In this year-end issue, we celebrate the five outstanding soft services champions of 2023. From facilities management wizards to hospitality maestros, these titans have redefined excellence in delivering non-core services. Their innovation, adaptability, and commitment have not only elevated standards but also reshaped the very fabric of service provision. Join us in acknowledging these pioneers who have mastered the art of soft services, leaving an indelible mark on industries where comfort, efficiency, and hospitality reign supreme.

EMRILL 

With over 20 years of operations in the UAE, Emrill has consistently delivered industry-leading total facilities management (FM) services to its contracts across a diverse range of sectors, including residential, commercial, industrial, master communities, aviation, logistics, healthcare, retail, hospitality, education, and leisure. As a champion in providing soft services, Emrill is dedicated to ensuring an excellent customer experience, which has inspired its team, increased levels of employee engagement and led to exceptional performance and impressive client retention.

Emrill executes continuous improvement strategies to deliver top-tier soft services that benefit clients and emphasise upskilling and empowering employees through its leading training and development programmes. As a testament to Emrill’s ongoing commitment to excelling in soft FM service training, The British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc) awarded the organisation the inaugural Commitment to BICSc Training and Assessment within Daily Commercial Cleaning in 2023. Emrill has also been awarded the BICSc International Award for Excellence in Training for two consecutive years and is renowned for its teams’ commitment to delivering world-class services to this international standard. Emrill conducts its extensive team training at the organisation’s dedicated Centre of Excellence, which provides an environment for consistency, knowledge-sharing and team development in a culture of interconnectedness. 

Emrill recognises the advantage cutting-edge, sustainable technologies can give its clients in its soft FM service delivery and has implemented solutions to increase cleaning efficiencies and exceed clients’ expectations, including a sustainable cleaning robot for retail environments and smart washroom and remote monitoring technologies for commercial environments.

Emrill also raises professional and regional standards for health and safety and holistic well-being in the workplace. As part of the organisation’s safety-first culture, Emrill delivers world-class safety training to every employee, enabling its team to perform their roles competently and safely while delivering service excellence to its clients.

ESAD SERVICES

It has been a great journey since the beginning and this year has been tremendous in terms of achievements and recognition by the customers and professional platforms. Esad Services has been identified as emerging and the best Soft Services provider in the market, mainly in Commercial Cleaning Projects.  

The successful journey in our business is driven by people’s importance, quality, skillset, training, and management dedication. We have invested principally in our in-house capabilities to drive successful and systematic mobilizations and operations respectively. 

They focused on achieving excellence, with this mindset the team leading the businesses have always reviewed the core elements under our Centre of Excellence ensuring that we have High Standards, Leveraging Assets, Measuring Performance, Guidance & Governance while having Subject Matter Experts Onboard.

Technology has been another important focus of the business, knowing the complexity of managing the facilities operations, it has been a game-changer by gathering various aspects of data such as consumptions, equipment performance, lifespan, planned and reactive tasks. Data automation has allowed us to be proactive in decision-making, efficient resource allocation, and keeping up with the premises, ultimately reducing the downtime and optimising operational efficiency.

Training & staff development has played a significant role as well for successful mobilizations and smooth operations, as we have created inhouse training facilities for all regional offices to have pre mobilisation theoretical and technical training as well as practised quarterly onsite training to have site specific quality services attention.

Habib Ahmed, CEO of Esad Services, comments, “We evolved and became preferred services partners for various large projects driven with volume to create value addition, broad-ranging, scalable capabilities that have given our customers the reliability to expand across Saudi Arabia.”

FARNEK

First and foremost, earlier this year, Farnek, successfully achieved ISSA Cleaning Industry Management Standard Green Building (CIMS-GB) certification, with honours, for a fourth consecutive year.

Farnek was the first FM company in the Middle East to receive CIMS-GB certification back in 2019 and this standard ensures that their cleaning practices are environmentally responsible, effective and efficient as well as promoting a healthy and safe workplace.

Regarding HSE, Ryan Mitchell, Farnek’s head of Quality, Health, Safety, Excellence and

Wellbeing (QHSEW), was invited to address industry peers about the importance of

digitalisation, at a two-day HSE Forum, last month.

