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Service Trains Sales

To ensure the BACS sales team fully understands the services they describe in their quotes, BACS has initiated a new training program --- Service Trains Sales (STS). Each month, a service supervisor takes the account managers through a particular type of cleaning job, giving them a detailed description of the specific equipment and techniques involved in delivering that service. The sales team, in turn, is better able to scope each service for a particular site and answer any questions you may have. These meetings give both groups an opportunity to review processes and make adjustments.

Peter O’Meara, BACS Victorian Service Manager with 16 years of experience, kicked things off with sub-floor cleaning, followed by Andrew Dickinson, a NSW Service Supervisor with BACS for over 5 years, who explained the ins and outs of server rack cleaning. Next up is Rod Segalla who will tell us of his experiences as a BACS cleanroom cleaner for the past 3 years.

February 2015 - Nullarbor --- The ultimate uncontrolled environment!

If it weren’t for a BACS service vehicle which had to be relocated from Perth to Melbourne, I may never have driven across the Nullarbor Plain. The trip started with a flight from Sydney to Perth where I caught up with service staff and visited customers. I then set off in the VW Caddy.

At first, for a Sydney driver such as myself, the 146 km dead straight road between Balladonia and Caiguna was a novelty, but after a while it became monotonous. Thankfully, I had an iPod containing 4000+ songs for company. That evening, I arrived in Caiguna and stayed overnight.

On Day 2, I approached the Nullarbor around midday. Temperatures hovered around 40C (a cool day). No vegetation grows more than half a metre because of the dry, rocky conditions. It was a dusty, uncontrolled environment – a far cry from the critical environments that BACS services!

Next stop was the Head of Bight. Spectacular cliffs to the east and west continued for 1,160 km with cliff faces up to 60 m high. Inland, as far the eye could see, the plain was devoid of trees. I couldn’t get over how the desert ends so abruptly and just plunges into the Southern Ocean.

No one ever mentions that when you reach Ceduna, arguably the end of the Nullarbor Plain, you are still 775 km away from Adelaide! Although the VW Caddy had been a smooth and comfortable ride, I was relieved to arrive in Adelaide on the fourth day. While there, I met with service staff, clients and suppliers.

After 2 days in Adelaide, I departed for Melbourne. The VW was happily claimed by Peter O’Meara, BACS Victorian Service Manager. I drove back to Sydney in Peter’s old Mitsubishi Lancer wagon that is ready for retirement. All up, I covered 4,000 km in 2 weeks on the quintessential Australian drive.

November 2014 - Bob Allan addresses International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering Division Meetings

Bob Allan delivered a talk entitled “Getting cleanroom cleaning right” at the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) Australasian Division Meetings in Sydney and Melbourne on 16 and 17 September. He asked the audience to consider the lengths that they have gone to in creating an operational cleanroom --- from design through to the building phase, followed by certification and full production. Should cleaning their facility be taken any less seriously? Regardless of whether cleaning is done in-house or outsourced, whoever cleans their cleanroom must have the Cleanroom Mindset. No shortcuts at any stage are acceptable. Bob discussed matching the cleaning to the type of service (post-construction, pre-certification and routine), the ISO Class and the sterility level of the room. The audience particularly agreed with his point that post-construction cleaning is an area not well covered by standard operating procedures or scopes of works. After listing 20 different types of cleanrooms BACS has serviced, Bob shared his most confronting --- cleaning mould from rollers in an active morgue.

Bob opened his presentation by explaining how BACS transitioned from a data centre cleaner to a cleanroom cleaner. In the early 1980s, BACS started cleaning computer environments to remove dust that interfered with the fly heights of read-write heads, only 0.0038 micron above the computer media. Because the Australian IT industry was searching for something to clean these read-write heads with, BACS began distributing Texwipe TechniCloth® wipers shortly thereafter. Through this relationship with Texwipe, a worldwide leader in contamination control supplies and critical cleaning products, Bob leveraged the ability to clean IT controlled environments to secure his first cleanroom cleaning contract in 1992, controlling particulates in the area where repeaters for the Trans-Tasman submarine telecommunications cable were being manufactured. During his presentation, Bob shared other first-hand experiences gathered over 22 years of cleaning critical environments of all sizes and classes around Australia, from non-sterile ISO Class 9 up to sterile Grade B pharmaceutical and research facilities.

