June/July 2016

The pan-European magazine for the professional cleaning sector

JUNE/JULY 2016

BUSINESS

SPECIAL REPORT

UPDATE

Biofilms special focus Starts page 39

The cost of tax avoidance

The rise of robotics?

Wipes and cloths markets

Page 52

Page 27

Page 23

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CONTENTS

June/July 2016 | Vol.24, No.3

BUSINESS

SPECIAL REPORTS

52 Global cost of tax avoidance

23 The wiping revolution

Hartley Milner looks at tax avoidance among large corporates across Europe.

How have business and manufacturing trends affected the wipes market?

27 The rise of the robots?

To what extent will robotic technology actually impact on our sector?

33 Is smart always best?

Are ‘intelligent’ solutions now the norm in chemical dispensing?

39 Biofilms - should we worry?

What exactly are biofilms, and should we be alarmed about them?

45 No room for complacency

03 News

All businesses involved in food preparation must be proactive about hygiene.

14 European reports

63 The glass ceiling What are today’s most challenging window cleaning tasks?

55 ISSA/INTERCLEAN review

Criterion Publishing Ltd PO Box 299, Chesham, Buckinghamshire HP5 1FP UK T +44 (0)1494 791222 F +44 (0)1494 792223 info@europeancleaningjournal.com www. europeancleaningjournal.com Subscriptions UK - £60 / Continental Europe - £70 / International - £80

Editor Michelle Marshall Features Writer Ann Laffeaty Advertisement Director Chris Godman Advertisement Sales Carole Dawson Circulation Marie Payne

Italy, Spain & Switzerland Fabio Potesta Mediapoint & Communications Corte Lambruschini, Corso Buenos Aires, 8 V0 Piano, Interno 7 16129 Genova, Italy T +39 010 570 4948 F +39 010 553 0088 info@mediapointsrl.it www. mediapointsrl.it

European Cleaning Journal is published six times a year by Criterion Publishing Ltd. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published in European Cleaning, Criterion Publishing Ltd and its agents can accept no responsibility for the varacity of claims made by contributors, manufacturers or advertisers. Copyright for all material published in European Cleaning remains with Criterion Publishing Ltd and its agents.

ISSN 0968-901X ©Criterion Publishing 2016

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NEWS & EVENTS

Latest News & Events from ECJ

Diversey Care wins top prize in Amsterdam Innovation Award The overall winner of the ISSA/ INTERCLEAN Amsterdam Innovation Award 2016 is Sealed Air Diversey Care, for its Suma Revoflow product featuring Augmented Reality.

With the use of Augmented Reality, the jury said, facilities managers can perhaps go some way to tackling a number of the problems associated with the industry’s high employee turnover - which include training, knowledge transfer, development of skills and reduction of errors.

Augmented Reality can be used on mobile phones and tablets to self-train, selftroubleshoot and get remote support directly from Diversey Care. This brings many benefits in terms of reduced downtime, more skilled employees and cost-efficiency.

The winner in the machines, accessories and components category was Cleanfix for its scrubber dryer robot RA 660 NAVI. The jury voted this the winner because the company has worked closely with users over many years to develop a machine that is now in use across Europe.

The jury was particularly impressed with its navigation system, which uses laser, and its efficiency in mapping rooms, putting in place virtual walls, and ease of use for the operator. And it can clean to the narrowest of corners.

Portable and practical Equipment/tools for cleaning, care and safety was won by Werner & Mertz Professional for its Quick & Easy System for chemical dosing and dispensing. The jury was impressed with its portability, simplicity and practicality. The operator wears the system on a belt

and can move from room to room with five different chemicals, interchanging between them easily. There is no need for installation and the operative does not come into contact with chemical.

Augmented Reality, Suma Revoflow was the category winner in the cleaning management and training solutions category, as well as taking the overall prize.

Smart technology Michelle Marshall, editor of ECJ, is chairman of the Amsterdam Innovation Award 2016 jury. She said: “The most striking observation this year is the number of products being developed incorporating ‘smart’ technology - whether it is to save on energy and water use, produce data about staff and cleaning machine fleets or monitor room occupancy in order to streamline cleaning operations. Or indeed to carry out the cleaning operation autonomously, in the case of robots.

“Having said that, we were also impressed with many of the manual cleaning tools and products that are being developed to provide the operative with more ergonomic, sustainable, cost-effective and practical solutions to everyday cleaning challenges. After all, cleaning is still a labour-intensive sector so the evolution of more user-friendly manual methods remains vital.”

She concluded: “Many products have been designed with sustainability in mind, in terms of using less water, energy and chemicals and in the way they are manufactured. Total life cycle impact and Cradle to Cradle are terms we now commonly see being put into practice.”

Le gagnant du Prix de l’Innovation 2016 du salon ISSA/Interclean d’Amsterdam est Sealed Air Diversey Care, ainsi récompensée pour son produit Suma Revoflow comportant la fonction Augmented Reality.

Register now for your free monthly email newsletter from ECJ. Remember to bookmark the ECJ website and don’t miss our regular blogs - including Dr Ilham Kadri from Diversey Care, Rob den Hertog of Amsterdam RAI, Peter Ankerstjerne of ISS, EUnited’s Markus Asch and Vectair’s Paul Wonnacott www.europeancleaningjournal.com

EVENTS June 15-17

November 13-15

ESCLEAN

MECTW

Madrid, Spain www.fsms.ifema.es

Dubai, UAE www.mectw.com

September 7-9

January 18-20 2017

ISSA/Interclean Istanbul

Clean India Technology Week

Istanbul, Turkey www.issainterclean.com

Hyderabad, India www.ctwindia.com

September 14-15

March 14-16 2017

Forum Pulire

The Cleaning Show

Milan, Italy www.forumpulire.it

London, UK www.cleaningshow.co.uk

September 22-25

April 10-12 2017

60th FIDEN Congress

Tissue World Milan

Athens, Greece www.fiden.org

Milan, Italy www.tissueworld.com/twmilan

September 27-29

May 23-25 2017

Tissue World Istanbul

Pulire

Istanbul, Turkey www.tissueworld.com/istanbul

Verona, Italy www.pulire-it.com

September 29

September 11-14 2017

European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards

ISSA/Interclean North America

Barcelona, Spain www.ecj-awards.com

Las Vegas, USA www.issainterclean.com

October 21-22

September 18-20 2017

TisztaShow Cleaning Exhibition

WFBSC Congress

Budapest, Hungary www.tisztashow.hu

Berlin, Germany www.wfbsc2017.berlin

October 25-28

September 19-22 2017

ISSA/Interclean North America

CMS

Chicago, USA www.issainterclean.com

Berlin, Germany www.cms-berlin.com

November 9-11

May 15-18 2018

CleanExpo Moscow

ISSA/Interclean Amsterdam

Moscow, Russia www.cleanexpo-moscow.ru

Amsterdam, Netherlands www.issainterclean.com

To have your event included in Events, contact ECJ via email at: michelle@europeancleaningjournal.com

Der Gesamtsieger des ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam Innovation Award 2016 ist Sealed Air Diversey Care für das Produkt Suma Revoflow, das mit Augmented Reality ausgestattet ist.

Il vincitore assoluto del premio Innovation Award 2016 alla ISSA/INTERCLEAN di Amsterdam è stata la Sealed Air Diversey Care, per il suo prodotto Suma Revoflow dotato di Realtà Aumentata.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 3

NEWS Cleaner wins €13,000 payout

Athens congress for FIDEN

A cleaner in the UK who was left with skin hanging off her hands has received more than €13,000 in compensation after her former employer told her she would have ‘to live with’ debilitating condition contact dermatitis.

Susan Davies developed the condition after using an abrasive solvent cleaner while working for L&T Cleaning Services in 2010.

The condition led to the skin on her hands cracking and blistering. But when she told her employer about the worsening condition, no action was taken.

Her bosses failed to provide

European contract cleaning association FIDEN will host its 60th congress in Athens, Greece from September 22-25. The theme: ‘Global Trends Changing the World of FM Industries’.

Sessions will address what global trends will have the most impact on the sector, what challenges the industry faces in terms of digitalisation, and what the focus of the cleaning

her with gloves or protective equipment and she was eventually told she would “have to learn to live with it”. After having to take time off work because of the painful condition, Susan decided to take legal action. She won her settlement after L&T Cleaning admitted liability for her injuries.

Davies called on cleaning companies to provide staff with protective equipment for harmful substances.

Book your place at the European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards www.ecj-awards.com

• Une nettoyeuse s’est vu attribuer le montant de 13 000 euros pour la dédommager du décollement de la peau des mains dont elle a été victime parce que son patron avait refusé de la munir de gants.

• L’Association européenne des entreprises de nettoyage (FIDEN) tiendra un congrès à Athènes en septembre.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 4

• Einer Reinigungskraft wurde eine Entschädigung in Höhe von € 13.000 zugesprochen, nachdem ihre Haut in Fetzen von den Händen hing, weil ihre Chefs die Bereitstellung von Handschuhen verweigerten.

• FIDEN, der europäische Vertragsreinigungsverband, wird im September einen Kongress in Athen, Griechenland, veranstalten.

and FM industries will be in the coming years. There will also be an overview of cleaning practice in the host country, Greece.

Alongside the conference there will be a social programme that gives delegates the opportunity to network and explore Athens. Venue is the Electra Palace Hotel.

For more information visit www.fiden.org

• Un’ addetta alle pulizie ha ricevuto 13.000 euro di compensazione dopo che il rifiuto dei suoi capi di dotarla di guanti le ha causato il distacco della pelle delle mani.

• L’associazione europea di pulizie professionali FIDEN terrà un congresso ad Atene, in Grecia, in settembre.

