School superintendents are in a constant battle to stretch their budgets as far as possible without sacrificing quality.

“We’d rather put our dollars into teachers and classrooms

than operational,” says Jud Wolfe, Assistant Superintendent

of Plainfield Schools. “We aren’t cutting corners, we want the

best product and results at the best price, but overspending

isn’t an option.”

A decade ago, the challenge facing every school building

in Plainfield was controlling its individual school’s custodial

supplies. More time was spent ordering basic supplies and

cost savings were not recognized by leveraging purchasing

power across the entire school district, creating costly

workflow inefficiencies.

“In 2007, Plainfield Schools was using the traditional method

of pouring product into a mop bucket and adding water,”

says Woody Moore, Sales Associate at HP Products. “We

wanted to consolidate the different types of products to be

consistent, and know how much we were using school-to-

school.”

$1 per 650 Sq Feet Custodial Cost-Saving Strategies at Plainfield Schools

Jud Wolfe (left) and Woody Moore (right)

Working Together for Smart SavingsWoody and Jud worked together to create a way for Plainfield

Schools to get better results while saving money. How?

1) Dilution Control System

Better utilization was achieved through a new dispenser that

automatically provided the right amount of product every time.

This new solution control system was able to save money and

also increase worker efficiency with a built-in dispenser.

2) Central Sourcing

As a result of supplier consolidation, Plainfield Schools

was able to get higher quality products for less than it was

spending and avoid managing multiple vendor relationships.

“In 2007, we were using about 10 different vendors for our

toilet paper, dispensers, soap, etc.” says Jud Wolfe, Assistant

Superintendent of Plainfield Schools. “HP Products didn’t

come in and say ‘Oh, we can get those for lower prices.’ They

created a way for us to control our expenses at the source and

make our lives easier in the process.”

3) Additional Savings and Speed

“Once we consolidated purchasing, HP Products was able to

speak with the manufacturers about special not-for-profit rates

for the school system,” Woody continues. “Not every customer

will have this option, but they may have other qualities HP

Products can leverage to their cost-saving advantage.”

HP Products also maintains a storage shelf of the products

in use at Plainfield Schools to allow for next-day delivery of

supplies should the need arise.

4) Increased Safety and Service

The new automated dispensing process has limited human

error by standardizing the amount and type of products being

mixed, making the process safer for employees. In addition,

HP Products holds a yearly best practices education and new

product training with Plainfield Schools to create an additional

level of efficiency and safety.

Cost-Saving Results

Since 2007, when the cost-savings relationship with HP

Products began, Plainfield has added an additional high

school increasing the district’s overall square footage from

750,000 square feet to over 1.2 million. Woody and Jud

sat down one day to compare numbers from then and now

to see exactly how much money the new dispensing and

purchasing processes were saving.

Over eight years and with the addition of a new high school,

custodial supply spending across the school system had

only increased $700.

“It was a moment for sure,” says Jud, “We knew we had

done something right, but this was the first time we realized

exactly how much money we had been saving. It’s scary

to think that we were so inefficient and that we were able

to add so much square footage and only increase $700 on

custodial products.”

The HP Advantage

HP Products works to find cost savings throughout your processes and fights for the best pricing.

We believe that services and value added protects and fosters long-term relationships. HP Products

never goes the route of cutting quality or performance to lower costs, but instead finds innovative

ways to deliver the same results, or better results, through solution controls systems, consolidation,

manufacturer relationships, services and more.

“My hope is that we are able to maintain our current efficiencies and maybe even find a few more,”

Jud says. “Someday we’re going to have to add a new elementary school and we’re looking to

Woody and HP Products to help us meet the custodial needs of that additional building.”

If you’re looking for a partner that will help you realize facility cost savings today, tomorrow and in the

future, contact HP Products today.

1,200,000

1,000,000

800,000

600,000

400,000

200,000

2008 2014

Amount of Square Footage Product Cost in Dollars

Comparison of Square Footage Increase vs. Product Cost Increase