DTSS on CIJ Connect

From cleaning toxic tobacco bales by hand to fighting ten-storey-high factory fires, facility management is rarely the glamorous side of the cleaning industry — yet it touches nearly every part of how India works. Sanjeev Kumar N G S, Chief Executive Officer of Dusters Total Solutions Services Pvt. Ltd, speaks to Clean India Journal on his three-decade journey from the construction sites of the 1990s, where child labour and unsafe conditions were the norm, to today’s data-driven, robotics-powered industry reshaping dignity, safety, and efficiency for thousands of frontline workers

What drew you into facility management, and what’s kept you there?

A. I was in the construction industry, and my first exposure to the importance of housekeeping came from my managing director, who was very particular about it. My real learning happened between 2004 and 2005 and there has never been a moment of regret about specializing in facility management. Every day, I feel FM solves a real problem for the customer, whether it is manpower, cleaning, experience, or sustainability.

Better facilities, lower attrition and real ROI

Do you have data showing that better facilities actually reduce attrition?

A. Yes, 100%. We have data comparing customers who don’t invest in these facilities versus those who do. Take large IT parks where janitors often have to walk one to one-and-a-half kilometres because public transport isn’t allowed inside the campus. That’s manageable in the morning shift, but brutal in the heat during the second shift, and a safety concern for women on the night shift ending around 10-11 pm. Addressing this with shuttle services, R&R activities, and festive celebrations has made a real difference.

How does this kind of data-backed approach translate into real ROI for the client?

A. Take the carpet example again. We are now in our 10th-11th year with this system, and previously, clients were replacing carpets every 4-6 years due to damage and mismatched patch repairs. The data brings transparency and accountability for everyone — the manufacturer, the client, and our own teams. Data helps us get decisions right.

Can you put a number to the kind of savings or ROI a client can expect from proper FM?

A. For a client with no structured FM approach, savings can run 20-25%. For clients who are already running mature, Six Sigma-driven programs, the incremental savings are smaller, maybe 2-3%, because they have already optimized.

DTSS's robotics roadmap and hospital case

Robotics seems to be the next big shift in FM. What’s DTSS’s roadmap here?

A. We have set an ambitious target of deploying 500 robotic machines over the next 3-4 years. We currently have around 15. Robotics works best for repetitive, low-judgment tasks like vacuuming a large, carpeted area where there’s no real decision-making involved. Where there’s spotting, hygiene judgment, or air quality considerations, a human-robot mix works better. It’s not a replacement for people; it’s a complement and it will keep evolving.

How is a hospital as a flagship case for robotics?

A. We have managed a 1,200-bed hospital for about 13-15 years now where 70% of patients are on government schemes or below the poverty line, and 30% are paying or VIP patients. This hospital was also where we deployed our very first robotic machine. It’s now one of our best-maintained sites, and we regularly get positive feedback and certifications from government officials.

Were there specific moments that made the case for keeping humans out of high-risk cleaning environments?

A. During COVID, our staff had to clean hospital areas suited head-to-toe, with no certainty they wouldn’t get infected themselves. They worked in PPE for four days, then took a three-day break to bring down viral load exposure. If we would have
had robotic solutions at that point, we wouldn’t have had to risk their lives at all.

Safety in manufacturing facilities

What does FM look like in manufacturing facilities?

A. The challenges are very specific to the environment. In food and FMCG manufacturing, you get continuous spillage — noodle particles falling off conveyor belts, or hot oil at 50-60°C bursting during bottle-packing that needs immediate cleanup. In bearing manufacturing, oil spillage has to be cleaned fast or the line stops — there’s zero tolerance for breakdowns in continuous processes. In tobacco manufacturing, workers open raw tobacco bales by hand and routinely encounter dead snakes, scorpions, and beetles inside. We now drive 5S methodology as a starting point, and staff need to stay alert to the entire premises, not just their assigned area.

