Burlington, ON – June 7, 2022 – Bunzl Canada (bunzlcanada.ca) today announced its exclusive IoT Cleaning Platform, WandaNEXT™, will be showcased this week at ISSA Canada, the country’s premier showcase for cleaning and hygiene products, services and technology. This unique trade show and conference creates a forum for insights on best practices, industry certifications, training and educational programming and the latest emerging topics within the Canadian facility management and commercial cleaning markets.

“We are very excited to showcase WandaNEXT™ at ISSA this year,” said Margo Hunnisett, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Bunzl Canada. “The platform continues to evolve, thanks to the active participation of many of our customers across Canada. The result is an industry-leading product that is, quite literally, designed for and by customers who view state-of-the art facility cleaning and hygiene as critical to their key stakeholders, and to their businesses.”

WandaNEXT™ enables healthcare, education, assisted living and commercial facilities to track and verify cleaning activities, validate quality through regularly scheduled audits, and alert cleaning teams to service requirements. It also facilitates schedule optimization, activity management, consumption tracking, end-user feedback and administrative reporting.

Visionstate IoT, the original developer of the platform, continues to work in partnership with Bunzl to develop new system features and functionality. The partners are about to launch a new pilot project that integrates surface diagnostics using ATP testing technology.

“We are extremely excited to have WandaNEXT™ featured at ISSA,” said Visionstate CEO, John Putters. “This provides us an opportunity to demonstrate to the industry the value of the platform as an essential tool to improve cleaning quality and to help prevent the outbreak of disease.”

WandaNEXT™ can be purchased through an annual subscription fee for each activation of the mobile application which has unlimited scalability and is applicable to diverse industry sectors. It has a growing installation base that includes healthcare, education, retail, commercial office, conference, airport and pharmaceutical facilities across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe.

The WandaNEXT™ platform will be featured exclusively at ISSA Canada booth #607 on June 8 and 9, 2022. Its capabilities are applicable to all areas of a facility but will be demonstrated in the restrooms at the Metro Convention Centre during the event.

For more information on WandaNEXT™, please visit bunzlch.ca.

Burlington, ON – December 16, 2021 –Bunzl Canada today announced the launch of its second annual Week of Giving to provide much needed personal care, hygiene and safety products such as masks and gloves to foodbanks and shelters across Canada.

Five pallets of essential care products will be donated to organizations including health care facilities, food banks, emergency housing facilities and community support services. The supplies are being distributed throughout the week by Bunzl’s Cleaning & Hygiene, Safety and Grocery divisions to support healthcare delivery, protect essential workers and assist people in need.

“The global pandemic continues to impact local communities and has exacerbated issues such as food insecurity and homelessness,” said John Howlett, President of Bunzl Canada. “Giving back to our communities by supporting these organizations in the amazing work they do is a fundamental tenet of our business philosophy, culture and values. We share those values with our employees, and with our customers.”

In 2020, Bunzl provided remote communities and front-line workers in a wide range of organizations across Canada with donations of desperately needed personal protective equipment. This year, the company resumed its annual b.r.a.i.n.child golf tournament which has now raised over $1.5 million to fund paediatric brain tumour research, and it is an enthusiastic participant in a wide range of other community events across the country.

“We’re very excited to get our second annual Week of Giving under way,” said Margo Hunnisett, Vice President of Marketing and Communications. “Bunzl Canada is comprised of long standing, local businesses with deep roots in the communities we serve. This event demonstrates our commitment to investing and participating in those communities across the country.”

Burlington, ON – September 27, 2021 –Bunzl Canada held its 21st annual golf tournament in support of the world’s largest brain tumour research centre of its kind, the Arthur & Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children.

The event, held on September 21st at the Greystone Golf Club in Milton, Ontario, was attended by Bunzl Canada customers, vendors and employees and has raised over $1,575,000 since its inception. While the event could not take place last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bunzl Canada did hold a smaller Ryder Cup tournament and raised $25,000.

This year’s event looked a little different with the required health and safety protocols in place to keep golfers safe. Tee times were scheduled, rather than the traditional shotgun start. The number of golfers was limited, a mask mandate was in place for indoor locations, and sanitizing wipes and hand sanitizer were provided for participants in every cart. None of this dampened spirits – everyone in attendance was not only proud to support this important cause but excited to have the opportunity to once again participate in this much anticipated annual event.

Led by Dr. James Rutka, the Arthur & Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children has made exciting inroads into the treatment of this devastating disease. Clinical trials of a new treatment strategy are currently underway using Magnetic Resonance Guided Focused Ultrasounds (MRgFUS). The technology enables delivery of therapeutics across the blood brain barrier, targeting specific areas of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) brain tumours and increasing the strength and accuracy of the treatment. Dr. Rutka’s team is the first to use this technology to enable therapeutics to penetrate the blood brain barrier in children with this type of highly aggressive tumour.