October 2014 - General Manager Suzanne Allan Retires

On 25 September, BACS said goodbye and farewell to our General Manager, Suzanne Allan. Suzanne joined BACS over 16 years ago, having previously worked in the public service. During her time at BACS, she acted in a range of capacities at the company – from service co-ordinator, account enquiries and receptionist, to back-up for the CEO, Bob Allan. In addition to being General Manager, Suzanne is also Bob’s sister. Her strengths were evident, especially in dealing with legal and contractual issues, as well as in HR. BACS employees benefited from her calmness and ability to discuss any subject. Never at a loss on how to deal with a situation, she could see both sides of an argument. Being family, Suzanne would act as a sounding board for Bob and represent perspectives in ways that other employees could not.

Her ability to add a personal touch to events such as the company Christmas party, Melbourne Cup celebrations and business conferences will be remembered fondly. Suzanne says working with the people was what meant the most to her. She appreciated how rare complaints were, given the large volume of services that BACS performs. Although she is officially retiring, she will return to BACS occasionally to do some project work. Thanks to Suzanne for all her contributions over the years – BACS is a much better company because of her effort. In her own words “change is good; you can’t get left behind”. Her positive legacy at BACS will live on. As Chief Operating Officer, Rob Pye will take over most of Suzanne’s responsibilities.

August 2014 - $25M Advanced Instrumentation and Technology Centre opens at ANU Mt. Stromlo

BACS Canberra Area Manager, Caroline Wright, was on hand to celebrate the launch on 15 July 2014 of the new $25 million Advanced Instrumentation and Technology Centre (AITC) at the Australian National University’s Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics located at Mt. Stromlo. The keynote speaker was Ian Macfarlane, Minister for Industry, who emphasised the international significance of this precision manufacturing and test facility, as well as how it provides opportunities for industry, government, defence, research and education to collaborate at ANU. The facility already has two major projects – a $5 million design contract which could lead to a further $20 million construction contract for one of the first instruments to be installed on the Giant Magellan Telescope being built in Chile and a $6.4 million project to develop a space junk tracking system for the Korean Astronomy and Space Science Institute.

The AITC is the only Australian facility supporting the development of space satellites and astronomical instrumentation from the design phase, through to construction and pre-launch testing. Facilities include a 110 m2 ISO Class 7 high-bay cleanroom surrounding a 2-tonne gantry crane with a 4.5 m hook height. A smaller 30 m2 ISO Class 7 cleanroom is available onsite for detector assembly. BACS Contamination Control provided the post-construction and pre-validation cleaning services for both cleanrooms, including the challenging clean of the installed gantry crane at height. Several thermal and vacuum chambers allow scientists to test up to 500 kg of equipment and components under the harsh conditions of space from -170 to +150 C and less than 10-6 torr pressure. An electrodynamic shaker provides information on how equipment would fare during the vibration and shock of lift-off. With world-class facilities and engineering talent, the AITC forms the centrepiece of the Australian space industry estimated to generate $1.6 billion in annual revenue and employ more than 4,000 scientists, engineers, policy makers and support personnel. Click here for a virtual tour of the AITC facility.

July 2014 -Krste Pejcinoski joins BACS as new Canberra Service Supervisor

BACS Contamination Control is pleased to announce the addition of Krste Pejcinoski as the new Canberra Service Supervisor replacing Kevin Asher who retired earlier this year. Krste (or “Chris” as he is also known) comes to BACS with over eight years of supervisory expertise in commercial cleaning, having worked in high-security locations including Parliament House and HMAS Harman. In his previous positions, Krste has led WHS training, as well as conducted risk assessments and hazard hunts. He has a Certificate IV in Asset Management (Cleaning) and an elevating work platform (EWP) license. Krste is an Australian citizen and will soon receive his AGSVA security clearance.

After successful completion of the BACS in-house accreditation programme, Krste will receive on-the-job training in Canberra from BACS service supervisors travelling from interstate. The accreditation programme is a competency–based training programme. All BACS employees are required to have a thorough understanding of the environment and practical experience of the relevant BACS cleaning methods. Nationally, all cleaners are taught the same procedures, use the same tools and chemicals, and perform the identical methods of cleaning. Experienced supervisors will accompany Krste to ensure quality in all our work and audit his performance. Please join us in welcoming Krste to BACS.

