Hospitals, theatres and a basilica The South Tyrolean cleaning giant

Soperating theatres and hospital wards, a theatre that attracts spectators from all over the world, a basilica that is among the symbols of Christianity and houses the remains of St Mark the Evangelist. Different places, with the same need: to be clean and cared for. The South Tyrolean company Markas, owned by the Kasslatter family, has in the sector cleaning (cleaning and sanitising) one of its strengths: it deals with more than 160 hospitals and health facilities (in the North-East, but not only: 17 Italian regions are covered), 120 rest homes and RSAs, 50 hotels and accommodation facilities, 150 schools and universities, 120 companies and offices.

In all, 4 million square metres of surfaces are cleaned every day, as Andrea Cinetto, head of the division, explains: "Ninety per cent of the work relates to healthcare: this is delicate work, especially in areas where operations are carried out and maximum safety is required for those receiving treatment, and it must be carried out during the hours when the business is stationary". This is precisely one of the complexities of the sector, which employs a large majority of women, in Markas 83%: "We move early in the morning, and the shifts also cover holidays and weekends. It's not easy, and fatigue sets in". The staff must be adequately prepared: Markas organises training days to inform about procedures, the use of chemicals and everything necessary to pass rigorous quality controls (more than 30,000 per year). Quality that must be safeguarded just as much as sustainability: the products used for cleaning are certified and environmentally sustainable. The health sector has been joined - with sustained growth in recent years - by the culture sector: 'We take care of the cleaning of the La Fenice theatre. If in an operating theatre one has to deal with steel or plastic surfaces, here there are stuccoes and velvets, often historical, delicate and valuable material". Normal activity is combined with that on the occasion of performances, starting with the New Year's Eve concert, 'while in places like the Guggenheim Foundation we often hold theme evenings and presentations'.

And then there is St Mark's Basilica: 'We had just been awarded the contract when we heard about the pope's visit: an exceptional service was arranged so that everything would be perfect. The Basilica also has its specificities: it happens less often now thanks to the Mose, but when high water arrives, we have to act quickly to avoid damage to the mosaics and other surfaces. St Mark's Basilica like La Fenice theatre are places of culture and art, to which we are particularly sensitive. This is why we pay great attention every day to all the individual cleaning activities we carry out in these places. The work is organised in teams: 16 people (two men) for the Phoenix, slightly more for the basilica. "Everyone has their own specialisation, but the opportunity to change places of work is one of the keys we use to motivate the staff and lower the turnover. It is not easy to clean a hospital ward every day where there are seriously ill people, sometimes you need to take some distance," explains Cinetto.

In this sense, too, the company focuses on a healthy working environment: Markas is certified Family audit (for the well-being of its employees, over 12,000 of 96 nationalities) and for gender equality; it has a sustainability report and welfare tools. In 2023, the Bolzano-based multiservice company recorded a 12.04% increase in turnover compared to the previous year, with a production value exceeding 383.2 million. Among the future challenges 'are robotics and artificial intelligence applied to cleaning: new technologies can improve efficiency and become a resource in a sector chronically lacking in personnel,' Cinetto concludes.