NEWS Spanish cleaning companies wait up to eight months for payment Cleaning companies operating on Spanish public sector contracts are waiting up to eight months to receive payment of their invoices. That’s according to latest data for 2015 compiled by the Professional Association of Cleaning Companies (ASPEL).

The debt owed to ASPEL companies by public administrations came to €518.9 million in 2015, a 16 per cent reduction on the previous year. Nevertheless, last year both the state and the autonomous communities and municipalities increased the average period for payment.

ASPEL president Juan Díez de los Ríos explained: “Payment of invoices worsened last year, due principally to the effect of

the autonomous community, municipal and general elections.

“When there is electoral uncertainty public administrations always keep invoices hidden away,” he continued, and added it is foreseeable that this situation will continue in 2016 because new elections had been announced for June 26.

Electoral uncertainty According to the data gathered by the employers’ association the autonomous communities are the administrations which owe most, with a debt of €242.8 million (-20 per cent), this figure being calculated up to the end of August 31 2015. It is the regional governments which are responsible for companies in the

Les entreprises de propreté espagnoles travaillant pour le secteur public doivent attendre jusqu’à huit mois pour le règlement de leurs factures.

sector having to wait to be paid for the services they have provided for up to 243 days, eight times longer than provided by law.

Continued breaches In terms of the local entities, their debt last year to cleaning companies came to €167.7 million (-11 per cent), their average period for payment to suppliers being 168 days. For its part the state, with an unpaid items figure of €108.2 million

(-12 per cent), is the public administration which takes the least time to pay, doing so in 108 days.

Díez de los Ríos condemned the public administrations for continuing to breach the Law on Late Payment in spite of the Plans for Payment to Suppliers, for which reason he asked the executive to demonstrate greater commitment in the fight against non-payment and for compliance with the payment periods laid down.

Register now for your free monthly email newsletter from ECJ. Simply send your email address to michelle@ europeancleaningjournal.com

Spanische Reinigungsunternehmen, die im öffentlichen Sektor beschäftigt sind, müssen bis zu acht Monate auf die Bezahlung ihrer Rechnungen warten.

Le imprese di pulizia spagnole che operano nel settore pubblico aspettano fino a otto mesi per ricevere il pagamento delle loro fatture.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 5

NEWS The May sun shines on ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam ceremony on the first day Sealed Air Diversey Care was crowned overall winner for its product Augmented Reality: Suma Revoflow.

Other category winners in the award were: Robot RA 660 NAVI from Cleanfix and the Quick & Easy System from Werner & Mertz Professional. The BRC 40/22 C from Kärcher won the Visitor’s Choice Award.

Great atmosphere Cleaning professionals from around the world were in Amsterdam in early May for the ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam 2016 exhibition. And the sun shone for the 30,289 visitors from 134 countries who visited the show - 76 per cent of the

attendees were from outside the Netherlands.

Two new features that proved to be a big hit were the robot arena and the informationpacked seminars at the InnovationLAB. And at the Amsterdam Innovation Award

L’ISSA/Interclean d’Amsterdam, le plus grand salon européen du nettoyage professionnel, s’est tenu en mai et a attiré plus de 30 000 visiteurs.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 6

“The success of ISSA/ INTERCLEAN Amsterdam was the great atmosphere throughout the RAI complex,” said Rob den Hertog, manager ISSA/INTERCLEAN at RAI Amsterdam.

“From the award ceremony

Die ISSA/Interclean Amsterdam, Europas größte Messe der professionellen Reinigungsbranche, fand im Mai statt und zog über 30.000 Besucher an.

on the opening day to the many business contacts on the exhibition floor, from the high degree of knowledge exchange at the complementary ISSA seminar programme and the innovations in the InnovationLAB to the networking fun at the various social gatherings, ISSA/INTERCLEAN was the place to be.”

He concluded: “Now the work starts for ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam 2018, we look forward to it!”

Next stop for ISSA/ INTERCLEAN is Istanbul, with the show there taking place from September 7-9.

The next Amsterdam event will be May 15-18 2018. www.issainterclean.com

ISSA/Interclean Amsterdam, l’evento europeo di maggiore importanza per il cleaning professionale, si è tenuto in maggio ed ha attratto oltre 30.000 visitatori.

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NEWS European services alliance

Ride-shares ‘hotbed of bacteria’

Facilities management companies Servest in the UK and France’s Atalian have formed a joint venture to enable them to provide integrated FM solutions on a pan-European basis.

The 50/50 owned project, which will operate under the name Atalian Servest Ltd, will look to capitalise on both organisations’ reputations in their respective markets and expand their current offer across country boundaries.

Rob Legge, Servest Group ceo UK and Europe said: “The world is becoming a smaller place and we have seen that businesses are now looking for unified solutions that bring their

Taxis and hire cars are both hotbeds of bacteria, says a recent study. And shared cab services harbour three times the number of germs as the average rental.

A team from insurance comparison site NetQuote took swabs from seat belts, door handles and window buttons from a number of taxis and ride-sharing services. These are companies such as Uber that enable customers to share a cab hailed from the roadside.

Scientists then swabbed the steering wheels, gear sticks and seat belts from three hire cars.

Ride-sharing service vehicles were discovered to be by far the

communities together.

“We wanted to offer our customers a pan-European solution with a partner that operates with the same cultural and business philosophies as adopted by Servest in the UK.” Matthieu de Baynast, ceo of International at Atalian added: “Both organisations have very like-minded business approaches based on an entrepreneurial strategy where organic and acquisitive growth are of equal importance.”

The two businesses have a combined reach of 140,000 employees across 27 countries in Europe, North America, SouthEast Asia and Africa.

•Les sociétés de multi-services Servest au RoyaumeUni et Atalian en France ont formé une entreprise commune pour proposer des solutions de multiservices au niveau paneuropéen.

• Les taxis et les voitures de location sont des terreaux fertiles pour la génération de bactéries, indique une étude récente.

•Das britische Facility Management-Unternehmen Servest und das in Frankreich ansässige Unternehmen Atalian sind ein Joint Venture eingegangen, um europaweit FM-Lösungen anzubieten.

• Aus einer kürzlich veröffentlichten Studie geht hervor, dass sowohl Taxis als auch Mietwagen Brutstätten für Bakterien sind.

more ‘germy’ of the three types tested, harbouring more than six million colony-forming units per square inch on average.

The tests, which were carried out in South Florida, also revealed that the seatbelts in ride-share vehicles contained 38 times more bacteria than those of the average taxi.

The report concluded: “When you rent a car, take a moment to wipe key surfaces such as the steering wheel and gear lever with a soap-based wipe before you touch them.

“And once you leave the cab or ride-share, wash your hands as soon as possible — and avoid touching your face until you do.”

• Le imprese di gestione delle strutture Servest nel Regno Unito e Atalian in Francia, hanno formato una joint venture per fornire soluzioni di gestione delle strutture su base pan-europea.

• A detta di uno studio recente, i taxi e le macchine a noleggio sono entrambi ricettacoli di batteri.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 9

NEWS Milan September date for Forum Pulire, looking to the future Italian cleaning trade association Afidamp will hold its third Forum Pulire congress in Milan on September 14 and 15. The theme is Cleaning as an Absolute Value and will cover the future of work, e-learning and training, Industry 4.0 and new supply processes.

This year the organisers are boasting a more international audience and programme, with the support of sector organisations the European Federation of Cleaning Industries (EFCI), ISSA and FIDEN the International Federation of Cleaning Services.

The organisers say Forum Pulire 2016 aims to make a decisive step in defining the identity of the industry and establishing the recognition of

its value, especially in terms of development of human capital and its commercial importance to each country.

“We want to involve in this forum all the people who have been absent until now, that is the workers,” said Toni D’Andrea, ceo of Afidamp Services. “To do that we have established a strong partnership with ONBSI, the bilateral association representing employers and trade union partners, enterprises and employees.”

Core values Forum Pulire will have four core values: freedom, dignity, solidarity and happiness. These, says Afidamp, guarantee the quality of life in a civilized country and are totally

‘E-commerce and integrated logistics systems: new supply processes’, to understand the transformation of the distribution channel.

‘Integrated services: new rules for the future’ will open the second day, represented by the integrated services sector.

The opening day, September 14, will be entitled ‘Industry 4.0: the age of collaboration’ and will analyse the new way of doing business for the development of industry and services, with the presence of journalists experienced in the so-called digital revolution.

The second theme will be

September 15, with the debate on the new procurement code, the Green Act, and the construction of identity in the industry. And the day will close with a session on training and development of professional skills.

Forum Pulire takes place at the Unicredit Pavillion in Milan.

For details of attending visit www.forumpulire.it

Recyling of cleaning machines gathers pace

One to watch

European Cleaning Machines Recycling (ECMR) - the Netherlands-based organisation that recycles cleaning machines when they have come to the end of their use - has signed its latest manufacturer agreement.

It now has a two-year contract with Diversey Care to recall and recycle the company’s machines.

“Diversey Care has opted for a sustainable solution in which ECMR is able to both dismantle and recycle the machines in a sustainable manner,” explains ECMR co-founder André Vonk.

“The social and transparent way of working, as well as optimal recycling of rare fossil-based raw materials, thereby forms the common goal of commitment to a circular economy.”

“All Diversey Care machines that can no longer be used will be presented for recycling,” according to Henk Toering, country director for Diversey

London cleaning company The Clean Space has been included on The Leap 100 2016 - a list of the 100 most exciting, fastgrowth companies in the UK. All the companies selected have demonstrated substantial growth over the past 12 months and been identified as the ‘ones to watch’ for 2016.

Charlie Mowat, the founder and md of The Clean Space has been included on this year’s list.

