Making an exhibition
June 29th 2009 Hygienex has just won its biggest contract yet: a fiveyear deal at the NEC worth £400,000. Not bad for a firm still six months short of its second birthday. Brendan Coyne reports
The key to convincing customers to take a greener washroom route, says Hygienex sales director, Steve Middleton, is delivering rapid payback through easily quantifiable water savings.
Every year, water and sewerage becomes more expensive: In 2008 the average domestic bill increased by 5.7% across England and Wales, following a 7% rise the year before. Business users are facing similar hikes – and it’s hard to see prices contracting. Organisations with a lot of high-use toilet facilities are therefore becoming aware of its drain on the bottom line.
One of the largest exhibition centres in Europe, the NEC is one such firm. It has a lot of urinals: 815, to be precise. By fitting Hygienex’s Ureco, Steve Middleton estimates the NEC Group will save 83 million litres of water per year. “Based on data supplied by the NEC, that equates to a saving of around £140,000 per year after paying us,” says Middleton. “Over the life of the contract, the savings should be well above £500,000.” Depending on the location of the urinals, and their footfall, flushing will be reduced across the NEC campus from four times an hour to either twice or four times per day.
Aside from the financial value of the deal, Middleton says the fact that, “just about every company involved in water-saving urinal products entered the tender,” underlines the strength of the Ureco package. “If the largest exhibition centre in the UK sees the Ureco’s benefit, both environmentally and financially, it helps us to convince other large sites – concert arenas and universities for example – that major efficiencies are there for the taking.”
Savings pool
Because of the diverse nature of its business, it’s hard to put exact NEC figures together. But NEC project engineer, Andy Mullen, generally confirms Middleton’s claims. “Hygienex was awarded the contract because it offered us a product that is fast and simple to install, uses no chemicals and provides us with the best value for money. The NEC hosts over 160 exhibitions and events every year that attract 2.3 million visitors – so like-for-like estimate on usage are difficult. However, we estimate that through the installation of 815 Ureco units across The NEC site, we will save somewhere in the region of 83 million litres of water every year – enough to fill 33 Olympic-sized swimming pools.”
In general, Mullen says the NEC is an “extremely environmentallyconscious organisation” with a number of green initiatives in place: “This includes a combined heat and power generator and green roof at The International Convention Centre, as well as the recent installation of a waste pre-treatment centre at The NEC.” Another recent Hygienex coup is its Waterwise Marque, awarded by non-government organisation, Waterwise, to a select band of products that either reduce water wastage or highlight the awareness of water efficiency (see www.waterwise.org.uk for details of other products). Middleton says the official stamp of approval boosts Ureco’s credibility in a market wary of over-hyped solutions.
“There are a lot of similar products on the market. But not all of them have delivered what they promised. Because this is our core business, the product and the service have to be right: If things go wrong, we fix them, and have just recruited extra engineers to ensure both rapid installation and trouble shooting. We come from a washrooms background (Hygienex MD, Simon Rice owns midlands-based washroom services company, Blitz), so we understand all the issues and how to solve them. We’re not just selling a product, we’re providing a solution to inefficient waste of resources – and helping businesses save money.”
The Ureco urinal sleeve system from Hygienex kills odours, saves water and stops blockages. In conjunction with a water management device, it enables urinal flushes in busy washrooms to be cut to four per day. And in low traffic washrooms, to just two, enabling water savings of up to 95%, according to the company. Payback is rapid – between three and four months, claims Hygienex, and the biodegradable sleeve is simply replaced each quarter.
www.hygienexlimited.com More articles from Hygienex Limited: | 
