Specialist cleaning services to the water sector

Borders-based Panton McLeod is one of a handful of firms in the UK offering specialist cleaning services to the water sector.

Experts who help the drinking water industry achieve exacting quality standards have now been recognised for their own levels of excellence.

Borders-based Panton McLeod is one of a handful of firms in the UK offering specialist cleaning services to the water sector.

Now the 15-strong firm has earned the sought after ISO 9001:2000 quality standard, following a nine-month drive to enhance its own business practices.

The award is a mark of excellence which reassures clients - including utility giants like Scottish Water and the main privatised English water companies - that Panton McLeod operates at the highest levels.

However, Iain Weir, managing director, said the work put in by staff to earn the accolade had also proved a huge benefit internally and added: "Of course we hope this will help us win more business and better satisfy new and existing customers.

"But a huge benefit in working towards this award has been that we have made so many changes that we now go about our business day-to-day far more effectively.

"We now think carefully about what we are doing, why we are doing it and how we can do it better.

I have been genuinely impressed - and very pleased - with the way that thinking has improved our business.

"The positive effects have been felt by all of us at Panton McLeod and that is an ongoing process.

This clearly shows what we are capable of and also demonstrates that all staff in the company take great pride in their work." Panton McLeod has spent 15 years developing highly specialised cleaning compounds and cleaning techniques which make it the UK's foremost expert in cleaning drinking water structures.

These include the hidden infrastructure of the water industry which are rarely seen by the general public like service reservoirs - huge underground water storage tanks which form an essential part of the public supply network.

Because the drinking water industry is so highly regulated, it is essential drinking water structures are kept meticulously clean without the use of cleaning chemicals or procedures that could compromise water quality.

Most recently Panton McLeod carried out the cleaning of a massive new service reservoir at Milngavie, Glasgow.

It was a vital part of the commissioning of the £120 million Katrine Project, the biggest ever investment by Scottish Water.

The firm has also carried out vital contracts for major privatised English water giants, including Severn Trent, Northumbrian, Anglian and Thames, as well as Welsh Water.

ISO 9001:2000 certification, which is globally recognised, took nine months to achieve.

During that time Panton McLeod implemented a totally new customer relation management (CRM) system to track every item of work from initial contact to ensuring complete customer satisfaction.

To help it reach its goal, the firm employed Donnie McLeod, boss of business improvement specialists, M-Tek UK , based in Biggar, Lanarkshire.

He is an expert in helping companies achieve ISO 9001 status.

Donnie said most businesses that achieve accreditation are amazed to find the process doesn't create extra work or bureaucracy - instead it usually makes businesses work more effectively and efficiently.

He added: "The first goal is to achieve certification, but that is not the end of it.

This should be an ongoing process and while the number one priority for ISO 9001 businesses is customer satisfaction, the next most important aspect is to show continual improvement.

"Many businesses do just enough to scrape through and get the certification, but everybody at Panton McLeod fully embraced what it is all about and I am totally confident they will see long-term benefits as a result.".

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