Launched in 2003 based on the principles of fair treatment for staff, the company has grown to €6.8m turnover - up 25 per cent from last year.

Mowat commented: “Inclusion in the Leap 100 for 2016 is a huge achievement for us as a business but is also a major step for the industry as a whole.

I want to make cleaners more visible, to make people more aware of their hard work that is often overlooked.”

Care. “The quantities depend considerably on the technical condition of the machines that arrive, or if the customer wishes to have them disposed of in a responsible manner.”

Toering adds: “We try to process machines which we decide can no longer be reconditioned and used profitably in a responsible manner. We believe recycling is the best way of separating different materials, so that they can be reused in another

• En Italie, le congrès Forum Pulire prévu à Milan en septembre se penchera sur quatre thèmes : Industrie 4.0, les nouveaux critères logistiques, l’avenir du travail, et l’e-apprentissage.

• La société ECMR, un spécialiste du recyclage de machines de nettoyage, a conclu un accord avec Diversey Care pour le recyclage de ses machines. ECMR a récemment présenté ses distinctions de durabilité à ses partenaires.

• L’entreprise de propreté britannique The Clean Space a été incluse à la liste The Leap 100 2016 des 100 entreprises les plus dynamiques et croissantes du pays.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 10

industry. To reduce the impact on the environment, we have opted to recycle locally as far as possible, as this prevents unnecessary transportation and increases transparency.”

Meanwhile ECMR also presented its annual sustainability awards for 2015 recently, to existing partners in its recycling programme. The Distributor Sustainability Award went to BOMA while Kärcher was awarded the Manufacturer Sustainability Award 2015.

•Die italienische Tagung Forum Pulire, die im kommenden September in Mailand stattfindet, hat vier Themen: „Industrie 4.0“, „Neue Logistikkriterien“, „Die Zukunft der Arbeit“ und „E-Learning“.

• Die Firma ECMR, die auf das Recycling von Reinigungsmaschinen spezialisiert ist, hat eine Vereinbarung mit Diversey Care über das Recycling seiner Maschinen getroffen.

Vor kurzem hat ECMR außerdem seine Auszeichnungen für Nachhaltigkeit an seine vorhandenen Partner verliehen.

• Das britische Reinigungsunternehmen The Clean Space wird in der Liste The Leap 100 für 2016 genannt. In dieser Liste werden die 100 aufregendsten Unternehmen, die ein schnelles Wachstum zeigen, genannt.

•Il congresso italiano Forum Pulire, che si terrà a Milano a settembre, avrà quattro argomenti: Industria 4.0, nuovi criteri di logistica, il futuro del lavoro e l’e-learning.

• La ECMR, specializzata nel riciclo delle macchine per le pulizie, ha stipulato un accordo con la Diversey Care per riciclare le loro macchine. La ECMR ha inoltre di recente consegnato i suoi premi per la sostenibilità ai partner attuali.

• L’impresa britannica di servizi di pulizia The Clean Space è stata inclusa nel The Leap 100 - 2106, una lista delle 100 imprese più eccitanti e a crescita rapida.

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NEWS Book your place for Barcelona European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards The European Federation of Cleaning Industries (EFCI) is giving its support to the inaugural European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards by becoming the official trade partner. As such, EFCI is now calling on all professionals in the industry to book their place at the conference and awards dinner and join them in Barcelona this September.

There are millions of people working in the professional cleaning sector across Europe, many of whom are members of EFCI. They play an essential role in health, wellbeing, image and perception. Amongst this workforce are examples of innovation, excellence and leadership worth celebrating.

Commenting on EFCI’s involvement with the awards, Andreas Lill, director of the Federation said: “The European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards will be a prominent occasion in the professional cleaning sector calendar, recognising innovation and success. It is important for our industry to have an event of this type across Europe as it offers a great opportunity to share best practice and to develop our profession. We are excited to be part of this inaugural event and look forward to seeing many of our members and fellow professionals there, receiving the recognition they so rightly deserve.”

Founded by European Cleaning Journal (ECJ), the high profile awards will take place at the luxury five-star Majestic Hotel in Barcelona, on Thursday September 29, and offers fantastic business

networking opportunities with key influencers, business owners and industry leaders.

The awards will also provide educational prospects with roundtable discussions and a conference - along with excellent opportunities for networking with fellow industry leaders.

Raising standards The European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards will recognise individual success stories, outstanding team efforts and novel approaches towards raising the standards within the professional cleaning industry across Europe.

Awards will be presented in 10 categories: • Best use of technology by contractors in their cleaning programmes • Commitment to and investment in training.

Sponsored by Boma and Greenspeed • Excellence in client/ contractor partnerships • Distributors - excellence in added value initiatives • Sustainability - best practice in implementing principles throughout the business.

Sponsored by INPACS • Workforce - excellence in employee relationships, diversity & inclusion, rewards programmes, etc • Best initiative raising the profile and perception of the professional cleaning sector locally or on a wider level • Groundbreaking technological innovation of the year • Inspirational leader of the year. Sponsored by Truvox International

For full details and to book your place at the European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards day in Barcelona on September 29, visit www.ecj-awards.com Le moment est venu de réserver votre place aux Prix européens de la propreté et de l’hygiène. Prévus à Barcelone le 29 septembre, ils seront également l’occasion d’une conférence.

• Greatest individual contribution to driving up standards of excellence within a cleaning operation • Lifetime achievement award - to be selected by the judging panel. Sponsored by Ceris Burns International Alongside the awards dinner will be a series of round-table discussions and a conference programme during the day of September 29. Worldwide cleaning association ISSA is the education partner.

Conference sessions Trends in customer relationships. Whether you’re a service provider, distributor or manufacturer of products – the nature of customer relationships has evolved significantly in recent years. Nurturing, maintaining and managing those relationships is key to business success. We look at the most important trends and offer an insight into possible developments for the future.

Technology. New smart technologies are affecting every aspect of our lives, and the digital age will inevitably impact on the professional cleaning sector significantly. However,

Jetzt ist es an der Zeit Ihren Platz bei den European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards und der damit verbundenen Konferenz, die in Barcelona, Spanien, am 29. September stattfinden, zu buchen.

it’s all very well having a host of technologies available – the key challenge is selecting the right solutions and using data in a way that brings concrete results to any business. That means better productivity, client/ staff benefits and ultimately higher profitability.

People. No matter how much technology impacts on the cleaning sector, ultimately it is a business based on people.

It employs literally millions of people worldwide. With demographic changes across the world, finding the right people and retaining them is becoming increasingly challenging particularly in an industry which is perceived is being low-skilled and badly paid. We will look at the wider issues concerning employment and workforce and explore future trends and possible solutions for the cleaning sector.

The awards dinner cocktail reception before the ceremony is sponsored by ISSA/INTERCLEAN. For full details and to book your place visit www.ecjawards.com. Or email: awards@ europeancleaningjournal.com

E’ il momento di prenotare il vostro posto per la cerimonia European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards che si terrà a Barcelona il 29 settembre che includerà anche una conferenza.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 13

UPDATE: NETHERLANDS Right the second time Dutch reporter Nico Lemmens continues his discussion of aspects of service management, as developed by Christian Grönroos in his book ‘Service Management and Marketing’.

Grönroos introduced a serviceoriented approach to quality in 1982 with the concept of perceived service quality.

Services are more or less subjectively experienced processes where production and consumption activities take place simultaneously.

Interactions, including a series of moments of truth between the customer and the service provider, occur. What happens in these interactions, so-called buyer-seller interactions or service encounters, will obviously have a critical impact on the perceived service.

Basically, the quality of a service, as customers perceive it, has two dimensions: a technical or outcome dimension and a functional or processrelated dimension.

What customers receive in their interactions with a firm is clearly important to them and their quality evaluation.

However, this is only one quality dimension. In the service literature this is called the outcome quality. Grönroos refers to this as the technical service quality.

Frequently, but not always, this dimension can be measured relatively objectively. Technical quality is by no means the only dimension that determines the customer’s total quality perception. The customer will also be influenced by the way the technical quality has been transferred. Examples of this so-called functional quality are the accessibility of an ATM or a website, the appearance and behaviour of bank staff, the responsiveness of a service Du point de vue du client, la qualité d’un service comporte deux dimensions, l’une technique ou liée au résultat, et l’autre fonctionnelle ou liée au processus. Notre correspondant aux PaysBas Nico Lemmens examine la qualité du service telle qu’elle est perçue.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 14

provider, his ability to correct or compensate mistakes.

There is a remarkable paradox: the delivery of perfect service quality often does not result in a positive quality perception by the customer, because it is seen as normal. A hassle free holiday flight will not often be a topic of conversation with friends and relatives, whereas a flight that was overbooked, and the overbooked economy seat was compensated with a business seat, will be perceived as excellent service. Quick and excellent recovery performance in case of problems is in many cases the most important driver for generating positive service quality perception.

The industrial production quality maxim ‘right the first time’ is not valid in many cases of service quality and should therefore be replaced by the maxim ‘right the second time’. In other words technical service quality is a necessary, but not sufficient prerequisite for generating positive service quality perception. This has consequences for the design and organisation of (service) quality management systems.

Prevention systems should be supplemented with recovery systems. And there is one final consequence: the ultra professional modern service firm should aim at deliberately producing problems, mistakes and complaints in a well measured manner, in order to redress them in an excellent way and by doing so, creating a positive quality perception. Or would this be an absurd conclusion?

Die Qualität einer Dienstleistung, wie sie von Kunden wahrgenommen wird, hat zwei Dimensionen: eine technische oder ergebnisbezogene Dimension und eine funktionale oder verfahrensbezogene Dimension. Nico Lemmens, der NiederlandeKorrespondent des ECJ, untersucht die wahrgenommene Dienstleistungsqualität.

