Précis of the Presentation made on behalf of I.C.M.M.A. at the Seminar Sessions during the Cleaning Show
The presentation made by I.C.M.M.A., titled ‘Trends in the Cleaning Industry’,was designed to offer visitors to the show an insight into the product features they should be enquiring after when visiting exhibitors stands.
It sought to take the visitor beyond product assessment on price and introduced them to key performance features and operator comfort levels.
An awareness of the efficiency in the use of water set the scene, against the increasing public perception that this will become a progressively scarce resource.
Examples were quoted for instance, of floor care machines being assessed on the basis of litres of water usage per square metre cleaned; how pressure washer nozzle efficiency could maximize productivity, and how the increasing use of steam as a cleaning medium might be seen to be becoming more accepted.
In the knowledge that current levels of immigration are keeping a lid on people costs at the operator level in the cleaning industry, a view was projected that this would not always be the case, and consequently the operational efficiency of cleaning machines should feature strongly when considering a purchase, typically this would reflect in a floor care machine being assessed by the square metres cleaned per hour under standard maintenance cleaning conditions.
The point was also presented that the operational efficiency of any cleaning machine is greatly enhanced if the operator is comfortable, and the audience were invited to operate any machine that was available at the exhibition, to assess its ease of use and how comfortable it was to operate.
The increasing demands for flexibility in cleaning was then considered, highlighting the growth in battery powered equipment to meet the needs of daytime cleaning regimes and also to provide operational flexibility away from mains electric supply. The factor of noise also plays a part in meeting the demands of the customer when cleaning is being undertaken in areas where client work continues.
This naturally led on to the technology developments in batteries themselves, indicating that whilst new technology may project itself as a more expensive option, the operational savings may be considerable.
The objective in considering this area of technology was to indicate once again that full-life costs should be considered rather than initial purchase cost.
The presentation then went on to identify the trend of consolidation amongst machine manufacturers such that there will be an increasing ‘full-range’ availability of product from one supplier.
Whilst Brand may play a role in the selection of a supplier having the capability of full-range supply, it was suggested that buyers should look beyond the initial machine supply and consider long term service support capability of a machine supplier and their ability to ‘track’ a cleaning product through its ‘life’.
Finally, the training capability of a machine supplier will become an increasingly important issue as demand increases for a better trained workforce in the U.K.
The presentation concluded with the proposition that member companies of I.C.M.M.A. – the trade association representing major cleaning machine suppliers to the U.K. market are committed to the supply of products that represent the ‘state of the art’ and all have the capability of offering the after sales service and support that today’s customer demands.
Graham. J. Jones.
I.C.M.M.A. Secretariat.
5th April, 2007