[john martin]

 and Alltec, who supplied our machines for many years and I still consider the Alltec Pro plus as among the best twin vacs ever developed.

Great design and attention to detail in those machines for the time alright ...
Independent stacks , electronic cutoff , silencer built into body , handle forward/back  ... etc 

[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

Prochem by a mile

When I started out in this business 23 years ago they were providing first class training through Ron Tilley. Many of the long term carpet cleaning professionals who are still around today will have been through those Prochem schools. Even back then they supplied a complete range of well made equipment and quality but safe cleaning solutions. They developed a large distributor network so that their products were available over the counter everywhere.

I can't think of any company that has contributed more. I am not saying they are my favourite supplier and I only use a small number of their products. However you cannot ignore their contribution on the whole.

Nigel

Ah, Ron Tilley, the father of modern carpet cleaning. Many may not know of, or heard of him, but the thriving  industry we all enjoy today was pretty much of Ron's making.

Simon

I was fortunate enough to have Ron Tilley train me in 1996 - Prochem are known worldwide. I would agree that a lot of their products are duplicated or no bloody use at all, however, I use PureClean, Powerburst and Ultrapac - and those 3 products alone make Prochem a force still to be reckoned with.

[Nigel_W]

Steve

I remember it well.

The guy sat next to me in Ron Tilleys class  had worked the night shift in a factory in Nottingham and then driven down to Kingston for training. He had heard you could earn £25 per hour as a carpet cleaner. He was fast asleep through the afternoon session. I would love to know what happened to him and whether his dreams came true


Nigel

[Steve Gunn]

As much as it pains me to say it but Nick at Solution for me did more than any other supplier as he gave other suppliers a kick up the backside and made them realise they couldn't just take us for granted,so they all seemed to pull their socks up and start giving the service we are entitled to.

[Dave_Lee]

Steve

I remember it well.

The guy sat next to me in Ron Tilleys class  had worked the night shift in a factory in Nottingham and then driven down to Kingston for training. He had heard you could earn £25 per hour as a carpet cleaner. He was fast asleep through the afternoon session. I would love to know what happened to him and whether his dreams came true


Nigel

Ron was my instructor too during my last year in the army, when I was doing the Prochem courses as part of my civilian resettlement.
I remember that the first part of these courses was the scary bit, when Ron explained about the all the fibre and dye tests, and what could go wrong.
There were always a few who didn't bother turning up for the afternoon session, after being scared off, no doubt through beforehand thinking there's nothing to it, and then realising actually there is.
Dave.

[Nigel_W]

Dave,

I bet most of the guys who have been in the business 20 plus years were trained by Ron. I guess the modern day equivalents are Paul Pearce and Derek Bolton. Thing is Ron set the standard for equipment, chemicals and training in a time when our industry was pretty poor. As the years wore on other suppliers played catchup and new ones were formed. The reality is that Prochem are still top of the pile after all these years despite what other suppliers have to say. I would hazard a guess that their turnover in the UK would be more than all the other suppliers put together.

Nigel

[derek west]

Steve

I remember it well.

The guy sat next to me in Ron Tilleys class  had worked the night shift in a factory in Nottingham and then driven down to Kingston for training. He had heard you could earn £25 per hour as a carpet cleaner. He was fast asleep through the afternoon session. I would love to know what happened to him and whether his dreams came true


Nigel

Ron was my instructor too during my last year in the army, when I was doing the Prochem courses as part of my civilian resettlement.
I remember that the first part of these courses was the scary bit, when Ron explained about the all the fibre and dye tests, and what could go wrong.
There were always a few who didn't bother turning up for the afternoon session, after being scared off, no doubt through beforehand thinking there's nothing to it, and then realising actually there is.
Dave.

i did the prochem course first, even before i had any equipment, and yes, after the first day i nearly walked. glad i didn't though.

theres a lot of good/excellent suppliers, cleansmart, hydramaster, restoremate, but to answer the real question, who do i think has influenced the industry in a positive way?
for me i'd say robert saunders has given a lot with his fast track style marketing and his IICRC training. don't get me wrong i'm not a fan of fast track but the fact it encourages higher prices means for the likes of the rest of us, its not as hard to get reasonable ones. i think it was chemdry who pushed these boundaries to start with and alltec introduced it to the indipendants. might be wrong though as ive only been in the industry a short while. but thats just my (if not slightly ltd) opinion.

[Buckland]

Its interesting to see how Prochem operate today - I do feel they have contributed most in the past but are not innovating the way some other newer companies have and you may say thats why they have lasted the course but more important than that they have IMO lost touch with their mojo in terms of how they communicate with grass roots customers - they do not have the Gottsian touch thats for sure. There is a pervading feeling that the race is run and they have matured as a company and can just progress with no fuss and little real regard for whatever else is going on around them - they use a pr company for issuing press releases for any new products and for patting their agent network on the back - I am sure they (probably) communicate with the agents really well - BUT they have lost touch with ordinary foot soldiers like me thats for sure...

