out at short notice for urgent repair as a result of a lack of regular maintenance or incorrect accessories causing damage to the machine, We often see this resulting in unplanned cleaning downtime which is stressful and frustrating for any business”. It’s quite obvious that he takes pride in his work and really wants what’s best for customers.

A Scrubber Polisher To A Flooring Company 

Andy gets the Orbis Duo 400 Polisher off his van and it’s soon with a happy customer. Andy provides a comprehensive delivery pack with the new machine. He also offers some advice to new cleaning staff about regular cleaning and care to lengthen the life of the machine and to minimise unexpected breakdowns in the future. Andy’s experience in  these situations often comes in very handy and he is always willing to offer useful operator tips and advice to help customers optimise their cleaning operations.

We were just about to leave for the next job when the customer realises he has run out of cleaning chemicals and also needs replacement pads for a scrubber dryer. Andy finds the right chemical and replacement scrubber dryer pads in his van. The advantage of using larger than average vans is that Clemas are able to carry with them a good amount of commonly used consumables stock.  Andy explains, once we are back on the road. that “The ability to have in my van consumables such as squeegees blades, brushes, pads and chemicals in case these are needed comes in very useful and our customers find this extremely helpful as we have just seen”.  Andy went on to say ”We won’t always have the right consumable on board but on most occasions when we do it saves so much time and hassle for the customer”.

We set off to Cardiff for the next job. Traffic in Bristol is particularly bad but each engineer’s day is planned carefully with plenty of time allowed for traffic delays so customers are less likely to be kept waiting.

Lunchtime in Cardiff 

It’s lunchtime before we know it and the ham and cheese sandwiches go down a treat. We discuss Andy’s latest tattoo and the inspiration behind this work of art. The tattoo is on his calf and is a lion wearing a crown. It has no sentimental meaning but was instead chosen for its artistic value, the detail is amazing.

Andy chats to me about his role as a cleaning machine engineer. Andy enjoys the job because it’s so varied, from the different people he meets to the repairs and servicing challenges, no two days are ever the same. He has been on a number of refresher training courses and these help to keep his skills alive and up to date with the latest machine features and technology. We have engineers who have been at Clemas for up to 25 years and they don’t tend to leave us that often. Clemas has a good team who are carefully recruited using stringent criteria. Amongst the main criteria is experience and attitude so that our customers are always given the best possible service.

I ask Andy what are the challenges of the job and he says “some places we operate in on the outskirts of London are a challenge for parking. Negotiating the very busy roads and figuring out alternative routes when the traffic is bad can also be challenging. Often a challenge but becomes easier with experience is being able to diagnose machine faults quickly. Andy prides himself on being able to do this relatively quickly, this is largely down to working with many different makes and models of cleaning machines over the years.

Service Of A Ride On Sweeper  

After lunch we have a service appointment on a large ride on sweeper at a warehouse in Cardiff. Andy carries out an extensive number of visual and manual machine checks of the sweeper, discusses, agrees and gets on with the extra work needed to keep the sweeper in tip top condition. Afterwards a full comprehensive service report is written up and given to the customer prior to leaving.

Andy also takes the opportunity to help new cleaning staff and demonstrates how to clean the ride on sweeper and also how to change the brushes when they have become worn.  Andy says “This is all part of the service and comes at no extra charge. We are keen to help our customers get the most out of their machines. A machine running well will really improve the end result and if serviced regularly will prevent unexpected breakdowns and raise the quality of cleaning”.

Back To The Tewkesbury Headquarters

The journey back to Tewkesbury gives me time to reflect on a very interesting day. I now understand how important it is to have engineers who are passionate about what they do and have enough experience to be able to quickly and efficiently help businesses get their cleaning machines working at their best and so preventing cleaning downtime.

Andy explains that “there are few companies like Clemas that have the expertise to service and repair the larger more complex industrial cleaning machines where experienced, well trained engineers make this possible, in addition, being Safe Contractor approved means health and safety is a very high priority for us”.

We finally arrive back at the office and the day’s activity as well as any customer comments and feedback are discussed with Louise, the Office Manager.  At Clemas we listen to our customers and any comments or suggestions are taken seriously so that we can continually improve our offering and therefore the customer experience.

Home Time

I have enjoyed my day out with Andy and I go home happy that I have got to know Andy better and our servicing and repair part of the business. Andy is going to spend the evening watching Game of Thrones and planning his next tattoo design. I can’t wait to hear what it will be.

BOOK YOUR SERVICE TODAY for a more cost effective approach to cleaning and avoid the inconvenience and unnecessary downtime from breakdowns or worn out brushes, squeegees pads and other consumables.

We offer a one off service and can be booked on an ad hoc basis, or sign up to a more cost effective a service package, to discuss what’s best for your particular cleaning machine speak to Louise on 01684 850777 or e mail [email protected]

 

5 Important Reasons Why Your Cleaning Machine Should Be Regularly Serviced

• Operational Safety (a machine in good working order will be safer to operate)
• Efficiency (reduces cleaning downtime as chance of an unexpected breakdown is reduced)
• Immediate Cost Savings (a serviced machine will produce better cleaning results with less resource)
• Long Term Cost Savings (preventative maintenance will extend the life of your machine)
• Time Savings (no need to arrange a service, we will call you and take care of it)