June 2014 - Rob Pye returns to BACS

BACS welcomes back Rob Pye after a three-year absence. Rob has rejoined the company, this time as Chief Operations Officer, after having previously served as National Service Manager. With his degree in electrical engineering and over 25 years of experience in IT service delivery for companies such as Dimension Data, Unisys and NEC, Rob will play a pivotal role in short and long-term strategic planning. Areas of his focus include:

Refining BACS operating systems and service delivery processes to maximise efficiency and provide best-value quality.
Monitoring adherence to all federal and state work health and safety requirements to make sure BACS is compliant now and in the future.
Ensuring employees undergo regular training to enhance their job performance and enjoyment.
Chairing daily “huddles” where BACS staff prioritise their top tasks for the day and discuss daily issues.
Adopting industry-leading practices to provide service which achieves ISO 14644 particle level standards.

June 2014 - Spiders in the Data Centres

Recently BACS has encountered infestations of redback spiders in several data centres across multiple states. BACS cleaners found these pests while cleaning sub-floors and, as per BACS training, immediately reported their presence to data centre staff. Once all spiders were removed from the area, cleaning continued uneventfully. Spiders, insects and rodents are drawn to sub-floors because they are a temperature and humidity-controlled environment. To reduce the chance of being bitten or having equipment damaged, BACS recommends taking several precautions.

Review ingress points and examine the integrity of room sealing for cable penetration areas, fire doors and main entrances.
Engage the services of a pest controller who knows that data centres have different requirements compared to other commercial properties. Fumigation and aerosol sprays are not recommended since corrosive pesticide mist could enter operating equipment. Gel baits selected to eradicate a specific species are the preferred solution.
To ensure a safe working environment and monitor the effectiveness of pest control measures, increase awareness among staff to look out for vermin and add pest reporting to cleaners’ reports.

Call BACS on 1800 687 179 or contact us if you require the name of a pest controller who specialises in data centres, would like further recommendations or need a thorough cleaning after an infestation.

November 2013 - BACS announces new monthly Darwin service

BACS will be coming to Darwin every month starting November 2013. In response to customer demand, we now offer data centres the option of monthly or quarterly above-floor service and more flexible scheduling for annual sub-floor cleaning. In addition to computer and server rooms, BACS also cleans critical environments of all sizes and types, including cleanrooms and laboratories as well as multi-user audio-visual workstations. We are different to general cleaners. When you choose BACS to clean your most vital areas, you are working with a company that has systematically removed contaminants from over 15,000 controlled environments across Australia since 1982. Every BACS cleaner has a thorough understanding of the operating environment and practical experience of the relevant BACS cleaning methods and equipment. As well as passing Australian Federal Police criminal record checks, BACS supervisors hold AGSVA security clearances.

Having visited Darwin each year since 2010, BACS recognises the need to increase services to this growing area. Call us on 1800 687 179 or email us today if you are interested in having your facility cleaned while we are in town. We can recommend the right services and frequencies which allow you to maintain ISO 14644 particle level standards, provide you with a quote, answer your questions and put you on our service schedule.

September 2013 - BACS awarded Australian Tax Office data centre cleaning contract for another 5 years

The Australian Taxation Office's (ATO) E-tax software has cost Australian taxpayers over $45 million to develop and maintain since 2006¹. But who maintains the ATO’s data centres in peak operating condition to process all that information? Since 2003 BACS Contamination Control has successfully performed technical cleaning inside critical ATO computer facilities in every state and territory. Recently through a public tender facilitated by property services manager DTZ, a UGL company, BACS has been awarded another 3 year contract with a 2 year extension option to continue servicing the ATO. With 38 sites located across the country from Darwin to Hobart, ATO facilities management is greatly enhanced by BACS’ ability to provide a centralised designated contact with automated notification of services completed at each site.

In addition to cleaning ATO sites in major metropolitan areas, BACS also travels to regional hubs. If you are interested in having your facility cleaned while we are in the area, please let us know so we can provide you with a quote and put you on the schedule.

QUEENSLAND

Cairns
Townsville
Mackay
Rockhampton
Bundaberg
Toowoomba
Southport

NEW SOUTH WALES

Grafton
Port Macquarie
Newcastle
Wollongong
Orange
Albury

VICTORIA

Bendigo
Geelong
Sale

TASMANIA

Burnie
Launceston
Hobart

NORTHERN TERRITORY

Darwin
Alice Springs

¹http://www.zdnet.com/au/australian-taxation-office-has-spent-au45m-on-e-tax-7000017069/

June 2013 - bacs.com.au celebrates first anniversary

To celebrate the first anniversary of bacs.com.au, BACS is offering a 10% discount on all products purchased online during June 2013. Since going live one year ago, the site has been gaining momentum with sales, registered members and page views growing steadily. This website which replaces bacstech.com was originally conceived as an e-commerce site selling data centre and cleanroom consumables. Since then, the scope has been expanded to include full details of all BACS technical cleaning services. Visitors can also read technical articles, consult useful industry links and learn more about the company, as well as its training and Work Health and Safety programmes.

