For Britvic Ireland, the largest soft drinks company in the country, innovation and a pursuit of excellence is a key part of its ongoing success. A combined security and cleaning contract with G4S Secure Solutions Ireland has seen Britvic embrace innovation and best practice, as well as enhancing efficiencies across the two functions.

Operating in the competitive FMCG sector, Britvic Ireland has a long history of success in Ireland with brands such as Ballygowan, Club and MiWadi. The company, which is owned by Britvic Group, is also the exclusive distribution partner of PepsiCo in Ireland, distributing the high-profile Pepsi and 7Up brands around the country.

The company employs 450 people in Ireland. It has two offices, two factories and one distribution centre. Britvic was keen to amalgamate its security and cleaning functions across its premises, reducing the number of companies providing these services to just one in order to enhance efficiencies throughout its operations. After a competitive tender process, G4S Secure Solutions Ireland was awarded the combined contract, providing cleaning and security services to Britvic’s Dublin sites in Nangor Road and Kylemore.

Bundled contract saves time, delivers tangible benefits

“What we have with G4S Secure Solutions Ireland is a single entity provider for our cleaning and security services. We have one point of contact and we receive just one set of invoices. This was a huge cultural change for us; we’d worked with multiple companies for 10 years but G4S have come in and handled the transition of staff and processes in an efficient and comprehensive way,” explains Willie Doyle, Facilities Manager, Britvic Ireland.

The partnership has now passed the initial “bedding down period” according to Willie, who says they are entering a new “continuous improvement” phase. “What’s so good about the G4S Secure Solutions Ireland team is they are looking at what we are doing and already thinking ‘how can we do it better’. It’s great to have G4S looking at the processes and coming up with suggestions on how we can make things more efficient or save money.”

Effective security team are first point of contact

For Britvic Ireland and its busy factory and distribution centre, G4S Secure Solutions Ireland security guards are the first point of contact for all visitors. The G4S team manage access to the estate and ensure that all contractors are complying with the necessary regulations, from wearing the correct gear to having the correct permits. “We have a heavy emphasis on site access and rules. As a food manufacturing site there are strict regulations and the G4S team make sure everyone entering the site complies with all legislation,” says Willie.

In addition to security at the sites the G4S security team are adept at multi-tasking. Willie considers them his eyes and ears on the ground and they also answer the phones outside of general working hours.

Cleaning team ensure legislation compliance

The G4S Secure Solutions Ireland cleaning crew provide a dedicated day-to-day office cleaning service for Britvic’s head office as well as offices in its factories and distribution centre.

A separate contract with G4S Secure Solutions Ireland’s specialist industrial cleaning team provides cleaning services to Britvic’s manufacturing area. “Because of the regulations concerning any food manufacturing site, cleaning at a high level is critical to us. The G4S team provide specialist cleaning services such as cleaning the canning line and ducting in our factories. They also perform a regular deep clean of our canteen area,” says Willie.

One point of contact means staff can focus on their jobs

“What we have with G4S Secure Solutions Ireland is a company that works in conjunction with us. I know that at any time I can speak to someone at a high level at G4S and because we have a dedicated account manager for both the security and cleaning functions I know that any issue can be resolved quickly and efficiently,” says Willie. “Being able to rely on suppliers is important to me; I’m extremely busy and I don’t have the time to be handholding. G4S Secure Solutions Ireland are a reliable, honest company with years of experience and are exactly the kind of partner we need. Working together I think we can make Britvic a centre of excellence for G4S Secure Solutions Ireland.”