The Future of Washroom Hygiene Services: It’s a Natural

Until recently, the washroom hygiene services industry operated on a cookie-cutter business approach. Expensive-to-operate franchises offered a line of artificially-created scents all across the world which, most often, were overpowering or not powerful enough. Now pleasing naturally crafted and regional-specific scents are being made available through exclusive independent distributorships, making pricing far more competitive and pleasing both distributors and customers alike.

Scents are now being extracted from natural sources, instead of being chemically evolved from bases such as petroleum and turpentine. Patchouli, jasmine, citruses, clove, cedar, and sandalwood are just a few examples from a wide variety now available. And these scents are taken from their natural sources, not artificially formulated.

"Customers are very impressed with these products and what they can do for their businesses. The air-freshener products create fantastic smells and give good impressions in the washrooms," says Adam Hawley, Managing Director of Guardian Group, a janitorial supply company in the UK.

Hawley is equally impressed with the new distributorship business model. "It's easier to deal with. For a cleaning service franchise, the setup costs and the costs involved can take careful planning. As a distributor, it's a point of contact for the manufacturer and we can simply purchase and get the products out to the customer." Within this model, a washroom hygiene services company need only place a minimum stock purchase. In exchange, they are appointed an exclusive distributor for a certain area for one year. There are no up-front fees or royalties.

Wim Lagerweij, Director of HYSCON, a Netherlands-based janitorial service company, is also very pleased with the new natural line of scents. "Nowadays many companies are making aerosol dispensers. We find in our country that our clients appreciate the gel dispensers over the aerosol dispensers. They are very pleasant fragrances and not oppressive."

Lagerweij also appreciates the new distributor model, having previously operated his business as a cleaning service franchise. "The concept wasn't working for us," he says. "We didn't see any benefits in franchising. The people who owned the formula were always being paid simply for owning the formula. As an exclusive distributor, we don't have to do that." He also expresses an additional benefit. "You can offer your clients products which they can't obtain anywhere else."

Leading the charge in these new trends is Odorite International, a janitorial supply manufacturer and distributor. Odorite creates a wide variety of unique natural scents, using proprietary methods within their own laboratory. Not only are the scents natural, they are created to be region-specific, based on local trends and preferences. For example, Floral, Ozone, and Tropical are specific to Europe and the UK, and Berry, Floral, Herbal and Spice work well in the Pacific Asian area.

Distributing their products through over 130 distributors world-wide, Odorite's "exclusive independent distributorships" model allows companies better product pricing and superior service to customers.

Odorite staff chemists also take into account climactic factors and temperature variables. For example, in extreme dry heat, a scent can dissipate faster. But a product specifically climate-formulated will last its required 21 - 28 days, despite the heat.

For the washroom hygiene services industry, it's a natural.

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Odorite International, Inc.
Cindy Walter
Kansas City, MO 64127
cindy@odorite.com
Phone: (816) 920-5000
Fax: (816) 920-5511
http://www.odorite.com