Cleanliness plays a crucial role in maintaining high standards of food safety and hygiene. Reducing the risk of foreign objects as well as microbial pathogens in food manufacturing plants, is a significant concern. I have been working in the cleaning services industry for over 30 years and during my tenure, I’ve observed the importance of maintaining cleanliness in production facilities. This is why I am committed to providing specialised cleaning services focussed on integrity and proactivity to ensure the highest standards of food safety and hygiene.
The Need for a Digital Solution
Paper sign-off and record-keeping is a traditional method that many production facilities have relied on in the past to keep track of their cleaning activities for audits etc. However, in my early years I found this approach to be flawed. As it was prone to errors, particularly when it comes to food safety and hygiene within the food manufacturing industry. There are several reasons for this, but perhaps the biggest flaw of paper record-keeping is that it is subject to human error, such as incorrect data entry, missing records, or lost paperwork. These errors can lead to regulatory compliance issues and potential safety hazards to the food manufacturer and their clients.
To address this issue, we developed the i-Clean Management System – a cloud-based software that enables real-time monitoring, scheduling, and reporting of cleaning activities. The idea came to mind, when I noticed a security company using a system where guards would “tag” an area, indicating that a patrol was done. I knew that if there was a similar, digital way of scanning areas in both wet and dry food processing plants, it would serve a multitude of benefits to our clients. Using this as a basis, we then created the i-Clean management system.
By utilising our unique barcode scanning system, or i-Clean, we can offer our clients a pro-active and reliable cleaning service solution. Through this system, cleaning schedules are automated and alerts are sent out when a task is due, reducing the need for manual intervention. This also allows for real-time monitoring of cleaning activities, and provides immediate visibility into non-compliance issues.
Barcodes designed for each area are integrated into the system to ensure cleaning procedures are completed as scheduled, minimising the risk of microbial contamination or foreign objects in the production facility. Barcodes are strategically placed to ensure cleanliness to the highest standard. As an example, if a cover has to be removed and cleaned once a month, a barcode will be placed inside that cover, forcing it to be removed and cleaned to enable the barcode to be scanned.
With this system in place, we can ensure that our clients receive the best service and most importantly, adhere to the high standards of food safety in South Africa.
Benefits of i-Clean management system
- Enforced compliance through barcode scanning ensures a high level of quality control, food safety and hygiene.
- This system enables inspection schedules to be followed and ensures that there are no missing or fabricated records. Removing the risk of fraudulent data on site.
- It ensures real-time data, providing instantaneous corrective actions, routine follow-ups, up-to-date plant status, trends, and audit data for management review and audit requirements.
- Multi-site function, as the system records and stores information of every site in the company’s server database, enabling instant access to important data at any time and any location. This means that a national manager located in Johannesburg can log into a site situated in the Free State with ease, and receive up to date information.
This valuable tool identifies potential issues before they become major problems, minimising the risk to the food manufacturing plant and potential damage to customers.
Leading Supplier of Specialised Cleaning Services
Advanced Cleaning Services is committed to delivering quality and professional cleaning services to the food manufacturing industry. We pride ourselves in having a well educated and highly trained team that lives the food safety culture.
By only focusing on one industry- the food manufacturing industry, we have built experience and knowledge to offer expertise in this area that is second to none.
We look forward to engaging with you and assisting with your specialised cleaning needs. Contact us for more information on industrial specialised cleaning services.
