Bidvest Noonan
Moving Forward: The Future of Cleaning in the Rail Sector
This article first appeared in the Railway-News magazine, Issue 3 2022.
In this conversation David Simms, Transport Sector Manager, shares his perspective on the rail sector, the challenges it’s currently facing and what the future holds for cleaning in the sector.
He speaks about the operations at one of the UK’s major national rail networks and what has contributed to Bidvest Noonan’s success in the sector.
Question: Tell us about your journey and role working with your customers in the rail sector.
David Simms: I began my career in the transport sector over 10 years ago. I first managed the cleaning portfolio for several major UK banks that required first class FM / cleaning services. I then moved into the rail sector managing the cleaning of the Mersey rail network.
Then in 2016 I wanted a new challenge. With Bidvest Noonan I began working on Transport for Wales and at the Alstom depots at Chester, Widnes and Oxley, providing a cleaning solution that improves the passenger experience for hundreds of thousands of people every year.
Q: Can you tell us about the team you work with and what they do for your clients?
DS: My team works across various locations, and we are responsible for the cleaning of all the trains, depots, offices and other premises across the customers’ portfolio in the North West and Midlands. We provide a wide range of services to our customers. From train turnaround cleans, PHCs, washroom services, and much more.
My team is excellent. I couldn’t ask for anyone better. They’re hard-working and have a great relationship with my customers. I know I can rely on them for anything.
We have regular walkarounds and review our KPIs frequently to ensure we are delivering an outstanding service on all aspects of our solution.
Over the past year we have consistently hit 100% in our KPI scores which is an astonishing achievement, and it shows what a high performing team we have.