How do you train staff to handle the safety risks specific to manufacturing environments?

A. The core principle we follow is that an untrained person is often overconfident; they think they can handle anything. So if there is a chemical spill, they will jump straight in without recognizing the danger, even when the substance is genuinely hazardous. A trained person pauses those extra ten or twenty seconds to put on the right PPE before acting. That gap in judgment is everything.

How would you describe the perception of facility management as an industry?

A. People often call it a thankless job, and I think that’s largely because we don’t sell ourselves well. If the industry articulated its own value more boldly, what it actually creates and protects, that perception would shift on its own. It is not a thankless job at all. It is genuinely a wonderful one.

What began as a discussion on housekeeping services evolved into a comprehensive facility management transformation. By identifying underlying operational challenges, DTSS helped a growing financial institution build a scalable governance-led framework. In this article, its Client Solution Team explains how

A few years ago, DTSS was invited by a leading financial services institution to discuss its soft services requirements. While the brief was centered around housekeeping services, the DTSS Client Solutions team, supported by its Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), adopted a consultative discovery approach.

Rather than focusing solely on the stated requirement, the team sought to understand the client’s operating model, growth trajectory, operational challenges, and latent needs that could impact future scalability. The objective was simple: Understand not only the client’s immediate requirement but also its broader operational challenges, future growth ambitions, and latent needs.

As management thinker Peter Drucker once observed, “The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers. The truly dangerous thing is asking the wrong question.”

Understanding

Through stakeholder discussions with procurement, administration, and operations teams, a different picture emerged. The client organization was experiencing rapid geographical expansion. While business growth was accelerating, facility operations were becoming increasingly difficult to manage. The challenges extended far beyond soft services:

•     Rising administrative effort on vendor coordination

•     Delayed resolution of facility-related complaints

•     Multiple local vendors operating with varying standards

•     Inconsistent service delivery across locations

•     Limited visibility into maintenance activities

•     Lack of preventive maintenance discipline

Most notably, facility administration teams were spending nearly 60% of their effort coordinating repair and maintenance activities, with another 25% consumed by vendor management and escalations.

What appeared to be a soft services discussion had evolved into an operating model discussion.

Identifying

The assessment revealed that facility management itself was not the problem. The real constraint was the absence of a scalable operating framework. As the clients’ branch network expanded, fragmented vendor management, reactive maintenance practices, and limited governance were creating operational inefficiencies that directly impacted customer experience and management bandwidth.

Average complaint resolution timelines had stretched to nearly four days. For a customer-facing organization operating across hundreds of locations, prolonged service disruptions were beginning to impact branch readiness, operational continuity, and ultimately the customer experience.

Solution

DTSS proposed a governance-led, technology-enabled operating model built around three principles:

•     Centralized Governance: Creating a single accountability structure for service delivery, vendor management, reporting, compliance, and performance reviews.

•     CMMS enabled Service Management: Implementing a service management platform and centralized helpdesk to provide real-time visibility, SLA monitoring, and data-driven decision-making.

•     Preventive Maintenance: Transitioning from reactive maintenance to a structured preventive maintenance framework to improve asset reliability and reduce operational disruptions.

The proposal was designed not merely to improve maintenance performance but to remove a growing operational bottleneck.

Read Also -

• From Cost to Compliance: India’s Facility Management Procurement Reset
• Procurement Is Becoming a Strategic Business Enabler
• Green Procurement Goes Boardroom: Data, ESG Reshape Indian FM
• Beating Cost Myths: Certified Green Procurement Delivers Real ROI

Building Trust

As with any strategic transformation, trust had to be earned through execution. Instead of awarding the entire network, the client initially entrusted DTSS with approximately 70 locations across remote Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets. These locations represented some of the most operationally challenging environments, making them an ideal test bed to assess service reliability, governance rigor, and response effectiveness before expanding the engagement nationally.

