Vol. 10 No. 2 - 09/09
Dear Customers, the third quarter is almost over, we are approaching the end of the year, time is passing, it seems, faster and faster. Normally we aim to publish this second edition of our newsletter earlier in the year. However, in light of the CMS (Cleaning. Management. Services.) exhibition in Berlin from 22 to 25 September we decided to delay publication in order to present our new products introduced at the show as well as give you a report of our impressions. Thus the second edition is coming out now. German companies in the cleaning and facility management sector have had quite a number of topics to deal with right around the CMS this year. Of course one topic were the general elections for parliament. However, foremost in everyone’s mind were the tariff negotiations between the employers side represented by the Bundesinnungsverband (BIV) and the employee’s side represented by the union IG BAU. The latest information here was that the BIV rejected the union’s demand of a pay raise of 8.7% - not only because this was way overboard from the amount, but also due to the fact that in light of the crisis many companies are having trouble sustaining jobs as it is. The pressure to reduce costs, which are omnipresent but currently are felt especially in industrial companies and thereby passed on to service facilitators such as building contractors, is leading to massive savings efforts which, of course, also affect the cleaning sector. An increase in wages of 8.7% in this situation is not only unrealistic but also not realizable with the customers. The BIV made a counter offer of 3% wage increase in the west and 3.6% in the east. This offer was rejected by the union and followed by a counter move of cancelling the currently valid collective bargaining agreement effective 1 October 2009. The consequence: the minimum wage by law for the cleaning sector is no longer effective as of this date! This sets the path for wage reductions and dumping prices: as long as the offered wage is not more than 30% below the previously valid minimum wage, that is 5.71 Euros in the west (8.15 Euro minimum wage) and 4.80 Euros in the east (6.85 Euros minimum wage). This scenario appears to have come to mind on the union side after the agreement was cancelled. Their strategic approach now: prevent dumping wages at all cost! In light of the fact that the employers side wanted to avoid just this situation by making their offer makes the behaviour of the union that much more difficult to understand. After the general elections have resulted in a change in government the question also arises: will the cleaning sector get a minimum wage at all? Regardless of a new collective bargaining agreement, the anchor in law may not come. Definitely difficult and especially insecure times for all seriously acting companies as the black sheep will feel good again and act accordingly. One can only hope and appeal that common sense will prevail and the bargaining parties will sit down, resume negotiations, and come to an agreement so that the “home free” attitude only lasts a short while. In contrast the atmosphere at the CMS was better than ever before. It appears that an upbeat, awakening mood was omnipresent - visitors came to the show to inform themselves about innovations and new products, new business venues, new fields in which to diversify. This attitude raised the quality of the CMS another notch. The number of visitors and the quality of conversations were better than ever from our perspective and other exhibitors we talked to were of the same opinion. Our report is on the following pages. Enjoy reading! Your CEBE® Team
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CMS 2009 in Berlin |
From 22 to 25 September 2009 the CMS took place in Berlin. As with all the previous years we took part as an exhibitor |
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All visitors came highly interested - the crisis scared no one off, on the contrary, it led to more people having deeper thoughts and intentions going into the show and exhibiting the appropriate behavior at the stands. We can only say that it was a very successful show for us and would like to thank everybody who contributed with their visit. |
Of course we had several new products in store for the show. For one we presented a complete package for the removal of graffiti with our GRAFOLine - it offers a solution for the removal of graffiti on most surfaces, be they indoors or outdoors: GRAFO - F: a liquid graffiti remover for smooth surfaces outdoors. It is composed of a highly effective combination of solvents and surfactants. GRAFO - F is also suitable for use as a pre-spray followed by an application of GRAFO - G. GRAFO - G: a powergel for the effective removal of graffiti on porous surfaces. Its gel-form allows for long working times due to the improved adhesion. GRAFO - F and GRAFO - G are easily rinsed off with water. Their special formulations allow their use, should it be necessary, at subzero temperatures. The combination of solvents and surfactants is environmentally friendly and consists, to a large part, of components obtained from renewable resources. GRAFO - P: the mild graffiti remover for sensitive surfaces and indoor application. GRAFO - P may also be used for removing graffiti from carpets. |
As an addition the well known product Hurricane received a name change and is now named Hurricane - A in order to make room for its partner, Hurricane - S. Hurricane - A is a highly alkaline façade cleaner which removes even toughest dirt from pollution etc. In addition it may be used effectively as a shadow remover in graffiti removal. Hurricane - S is a strongly acidic façade cleaner which removes oil, grease, algae, and moss, as well as mineral deposits. This allows one to select the right product, based on the requirements, for chemical façade cleaning. |
Finally we also presented for the first time at a fair the addition to the succesfully introduced sealer and coating UniSeal - UniSeal Matt. Both products contain a newly developed copolymer which consists of an acrylate component and of a urethane component. This leads to a combination of the positive properties of both components in the copolymer: mechanical and chemical resistance, heel and scuff mark resistance. It should be mentioned at this point and foremostly, that both UniSeal products are, despite their urethane component in the copolymer, removable by means of a chemical corrective cleaner. In contrast to the usual behaviour of polyurethane, which may only be removed by means of mechanical sanding/grinding, UniSeal products may be removed using a suitable corrective cleaner such as our Double Power or our Linoclean. The effort required may be somewhat greater than with a conventional acrylate-based coating but definitely considerably less than mechanical sanding. In addition the increased mechanical resistance leads to an increase in time between corrective cleaning intervals. UniSeal may not only be used as a coating but also as a sealer and a primer. This allows for using high gloss or wet-look gloss coatings such as Top Shield and Floor Shield as top coats on UniSeal. This leads to effectively only one or two products being required for a variety of flooring types such as PVC/CV, linoleum, coutchouc, prepared first), concrete, terracotta, parquet: UniSeal and possibly a top coat. In case a high gloss is not wanted all the advantages of UniSeal may be attained with UniSeal Matt, with a silky matt gloss, however. |
UniSeal allows for a high gloss level. |
In contrast to UniSeal the gloss is clearly less pronounced with UniSeal Matt. |
Lively interest was also displayed by visitors in regard to our anti-mould and mildew products. Visitors were repeatedly astounded over the product range we have to offer in order to provide as many solutions to this problem as possible. The large variety in surfaces and substrates makes it impossible to have one solution for all cases. We offer solutions as a first step in mould and mildew remediation that may be combined manyfold. Whether it is as a prophylactic measure in sanitary areas: LemonOx with its combination of hydrogen peroxide and citric acid combines scale removal with disinfecting and anti-fungal properties, rounded off with excellent cleaning results, all in a concentrate which may be diluted up to 1:50 with water! Or it is the treatment of concrete and the insulating layers underneath: DriOx Ultra is the effective solution - it may be thermally fogged, used in conventional foggers, ULV sprayers, or manually: the combination of hydrogen peroxide and organic catalyst ensures an extended working time in porous surfaces and substrates as well as in insulating materials or wood constructions.
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CMS 2009 in Berlin - Impressions from our stand |