La qualità di un servizio, come viene percepita dai clienti, ha due dimensioni: una dimensione tecnica o risultato e una dimensione funzionale o legata alle procedure. Il corrispondente olandese di ECJ Nico Lemmens prende in esame la qualità del servizio che viene percepita.

UPDATE: UK Making mad May mellow ECJ’s UK reporter Lynn Webster reflects on an intense period of retenders during May. Following an intense time of tenders and retenders for and with clients, along with the focus on catching up after a very successful ISSA/INTERCLEAN, summer is upon us, and we can all enjoy the gifts of newness and possibility that spring has brought us. Or can we?

Mad May for this year is finished; the spring clean of all spring cleans has been a great success. Cleaning and facilities staff on the ground can get on with the job, the job that was carefully specified and re-specified over a period of close consultation and negotiation of price, hours, start dates and service levels. Facilities managers and cleaning managers are free to get on with actually managing their clearly defined contractual roles making their jobs more straightforward, and even fulfilling.

Stakeholders are enjoying a summer of contentment, happy in the knowledge that all is as it should be; that the managers have the situation in hand and their advice and particular needs are rightly integrated within working practices. New working relationships are experiencing a prolonged joyous honeymoon.

Nothing at all is rotten in the state of contract cleaning.

It’s a lovely picture and one that we would all enjoy being a part of. The reality is likely to be very different. Mobilisation of contracts will probably have everyone in a state of exhaustion, with more than the occasional period of panic. Seamless processes are already showing gaping holes and reinterpretation or misinterpretation of contractual requirements seems to be the norm. No one is sure who is responsible for those aspects that keep going wrong, (sales versus operations?) or who to speak to so the problems can Notre reporter au Royaume-Uni Lynn Webster évoque la période chargée que le secteur de la propreté vient de traverser, marquée par les nombreuses soumissions et nouvelles soumissions qui ont eu lieu en mai.

be resolved. Frustration levels are high and rising. The phrase echoing across the industry might well be, “never again”.

Many colleagues will know the second scenario well. Many have developed their expertise based on the “never again” promise, through their own wide ranging experience, learning from their and others’ mistakes, by hearing horror stories at networking events and through their consultancy and advice work with clients in difficulty. Consultancy work relies upon recognising the pitfalls and helping clients to avoid these where possible, or as a minimum, having contingencies in place to tackle them when, not if, they arise. But every consultant would agree it is the array of communicative relationships that underpin every successful contract.

A contract is a concrete statement of complex and difficult to define realities. There are three parties at the forefront and essential to the process: the supplier/service provider, the client and the various stakeholders - all with a vested interest in the cleaning itself.

A few of the key questions need asking well before, during and after Mad May. Who needs to be involved? How and when do they need to be involved? How does their involvement contribute to the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of this process? What means of regular and valuable communication, and between which individuals, need to be established and maintained?

Keep asking the questions, establish relevant channels of communication between those essential individuals from those three parties and who knows, maybe we won’t hear too many cries of, “never again” in the summer of 2017.

Die britische ECJ-Korrespondentin Lynn Webster berichtet über den gerade vergangenen Zeitraum, der für die Reinigungsbranche sehr rege war, denn im Mai werden Angebote und erneute Angebote getätigt.

La reporter del Regno Unito Lynn Webster parla del periodo molto impegnativo che il settore del cleaning ha appena passato, con numerosi appalti e riappalti che hanno avuto luogo in maggio.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 15

UPDATE: FRANCE Town cleanliness label News of a new municipal scheme recognising cleanliness, from ECJ reporter Christian Bouzols.

The municipality of SaintGermain-en-Laye near Paris was one of the first to be awarded the Top Star of the new Éco-propre label rewarding those French cities are committed to achieving lasting improvements in the cleanliness of their public spaces.

Is Saint-Germain-en-Laye a clean town? According to the association of towns for urban cleanliness, this does indeed seem to be the case, along with 35 other municipalities.

As explained by the AVPU, the notion of “lasting” improvements implies that the label aims at recognising the means that have been deployed to reduce dirt (involving equipment, awareness

raising, mediation, coercion, etc) rather than the means used for cleaning public spaces, “even though cleaning remains at the heart of the service”.

In addition to traditional human and visible methods deployed along its streets, the municipality has been developing various approaches to make its citizens more aware of the requirements of cleanliness.

So since 2007 it been using the services of the Vert de Ville association to implement preventative and information policies towards dog owners. Members of this association regularly approach dog owner to emphasise the importance of respecting the

Notre correspondant en France Christian Bouzols évoque le nouveau label Eco-propre qui est décerné aux villes qui s’engagent à améliorer la propreté de leurs espaces publics.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 16

areas in which they walk heir dogs. By acting in this way, they enhance the expectations of the locals in respect of cleanliness.

Making use of new technologies, the municipality has also developed, in conjunction with a specialist startup, a smartphone app aiming at influencing the young. This app is a ‘serious game’ about cleanliness which aims to prompt the right reactions about environmental protection and the sorting of waste.

Some years ago, the municipality came to public notice by becoming the second French commune to put smart dustbins to the test.

These dustbins are smart not only because they send out an SMS message when they’re full, but also because they have an electric motor which comes into operation when the waste has reached a given level, measured by a laser sensor, to compact the contents

Unser Frankreich-Korrespondent Christian Bouzols berichtet über das neue Eco-propre-Zeichen, das Städten verliehen wird, die sich für die Sauberkeit ihrer öffentlichen Bereiche einsetzten.

of the bin. This operation can be carried out automatically up to five times a day. Thus with an initial volume of 120 litres of waste, they can contain up to 600 litres of waste.

Saint-Germain-en-Laye cooperates closely with the AVPU, which it joined in 2011. This has led to the use of Property Goal Indicators to derive a “quantitative assessment of non-cleanliness”.

Council officials regularly inspect a sample of a dozen streets, taking note of their observations concerning various types of litter: papers, packaging, glass, cigarette stubs, dog faeces, chewing-gum, fly tipping, etc. “This also draws our attention either to those areas where things need to be improved, or to the specific kinds of waste on which we need to focus. In particular it enables us to base our communications campaigning on the results of our inspections.

Il corrispondente francese Christian Bouzols ci informa sulla nuova etichetta Eco-propre che viene assegnata alle città che si impegnano a migliorare la pulizia dei loro spazi pubblici.

UPDATE: RUSSIA The Moscow subway was opened in 1935. Today, its 12 lines extend over 333 kilometres between 200 stations covering over one million square meters with 10,000 trains in operation. The capital’s underground is used by seven million passengers per day, including nine million on average on weekdays.

Tendering takes place every year for the stations’ cleaning, cleaning the adjacent territories, and handling waste. The works performed and the sequence they are conducted in are thoroughly recorded in the ‘Cleaning Technical Process’, which the cleaning company’s employees must fulfil.

The majority of the cleaning is done at night, when the cleaners have an opportunity to clean everything in peace and quiet with floor washing machines, remove gum off of the floor, and detach stickers from the walls. Supplementary cleaning is performed during the day as

well. On weekdays, this begins at 8am and continues into rush hour.

The primary job performed in the morning is clearing bigger-sized rubbish: plastic bottles, newspapers, and papers. Starting at 10am, when the level of passengers quietens down, is when the wet cleaning begins:.

Another cleaning session then takes place in the daytime using floor washing machines stocked with cleaning chemicals and sanitising liquids. Starting at 2pm, the cleaners wipe the entrance doors, ticket box counters, turnstiles, and portal corners. Then, starting at 4pm, the evening rush hour.

During this time, the cleaners again begin collecting waste and cleaning the stairs until midnight.

Train car cleaning is completed in several stages: first a run through at a speed of one to two kilometres per hour with a cleaning machine for about 40 minutes followed by sterilisation – a

Oleg Popov, de l’entreprise de propreté Cristanval, décrit l’organisation du nettoyage du métro de Moscou, qui transporte sept millions de passagers par jour et exploite 10 000 rames.

Cleaning Moscow’s metro Oleg Popov of Cristanval in Russia explains how the Moscow underground is cleaned every day. process that kills 95 per cent of bacteria. Using a vandalism fighting film, cleaners are able to rid the walls of the train cars of graffiti.

The cleaners remove advertisements off of the walls, wash the floor, and wipe the handles. Mobile teams also began operating in 2015, manning the cleaning at the final stations of all the lines.

New innovations are constantly introduced in the Moscow subway and tested. For instance, on one line, they launched a three-level quality control system. At the station’s cleaning cabinet, cleaning schedules have appeared in the line transfer halls and around escalators that passengers can use to become familiar with the

Der bei Cristanval tätige Oleg Popov erläutert, wie die Reinigung in der Moskauer U-Bahn, die täglich von 7 Millionen Reisenden benutzt wird und 10.000 Züge in Betrieb hat, organisiert ist.

schedule. The employees of the special commission are required to check three times a day how well the passenger services are operating. On top of that, internet checks are put in place twice a month and external auditing is performed at least once per week.

Experience shows Moscow subway’s passengers are well behaved and don’t actively throw litter. There is rarely waste lying around in the Moscow underground and if somebody leaves a newspaper or a coffee cup on a chair, he will hear about it from the other passengers. When people see that everything around them is clean, they also start to want to maintain the same standard.

Il corrispondente Oleg Popov della Cristanval spiega come viene organizzato il lavoro di pulizie della metropolitana di Mosca che viene utilizzata da sette milioni di passeggeri ogni giorno e ha un totale di 10.000 treni in funzione.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 17

UPDATE: ITALY Tasteful cleaning News of a recent conference on food hygiene in Sorrento from Italian reporter Anna Garbagna.

