At their annual conference, the RapidClean group celebrated a year that saw them expand their membership base while riding out unforeseen challenges. Last year, CEO Wayne Hill had warned that the economic outlook for 2023-24 looked tough, and in his opening speech, he said that had played out as expected.
“But what wasn’t anticipated were the global economic disruptions,” Hill said. “We had war in Ukraine and Gaza. We saw impacts on our trade, exports, rising commodity fuel prices, and our cost of living and housing prices locally.”
Also unforeseen was aggressive pressure from a competitor who poached two of the group’s suppliers. Hill said these factors made for a busy first full year for him as CEO.
“It was like going 12 rounds with Mike Tyson,” Hill said. “We’ve changed our IT systems and support provider, made staffing changes, dealt with competitor acquisitions of members, and onboarded several new members.”
On the economic front, Australian supplier spend was flat, with 17 members down on the previous year. Likewise, key accounts showed little or no growth, as growth from new business was masked by a downturn in other accounts. This flat result — while not unexpected — stood out starkly compared to the growth reported at last year’s conference.
“Despite the considerable efforts of the team, the result was very little growth over this year. The year before, we grew by 33 percent, so it’s a big shock to come down like that,” Hill said.
Those challenges aside, the collective has seen growth in other areas, welcoming seven new members and five new suppliers. Rapid also conducted five large tenders and saw New Zealand supplier spend rise by seven percent, which is impressive given the sluggish economy.
Talking after his speech, Hill said that growing demand from suppliers wanting to sign up to the collective was a positive sign.
“And we have plenty of businesses in the pipeline,” Hill said.
“For us, it’s about finding the ones in the right spot so we have the right blend of businesses.”
He hoped members would leave the conference feeling upbeat about the year ahead.
“We are looking at where the growth is going to come from. The economy can only grow so fast, but we as a cooperative can support our members with national and large accounts.”
One way Rapid is supporting members is by updating their systems and processes to make the most of available rebates.
“Changing our systems is going to help us manage our rebates better. We’re probably leaving money on the table somewhere with our suppliers. With the new system, we’ll be able to track every invoice.”
Hill says the new system will also help suppliers predict and identify where an increased spend might open up new rebates — a win-win for suppliers and members alike.
Two days of supplier meet-and-greets (and the Rapid AGM) culminated with a gala dinner, at which the Supplier and Member Awards for 2024 were announced. The big winners this year were Edgar Edmondson (Edco), who took home Supplier of the Year, and Abcoe Distributors, who won Member of the Year. The full list of winners is below.
Hill said the awards were always very competitive and prized by members and suppliers alike.
“Everyone loves recognition. The members always ask, what’s the criteria? What do we have to do to get it? I know that, as someone who was previously a supplier, we always displayed the Rapid awards in our foyer. They’re certainly something people strive to win.”
RapidClean Awards 2024
Supplier of the Year Paper & Packaging Products – Huhtamaki – Tailored Packaging
Supplier of the Year Cleaning Accessories – Edgar Edmondson (Edco)
Supplier of the Year Cleaning Solutions – Clean Plus Chemicals
Supplier of the Year Machinery – Pacvac
Supplier of the Year Specialty – Accom Assist
Supplier of the Year PPE & Safety – Apollo Safety
Supplier of the Year Runner Up – Clean Plus Chemicals
Supplier of the Year – Edgar Edmondson (Edco)
Member of the Year 3rd Place – RapidClean Byron Coast
Member of the Year 2nd Place – RapidClean Tasmania
Member of the Year – Abcoe Distributors