As the site enters its second year, tell us what you would like to see. Product application videos? Service customer payment and account information portal? More specials and promotions? Additional products and manufacturers? We welcome your feedback on how to improve our website.

April 2013 - BACS Melbourne office relocates

BACS Contamination Control’s Melbourne office has recently moved to 5/47 Parer Road, Airport West near Tullamarine Airport. Located close to the Ring Road, the new site offers convenient access to all parts of the city and outlying areas. The 180 m2 facility contains a mix of office space and areas for equipment staging and storage. After 13 years in Niddrie, the move to the new location was completed in April 2013. Telephone and fax numbers remain unchanged. “Having a more modern facility with greater room for equipment preparation will help BACS better serve our customers in Victoria”, says Bob Allan, BACS CEO and founder.

BACS has serviced over 15,000 computer rooms, data centres, cleanrooms and laboratories since its establishment in 1982. Headquartered in Sydney, BACS is the only technical cleaning company that covers the entire country. The BACS team are trained specialists who use the best available equipment, chemicals and methods to ensure the most comprehensive clean possible. Each job is tailored to meet a customer’s individual needs and service times can be arranged when it best suits your schedule. In addition to routine cleaning, BACS also offers a variety of specialised procedures, all of which can be incorporated into a planned maintenance schedule.

January 2013 - BACS attended cleanroom conference in Germany

Caroline Wright from BACS Contamination Control attended Cleanzone 2012 held in Frankfurt, Germany on 24-25 October. Cleanzone is an international trade fair and 2-day congress devoted to cleanroom technology. The show was well-attended with 600 participants from 13 counties. Sixteen experts from all over Europe presented talks on concepts and trends in the industry, design and construction of clean zones, cleanroom testing and monitoring, and cleanroom operations. Prof. Dr. Ulrich Walter, former astronaut and professor at the Institute of Astronautics and Satellite Technology at Munich University delivered the keynote address entitled “Cleanroom Technology in Space Missions”. The annual Cleanroom Award 2012 for innovations in cleanroom technology went to Technology of Sense in the Netherlands for their APMON real-time particle deposition monitor that uses an optical system with wireless computer interface to automatically count and measure particles on a cleanroom work surface every 10 minutes. Caroline also viewed the latest innovations in cleanroom products and services exhibited by 41 companies from 7 counties.

While overseas, Caroline met with Frank Duvernell, owner of profi-con Contamination Control, a German professional services provider in the cleanroom sector, maintaining sterile areas within the pharmaceutical, genetic engineering, biotechnology and medical technology industries and providing professional cleaning services for dust-free cleanrooms within the microelectronics, semiconductors, optoelectronics, automotive and plastics technology industries. She travelled to their headquarters in Leipzig to visit their team and see how professional cleanroom cleaning is conducted in Germany. She also met Annett Michel, Managing Director of the Reinraum-Akademie (the Cleanroom Academy), a company offering a range of theoretical and practical seminars, training and coaching to streamline cleanroom workflow and train all managers and operators in proper cleanroom garmenting, behaviour and mindset.

November 2012 - Bob Allan presented "Data Centre/IT Cleaning - The Standards and disasters I have known" at AFCOM Canberra meeting

Bob Allan, BACS Contamination Control CEO and founder, addressed the AFCOM Canberra Chapter during their quarterly meeting on November 14. His presentation entitled “Data Centre/IT Cleaning - The Standards and disasters I have known” covered data centre cleaning in relation to ISO 14644 standards with a few horror stories included to illustrate how badly things can go wrong. With the proliferation of cloud computing, managed services and co-location, customers want a guarantee that the environment which houses their critical data or equipment is clean enough not to pose a risk to their operation. The International Standards Organisation developed ISO 14644-1 Classification of Air Cleanliness in 1999. Though not a specific computer environment standard, ISO 14644 applies to cleanrooms and “associated controlled environments”. Increasingly, the IT industry considers data centres to be controlled environments and has begun referencing ISO 14644. Incorporating cleanroom standards into data centre facility maintenance can benefit not only cleanliness levels, but also operational reliability.