There will certainly be a follow-up to the initiative in which Afidamp organised a seminar in Sorrento on the sanitisation processes within kitchens. At the end of the event, the association received a diploma of merit awarded by the heads of APCI (Association of Professional Italian Chefs).

During the APCI Congress, Francesco Bertini and Roberto Galli, president and member of AfidampCOM board, raised awareness of the value of cleanliness in a high risk business sector such as catering to an audience of more then 150 chefs from all over Italy.

The chefs’ response was attentive and there was no shortage

of technical questions on how to improve service in order to guarantee better safety to customers, while maintaining the quality and efficiency of equipment.

After a brief description of what Afidamp represents within the Italian association scenario, there was a discussion of the topics around cleaning in critical environments such as kitchens. Today’s kitchens are very different from those of 20 years ago; hygienic pitfalls increase constantly and directly involve the chef’s work and the ability of chefs to supervise those who work there.

The responsibilities which burden the chef’s role are very broad and concern the creation and

L’association italienne de la propreté Afidamp a récemment organisé un séminaire à Sorrente sur le thème de l’hygiène des cuisines. Anna Garbagna en fournit des précisions.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 18

preparation of recipes as well as the checking of sanitisation and quality of service.

The cost of making mistakes is now high because consumers are more demanding about cleanliness. As demonstrated by research commissioned by Afidamp, for the majority of consumers the first indicator of cleanliness of a restaurant is the state of the kitchen, not least because information regarding a public place, especially if negative, circulates very quickly thanks to online forums and social media.

More information, more training and innovation in processes and products: these in short, are AfidampCOM’s answers to solve the critical aspects of cleaning, in restaurants too. Eating well in a clean environment makes the experience more pleasant: cooking and cleaning are two activities with many aspects in common. It

Der Verband der italienischen Reinigungsindustrie Afidamp organisierte vor kurzem ein Seminar in Sorrento zum Thema Küchenhygiene. Ein Bericht von Anna Garbagna.

is in fact impossible to reach levels of excellence in each of the two sectors without a strong passion, constantly updated training and the will to look after other people.

But catering was not the only topic; the seminar also included a session exclusively reserved for the hottest topics in the distribution sector. On the same day, in fact, there was a new appointment with the ‘visiting management’ which was open to distributors, associates and others from Central and South Italy. The idea of a ‘visiting management’ in various Italian regions is part of a wider project aiming to involve local retailers by offering them the opportunity to be in direct contact with the association, to express their needs and to bring forward their ideas and proposals. After Rome, Catania and Sorrento it will not be long before the next leg of this great and interesting initiative.

L’associazione italiana per il settore del cleaning Afidamp ha organizzato di recente a Sorrento un seminario sul tema dell’igiene nelle cucine. Anna Garbagna ci riferisce.

UPDATE: DENMARK Plastic cups, food wrappers, cigarette butts. The music festival season is upon us. Where 50,000 people (festival-goers, volunteers and artists) are gathered every day of a festival, which is the case at the second-largest festival in Denmark, Smukfest, waste follows inevitably in their wake.

Both surveys and festivals that ECJ has spoken to confirm that the amount of waste has grown.

With campsites apparently being in top of the litter league because campers abandon everything from tents, sleeping bags and muddy rubber boots to booze bottles and beer cans when they are done partying.

The Danish music festival organisers, however, seem highly committed to waste handling, and the idea of not only sustainable but also creative solutions is catching on.

At Smukfest a think tank called ‘the Green Room’ was set up in 2012 to come up with sustainable initiatives such as giving leftover food to charity and to guide festival-goers and volunteers in waste handling. Sleeping bags left behind are now sent to refugees on Lesbos. And campers can rent a used tent and get their deposit back when they return it after the festival. Thus creating a counterbalance for a use-and-throwaway culture, partly generated perhaps by the cheap ‘festival camping kit’ you can buy these days. But reward incentives such as clean-up competitions on the campsites also seem necessary to make campers pick up their litter.

The total amount of waste at Smukfest last year was 690 tonnes, costing the festival approximately €200,000 (direct costs) to handle. Added to

Les festivals de musique d’été battent leur plein. Mais la musique n’est pas leur seule préoccupation. Notre correspondante Lotte Printz contemple la gestion des déchets et le comportement du public dans ce domaine au cours des festivals musicaux du Danemark.

Litterbugs and litter heroes ECJ correspondent Lotte Printz takes a look at waste management and litter attitudes at music festivals in Denmark. this, the many hours spend by hundreds of volunteers collecting and separating waste.

‘Trash Talkers’ they call some of the volunteers at another Danish music festival, Northside, because they talk to festival-goers and food stalls about trash and how to handle it. Northside does not have a campsite, but having grown from 5,000 guests to 35,000 guests in just six years means that considerably more waste is being generated on the festival ground.

“But during the same period of time we have also become much more aware of separating and recycling as much waste as

Die Musikfestivals des Sommers sind in vollem Gange. Doch nicht alleine die Musik zählt. Die ECJ-Korrespondentin Lotte Printz betrachtet das Abfallmanagement und die Einstellungen zum Abfall bei Musikfestivals in Dänemark.

possible. So in fact the festival has become far cleaner than when less people were gathered,” says John Fogde, festival spokesman.

The festival provides bins to separate waste for instance and now 60 per cent of all waste is being separated and recycled. This year 60 per cent of the festival’s cutlery, food packaging and other disposables will be biodegradable and can be dropped in organic waste bins. The goal is to become 100 per cent organic and litterfree within three years.

“If you do not work on such issues today, you’re lacking hopelessly behind,” says John Fogde.

I festival estivi sono in pieno svolgimento. Ma la musica non è l’unica cosa che conta. La corrispondente di ECJ Lotte Printz prende in esame l’etica dello smaltimento dei rifiuti e della spazzatura dei festival musicali in Danimarca.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 19

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The wiping revolution Industry is becoming less ‘dirty’ and issues such as health and safety are coming to the fore.

Meanwhile increasing levels of automation mean that electronic equipment is replacing mechanical components. What impact has this had on the wipes and cloths that are used to clean the equipment, surfaces and hands of operatives?

The world has changed dramatically over the past 30 years. Technological advancements have been huge and today’s machines rely far less heavily on mechanics than they used to.

As a result, industrial practices have also altered. Factories and workshops used to be dirty places where oil, grease, paint and other industrial fluids were routinely used and sometimes spilled. Wipes and cloths were therefore needed to mop up these spills as well as to wipe the hands of operatives and clean machine parts. But no-one was willing to invest too heavily in products for carrying out these tasks. So what were their options?

“Thirty years ago most people used cotton rags – sometimes even old underwear – for cleaning,” said Vileda business development director Joerg Dunkel. “Cotton has a high degree of absorbency but its cleaning performance was found to be less effective because rags were unable to remove greasy stains such as fingermarks from surfaces.”

But the story of cleaning wipes begins long before this, says Dunkel. In fact he claims it was Vileda’s parent company the

Freudenberg Group that actually started the market for cleaning wipes more than 60 years ago.

“The Freudenberg Group had a tannery and after World War II the company wanted to develop a form of artificial leather from which to make shoes,” he said. “It produced a non-woven material with a latex coating and called it: ‘Wie Leder’ which means: ‘like leather’ in German.

Not durable enough “However, the product was found to be insufficiently durable for use in shoes - but it was fantastic for streak-free cleaning. This is where the name ‘Vileda’ comes from.”

He says the next generation of nonwoven products was made from a mixture of polyester and cotton. “Polyester added some level of mechanical cleaning action while the cotton was responsible for absorbency,” he said. “Cotton was later replaced by viscose or rayon fibres – and then in the early 1990s came the first splittable microfibre products.”

Vileda was one of the first companies to produce microfibres, says Dunkel.

“This was a big new trend because the improved mechanical cleaning action of microfibre meant that less time and less detergent were required to fulfil the same tasks,” he said.

“Today the focus in industry is on higher productivity which means operatives have to work faster. Microfibre can clean shiny surfaces without the need for wringing and there is no need to dry the surface afterwards.”

He adds while low-cost disposable products are readily available today, cleaning efficiency in some sectors is considered to be more important than cost. “For example microfibres are particularly effective at removing grease from surfaces before applying a coating, and in removing dust from the bodywork of cars before painting,” said Dunkel.

He says cleanroom cleaning is another area where a more expensive, higher-performing product tends to be preferred to

a lower cost, general-purpose alternative.

“Cellulose-based non-wovens are highly absorbent - but they shed particles,” he said. “We offer semi-disposable products that are specially treated and pre-laundered to cleanroom conditions so that any contaminants are removed. These cloths are then dried with filtered air and laser-cut to seal them.”

Among Vileda’s latest wiping products is MicronQuick which Dunkel believes to be the finest split microfibre product on the market. “Each microfibre has been split into 32 segments instead of the usual 16,” he said. “These extra fine fibres enable the cloths to clean more deeply while also improving mechanical resistance by 40 per cent.”

He feels nanofibres could well be next big thing in terms of industrial wiping.

“However these are very expensive and the technology used to make them is not very environmentally-friendly at present,” he adds.

Decitex managing director Nils Riancho says that 20-30 years ago, most wipers in industry tended to be either cotton textiles or non-woven products made from polypropylene or a polyester-viscose mix.

“Their main function was to absorb water because the cleaning efficiency of these products was expected to come from the chemicals that were used in conjunction with them,” said Riancho. “At that time no-one in the industry expected a cloth to be able to perform with the aid of water alone.

Efficiency in use “Today’s textile and paper product manufacturers are seeking to make their products more efficient when in use and not only for functions such as absorbing water or acting as a vehicle for a chemical solution.”

