Conversations, Pressure, and the Future of Cleaning: Reflections from the Carlisle Innovation Lab

Last week, we spent the day at the Carlisle Support Services Innovation Lab, an event that brings together leaders from across transport and infrastructure to explore how services can evolve through innovation, technology, and collaboration.

Hosted by Carlisle, the event focused on their client base – including major rail networks, airports, and ferry operators – offering a valuable lens into what large-scale, high-footfall environments now expect from their cleaning providers.

For the Foremost team, it was an opportunity to demonstrate Quantum, our performance and insights platform built specifically for cleaning businesses.

But more importantly, it was an opportunity to listen.

What transport operators really want

Across conversations with rail, aviation, and maritime operators, a clear and consistent set of expectations emerged.

These environments are under constant pressure to deliver exceptional passenger experiences, and cleaning plays a critical role in that.

The priorities were clear:

  • Higher passenger satisfaction

  • Confidence in consistent cleaning standards across all sites

  • Continuous, measurable improvement in sustainability

  • Labour-saving initiatives that enable higher service levels without increasing operational complexity

This is not just about cleanliness – it’s about trust, reputation, and operational confidence at scale.

 

The growing importance of visibility

One theme came up repeatedly: visibility.

Operators want a clearer, more reliable understanding of what is actually happening across their estates.

Not assumptions. Not periodic reports. Real visibility.

Questions being asked are becoming more precise:

  • Are cleaning standards being delivered consistently across every location?

  • Where are variations in performance occurring?

  • How can improvements be identified and implemented quickly?

Without that level of insight, it becomes difficult to drive consistency or demonstrate progress – particularly across large, complex networks.

Connecting the dots with Quantum

At our stand, we demonstrated Quantum in action, showing how cleaning businesses can begin to provide that level of visibility to their clients.

Quantum is built on a simple principle: operational and procurement data should not exist in isolation.

By connecting what’s being purchased with how sites are performing, cleaning providers can move beyond activity-based reporting and start delivering meaningful performance insight.

That shift matters.

Because when clients can clearly see how cleaning is performing across their environments, it builds confidence, strengthens relationships, and creates a platform for continuous improvement.

 

Progress comes from conversation

While technology plays an important role, the most valuable part of the day was the quality of the conversations.

There is a clear appetite from transport operators to work more closely with their cleaning partners – not just as suppliers, but as contributors to wider operational goals.

That includes improving passenger experience, advancing sustainability targets, and finding smarter ways to deliver consistent outcomes at scale.

That openness to collaboration is where real progress happens.

Thank you to Carlisle and their clients

A big thank you to Carlisle Support Services for hosting the Innovation Lab, and to everyone who took the time to speak with us throughout the day.

Events like this highlight something important:

Innovation doesn’t start with technology.

It starts with understanding what clients actually need – and being willing to rethink how those needs are delivered.

 

A question worth asking

Since the event, one question has stayed with us:

Do your clients have clear visibility of cleaning performance across their sites?

Because as expectations continue to rise – particularly in high-profile, high-traffic environments – that visibility is quickly becoming essential.

Not just to report on performance, but to improve it.

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