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