ISSA – is a global cleaning organization which has its roots in the USA. Today the organization is not only covering America and Europe but also extending to South America, the Middle East, Australia and Asia. Regardless of global extensions, the organization’s activities are not very well known in the Nordic region.

Many who visited the ISSA-Interclean conferences in Amsterdam may be aware of the continued cooperation with the exhibition organizer through the years. However, the activities of the ISSA include much more than cooperation with trade fairs around the world only. The ISSA organizes on regular basis activities involving training, research and much more. They provide regional seminars and other events where visitors can access the network with industry influencers from around the world. The total organization has globally 26000 business members.

In the Nordic region, however only 26 members are found: 11 in Denmark, 10 in Sweden, 4 in Finland and 1 in Iceland. Unfortunately few, as Nordic cleaning industry companies may have to offer so much more to this area. Nordic countries are considered to be innovative and pioneering, and that should be reflected to the ISSA  Nordic activities. That is why the President of the ISSA European Union, Mr. Michel de Bruin approached me, Petri Rekola as representative for the Nordic countries to complement his team.

I have been in business with Michel de Bruin for years and I possibly would not have thought about actively representing ISSA if the European team would have had been led by someone else other than Michel. I think he is very committed to bringing the European Cleaning perspective to the global organization. Of course it is a long road, but only by being involved we can positively influence the development of this sector in a broader forum.

My personal focus will be on contributing to Nordic Companies by using ISSA services and networks; not only for manufactures but also for those who work daily in this sector. It would be great if more companies would join us in this global organization so that we can create more visibility for our Nordic industry.

Next May 2018 the Interclean fair will again be in Amsterdam the Netherlands and offering the opportunity familiarizing yourself with the ISSA and their networks. You might be interested to spend a few hours at the ISSA evening-event near the exhibition center. Rekola Oy will again participate at the Interclean show this year and also this time we try to bring new and innovative products to the show. In the spring we may be able to tell you more about our developments.

If the contents of this newsletter has raised questions, discussions or if you would like to join the ISSA organization, then please do not hesitate to contact me directly.