Developed in-house by Farnek group company HITEK, Ryan unveiled SAFETEK, a digital safety management tool with the power of automation, which supports organisations that are trying to move from reactive to a more predictive approach.

The cloud and mobility-based solution was built specifically to digitalise the auditing process, including reporting, to work towards a safer workplace. SAFETEK includes reporting times and data analysis to provide insights for preventative action.

Staying with technology, in April, Farnek launched a creative and innovative, cleaning on demand mobile application at Abu Dhabi University (ADU). Through the app both students and staff can now organise cleaning schedules for their dormitories and staff accommodation, offering ADU’s 447 students the flexibility to organise their own cleaning at a time that suits them.

Finally, in November, Farnek was granted full accreditation as an Energy Services Company (ESCO) from Dubai’s Regulatory & Supervisory Bureau (RSB).

The RSB was established in 2010 and works under the auspices of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, developing and administering frameworks to encourage greater energy efficiency in buildings.

Farnek was given full ESCO accreditation as a result of the successful implementation of various ESCO projects, which have so far generated millions of kWh savings in electricity consumption. Obtaining full accreditation serves as a testament to Farnek’s commitment to continuous improvement and alignment with evolving international standards and best practices and its ethical conduct, delivering high-quality energy efficiency solutions.

MARAKEZ FACILITY MANAGEMENT

In a remarkable journey, Marakez Facility Management's Soft Services team, under the adept leadership of Marakez Soft Services Manager, Taher Abdelrazik, has swiftly risen to prominence in the competitive Qatari market. What commenced with a small team of 8 cleaners and a single contract has transformed into a powerhouse of 60 cleaners managing 10 contracts in just six months.

Under the astute guidance and support of Marakez top management, the initial team of 8 cleaners, inspired by Taher's leadership, demonstrated exceptional commitment, laying the foundation for what would soon become a notable success story.

Central to Marakez Soft Services' success was Taher Abdelrazik's commitment to a client-centric approach. His skills ensured the team addressed unique client needs, and in a very short period, Marakez Soft Services has earned the reputation of a rising star in the Qatari market. Word of mouth about the team's exceptional services has spread, contributing significantly to its rapid ascent.

Marakez top management's support, coupled with Taher's strategic and smart use of it, amplified the team's success. This combination earned Marakez Soft Services the reputation of a rising star in Qatar, with word-of-mouth endorsements contributing significantly to their swift ascent.

As the Marakez Soft Services Department, supported by Marakez top management, and guided by its leader, Taher Abdelrazik, continues its upward trajectory, the future looks promising. The team remains dedicated to maintaining the standards that propelled it to success, with an eye on further expansion and innovation.

MUSANADAH FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

In the dynamic world of facility management, Musanadah is emerging as a trailblazer in soft services and housekeeping service delivery in Saudi Arabia. Through strategic initiatives centered around customer satisfaction, embracing technology, internationally benchmarked standards, and investing in their people, Musanadah is redefining the landscape of service excellence while raising industry standards across the Kingdom.

At the core of Musanadah's success lies a commitment to its MEFMA award-winning customer-centric values. By placing the client at the center of everything that they do, the company ensures that services are tailored to meet the unique and ever-changing needs of each client. This approach not only fosters stronger customer relationships but also positions Musanadah as a trusted partner in facility management.

Embracing technology and new techniques is another hallmark of Musanadah's strategy. Notably, they are one of the first in the Kingdom to trial and implement the innovative BICSc audit app. This technology not only enhances operational efficiency but also underscores Musanadah's commitment to staying at the forefront of industry advancements.

Internationally benchmarked soft services further set Musanadah apart and act as a key differentiator. With its BICSc-accredited LEAD training centres, the company ensures consistent world-class service delivery standards across all sites, irrespective of their remoteness, with their award-winning work at AlUla – a remote Saudi Vision 2030 heritage site - being a prime example. This commitment to excellence, regardless of location, is a testament to Musanadah's dedication to raising the bar for industry standards across Saudi Arabia.