When you pitch up at Chessington its like you have entered a soviet style Ministry of Carpet Cleaning Supplies - there is no personal touch in terms of Hi Hello - hows things going? It appears they literally could not give a toss - its nothing personal and they are all very nice and straightforward in terms of receptionist and the people who work for them and do things for you in terms of machines but no-one makes an effort to find out who you are, what machines you are running, how the industry is going - for all they know I might be buying five everest hp's! I had a nice chat to another cc bloke from the Isle of Wight (Hi) and that was it for interaction with another human sole apart from the guys in the service department

When I was there I had rung for advice beforehand and had a good chat with the service manager who was very helpful on the phone - when I got there it was a different story the same bloke was fiddling with some crappy little electric machine and just palmed me off to a (knowledgeable) lieutenant - its not like I want my arse licked or anything its just the way things are done you get the impression it is such a large company now there is a big them and us worker management thing going on and the workers do not feel empowered to make a difference - if I am right (who knows) they could be a mature company on a slow downward spiral - I am sure the chemical brewing(!) packaging is a VERY profitable enterprise but how long can they support their huge range of products when microsplitters seem to be taking over the world... maybe the royal warrant is fully justified recognition of their services to carpet cleaning supplies in the UK but they defo need to beef-up their social skills viz a viz the grass roots to survive for another 40 years... they are not reaching out to the many ccers who use their products day in day out - they have no forum for discussion so it appears the information revolution has passed them by - if they had a forum like this one or CT then they would at least be able to establish an avenue of communication by answering simple tech and chem questions etc

Just my take on a british company that I think needs new direction (IMHO)...

[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

There hasn't been a cleaning specialist magazine from them for nearly 2 years now, that used to be a good way for them to communicate with the independants.

[mark shannon]

Ron Tilly did the carpet and upholstery Chessington with him many years ago before I seriously got into CC.

About 8 years ago did a Prochem sales course and Ron, who seemed to have health problems, came out of retirement as tutor. Fantastic course and the Ron Tilly written course manual is a blueprint for sucess IF put into practice. Which I haven't I must confess fully done.

All the others mentioned are great and we are lucky to have such passionate suppliers in our industry.

Mark

[Nigel_W]

Its interesting to see how Prochem operate today - I do feel they have contributed most in the past but are not innovating the way some other newer companies have and you may say thats why they have lasted the course but more important than that they have IMO lost touch with their mojo in terms of how they communicate with grass roots customers - they do not have the Gottsian touch thats for sure. There is a pervading feeling that the race is run and they have matured as a company and can just progress with no fuss and little real regard for whatever else is going on around them - they use a pr company for issuing press releases for any new products and for patting their agent network on the back - I am sure they (probably) communicate with the agents really well - BUT they have lost touch with ordinary foot soldiers like me thats for sure...

When you pitch up at Chessington its like you have entered a soviet style Ministry of Carpet Cleaning Supplies - there is no personal touch in terms of Hi Hello - hows things going? It appears they literally could not give a toss - its nothing personal and they are all very nice and straightforward in terms of receptionist and the people who work for them and do things for you in terms of machines but no-one makes an effort to find out who you are, what machines you are running, how the industry is going - for all they know I might be buying five everest hp's! I had a nice chat to another cc bloke from the Isle of Wight (Hi) and that was it for interaction with another human sole apart from the guys in the service department

When I was there I had rung for advice beforehand and had a good chat with the service manager who was very helpful on the phone - when I got there it was a different story the same bloke was fiddling with some crappy little electric machine and just palmed me off to a (knowledgeable) lieutenant - its not like I want my arse licked or anything its just the way things are done you get the impression it is such a large company now there is a big them and us worker management thing going on and the workers do not feel empowered to make a difference - if I am right (who knows) they could be a mature company on a slow downward spiral - I am sure the chemical brewing(!) packaging is a VERY profitable enterprise but how long can they support their huge range of products when microsplitters seem to be taking over the world... maybe the royal warrant is fully justified recognition of their services to carpet cleaning supplies in the UK but they defo need to beef-up their social skills viz a viz the grass roots to survive for another 40 years... they are not reaching out to the many ccers who use their products day in day out - they have no forum for discussion so it appears the information revolution has passed them by - if they had a forum like this one or CT then they would at least be able to establish an avenue of communication by answering simple tech and chem questions etc

Just my take on a british company that I think needs new direction (IMHO)...