“Bunzl’s annual tournament has been incredibly supportive of our research,” said Dr. Rutka. “The funding has allowed us to perform pilot studies, purchase state-of-the-art equipment and has helped us become world leaders in innovative, state of the art research for pediatric brain tumours. Thank you to the Bunzl group for holding this tournament, year after year. There is no substitute for the funding we have received, and we are proud to say the future looks bright for children with brain tumours.”

“I want to thank our customers and all of our vendor partners for their generous contributions to the success of the tournament this year,” said Bunzl Canada President, John Howlett. “We are so proud to support the incredible work being done by Dr. Rutka’s team. They are pioneering better treatments that are leading to longer lives for their young patients, and hope for the future for their families.”

Burlington, ON – December 17, 2020 – Bunzl Canada (bunzlcanada.ca) today announced the acquisition of Snelling Paper & Sanitation, (Snelling), and its Sur-Seal Packaging division (Sur-Seal).

The acquisition continues to build the company’s national footprint, increasing the depth of its cleaning and hygiene, food packaging and industrial packaging businesses across Canada.

The Snelling business, located in Ottawa, Ontario, was founded in 1915 and is a highly successful distributor of quality janitorial and sanitation supplies, industrial and food service packaging. The company has a well-established reputation built on prompt and efficient service and an unwavering commitment to excellence. Sur-Seal Packaging, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, has a 30-year history of excellence as a distributor of industrial packaging.

“Bunzl Canada is comprised of long-standing, local businesses, like Snelling and Sur-Seal, who have deep roots in the communities they serve” said John Howlett, President of Bunzl Canada. “This acquisition further enhances our ability to provide customers right across the country with the critical operating supplies their businesses need. It’s also a very important investment in our ability to serve our local markets with local relationships and expertise.”

“We’re very excited to be a part of Bunzl Canada,” said Snelling President, Randy Graham. “Our customers will continue to experience exceptional service from the people who know their businesses so well. They will also enjoy new benefits from enhanced sourcing capabilities and first-to-market product innovations to industry-leading digital commerce.”

For more information please visit bunzlcanada.ca, snellingpaper.com or sursealpackaging.com.

Burlington, ON – November 24, 2020 – Bunzl Canada (bunzlcanada.ca) today announced the launch of its 2020 Week of Giving to help to fight the spread of COVID-19 in communities across the country.

Over 90,000 masks will be donated to 27 organizations including hospitals, schools, emergency services, community support services and long-term care facilities. The masks will be distributed throughout the week by Bunzl’s Cleaning & Hygiene, Safety and Grocery divisions to support healthcare delivery, protect essential workers and assist people in need.

“The global pandemic has created unprecedented needs in the communities in which we operate,” said John Howlett, President of Bunzl Canada. “Giving back to those communities is a fundamental tenet of our business philosophy, our culture and our values. We share those values with our employees, and with our customers.”

Earlier this year, Bunzl provided remote communities and front line workers in a wide range of organizations across Canada with donations of desperately needed personal protective equipment. It has also given generously to Foodbanks Canada to help address food insecurity exacerbated by the global pandemic. The company has a long history of corporate and employee giving. Its annual b.r.a.i.n.child golf tournament has raised over $1.45 million to fund paediatric brain tumour research, and it is an enthusiastic participant in the Burlington Santa Clause Parade, Canada Day Fireworks and a wide range of other community events across the country.

“We’re very excited to get our Week of Giving under way,” said Margo Hunnisett, Vice President of Marketing and Communications. “Bunzl Canada is comprised of long standing, local businesses with deep roots in the communities they serve. This event was conceived to support those communities and demonstrate our belief in the importance of maintaining and investing in our local market presence, familiarity and participation.”

Burlington, ON – November 19, 2020 – Bunzl Canada (bunzlcanada.ca) today announced the latest feature enhancement to WandaNEXT™, its exclusive digital cleaning management and smart restroom technology.

The new occupancy feature addresses concerns surrounding physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic by enabling facilities to provide an accurate measurement of the number of people occupying a defined area, including restrooms.

The feature ties the WandaNEXT™ tablet, an IoT device that tracks cleaning activities and monitors service requirements, with highly accurate people counting sensors. The tablet displays a message on its screen advising whether the area is at capacity based on pre-established occupancy protocols and physical distancing requirements.

“The COVID 19 pandemic has created an unprecedented need for facilities to continually improve and enhance cleaning and hygiene,” said John Howlett, President of Bunzl Canada. “Investing in this technology is another example of our commitment to providing our customers with innovative solutions designed to help them meet their most critical business challenges.”

The WandaNEXT™ system, developed by Visionstate IoT and exclusively distributed by Bunzl, is comprised of robust analytics software and multiple data collection components. These include anti-microbial touchscreen tablets, infrared traffic counting units, a mobile cleaning management application and IoT alert buttons. The components’ configuration can be customized to meet specific facility management needs.