According to Riancho, ergonomics and training have been two of the main drivers in industry over the past 30 years.

“Today’s products need to be designed to make people happy to use them and Continued page 24

June/July 2016 | ECJ |23

WIPES & CLOTHS The wiping revolution (continued) proud of their jobs,” he said. “The industry is still low cost-driven, but price becomes less critical when you can show time-savings, real results and ease of use.

“People are also starting to realise that it is more cost-effective to maintain surfaces regularly instead of carrying out the occasional deep-clean. So they are looking for efficient products that can be used with only a limited amount of chemicals - and they expect their staff to be well trained.”

Decitex offers a range of disposable and semi-disposable microfibre products for surface cleaning. According to Riancho, cotton cloths are a thing of the past and smart textiles are the future. And he believes this will be partly due to more sweeping changes taking place in the world today.

companies traditionally used rags and rental cloths. But many of them are still doing so because this is what they have always used.

“However there are large numbers of end-users who don’t really know what products are out there for them. And when we demonstrate our disposables they are quite eager to try them.”

Industry changes He feels any changes that have occurred in the wipers market tend to reflect changes in industry itself. “Twenty years ago the market was dominated by textiles, but due to the growth of technology industry is much cleaner than it used to be and there is now less dirt to

on electronics in the automotive industry there is still a need for oil and grease – and this needs to be cleaned away.”

Wiping and cleaning products are evolving to fit today’s needs, according to Hellqvist. “Tork Low Lint Cleaning Cloths are an example of a product that has been designed to cater for a changing market,” he said. “These come in a plastic bucket in which you pour your own cleaning agent.

The wipes can then be used on surfaces without leaving behind lint.

These wipes have proved popular in areas such as automotive bodyshops for pre-painting applications, and in the mechanical workshop for cleaning the optical sensors on lathes.”

He says there has been an increasing focus on Five S methodology which determines that there should be a place for everything in the production environment.

He believes this focus will become more significant in years to come.

“However this is just part of the future,” said Hellqvist. “I don’t think rags or textiles will disappear completely: after all we will always have the need for clothes, and it makes sense to turn them into rags when we have finished with them.”

Rags evolving

“The industry has been highly dependent on chemical and water consumption in the past - and actually, it still is,” he said. “A global change has to take place because water is becoming a luxury resource while chemical products are giving rise to multi-resistant bacteria and allergies.

“When using smart textiles, water and chemicals are only employed when they are absolutely needed. Many surfaces can now be cleaned using only a well-designed microfibre cloth and a limited amount of water.”

SCA manufactures paper wipes and nonwoven disposables – a sector that has seen a less dramatic shift over the years according to wiping and cleaning assortment manager Anders Hellqvist. “The industry is evolving, but it isn’t evolving very fast,” he confirmed. “It is true that around 30 years ago most industrial Le marché des lingettes et tissus a connu une évolution spectaculaire ces 30 dernières années.

Les industries sont devenues moins « sales » et plus axées sur la technologie car elles ont substitué des produits sophistiqués tels que des lingettes en non-tissés et des tissus en microfibres aux chiffons, tricots, et tissus lavés traditionnels. Des fabricants s’entretiennent avec ECJ de la révolution de l’essuyage et de leurs produits les plus récents pour répondre aux exigences de ce domaine.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 24

remove,” he said. “In the print industry, for example, printing machines used to have to be cleaned by hand with the aid of rags or rental cloths whereas today’s machines are more or less self-cleaning.

“There are also more cleanrooms today and more screens to be cleaned.

This has led to a greater demand for low-linting products while the market for microfibre products is also growing because these provide a good finish on screens.”

However he adds that there is still a significant number of ‘dirty’ industries in which traditional products are required.

“This is the case in mechanical workshops and the metalworking sector, for example,” said Hellqvist. “And also, while there is a much greater reliance Der Markt für Wischtücher und Tücher hat sich im Lauf der letzten 30 Jahre drastisch verändert. Die Industrien sind weniger „schmutzig“ und verstärkt technologiebasiert, während fortschrittliche Produkte, wie etwa Vlieswischtücher und Mikrofasertücher, die herkömmlichen Lappen, Trikot und gewaschenen Tücher der Vergangenheit ersetzt haben. Hersteller sprechen mit dem ECJ über die Revolution beim Wischen und heben ihre modernsten Produkte hervor, um mit den völlig neuen Herausforderungen beim Wischen von heute fertig zu werden.

Meanwhile the rag market has also been evolving. “Over the past five to 10 years, an increasing numbers of firms have been offering rags that are cut to a uniform size,” he said. “These are then delivered in boxes in a similar format to the way in which disposables are packed. But these pre-cut rags come at a cost - and even if they are all the same size and shape, they will not necessarily all be of the same thickness or degree of absorbency.”

And he believes the market for non-wovens will grow over the next 20-30 years.

“We will also see a growing use of more specialist products,” he said. “Non-wovens can solve everything as a category, but there is no one non-woven that can cover all your cleaning needs. So there will be an increasing market for more specialist products that may be particularly lowlinting, anti-static, very strong or highly effective at absorbing oil, for example.”

Il mercato dei panni e degli strofinacci è cambiato moltissimo negli ultimi 30 anni. Le aziende sono diventate meno “sporche” e più basate sulla tecnologia mentre prodotti sofisticati come i panni in non-tessuto e panni in microfibra hanno rimpiazzato gli stracci tradizionali, il tessuto jersey e i panni da lavare di ieri. I produttori raccontano a ECJ la rivoluzione dei panni per pulire ed evidenziano i loro prodotti più all’avanguardia per le sfide completamente nuove delle pulizie di oggi.

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PRODUCTS: WIPES & CLOTHS Wet wipes

Long squeegees

Athea Laboratories offers a selection of stock wet wipes available for private label. These range from a multi-purpose hand towel to a stainless steel cleaner wipe.

The company has in-house chemists, regulatory, and development staff to help bring your own formula to market. www.athea.com

Ramon Hygiene Products has launched its Contract range of cloths and scourers, specifically designed for the janitorial and contract cleaning market.

The new line consists of a 10 pack microfibre cloth which is designed for removing grease, dust, dirt and bacteria; and 50 semi disposable all-purpose cloths which can be used wet or dry and are suitable for wiping surfaces or dusting. There is also a boxed roll of all-purpose cloths which are supplied in a colour coded box with 200 sheets of antibacterial cloth per roll. All are colour-coded.

Also new are a 10 pack scouring pad and a 10 pack sponge scourer under the ‘Ramon Contract’ brand. www.ramonhygiene.co.uk

• Athea Laboratories propose des lingettes humides à commercialiser sous marque privée.

• Ramon Hygiene a lancé la gamme Contract de tissus et de tampons à récurer.

• SCA affirme que des gains d’efficacité et des économies peuvent être réalisés en passant des chiffons aux tissus jetables.

• Chicopee a lancé le tissu de nettoyage de cuisine Lavette Super sous un nouveau conditionnement.

• Harrison Wipes propose des lingettes humides en différents matériaux non tissés, ainsi que des distributeurs.

• Athea Laboratories bietet Feuchttücher als Handelsmarke.

• Ramon Hygiene hat die Produktreihe Contract mit Wischtüchern und Scheuerschwämmen vorgestellt, die für den Vertragsreinigungsmarkt konzipiert wurden.

• Laut Angaben von SCA lassen sich durch einen Wechsel von Lappen zu Einweg-Wischtüchern die Effizienz verbessern und die Kosten senken.

• Chicopee hat die Küchenreinigungstücher Lavette Super in einer neuen Packungsgröße vorgestellt.

• Harrison Wipes bietet Wischtücher aus verschiedenen Vliesmaterialien sowie Spender.

• La Athea Laboratories propone panni imbevuti per marche private.

• La Ramon Hygiene ha lanciato la gamma di panni e spugnette Contract progettate per il mercato del cleaning professionale.

• La SCA afferma che l’efficienza può essere migliorata e i costi possono essere abbattuti passando dagli stracci ai panni monouso.

• La Chicopee ha lanciato i panni per le pulizie Lavette Super kitchen in una confezione di nuove dimensioni.

• La Harrison Wipes propone panni in diversi materiali non tessuto e dei dispenser.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 26

Cost benefits

Efficiency can be improved and costs reduced by switching from rags to disposables, claims SCA. And it says using Tork Heavy Duty Cleaning Cloth in factories and workshops can reduce solvent use by up to 41 per cent.

This cloth is absorbent, thick and durable says SCA. It can be used for hard scrubbing without falling apart, working with most solvents. And it will remove oil, grease, water and stubborn spots while protecting the hands from heat and metal scraps.

Also in the range is Tork Industrial Heavy Duty Cleaning Cloth which is designed for the toughest of cleaning and degreasing tasks. Both cloths fit in the Tork Folded Wiper/

Cloth Dispenser that protects the cloths from dirt and offers one-at-a time dispensing to reduce consumption. www.sca.com

Surface tool Chicopee has launched its Lavette Super hygienic kitchen cleaning cloth is a new convenient pack size. It now comes in 10-sheet packs in addition to the standard 25-sheet packs.

Offering antibacterial properties, Lavette Super is safe and hygienic to use in direct contact with dry, moist or non-greasy foodstuffs. It is approved for Food Contact Clearance (FCC) by the German test institute ISEGA. Thanks to its easy rinse design and large apertures the multipurpose Lavette Super is quick drying and still highly absorbent, says Chicopee. It also claims reduced odour build-up versus traditional cloths.

Suitable for use with multiple cleaning agents or disinfectants and available in five colours. www.chicopeesolutions.com

Many materials Harrison Wipes offers wiping solutions for many applications. The range covers wipes in different non-woven materials covering tasks from oil and grease absorption to critical area cleaning and technical wiping where low-linting is essential.