The pilot validated the effectiveness and scalability of the DTSS solution, creating the confidence required for progressive expansion from select locations to Southern India and subsequently across the client’s national footprint. Today, DTSS supports more than 900 customer-facing locations through a centralized facility management framework, enabling the client to focus on core business priorities while ensuring consistent service delivery across geographies.

Value Creation

The success of the DTSS operating model was measured through clearly defined business and operational metrics:

•     75% faster complaint resolution (4 days to 1 day)

•     30% reduction in maintenance costs

•     98% service-level compliance

•     100% preventive maintenance execution

•     Governance-led management of 900+ locations

•     Improved operational control and customer experience

These outcomes transformed a conventional service engagement into a strategic business partnership.

Philosophy

Drawing from The Goal and the Theory of Constraints, DTSS looked beyond the stated requirement to identify the factors limiting client’s operational scalability. The challenge was not facility management itself, but the growing complexity arising from fragmented vendor management, reactive maintenance practices, and limited governance. By addressing these bottlenecks through centralized governance, CMMS-enabled visibility, and a structured preventive maintenance framework, DTSS helped establish a scalable operating model that supported the client’s growth journey from 600+ to over 900+ locations nationwide. This partnership has grown over 3.5+ years, evolving from service delivery to strategic business support.

This engagement reinforces a simple but powerful principle: The most valuable business outcomes are achieved not by addressing symptoms, but by identifying and eliminating the underlying constraints that limit organizational performance and growth.

Fransiska Barla’s rise from a housekeeping worker to supervising 150 staff in a Ranchi hospital is a story of grit and growth. With no formal training, she learned on the job and now leads with empathy and discipline, writes Manka Behl

More than a decade ago, when Fransiska Barla left her village for Ranchi she was looking for work that would help her family get through each day.

Before joining the Manipal Hospital, she took up domestic work for about a month – sweeping, washing utensils and whatever came her way. “It was difficult in the beginning; I had never worked before this,” said Fransiska.

In 2015, she joined Duster Total Solutions Services (DTSS), the facility management company responsible for the services at the hospital.

Experience Teaches

“Initially, I began with the most basic responsibilities — cleaning clothes, women’s washrooms. Over time, I moved to ward cleaning, learning each task step by step”.

Fransiska learned everything on the job. From understanding hygiene protocols to handling cleaning chemicals in precise dilutions, her knowledge came from observation, practice and persistence.

Today, she speaks of chemical compositions and cleaning techniques with clarity. Fransiska’s sincerity did not go unnoticed. “They liked my work,”. Referring to her seniors in DTSS -- Sameer and Subodh Sir, she said: “They asked me if I would like to be a supervisor of the housekeeping team”.

The transition, however, was not easy. “It was very difficult initially. I would cry too”. But my seniors supported and encouraged me. Today, she speaks of chemical compositions and cleaning techniques with clarity.

Fransiska’s sincerity did not go unnoticed. “They liked my work,”. Referring to her seniors in DTSS -- Sameer and Subodh Sir, she said: “They asked me if I would like to be a supervisor of the housekeeping team”. The transition, however, was not easy. “It was very difficult initially. I would cry too”. But my seniors supported and encouraged me.

“If you scold, the workers’ mind doesn’t work. If you explain calmly, they understand.”

Empathy, Not Authority

Fransiska’s promotion to supervisor in 2019 marked more than a professional shift — it changed how the world addressed her, and how she saw herself.

She remembered being addressed as “Ma’am” very early, which felt unfamiliar. “When people suddenly started wishing me ‘Good Morning Ma’am’, it felt strange,” she remembers. But over time, the hesitation gave way to comfort and eventually to pride.

Today, Fransiska oversees nearly 150 staff members, all women. Her day begins before her shift with checking attendance, assigning duties, conducting briefings, and ensuring every area is covered.

