by Brianna Crandall — September 30, 2013—International research organization CERN, consisting of 20 European member states, has chosen the ISS Switzerland branch of global facilities services provider ISS Group to provide grounds and outdoor maintenance services on the premises of the famed European Nuclear Research Centre, thereby expanding their existing contract. ISS employees are now taking care of the 150 hectares of green space, road maintenance and the car park, spread over 16 sites around Geneva.
Established in 1954, the Centre houses what is considered the world’s largest particle physics laboratory, and is said to be the birthplace of the World Wide Web. The CERN laboratory employs nearly 4,000 full- and part-time employees, and hosts some 10,000 visiting scientists and engineers from all over the world.
According to ISS, the expansion of the agreement is beneficial for both parties, and reflects the trust developed between the two groups through the years. Jérme Bochaton, ISS regional director Geneva, says that Didier Colombarini, the facilities services manager, plays a key role in the successful relationship. He is the leader of a team of 120 employees as well as the main contact for all customer inquiries. Six new posts have been created for specialists, and new machinery has been provided for the management of the new task.
The cooperation between ISS and CERN began almost twenty years ago, and has been progressively expanding. Initially consisting of inventory management and reception, additional services have been added gradually, such as the management of the Centre’s own hotel and mail service, parcel distribution, and now the maintenance of the green space, roads and car parks since the beginning of this year.