For handy dispensing there is the Easi-Wipes Correx dispenser box, made from polyflute plastic.

The box can be refilled with different weights of interfolded wipe available in a refill bag saving the cost of replacement boxes. It’s splash-proof, easy to transport with its carrying handle and it protects the wipes from the external environment. www.harrisonwipes.co.uk

ROBOTICS

The rise of the robots?

Robots are gradually beginning to infiltrate the cleaning industry.

But is it ready for them? And will they ever replace people? Robot manufacturers and contract cleaning companies speak frankly to Ann Laffeaty.

“There is a fundamental need within the cleaning industry to educate people on the use of robotics and eliminate this fear factor.”

Robots used to be the stuff of science fiction. So much so that the idea of using them in our daily lives once seemed absurd. Yet here they are.

Automated machines have already proved their worth in the automotive, mining and military sectors. They are a relatively recent phenomenon in the cleaning industry with Diversey and ICE being among the early pioneers.

Since Diversey acquired Intellibot in 2015 the company now has three cleaning ‘robots’ – two scrubbers and a vacuum.

And the demand for robots is increasing fast according to Diversey’s global marketing machine leader Laurent Ryssen.

“There are already hundreds of Intellibots working successfully across retail, transport, commercial and hospital locations,” he said. “We predict that the market will continue to grow exponentially.”

The advantages of robots include costsavings and consistency, he says. “They also solve the problem of having to spend precious days repeatedly training cleaning operators who then may leave relatively quickly,” said Ryssen. “An Intellibot is for life rather than until a slightly better job offer comes along.”

However he admits to some limitations with the technology. “A robot is a robot just like a computer is a computer - it follows human instructions,” he said. “If you don’t configure it correctly it won’t optimise your cleaning task. And a robot will not clean under chairs nor move objects as a cleaning operator should.”

ICE is another supplier at the forefront of the cleaning robot industry. The company has been developing automated machines for seven years and now has two models: the Robo 40 scrubber dryer aimed at open spaces, sports halls and shopping centres, and the Robo 2. This uses mapping and laser technology to clean complex environments.

“Costly night shifts and unsociable hours can make staffing difficult and use a great deal of unproductive management time,” says chairman Darren Marston.

“But robotic equipment allows cleaning to take place at any time - day or night.

Robots can also remain operational without intervention for longer periods which maximises the cleaning company’s return on investment.”

He says drawbacks of robots are generally held to be their battery life, water tank capacity and their inability to clean right up to edges. “However the Robo 2 has a battery life and tank capacity of three hours and can clean to the edges of walls, aisles and obstacles,” he said.

Conservative culture Automation has been slow to develop within the cleaning industry according to Marston. “Fundamentally it has been a cost issue: finding those pioneers who are prepared to dig deep in order to develop is difficult,” he said.

“Then there is the culture. One cannot underestimate the: ‘we’ve always done it this way’ factor. When you combine that with the requirement for middlemanagement to make brave decisions about potential changes in methodology it becomes clear that this is not an easy path.

“But we don’t have far to look to see how robotics are employed in other industries and workplaces. Car manufacturers have been using robotics for decades, for example.”

Kärcher is also looking into the field of cleaning robots and managing director for professional channels Markus Asch believes they will have an increasing impact in the years ahead.

“Our industry needs to adopt a positive approach to new technologies because they open up many possibilities,” he said.

“For example, they can help cleaning contractors find solutions to challenges such as personnel shortages. And autonomous machines allow consumables and detergents to be optimally matched to cleaning requirements, leading to improved economic efficiency.”

He adds that robots are not suitable for Continued page 29

June/July 2016 | ECJ |27

ROBOTICS The rise of the robots? (continued) every commercial cleaning task. “They will support cleaning contractors and ensure synergy effects, but only in certain areas and with clearly defined roles,” he said. “For example, they work most effectively in large areas with a simple layout and few obstacles, such as warehouses.”

Head of standards and solutions cleaning at service provider OCS Yvonne Taylor says her company has been using aerobots, duobots and hydrobots successfully in the retail, aviation and education sectors for years. She claims they improve both productivity and efficiency. “Where robots are used, staff time can be freed up to carry out important tasks that require more skill,” she said. “Instead of a person sitting on a scrubber dryer for hours

in long, straight corridors that have fixed features such as a hospital corridor lined with chairs,” she said. “But they work less well in corridors with curves, or where items such as hospital trolleys are likely to appear suddenly. These disturb the robot’s sensors.”

Such operational problems can often be overcome through a dialogue between the customer and the supplier, according to Taylor.

“For example, OCS’s supplier had an object recognition problem on a contract with a leading food retailer,” she said.

“The robots were set to clean at night when the shelves were being stacked but if a shelf were completely empty,

vider Servest uses a robot named Brian for cleaning tasks. Brian is based on ICE’s Robo 2 machine.

“A colleague and I flew to Switzerland two years ago to take a look at the latest tech on offer,” said the company’s facilities management managing director Vince Treadgold. “Brian was a scrubber dryer with the ability to learn and respond to the cleaning needs of its environment. It piqued our interest and we bought the first available model straight off the production line. No-one else was innovating in this way so we felt it would set us apart.”

Servest worked with ICE for a year to find and fix any faults with the robot.

“Sometimes interference from devices such as hand-held scanners would cause Brian to get lost,” said Treadgold. “Since working with ICE to rectify the issues we’ve had no real problems.”

He expected some reservations from his company’s clients, however. “We thought they might have concerns over safety and quality,” he said. “But thanks to an open dialogue throughout the development stage, they embraced Brian from the day he arrived because he was different, exciting and made life easier.”

Industry-changing

the robot could no longer identify its boundaries. The robot manufacturer combatted this by moving the sensors further down the robot to allow it to identify the fixed kick rails.”

Managing director of ductwork specialist Bright Hygiene Francesca Smith says her company uses robots for cleaning ventilation shafts. “These contain mainly dust particulates and the robotic rotary brush agitates the surface of the shaft,” she said. “If you use a withdrawal method such as a good vacuum-type Slow acceptance high efficiency particulate air system, However, she admits that management and then robotics work well.” staff can be slow to accept the technology.

She says Bright Hygiene has also “Managers are reluctant to propose robots to trialled robot duct cleaning system clients since they represent a significant infor grease extraction. “However there vestment,” she said. “We need more evidence isn’t an efficient withdrawal method of robot success so that managers feel confi- for the grease or chemicals and these dent in proposing them as a resource that will robotic tools have been known to flood add long-term value.” systems,” she said. “Nothing works on She agrees with Ryssen that robots are un- grease extract as well as hard work and able to clean beneath doors or around corners elbow grease.”

Leading facilities management proas effectively as a human. “Robots work well

they could be carrying out high or low-level dusting, for example. Or they could be taking part in training, creating a multi-skilled team that benefits from added job satisfaction.”

She says robots reduce the risk of damage to property. “Once the building schematics are programmed into a robot it will not collide with fixed structures whereas people using mechanical equipment are prone to human error,” she said. “And unlike humans, robots are not subject to illness or injury so they remove the challenge of staff absence.”

He says the use of robots will change the industry as we know it. “In the past robots were unable to facilitate areas of larger than 30 square feet, but that is no longer the case,” he said. “This particular tech is workable in most industries including retail, warehouse and factory. The robot can read all sorts of environments regardless of size and physical infrastructure.”

And the robots of the future will bring even more to the table, says Treadgold.

“It won’t be long before these intelligent pieces of equipment are able to interact with big data,” he said. “This will enable us to measure efficiency because the machines will tell us how long it takes to clean an area and which route is the most resourceful – and this will allow us to improve our overall service. We will know the best and worst times to clean an environment and have the necessary insight to confidently change cleaning rotas and make a positive difference.”

He says this interface with data will also allow cleaning companies to monitor footfall in washrooms. “This technology will help us to understand how we can better prioritise and organise our rotas,” he said.

“Machines are becoming highly intelligent and will soon be able to converse with the Internet of Things - telling us exactly Continued page 30

June/July 2016 | ECJ |29

ROBOTICS The rise of the robots? (continued) what we need to do to make the best of every environment.”

But the 64 million dollar question is: will robots ever replace people?

“Robots are capable of improving quality across the board - but only when used by the right people in the right way,” said Treadgold. “Robotics will transform the cleaning industry, but not at the expense of jobs. Machines break down. Machines can’t clean edges. Machines can’t think for themselves - we can only programme to ‘think’ in a certain way and there will be times when people need to fill the blanks.

“Machines like Brian can do routine cleaning while leaving people to perfect the corners and the edges - areas that would otherwise take up huge amounts of time. The challenge is ensuring that cleanNous assistons aujourd’hui à l’introduction d’un nombre croissant de robots de nettoyage, car plusieurs modèles d’autolaveuse robotique sont apparus sur le marché. Toutefois, le marché est-il prêt pour les recevoir ? Et ces engins vont-ils pouvoir remplacer des opérateurs humains ? Nous enregistrons l’avis de fabricants de robots et de prestataires de services de propreté.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 30

ing teams are taught how to use this complicated technology and are properly trained to use robots. Automated machines will then work alongside us and make our lives easier, freeing up our time to allow us to concentrate on the finer details.”

Yvonne Taylor from OCS points out: “As yet robots cannot repair robots - and they don’t have the attention to detail, specialist skills or pride in their job that characterises humans. For this reason, robots will never eliminate the need for people.”

