Upright vacuum that changes the game in vacuuming

Latest from leading industrial-cleaning-equipment solutions provider, Goscor Cleaning Equipment (GCE), is the Goscor 30UR upright vacuum. The new machine – a culmination of feedback from

the cleaning industry and years of innovation and development – ushers in a new era with a range of innovative features. It is ideally suited for

commercial office and hospitality applications, particularly within the BSC industry.

Peter Esterhuizen, National Sales Director at GCE, explains that key features include flat

operation, easy repair and replacement, the patented Whizzo indicator and its ability to reach high places. The Goscor 30UR can operate completely flat, so cleaners can reach all the hard-to-reach areas such as under furniture, desks, equipment and any other obstacles.

The telescopic wand affords the machine the ability to reach high areas easily and provide an ergonomic way to operate the machine. “The upright vacuum cleaner offers improved ergonomics compared to barrel vacuums, resulting in less operator fatigue,” says Esterhuizen.

A quick disconnect of the upper body from the motor deck translates into easy repair and maintenance. The machine also comes with a detachable power cord for convenient storage. Additionally, no technical support is needed in case of replacement.

The patented Whizzo indicator creates a loud, highpitched tone when the bag is full or the vacuum is clogged. Additionally, it supplies the motor with cooling air to avoid temperature peaks to limit breakdowns and reduce maintenance costs and downtime.

Meanwhile, its high-speed agitator (3 000 rpm) in the vacuum head lifts the carpet pile, resulting in deeper cleaning. “Of note is that the machine only weighs in at 8.3 kg, making transportation, storage and operation convenient for the operator. The unit produces noise levels of only 69 dBA, making it ideal to use even during office hours,” concludes Esterhuizen.

Bidvest to acquire foremost European hygiene service provider

Services, trading and distribution group Bidvest is set to be a stronger player in the hygiene industry after agreeing to acquire UK-based PHS Group, the foremost hygiene provider in the UK, Ireland and Spain, for £495 m (R9.8 bn).

Bidvest recently announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire 100 percent of hygiene service provider PHS Group from Anchorage Capital Group, L.L.C. Further expansion into the hygiene sector comes at a time when the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) amplified the need for improved public health, specifically in the away-from-home sector.

“Even though the coronavirus has been devastating in many cases, it has highlighted the need for improved hygiene across the world,” CEO Lindsay Ralphs said, referring to the respiratory disease that has killed thousands, disrupted global trade and raised concerns about global economic growth.

PHS was founded in 1963 and currently serves in excess of 120 000 clients. The hygiene market is resilient and continues to grow – supported by structural growth drivers such as urbanisation, hygiene and safety standards as well as a growing and aging population, to name a few. In the UK, the provision of sanitary and nappy bins is legislated by the Environmental Protection Act of 1990. External industry research forecasts the hygiene market to grow at 1.5–2.0 times GDP.

Speaking at the presentation of Bidvest’s interim results in March, Ralphs said the hygiene industry was large but fragmented, suggesting his company could play a role in possible sector consolidation. The acquisition of PHS is in line with Bidvest’s stated strategic intent to expand its presence beyond South Africa in niche, assetlight businesses that will benefit from Bidvest’s capabilities and expertise. Bidvest believes that the PHS service offering and geographic presence will be complementary to Bidvest’s Services division. Several learnings can be shared, and enhanced, thereby improving the overall service offering. The geographic footprint allows for growth optionality into Europe and further afield. The transaction is expected to be completed by mid 2020.

8 Increased hand hygiene at world’s top 10 airports can reduce spread of coronavirus

The increasing spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) across the globe via infected travellers could result in a pandemic if not contained in hotspot areas such as congested airport facilities. A study just published by the Society for Risk Analysis, analysing the impact of implementing diseasemitigation strategies at airports across the globe, finds that increasing traveller engagement with proper hand hygiene at all airports has the potential to reduce the risk of a potential pandemic by 24–69 percent.

The researchers also identified 10 critical airports, central to the global air-transportation network. And if hand-washing mitigation strategies are implemented in just these 10 locations, the pandemic risk could drop by up to 37 percent.

The study, ‘Hand-hygiene mitigation strategies against global disease spreading through the air transportation network’, suggests that if increased handwashing practices were instituted in 10 key airports, there would be a significant impact on decreasing the spread of viruses. These 10 airports are not just locations that see large volumes of passengers, they also connect travellers with destinations in all parts of the world.

