Aftermarket October 2022

BY Günes Yenen, UK Country Manager, Mewa T he sharing economy is booming with more consumers using instead of owning; Think Airbnb or Zipcar. What about the business community? What if you could hire a cleaning cloth, return it for washing when it’s dirty, and receive a clean one in its place? What if you not only had one, but as many as you needed, on-site, ready to use? The idea of a sharing economy in which people use resources rather than own them is very current in society and commerce today, but it’s not new. Mewa has been doing it for over a hundred years and our cloths are now rented by some 190,000 companies in 21 countries. Garages have more need than most for wipes to keep machinery, equipment and premises clean and safe. In the Mewa system, clean reusable cloths are delivered as necessary. After use, they are placed in our SaCon safety container. From there, they are collected, washed, dried and delivered back to the client clean. Reusing products is more environmentally sustainable than throwing them away. Companies choosing this green option can enhance their reputation, which helps in attracting and retaining customers and staff. More immediately though time is saved and costly health and safety lapses avoided. Save on cleaning time Because our cloths are better suited to their job and offer higher absorbency, they clean in less time. The saving compared to disposable paper roll, for example, is up to 35%. Our absorbent mats too can absorb 3 litres of fluid such as oils, solvents and other liquids, transporting the fluid from the outer fabric into its special fibre core, keeping the surface dry. This eliminates the need for drip trays or oil pans and granules or sand to soak up these liquids, all of which are time consuming to oversee. A reusable wipe service also lightens the administrative time, effort and cost involved in checking and reordering stock, using up valuable storage space and tying up capital. Any cleaning cloths soaked with oil, and many other industrial fluids, are classified as “absolute hazardous” entries on the Waste Framework Directive’s List of Waste document. Therefore, to ensure that you remain compliant with legal regulations, all wastes contaminated with absolute hazardous industrial fluids, including any cloths used to mop-up spillages, must be safely stored in a suitable recipient before being disposed of by an accredited hazardous wastes contractor. Our legally compliant SaCon safety container and washing system means you don’t have to organise special storage or disposal of contaminated wipes, saving you time, money and 16 AFTERMARKET OCTOBER 2022 BUSINESS www.aftermarketonline.net WIPE YOUR WAY TO EFFICIENCY How a humble cleaning wipe can improve your business efficiency reducing the risk of Health & Safety fines. Avoid worker downtime Health & Safety Executive (HSE) figures show that slips and trips are the most common cause of major injuries at work. 95% of major slips result in broken bones and, on average, are responsible for 20% of over-three-day injuries to employees. The cost to UK employers is £512 million a year in lost production and other costs. HSE advises that all spills should be mopped up immediately to reduce the risk of slips. Help avoid worker downtime by always having cleaning cloths to hand to mop up spillages and absorbent oil trapping mats in those high leak areas. The value of reusable wipes to a business is extensive, helping improve productivity, sustainability, as well as saving time and money.