I wholeheartedly agree with all of that

[Mike_Roper]

Did Prochem courses at Kingston around 1990 still got manuals etc. Was a real step in the right direction after only knowing Extracta training.
Who was that canadian guy who helped Ron Tilley?
Mike

[Dave_Lee]

Its interesting to see how Prochem operate today - I do feel they have contributed most in the past but are not innovating the way some other newer companies have and you may say thats why they have lasted the course but more important than that they have IMO lost touch with their mojo in terms of how they communicate with grass roots customers - they do not have the Gottsian touch thats for sure. There is a pervading feeling that the race is run and they have matured as a company and can just progress with no fuss and little real regard for whatever else is going on around them - they use a pr company for issuing press releases for any new products and for patting their agent network on the back - I am sure they (probably) communicate with the agents really well - BUT they have lost touch with ordinary foot soldiers like me thats for sure...

When you pitch up at Chessington its like you have entered a soviet style Ministry of Carpet Cleaning Supplies - there is no personal touch in terms of Hi Hello - hows things going? It appears they literally could not give a toss - its nothing personal and they are all very nice and straightforward in terms of receptionist and the people who work for them and do things for you in terms of machines but no-one makes an effort to find out who you are, what machines you are running, how the industry is going - for all they know I might be buying five everest hp's! I had a nice chat to another cc bloke from the Isle of Wight (Hi) and that was it for interaction with another human sole apart from the guys in the service department

When I was there I had rung for advice beforehand and had a good chat with the service manager who was very helpful on the phone - when I got there it was a different story the same bloke was fiddling with some crappy little electric machine and just palmed me off to a (knowledgeable) lieutenant - its not like I want my arse licked or anything its just the way things are done you get the impression it is such a large company now there is a big them and us worker management thing going on and the workers do not feel empowered to make a difference - if I am right (who knows) they could be a mature company on a slow downward spiral - I am sure the chemical brewing(!) packaging is a VERY profitable enterprise but how long can they support their huge range of products when microsplitters seem to be taking over the world... maybe the royal warrant is fully justified recognition of their services to carpet cleaning supplies in the UK but they defo need to beef-up their social skills viz a viz the grass roots to survive for another 40 years... they are not reaching out to the many ccers who use their products day in day out - they have no forum for discussion so it appears the information revolution has passed them by - if they had a forum like this one or CT then they would at least be able to establish an avenue of communication by answering simple tech and chem questions etc

Just my take on a british company that I think needs new direction (IMHO)...

I wholeheartedly agree with all of that

And so do I, sad but true. You get the opinion they couldn't give a toss and the phonecall istaking up their time.

[Buckland]

And another thing!!

It seems very strange to me that - even though Prochem have probably trained more people than any other single company or organisation - they did not see the need or advantage of setting up an 'old boys' network of people's names and addresses for relationship marketing going forward - to me that just does not make economic sense to have all those people passing through the doors going out into the cc and hard floor community and them not being arsed to maintain a list and to use it for canvassing opinions and the like - I get the (very) occasional impersonal mailshot and the mag done by peter muir from them but no RM as such - even if they did it in a not very sincere way they might fool us into thinking our opinions and experience of using their products meant something to them... very puzzling for a big company to miss a trick like that



Sorry Mike dont know who the canuck was

[Len Gribble]

Could it be Robert Harris?

[C Phillips]

Solutions all the way, good machines good products and good customer support, also used craftex for the odd thing or 2 who seem to be very good,

[Ian Gourlay]

And another thing!!

It seems very strange to me that - even though Prochem have probably trained more people than any other single company or organisation - they did not see the need or advantage of setting up an 'old boys' network of people's names and addresses for relationship marketing going forward - to me that just does not make economic sense to have all those people passing through the doors going out into the cc and hard floor community and them not being arsed to maintain a list and to use it for canvassing opinions and the like - I get the (very) occasional impersonal mailshot and the mag done by peter muir from them but no RM as such - even if they did it in a not very sincere way they might fool us into thinking our opinions and experience of using their products meant something to them... very puzzling for a big company to miss a trick like that



Sorry Mike dont know who the canuck was

I think a lot of these companies are interested in recruiting New Carpet Cleaners who have just come out of the forces , been made redundant, had a small inheritance , or just come out of prison and now need to spend the loot.

So once they have sold the machine the training course it would be pointless continuing to send mail shots as Chemical supplies get spread across the industry. That said they should harvest email addresses. I know when I get one from Alltec it pulls all the emotional triggers.

[PaulKing]

Little know fact Extracta's  Trainer of many years ago was a man named Peter Hall. He had been doing CC since the sixties and a very nice bloke and very knowledgable, His son Lee Hall who is a local playwright,  wrote Billy Elliot amongst other things, can always remember him coming into to the shop and I told him saw a good drama on the BBC last night and Him saying "our Lee wrote that"

[Richard Basey-Fisher]

i would have to say  chemspec /  prochem


the  newer suppliers  eg restormate / alltec / cleansmart / solutions    all deliver great customer service but apart from the odd machine they have built are simply distributors. 

[garybristow]

paul pearce does not use this forum does he?
has he in the past?
gary