Cleaner Processes, Smarter Service: The Janitorial Express Story

A Shift in Mindset

Janitorial Express began as a small shop on Caledonian Road in 1991. Over time, the company grew into one of London’s leading janitorial suppliers, eventually becoming the London member of the Jangro Group. In recent years, the business has focused heavily on sustainability, with a clear goal of becoming the most environmentally responsible janitorial supply house in the UK.

For Gary Fage, founder and CEO, digital transformation is an essential part of that mission. “I think it's absolutely essential that any modern-day distribution company has an online presence,” he said. But more than just having a website, the team at Janitorial Express wanted to simplify how orders were placed and processed, for both customers and staff.

Much of their order volume had been arriving by email or phone, which meant staff had to manually key everything into their ERP system. “The ability to take out the manual process of keying orders is incredibly important,” said Gary. “It cuts down on problems with manual error and frees up our staff to spend more time working with customers rather than typing in repetitive tasks every day.”

That desire for both efficiency and better service led them to Apparatus, an ecommerce platform designed specifically for wholesalers and distributors. Our platform allowed Janitorial Express to build a modern ordering experience for customers, and transformed the way the business operated.

From Manual Orders to Customer Autonomy

The new ecommerce platform allowed Janitorial Express customers to take control of their own ordering. “It allows them to order what they want, when they want, 24/7,” said David Gourlay, Managing Director. “They're not restricted to contacting someone between eight o'clock and six o'clock.”

Once logged in, customers can use favourites lists to speed up ordering, set up recurring deliveries, and see accurate account-specific pricing. “There's all sorts of useful features,” David said. “If they want five cases of a particular paper towel delivered on the first week of every month, they can set that up. They can choose whether items are chargeable to their customer or whether they're stored.”

Customers can also receive instant digital proof of delivery, with photo confirmation showing exactly when and where an order was dropped off. According to David, that kind of visibility is a real value-add for customers who are managing stock across multiple locations or on behalf of their own clients.

The change was just as impactful behind the scenes. Nearly 70% of orders now come in via the website or EDI, with no need for manual rekeying. “That's brought benefits for us as a company and huge benefits for our customers as well,” said David. With a huge amount of the routine processing work automated, the Janitorial Express team has been able to focus on higher-value tasks and customer service.

Integration and Support that Make the Difference

To make the ecommerce experience seamless, Apparatus worked closely with Janitorial Express to integrate the platform with their internal ERP system, OGL’s ProfitPlus. While system integration projects can often be slow or complex, David was clear about what made this one work.

“At the risk of being disrespectful to OGL, it was very much Apparatus who took the lead in this integration,” he said. “If I need to talk to Apparatus and OGL, I just know I'll get the response from Apparatus within minutes. With OGL, we're talking hours.”

That responsiveness has been a defining factor in the ongoing relationship. Gary emphasised the value of reliable, human support. “I think the key to any kind of software company is the support you get from them,” he said. “I can't say enough good things about the way these guys have helped us. The response times are tremendous.”

He also appreciated the way Apparatus worked with him directly. “As someone that's not particularly IT literate, I've found the support team very considerate with their time,” Gary said. “They’ve assisted me when I haven’t quite got something, and explained it in detail. From a layman's point of view, the support is superb.”

A Platform for Long-Term Growth

The move to ecommerce has delivered clear improvements across the business. The team at Janitorial Express has reduced repetitive admin, improved order accuracy, and provided customers with a faster and more flexible experience.

“These guys have definitely got the resilience that we need,” said Gary. “I can see us working together for years.”

David sees ecommerce as not just a convenience, but a strategic necessity. “If I was talking to somebody who doesn't currently have the ecommerce option, I'd suggest they look at how much time their colleagues are spending manually processing things,” he said. “Then ask yourself how much better you could make it if a huge chunk of that was automated.”

He added that it’s equally important to consider things from the customer’s side. “Are they currently restricted to contacting one of your team during working hours? What benefits would they have if they could just place orders when they wanted, without waiting for an email reply or listening to on-hold music?”

Janitorial Express’s experience with Apparatus shows that ecommerce is more than a tool for efficiency. It’s a way to remove friction, build stronger relationships with customers, and create a foundation for future growth.

With a trusted partner and a system that just works, they’ve made ecommerce a core part of how they serve, support, and scale.