The identified airports include: • London Heathrow • Los Angeles International • John F. Kennedy • Charles de Gaulle • Dubai International • Frankfurt • Hong Kong International • Beijing Capital • San Francisco • Amsterdam Schiphol “Airports – and airplanes – are highly infectious because they are close, confined areas with large, mobile populations,” states Christos Nicolaides PhD, lead author, University of Cyprus and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). “Viruses are spread through bodily fluids, so keeping hands clean at major transport hubs is central to control spread.”

Airports also contain numerous highly contaminated surfaces that are frequently touched by travellers, including selfservice check-in screens, gate-bench armrests, water-fountain buttons, door handles, seats and tray tables. In addition to increasing the frequency at which public areas are cleaned and sanitised, using proper coughing etiquette, wearing face masks, and proper hand-hygiene practices are the most common actions that can be adopted by air travellers.

Currently, analyses show that, at most, one in five people have clean hands at any given moment. If hand cleanliness at all airports increased from 20 percent to 30 percent, by increasing the capacity and/or awareness of hand washing, the impact of a potential infectious disease would have a global impact that is 24 percent smaller. A cost-effective measure would be to adopt these practices at the top 10 most influential airports, reducing the impact of the disease spreading to just 37 percent.

BlueGreen Water Technologies Ltd, a global cleantech company, announced in February that it has named Jurgens Van Loggerenberg as its Africa Head of Operations. In this role, Van Loggerenberg’s focus will be providing regulators, local municipalities, water utility companies and private communities in the South African market with access to BlueGreen’s rapid-response and resultdriven toxic algae treatment.

Blue-green algae blooms have been declared a global problem with severe health effects on both humans and animals by the World Health Organization. The toxic algae increases each year in severity and frequency and has become a major concern to regulators and communities all over the world. BlueGreen Water Technologies’ US EPA-approved algaecides have been introduced as a groundbreaking treatment to combat the worldwide cyanobacteria epidemic.

With 20 years of experience in water treatment, Van Loggerenberg brings extensive knowledge, experience and commitment to this position. Van Loggerenberg began his career servicing the water treatment plants of the Kruger National Park, and subsequent roles included responsibilities at municipal purification plants in Mpumalanga. He worked with the German water-treatment company Süd-Chemie as a technical and sales support for water-treatment plants throughout South Africa. In 2016, he joined the South African chemical group of companies AECI under Improchem as a public water industry specialist. During his 20-year tenure in water treatment, Van Loggerenberg established chlorine dioxide in drinking-water applications as an advanced oxidation process in eutrophic raw water. He has conducted extensive research in this field and contributed to a chlorine dioxide publication as co-author. He also holds two patents to his name.

“We’re excited to have Jurgens aboard the BlueGreen team,” said Eyal Harel, CEO of BlueGreen Water Technologies. “His outstanding professional capabilities and

Jurgens Van Loggerenberg

understanding of both water and people has forged long-term relationships in an industry that relies on science and trust. We’re confident that his experience and connections will pave the way for the Lake Guard™ Blue and Lake Guard™ Oxy to be adopted into the African market where the pursuit of clean water is first and foremost a humanitarian matter.”

For more information, visit: www.bgtechs.com

Cape Town’s anti-graffiti squad cleaning up the CBD

The continuous hard work of Cape Town’s Central Business District’s dedicated graffiti clean-up team aims to keep the Mother City’s CBD attractive to tourists and the public in general.

It is common knowledge that the City of Cape Town does have an ever-increasing problem with illicit writing and drawings using paint and sprayed on or scratched on walls or other surfaces, even electrical boxes are not spared. However, this practice, also known as ‘tagging’ is not unique to the City of Cape Town, in fact it is prevalent in many cities across the world. Graffiti is one of the most visible forms of crime and disorder that occurs in a community and as such can become a visible sign of unruliness, social decline and antisocial behaviour among young people, according to the Australian government’s Institute of Criminology.

In the Cape Town CBD, these so-called graffiti tags are quite often gang-related and can affect community members’ perception of the safety of the area. The graffiti squad is part of the Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID) Urban Management department that delivers top-up services to those performed by its primary partner, the City of Cape Town. The CCID is funded by business owners in the CBD.

“It is destructive to the visual aesthetic of a city and the confidence of the people when an area has all these indicators of discord and disorder. Graffiti tagging portrays this as a place where lawlessness reigns,” a city official said. “The graffiti team assists us in removing the unsightly tagging in and around the CBD. This maintains the upkeep of the area, thus encouraging visitors to come into that space. This, in turn, has a positive impact on businesses and maintains the property value in the area, as well as keeping the space looking neat.”

According to the CCID’s 2019 annual report, graffiti is a significant and escalating problem in the CBD. This is why the graffiti removal team works tirelessly and swiftly to counteract its impact.