Abena International is a Denmark-based hygiene and paper development company. The company has a turnover of approximately €380 million and employs more than 1,300 people.

Abena’s United Kingdom division (Abena UK Ltd.) is headquartered in the city of Coventry. The division’s main sales activities are primarily focused on providing the UK National Health Service with continence management products. However, the company also offers a wide range of goods and services to a number of other sectors, including janitorial, catering, skin care, and medical and nonmedical waste disposal.

While it enjoys the many benefits by being part of a global family, Abenas UK understands the importance of developing a unique, local approach. “Abena always thinks globally with its strategy, but it is also determined to act locally in terms of the products and services for each country,” said Gerry Hay, managing director of Abenas UK.

In this endeavour, ISSA membership has proven to be a huge advantage. “Abena has been a member of ISSA for four years now, and we have consistently found our membership to be of value,” Hay said. “ISSA regularly supplies us with information related not only to the global cleaning industry, but also specifically for the United Kingdom’s cleaning industry. This has helped us tremendously in determining local needs, and how we might meet these.”

ISSA has also facilitated new networking opportunities for Abena in the United Kingdom. “ISSA has been able to put us in contact with many other members from throughout the region. Through meeting and building relationships with like-minded organisations, we have been able learn from others. This has helped us ensure that we are always at the forefront of best practices, and that we always offer our customers the products and services that they deserve,” Hay added.

It is precisely this industry-wide communication that will solve what Hay believes are the challenges facing today’s cleaning industry. “With the economic pressures confronting us all, there is a lot of focus on unit prices of products, but not the cost in use,” he said. “One item may cost much less than another, but does the cheaper product deliver better performance and ultimately save the customer money? In many circumstances this isn’t always the case.

“In my experience, many ISSA members are currently wrestling with this issue. However, with joint initiatives and an industry commitment to educating the public that quality counts in the long term and can achieve considerable cost savings, I am sure we can overcome this challenge. The first-class networking opportunities afforded by being an ISSA member can undoubtedly play a key role in promoting the industry communication that is required,” Hay concluded.