But what defines her leadership is not authority — it is empathy. “If someone does not do the work properly, I explain it with patience” . She consciously avoids scolding. “If you scold, their mind does not work. If you explain calmly, they understand”.

Her approach comes from experience — of having once been inexperienced, unsure and naïve.

Even as she manages a large team, she remains conscious of the limitations. “We are not very educated, but we try to gain knowledge through everyday experiences”.

Lead By Example

In a workforce where staff is all women, Fransiska’s journey carries a deeper significance. She is not just managing teams — she is quietly setting an example.

Her message to other women is simple and grounded: work with sincerity, support your family, and don’t hold yourself back.

Cleaning, for her, is not just routine – it is directly linked to safety of the patients. “In a hospital, hygiene is most important. If it is not clean, patients can get infections”.

Her understanding of cleanliness goes beyond surface-level — it is about ensuring that every space – from washrooms to wards – is maintained in a way that does not put patients at risk. “We are well aware of what cleaning agents to use and in what proportions. Different surfaces require different approaches, and we are mindful of that”.

Among the many days that have passed in routine, one moment has stayed with her. During a round in a private ward, a patient noticed her work and appreciated the cleanliness of the premises. “I do not remember the patient’s name, but I do remember his room number was 124. I felt very happy that day.”

Family Support

With parents and siblings to support, the responsibility rests entirely on her shoulders. “My family is very happy now”.

Her income supports not just daily needs, but also her siblings’ education — making her a key pillar in her family’s progress.

Where Work was Never Small

If there is one belief that defines her journey, it is this: Dignity lies in how you approach your work. “Never consider work a burden,” she says. “When you earn your own money, it feels good.”

Fransiska sees this as the beginning. “I now aim at becoming an executive,” she said.

DTSS: Dusting Away Old Practices, Elevating Patient Care

Dusters Total Solutions Services Pvt. Ltd. (DTSS), a leader in Integrated Facility Management (IFM), revolutionised Puducherry’s government hospitals and won the Swachh Bharat Award in just nine months. How did this happen? It is a case study for other States to follow. Clean India Journal spoke to CEO Sanjeev Kumar and his team to understand its functioning and how it brought about the change.

Clean, efficient and well-managed hospitals are not just about hygiene — they are about healing, dignity and trust.”

— Sanjeev Kumar

The strong odour of phenyl which greets patients on entering hospitals is a thing of the past. Nowadays the chemicals used for critical cleaning in hospitals are anything but smelly, yet they achieve the required level of hygiene and sterilisation. This transformation of large private institutions or smaller government facilities has been a pleasant surprise.

DTSS achieved this in Puducherry through awareness and consistency achieved using videos and posters, bringing about a significant change in hospitals. This change has led to moments where patients being discharged are sharing their happiness with housekeeping staff through warm embraces and generous words of praise. This previously unheard-of change in behaviour is significant, particularly in smaller cities across India.

Setting New Standards

The government of Puducherry took a major step in strengthening its public healthcare infrastructure with the construction of the Super Speciality Hospital for Women and Children in 2011. To sustain the hospital’s operational excellence and maintain high standards of hygiene and safety, the government adopted a progressive approach — outsourcing non-clinical functions to professional facility management specialists.

DTSS was awarded the contract in 2024 to manage non-clinical operations completely at two of Puducherry’s largest government hospitals — together spanning over 5 lakh sq. ft. and 1,100-plus beds. The Rajiv Gandhi Government Women & Children Hospital (RGGW&CH) has 500 beds and is spread over approximately three lakh sqft and the Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital & Post Graduate Institute (IGGGH&PGI) has 626 beds spread over approximately 2.4 lakh sqft.

DTSS transformed the hospital environments, setting a new benchmark for public healthcare facility management and earning the coveted Swachh Bharat Award for excellence in cleanliness and hygiene. And all this in just nine months.