“The new occupancy feature was developed for both safety and convenience,” explained Visionstate CEO John Putters. “While many facilities use static signage to publicize required occupancy levels, there is no way for individuals entering an area to know how many people are actually in that area, particularly as it pertains to public restrooms.”

WandaNEXT™ has a growing installation base that includes healthcare, retail, commercial office, conference, airport and distribution facilities across Canada and the United States. It was also recently launched in the United Kingdom and Australia.

For more information on occupancy sensing and the complete WandaNEXT™ system, click here.

Burlington, ON – June 18, 2020 – Bunzl Canada (bunzlcanada.ca) today announced the phased rollout of its digital cleaning management system, WandaMOBILE™, to major distribution centres across Canada.

As an essential link in Canada’s grocery, safety, and cleaning & hygiene supply chain, keeping its buildings and vehicles clean and hygienic to protect both employees and customers is vital for Bunzl. However, like most organizations, the national distributor struggled to easily verify and validate cleaning program compliance. To solve that problem, Bunzl collaborated with its development partner, Visionstate IoT, on the WandaMOBILE™ application.

Accessible from any mobile device, WandaMOBILE™ contains the specific cleaning protocols for each warehouse facility and vehicle fleet, including both tasks and frequencies. Staff can easily enter cleaning activities as they are completed. Managers can quickly and conveniently view compliance dashboards to verify that necessary activities are taking place to keep facilities clean, healthy and safe. The system is designed to focus cleaning efforts, improve effectiveness and promote compliance in any type of facility.

According to Bunzl’s Senior Director of Operations, Tim McKinnon, the program pilot was highly successful. “We began this initiative in our Mississauga, Ontario facility. The first month was a learning curve – as expected, it took our team some time to get used to a new way of doing things. But by week four, our cleaning program was running so well that our compliance rose to over 100%, and the feedback from our management team and employees was really positive. Now we’ve begun a phased rollout, beginning with our five largest distribution centres across the country.”

John Howlett, President of Bunzl Canada and a passionate proponent of the system, said it will be implemented in all of the company’s office and warehouse locations by the end of the year. “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage or improve it,” he said. “The health and wellbeing of our employees and customers is our top priority and foremost concern. Digitally managing and monitoring cleaning program compliance enables us to maintain a cleaner, healthier and more hygienic work environment for our employees. That protects our customers, and gives them confidence when our vehicles arrive with their critical supplies.”

WandaMOBILE™ is a component of the WandaNEXT™ system, comprised of robust analytics software and data collection components that include touchscreen tablets, infrared traffic counting units, the new mobile application and IoT alert buttons. Its configuration can be customized to meet specific facility management needs. The system’s growing installation base includes healthcare, retail, commercial office, conference, airport and distribution facilities across Canada and the United States. It was also recently launched in the United Kingdom and Australia.

“WandaMOBILE™ is a powerful compliance management tool that helps to raise the standard of cleaning and hygiene in public spaces,” said John Putters, CEO of Visionstate IoT. “The feature-rich technology continues to evolve to enable and support state of the art environmental management.”

For more information on WandaMOBILE™ and the complete WandaNEXT™ system, click here.

Burlington, ON – April 7, 2020 – Bunzl Canada (bunzlcanada.ca) today announced the launch of two new system components to enhance the capabilities of its advanced, IoT-based restroom monitoring system, WandaNEXT™.

The new components include a mobile application and IoT alert button to broaden the system’s applicability to varied facility sizes and types. The WandaMOBILE™ application enables environmental cleaning teams to efficiently document cleaning activities from their mobile devices. It provides facility managers with data analytics to confirm activity types and frequency, analyze consumable usage and optimize resource deployment. The application can be used in conjunction with the newly introduced WandaQUICKTOUCH™ IoT button to alert cleaning teams to issues that require immediate attention.

“More than ever, the focus will be on ensuring that the correct cleaning protocols for specific facility types have been established, and are being followed,” said Bunzl Canada President, John Howlett. “We continue to work with Visionstate IoT to enhance this important technology so we can proactively address the new challenges our customers face in maintaining healthy, safe and productive environments.”

The WandaNEXT™ system is comprised of robust analytics software and data collection components that include touchscreen tablets, infrared traffic counting units, the new mobile application and IoT alert Bunzl Cbuttons. Its configuration can be customized to meet specific facility management needs. The system’s growing installation base includes healthcare, retail, commercial office, conference, airport and distribution facilities across Canada and the United States. It was also recently launched in the United Kingdom and Australia.

“WandaNEXT™ is a powerful compliance management tool that will help to raise the standard of cleaning and hygiene in public spaces,” said John Putters, CEO of Visionstate IoT. “Organizations who implement this advanced technology will be seen as industry leaders and best practice examples of state of the art environmental management.”

For more information on the complete WandaNEXT™ system, click here.