Bob shared with the audience a few examples of computer room disasters he personally witnessed during his thirty years of experience in cleaning IT environments. Around 25 data centre professionals from the Canberra area attended the meeting held at the Canberra Institute of Technology campus in Bruce. AFCOM, established in 1980, is the world’s leading data centre industry association with thousands of industry professional members drawn from over 4,500 data centres worldwide. There are four AFCOM Chapters active in Australia (Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra). Click here to request a copy of the presentation slides and the “10 Step Plan to Meeting ISO 14644-1 Particle Standards in a Data Centre” or read further about the impact of ISO 14644 standards on computer environments.

September 2012 - 2012 marks 30 years in business for BACS

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released its latest report on business longevity. Of the 2,073,793 Australian businesses operating in June 2007, only 60.4% were still trading five years later. BACS Contamination Control has achieved an even greater milestone. 2012 marks 30 years in business for the company. In the 1980s, Bob Allan, BACS founder and CEO, identified a gap in facility maintenance while employed as a computer operations manager. "I saw how operators were too busy to clean and when they did, they didn't do a very good job of it!" says Bob. Contamination left behind by inadequate cleaning methods resulted in hardware malfunctions. "Outsourcing the job to regular office cleaners wasn't the answer. They just aren't trained to clean in a technical environment" Bob continues. A new approach was needed. Bob carefully selected specialised cleaning supplies and equipment, developed effective procedures, and educated his staff to perform to a high standard in a range of controlled environments.

In addition to computer cleaning, BACS began distributing Texwipe wipers to the Australian IT industry for cleaning computer media read-write heads in 1987. Through the relationship with Texwipe, a worldwide leader in contamination control supplies and critical cleaning products, BACS leveraged its ability to clean IT controlled environments and began cleaning cleanrooms in 1992. Since its inception, BACS has serviced over 15,000 computer rooms, data centres, cleanrooms and laboratories, becoming the only technical cleaning company that covers all Australian capital cities. With data centres adopting ISO 14644 cleanliness standards and becoming like ISO Class 9 cleanrooms, BACS is uniquely positioned in both the computer and cleanroom markets to meet future product and service needs.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Publication 8165.0 - Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, Jun 2007 to Jun 2011

June 2012 - BACS meets in Singapore with Texwipe, our major cleanroom products supplier

BACS Contamination Control CEO Bob Allan and Product Manager Jonathan Yip travelled to Texwipe’s regional office in Singapore on June 4 to meet with Sales Manager (Asia) Francis Cher and Regional Sales Managers Jane SB Seow and Kah Yew Cheong from Texwipe a major BACS supplier of cleanroom consumables. For over 40 years, Texwipe has been a worldwide leader in contamination control supplies and critical cleaning products. BACS began distributing Texwipe products in 1987 and has since become the authorised Australasian distributor of Texwipe's full product line.

During the visit, Texwipe renewed their commitment to continue working with BACS in Australia and New Zealand. BACS demonstrated how Texwipe products are featured on the new BACS website and eShop. Texwipe’s corporate and international strategic directions were discussed, as were BACS’ plans to grow the cleanroom consumables market by selling high-quality, brand-name products online. Texwipe will coordinate shipping from their manufacturing locations to minimise freight costs and ensure local stock. The meeting concluded with BACS assessing which new Texwipe products might be suitable for the Australasian market.

For assistance with any Texwipe product you see on www.texwipe.com, please contact BACS Customer Service on 1800 687 179 or via this contact form.

May 2012 - BACS eliminates paper service dockets with new Smartphone app

Changes in technology and BACS investment in IT now enable our cleaners to use a Smartphone to document their daily tasks, facilitate better response times to callouts and provide automated notification of completed service. The new phone application displays your service details and captures the GPS coordinates of the service. The cleaner is required to verify the date, end time, team size and customer contact, updating as necessary on the day.

BACS has trialed the change for many months and we are confident that moving to a paperless system makes business sense. The Smartphone app replaces the old paper docket system which provided BACS cleaners with cleaning instructions and a sign-off form - the top part signed by the customer and returned to BACS for billing and the bottom part signed by the BACS cleaner and left at the service site upon completion of the job.

If you require an automated docket verifying each service completed, contact BACS on reception@bacs.com.au and we will e-mail you a copy after the docket has been processed at BACS the following business day. Alternatively you can enquire using this form.