Workwear flex service empowers Riga International Airport in operations and sustainability
As Deputy Director for Business Development in Ground Handling at Riga International Airport, Mārtiņš Mikstans continually seeks solutions that reinforce operational excellence and strategic focus. Mārtiņš shares that the co-operation with Lindström started as a pilot project last year, and the results made a strong case for them to get gradually on board with Lindström’s Workwear Flex service.
‘’We have stringent guidelines and policies concerning procurement, and the initial pull was that the Workwear Flex service would help us optimise our procurement load,’’ explains Mārtiņš. At first, the concern was that with the unpredictable rise in ground handling staff, workwear needs would spike at a rate that procurement would struggle to match. The standard airport safety requirements call for the right class and amount of reflective material in the high visibility workwear of ground handling staff. “We have gone from 30 people in the pilot phase to now more than 200 of our ground handling staff using the Workwear Flex service, and that goes on to show the flexibility of the service. We can depend on Lindström to provide an adequate amount of workwear per our growing needs. Moreover, intelligent digital solutions offer us visibility into what we are paying for, enhancing operational efficiency,’’ adds Mārtiņš.
A common sustainability vision
Riga International Airport is a responsible member of Airports Council International and has joined its Net Zero 2050 initiative. Expressing his views on how Lindström contributes to their strategic goal of minimising carbon emissions, Mārtiņš says: ‘’As an airport, we are conscious of our activities and deliberate choices that help reduce our environmental impact. Lindström provides their services in a way that is aligned with our sustainability goals.’’ He further elaborates on how they previously had to deal with workwear management and the washing and maintenance of garments on-site, which was not the best solution in terms of water usage and efficiency and also created wastewater management concerns. “Lindström solves this problem with its commercial laundering and workwear repair services, while also improving our corporate image by keeping garments in good shape and making us look sharp,” adds Mārtiņš.
A future-ready partnership
Mārtiņš says he is particularly pleased with the smooth execution of the integration project to establish an on-site workwear warehouse at Riga Airport. “Usually, the integration process of different systems and technologies from two different companies is a tedious affair, but Lindström made it easy and flawless. The on-site warehouse ensures that workwear is efficiently used and maintains the airport’s security protocols,” explains Mārtiņš. Oskars Didza, Senior Sales Manager at Lindström expects that the demand for ground handling staff workwear will grow in the future. “Using data analysis and reports from the digital side, we can optimise the workwear amount to always have just the right number of garments of suitable sizes available for use.
Related
