The pandemic came and trampled everything underfoot. Worries about COVID-19 pushed establishments to temporarily close their doors.
Overall, a fundamental change can be observed everywhere – in nits and bits. Coronavirus has drastically retailed the way we manage familiar affairs, especially in space hygiene, its cleanliness and sanitation.
The pandemic has become a tailwind for integrated facilities management (IFM) industry’s robust growth and complexities as well.
Sustainable IFM solutions are in heightened demand ever- from governments to corporates and individuals.
As there is an elevated focus on hygiene and sanitation, IFM companies are bracing themselves to grapple with the current hot water.
Among this frontline pack is Technique Control Facility Management (TCFM), the subsidiary of one of the leading facility management organizations in the country, Embassy Services Pvt. Ltd., which is well-administering this permanent shift in the IFM services, without fail.
The Journey of TCFM
TCFM, with its arsenal, is known as an organization following international standards and best practices in housekeeping and sanitization and ensuring that the clients that it serves have a safe and hygienic environment.
The footprints of TCFM were laid back in the year in 1995 in Europe. Later, in the year 2011, the company ventured into the Indian market.
Embassy Services Pvt. Ltd. Acquired the firm in 2016 (100% stake) after sensing a vacuum in the way services were offered and the company’s specialization in catering to the rise in future demand.
TCFM adopted Mechanized cleaning services in the year 2017, sensing the need for technology and automation in the industry.
In 2018, it expanded its services to PAN India. Starting as a company with less than 100 people, it has now grown to about 7000 plus people providing specialized customized services for various clients such as the Embassy Group(parent), WeWork, HCL, Rossell Techsys, Nalco Water, Zinier, Consul Neowatt, Flipkart, Nucleus Office Parks, Hilton Hotels, Four Seasons, Apollo Tyres, amongst many others across all verticals of the real estate and industries, with operations spanning over 69 Million Sq. Ft
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Specialization
For an organization to keep the focus on its core business, it requires an ecological system conducive for better functioning. It isn’t just about cleaning; Housekeeping is a science ensuring a systemic approach using a combination of man, machine and the right chemicals to maintain a facility at its best standard. Adhering to its values, TCFM elevates its people coming from all walks of life and their spaces which is a huge motivating factor that kindles the entrepreneurial spirit of the founding pillars of the company. TCFM holds specialization in Technical Services, Housekeeping, Utilities, Energy Management, Water Management, Facility Commissioning & Facility Audit Services.
The COVID-19 Impact
“We have been the front-liners in this battle against the pandemic and this has created more demand for our services.
The pandemic has only acknowledged our importance, a wake-up call for the world to realize the need for a professional Housekeeping service provider who follows strict compliance and protocols such as ours.
What used to be a back-end function is now turning out to be the most important need for employees to safely report to their workplace and we embrace this change in the business environment.
The pandemic- we took it from the top, rehearsed our work, increased and scrutinized our practices to its very depth and turned the tables in this adversity.
We have adapted to this change and proven surety in hygiene and safety of the clients’ and their spaces.” shares Pradeep Nenumal Lala, MD & CEO, Embassy Services Pvt. Ltd.
Strategizing the ‘Ethical Hygiene’
“First and foremost, we focused on our people and took all the precautions needed for them to report safely to work.
This includes health monitoring through self-declaration forms and daily temperature checks, provision of protective gear such as masks, gloves and boiler suits, availability of adequate space to ensure social distancing, training on how to handle a suspect case who shows symptoms, creation of isolation wards, placement of an emergency response team to handle reporting and safe transit of suspect and confirmed cases, and frequent awareness programs reinstating the need to use soap/sanitizers, for themselves as well as for their tools.
Deep cleaning is no longer a one-off activity at TCFM, but a constant and continuous part of its daily housekeeping operation.
We ensured our processes became more stringent by increasing the frequency of action, use of stronger chemicals when needed, use of more advanced technology like drones in some cases, and most importantly by increasing the frequency and acceptable levels in auditing of our processes.” added Pradeep
In like manner, TCFM has partnered with numerous equipment and chemical companies to ensure that the aforementioned programs and initiatives are effective.
Creating the landmark in the pandemic
“We are sure of our protocols and new processes set through experiential practice and our engagement with Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to provide housekeeping and sanitization services to the COVID19 handling centres in Mumbai is an acknowledgement of the same. We have also provided training to the govt. teams to handle these centres in the manner we prescribed, and all has gone as per due expectations.” asserts Anand, Chief Operating Officer at TCFMThe perception of clients towards the quality of cleanliness has changed drastically during the pandemic due to obvious reasons and TCFM is addressing this approach by increasing the
frequency of sanitization, increasing the manpower and adapting to newer proven chemicals and
tools against the virus. Case in point was TCFM’s collaboration with Bruhanmumbai Municipal
Corporation to eradicate mosquito breeding grounds in Mumbai where the company used a drone
disinfection technique since these areas were inaccessible and this proved to be a great mechanism
to strengthen our fight for hygiene across many highly populated and inaccessible places in the
country.
Road Ahead
Commenting on the future, Anand says “TCFM has been at the forefront of innovation and adapting
technology initiatives to drive excellence in service delivery to customers.
We would like to adopt integrated IT systems that are custom-designed to build efficiency, agility and scale.
TCFM will continue to build intelligent technology solutions that power our growth and leadership in our business segment.
With a customer retention rate of 98%, we believe in a proactive and transparent engagement with our clients, commencing with scheduled and defined Transition Kick off meetings to Quarterly and Annual Business Reviews, enabling us to build strong and long-lasting business relationships.
We will continue our efforts of being a trusted company that meets society’s expectations by ensuring full compliance and enhancing processes to elevate our customer experience.
Piece of Advice
Trust, Genuity, Transparency, Resilience. Let these be the words that resonate as idioms of success
for our future generations. Embarking on the rest of our lives with core principles aimed at building
sustainable relationships and Business practices will ensure humanity of a safe and prosperous
future.
Now more than ever, the Earth demands a clean and hygienic environment for everyone to thrive.
We urge organizations and their leaders to look at facility management with the seriousness it demands as this will reap fruits in the long run, which we know no end off. We also urge parents to
look at facility management as a suitable option for education and jobs in the future, educated and
skilled people must enter this field and contribute to the sustenance of the world.
Leader’s Board
Pradeep Nenumal Lala – MD & CEO, Embassy Services Pvt. Ltd.
Pradeep anchors ESPL’s growth both as a business visionary and industry expert. Under his stewardship, ESPL has steadily expanded its services and grown to become one of India’s leading integrated facilities management players. A passionate leader, he is responsible for building a team consisting of the best talent. With his extensive relationships with clients, investors and other stakeholders, Pradeep is known to provide perspectives that blend management strategy, operational excellence, financial acumen and risk management seamlessly. Pradeep has over three decades of experience and has held various leadership roles including the entrepreneurial journey with Horizon Group, a company he founded in 2000.
A mechanical engineering graduate from M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bangalore, he holds a Masters in Financial Management from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai.Anand GD – COO, TCFM
Anand is the Chief Operating Officer at TCFM, tasked with overseeing the day-to-day administrative and operational functions of the business. He has played a crucial role in expanding the organization through various dimensions of the business, such as mechanization and automation of multi-faceted processes. He has been instrumental in growing the company from a base of 3000 to over 7000 between 2019 and 2020. Anand has over two decades of work experience in various organizations.
He holds a Post-graduation degree in Environmental Science and Marketing Management.
