Polishing the image of the cleaning industry

[SINGAPORE] From its founding in 2013, RS Facilities Services has had a vision of going further. The “RS” in its name stands for the Chinese term “ri sheng”, meaning “rising sun” – symbolising the company’s aspiration to rise further and shine in the industry.

RS was founded when director Michelle Yap, seeing long-term potential in the evergreen cleaning industry, teamed up with operations director Tay Chin Chye, who at the time had more than 20 years of experience in the industry.

With a team of seasoned professionals, RS started out as a small subcontractor for other cleaning companies. As the company grew, it aimed to score its own contracts.

Within six years, RS attained the Building and Construction Authority’s FM02 L6 accreditation, the highest possible grade for its type – allowing RS to bid for government contracts of any value. It also achieved the highest tier of National Environment Agency (NEA) licensing, the Class 1 License.

The initial modest team of 100 has since grown into a workforce of 1,300. Its service offerings have expanded to include general facilities cleaning, waste management, facade cleaning, disinfection and pest control.

From 2022 to 2023, the company experienced high revenue growth of more than 18 per cent. In 2023, it won the Enterprise 50 Award for the first time.

Cleaning up the industry’s image

Listening to customer feedback is a priority for RS. It has a direct feedback system across multiple channels to ensure that feedback is acknowledged, addressed and resolved swiftly.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, RS responded to client requests by expanding its services to include disinfection. The company handled more than 80 per cent of the disinfection needs of Singapore’s testing and vaccination centres, and provided cleaning for government quarantine facilities.

Meanwhile, in line with the industry’s shift towards sustainability, RS earned NEA’s Clean Mark Gold accreditation.

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The consumables used in its business – such as soap, trash bags and cleaning products – all bear Singapore’s green label, indicating that they have met stringent eco-standards.

Yet, despite its successes, RS still faces recruitment challenges due to the cleaning industry’s negative image.

Young people are often deterred from considering a career in the industry due to perceptions of limited advancement opportunities and physically demanding work, said Yap.

RS is working to change these perceptions. It partnered NEA to offer scholarships to young talent from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), allowing them to explore career opportunities in the sector.

One of its scholars, Ming Yuan, a second-year student of robotics and smart systems from ITE Central, said the experience reshaped his views of the industry. “Maintenance and cleaning are needed everywhere. They are important, and people rely on (them) every day.”

Leveraging innovation

While RS has been outsourcing horticulture services, it has a five-year plan to offer these itself, bolstering its positioning as a facility management company by adding landscaping and horticulture services to its portfolio.

RS is also introducing smart solutions to elevate its services, embracing technology and innovation to push the boundaries of what a “conventional cleaning service” can do, said Yap.

For instance, RS has invested in an advanced smart toilet system, which uses sensor technologies to automate toilet cleaning.

With further plans to expand its portfolio and invest in innovative technologies, RS is confident it can keep abreast of evolving customer needs and stay ahead by diversifying its offerings and continuously raising standards.

This series is part of the Enterprise 50 Educational Project between the E50 partners and the NUS Business School. RS Facilities Services was among the winners in 2023. The annual E50 ranking is co-organised by The Business Times and KPMG, sponsored by OCBC Bank, and supported by Enterprise Singapore, Singapore Exchange and Singapore Business Federation.