Working With a Vision

The engagement was conceived as a comprehensive IFM partnership —integrating diverse non-clinical services under one accountable, technology-enabled system. DTSS’s scope included:

• Mechanised Cleaning & Housekeeping
• Facility Engineering (MEP)
• Linen & Laundry
• Biomedical Waste Management
• Diet Production & Patient Service
• Front Desk Management
• Security & Surveillance
• Landscaping & Garden Maintenance

The project aimed at addressing core challenges within the system like fragmented service delivery and multiple vendors, deferred maintenance and infrastructure risk, pressure concerning hygiene, sanitation, and infection-risk, cost pressure and inefficient processes, issues with regulatory and accreditation compliance, unsatisfactory patient and visitor experience and challenges with the legacy workforce.

“DTSS’s integrated approach brought in measurable improvement in hygiene, safety, and patient satisfaction — essential metrics for any modern healthcare facility,” said Sanjeev.

Tangible Outcomes Delivered

The transformation quickly yielded clear results with the most significant improvement being in infection control and hygiene standards. There was also…

• A reduction in the average patient stay and improved operational reliability
• Enhanced patient and visitor satisfaction due to visible cleanliness and ambience
• Integrated services led to cost savings and better accountability
• Digital dashboards enabled transparent governance and regulatory compliance and
• Full alignment with the Swachh Bharat Mission’s vision for cleaner healthcare institutions

Value Additions

DTSS’s model extended beyond optimising hospital operations — it strengthened the entire healthcare ecosystem.

For instance, maternity wards often presented challenges due to the body discharge from the birthing process. Compounding this, the disposal of sanitary napkins by flushing them in toilets frequently caused clogging and added to unhygienic conditions for new mothers and infants.

This unsanitary practice has been slowly rooted out with constant displays of videos and posters to patients and visitors alike on the dangers of this method of disposal. The fact that the housekeeping team is burdened with the removal, cleaning and disposal of used sanitary napkins is driven home constantly to sensitise all within the hospital walls.

Let’s take a look at the value-adds:

1. Patient-Centric Outcomes

• Enhanced healing environment through cleaner, safer spaces that reduce HAI risks.
• Improved patient comfort and satisfaction through well-coordinated support services.

2. Operational & Administrative Efficiency

• Reduced management complexity with a single-point IFM partner.
• CAFM dashboards provided real-time visibility into performance metrics and compliance.
• Optimised resource utilisation lowered operational costs without compromising quality.

3. Compliance & Accreditation Readiness

• Strengthened adherence to NABH, Infection Control, and Biomedical Waste Management standards.
• Continuous internal audits improved readiness for external inspections and accreditations.

4. Workforce Empowerment & Local Employment

• Over 450 local employees were upskilled in hospital hygiene, infection control and biomedical waste handling.
• Training and certification programmes improved workforce retention and employability within the healthcare services sector.

5. Environmental Sustainability

• Adoption of green cleaning chemicals, energy-efficient tools, and responsible waste segregation.
• Reinforced the government’s commitment to sustainable public health infrastructure.

6. Public Health & Community Confidence

• Cleaner and well-managed hospitals strengthened public confidence in government healthcare services.
• The Puducherry IFM model now serves as a replicable framework for other states to modernise public hospitals through PPP-driven solutions.

Recognition and Awards

This remarkable transformation was nationally recognised when both hospitals — RGGW&CH and IGGGH&PGI — were awarded the Swachh Bharat Award for excellence in hospital hygiene and sustainable facility management.

Today, the organisation serves 100-plus hospitals across India, including Manipal Hospitals, Apollo Hospitals, Bombay Hospital, Indraprastha Medical Corporation, and Tata Medical Trust, continuing its mission to deliver safe, sustainable and patient-centric healthcare environments nationwide.

“Clean, efficient and well-managed hospitals are not just about hygiene —they are about healing, dignity and trust. DTSS’s work in Puducherry proves that public healthcare can be managed to a high standard,” added Sanjeev.