What product development lessons did you take away from the H1N1 pandemic? How will the prospect of future pandemic threats impact your marketing and/or product development in 2010?

Jim Bruno
Marketing Manager
Rochester Midland Corp.
Rochester, N.Y.

Like other recent infection control concerns, the H1N1 pandemic affirmed the importance of product selection, training and communication in our marketplace. We've worked with organizations to ensure they have the correct cleaning, disinfecting and hand care products in place, as well as correct procedures and frequency of application based on their facility needs.

It also made building occupants more aware of cleaning and infection control, and enabled us to communicate its importance and engage them in taking a more active role in these areas. Rochester Midland will continue to work with customers in not only choosing the green housekeeping, hand care and floor care products they need, but how to use them most effectively through our green training program.

Gus Calabro
Marketing and R&D
Merfin Systems
King, N.C.

At the beginning of the H1N1 pandemic we put in effect a new research method that we developed here at Merfin called "P.R.I.M.E" which stands for "Product Research Intensive Method Election" In essence this program contemplates the reduction of time associated with product development procedures for situations that required effective and immediate actions such as the H1N1 crisis.

We learned that by using this method, we were able to respond in real time to the needs of our customers during the pandemic. Our primary focus was to satisfy the needs of different school systems by supplying towels pre-moistened with hand sanitizer.

Our company's marketing and product development to future pandemic threats is focus on two different fronts. Based on extensive research conducted by Merfin Systems and our partner vendors we established the need to face infection control and cross-contamination by assessing an educational hygiene consciousness program in conjunction with the development of a new line of antimicrobial and antibacterial products.

What we recognize as primordial to hygiene awareness is to provide the general public with educational messages in the specific areas where hand hygiene is performed.

Frank Trevisani
Manager - Building Service Contractors
Spartan Chemical Co., Inc.
Maumee, Ohio

To me and the entire cleaning industry this only solidified that we have compromised cleaning for too long. It is always the first thing to cut or reduce. By doing this we tend to lower cleaning standards and frequencies to a point where we compromise health. We have always pushed proper cleaning methods and materials. Frequent hand washings and proper disinfecting have always been our position as an industry. I think this just woke up the masses to what can happen with improper or compromised cleaning results. The products are there to address this and are always improving but proper cleaning must be followed and not compromised.