People always needed Diversey’s Laurent Ryssen agrees that humans will remain central to professional cleaning. “If you look at other examples such as robotic arms used in surgery or military robots, it is immediately evident Gegenwärtig werden weitere Reinigungsroboter vorgestellt und einige Scheuersaugmaschinenmodelle sind jetzt am Markt erhältlich. Aber ist der Markt bereit dafür? Und werden sie Menschen jemals ersetzen? Roboterhersteller und Reinigungsdienstleister teilen uns ihre Meinungen mit.

that the best success is achieved by humans and robots collaborating together,” he said.

And Kärcher’s Markus Asch adds: “Just think of areas crammed with furniture, or hygiene-critical sanitary areas. Even stateof-the-art technologies cannot replicate the efficiency of an expert cleaner.”

ICE’s Darren Marston has the last word.

“There has long been a fear that machines will replace people, but there will absolutely always be a need for people as well,” he said. “Robotic machines will make it possible for people to carry out other tasks and will only enhance the cleaning sector.

“There is a fundamental need within the cleaning industry to educate people on the use of robotics and eliminate this fear factor.”

Attualmente stiamo vedendo il lancio di numerosi robot di pulizia, con parecchi modelli di lavasciuga pavimenti ora disponibili sul mercato. Ma il mercato è pronto per questi robot? E rimpiazzeranno mai le persone? I produttori di robot e i fornitori di servizi di pulizia esprimono la loro opinione.

International Trade Show for Cleaning and Hygiene in Eurasia

Your gateway to one of the most vibrant cleaning markets in the world    

A dedicated one-stop platform for professionals Network with key buyers from Turkey, Middle East and Northern Africa Get educated in doing business in the region Conference Program organised by ISSA and TESHIAD

Organised by:

In association with:

Supported by:

www.issainterclean.com

CHEMICAL DISPENSING

Is smart always best?

As a growing number of companies use technology to enhance their dosing systems, is there still a place for traditional chemical dispensing? Or are ‘intelligent’ systems becoming the rule rather than the exception?

Ann Laffeaty finds out.

dispensing director Michael Bertucci.

“Everything happens seamlessly and automatically and there is no requirement for on-site tipping. And when used correctly, J-flex virtually eliminates any risk of operator exposure to concentrate.” The J-flex system also features intuitive, easyto-use operation that reduces the need for training, according to Bertucci.

He adds that the concentrate is tightly sealed inside the dispenser via a cap that has been welded to the bottle. “This further reduces any likelihood of staff coming into contact with it,” he said.

Bertucci believes there to be an increasing move towards the use of smart chemical dispensing systems that reduce the risk of mistakes made by the operator.

“Technologies that reduce human error are a new product thrust for us at Diversey Care,” he said.

Even more high-tech

So-called ‘smart’ dispensing systems are increasingly finding their way on to the market in the cleaning industry. Chemicals that are mixed electronically to precise dilution rates have the benefit of removing any need for decision-making on the part of the operator. They also take much of the guesswork and error out of chemical dosing while minimising the risk of spills and preventing the cleaner from having to come into contact with undiluted product – something that might pose a safety hazard.

In fact in today’s high-tech environment, chemical dosing appears to be becoming smarter all the time. Diversey Care’s J-flex for example is a smart proportioning system that mixes dilution rates automatically and takes out the need for human calculations.

“This helps to improve accuracy and reduces the risk of over-consumption and waste,” says the company’s dosing and

He feels dispensing systems will become even more high-tech in the future.

“We are continuously developing ways to come up with smarter systems that are both meaningful and beneficial to our customers,” he said. “And this, in part, can be achieved through the increased use of sensors for diagnostic and consumption measures.”

Brightwell Dispensers offers the Eco Range of proportioners and manual dosing solutions. These enable users to dilute up to five chemicals in high and low applications from the same system.

All proportioners in the range have been developed using Brightwell Dispensers’ patented dilution pin technology which eliminates the need for metering tips, according to the company’s Lesley McKenna.

The ‘wheel’ design of the system allows users to select up to 13 distinct dilution ratios per chemical.

“Chemical dispensing systems such as the Eco Range are safer for the end-user because all contact with the chemical is virtually eliminated,” said McKenna.

“Meanwhile our secure chemical cabinets ensure all chemicals are locked safely

away and are safe from any risk of tampering or pilferage.”

Eco Range accessories include multilingual, colour-coded chemical pictograms that are designed to aid easy identification of the correct cleaning solution and application, says McKenna. “These pictograms can be applied around the intuitive fourdial product selector to indicate to users which chemical they should dispense depending on the desired use,” she said.

Like Bertucci she believes there to be an increasing move towards the use of smart systems that reduce the risk of operator error. “Enhanced user safety and the accurate dilution ratios offered by today’s chemical dispensing systems are paramount to achieving optimal health and safety conditions stipulated by today’s standards,” she said. “Modern systems such as the Eco Range are intuitive to use and are built with the user in mind.”

She feels that the future is in smart systems rather than the ‘glug-glug’ methods of the past. “The popularity of chemical dispensing systems has increased over recent years due to their cost-saving and user-friendly benefits,” she said. “The dilution of chemicals on site also reduces packaging and storage costs as well as transport and shipping expenses.

“Furthermore user safety is increased when compared with glug-glug methods because handling and chemicals management are carried out in a manner that protects the user from excessive exposure to chemicals. For example, reduced contact with bulky containers will help to reduce accidental spills and injuries.”

Inaccurate dosing She claims inaccurate dosing can be a major issue in high-risk areas such as healthcare. “Misdosing is caused when the ratio of chemical concentrate to water is not precisely measured, and in a hospital this can adversely affect the facility’s ability to combat the spread of infection and bacteria,” she said.

“One of the greatest benefits of chemiContinued page 34

June/July 2016 | ECJ |33

CHEMICAL DISPENSING Are systems getting smarter? (continued) cal dilution systems lies in their accurate dosing properties. Dilution ratios can be set for a specific purpose and this removes the need for guesswork while keeping chemical waste to a minimum.”

According to McKenna, the most exciting opportunities for the future of chemical dosing lie in electronics. “Who would have thought 20 years ago that we would all have an extremely powerful computer in our pockets?” she said. “The rise of smartphones and related technologies means the monitoring, control and operation of future chemical dosing systems are very likely to be achieved through the everyday electronic gadgets we carry around with us.

Mechanics still crucial “This will mean real-time status-monitoring, data-capture, maintenance logs, usage reports and statistical data analysis are all likely to feature as important attributes within our future product ranges.”

Dispensing system technology is in continuous development according to Alistair Blair-Davies, global brand and marketing communications director of Hydro Systems. “However we have not yet seen any requirement from our customers for further technological developments other than in the laundry sector,” he said.

The company’s EvoClean venturi laundry system uses market-driven software to provide chemical manufacturers and their customers with data on issues such as proof of delivery and temperature validation.

Blair-Davies says that while smart systems are coming on stream in the dosing sector, mechanical developments remain important. “For example our EvoDose dilution system, from our traditional mechanical range of products, incorporates patented technology such as the Quad Diverter Valve to eradicate chemical carry-over and AccuPro technology to overcome the ‘leaning out’ of chemical delivery at higher water pressures – something that many dilution systems suffer from,” he said.

“Both are mechanical developments but they address two predominant issues that chemical manufacturers face in providing their customers with chemicals.”

He feels that certain issues - such as Alors que les entreprises se tournent de plus en plus vers la technologie pour améliorer leurs systèmes, reste-t-il une place pour le dosage chimique traditionnel ? Les systèmes intelligents libérant l’opérateur de la nécessité de prendre des décisions sont-ils devenus la règle plutôt que l’exception ? ECJ cherche à le savoir.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 34

chemical compatibility and the handling of particularly viscous products – cannot be solved via technological solutions. “These types of issues can only be addressed by improving the mechanical design and performance of systems,” he says.

And according to Blair-Davies, smart systems are not without their pitfalls.

“Any new technology is likely to cause errors in its infancy – though continued development and use are likely to iron these out over time,” he said. “The main disadvantage of smarter systems is the additional cost.”

Ecolab’s European marketing communications manager Alex Crampton agrees with the consensus that dispensing systems will become even more high-tech in the future. “Smart systems are becoming smarter every day,” he said. “The cost of electronics is continuing to drop and as it does, it becomes more economical to add more sensors or to use new types of sensors in dispensing systems.”

Ecolab launched its Apex dispensing equipment for dishwashing in 2014. This uses electronics to ensure accurate dosage while monitoring for out-of-product situations. It also uses sensors to ensure the entire system is working optimally.

“Apex products and dispensing equipment are designed to be foolproof by incorporating colour and shape coding,” said Crampton. “Each block has the same colour as the appropriate dispenser while the opening in which the product is inserted has the same shape as the correct product.”

Cost justified?

He says dispensing systems have been relatively smart in the dishwashing sector for some time. “However there is an increasing trend to make them smarter,” he said. “Earlier systems typically used to offer nothing more than the controlled, automatic dosing of products plus an out-of-product alarm to alert users when a refill was necessary.

“Apex takes things further by using monitoring and reporting to ensure that the whole dishwash process is optimised, not just the product dosage.”

He feels that today’s increasingly smart systems are at least as reliable as mechanical alternatives.

Da Unternehmen sich in zunehmendem Maße auf Technologie verlassen, um ihre Systeme zu verbessern, gibt es noch einen Platz für herkömmliche Chemikaliendosiersysteme? Werden „intelligente“ Systeme, die jeglichen Entscheidungsbedarf von Seiten des Bedieners überflüssig machen, zur Regel, statt die Ausnahme zu sein? Das ECJ erfährt Näheres.

“With the abundance of high quality electronics in the world today it is relatively easy to develop a robust electronic dispensing system that can rival simpler systems in terms of accuracy, lifetime and failure rates,” he said. “Furthermore standards and customer expectations are such that electronic systems should, and usually are, tested to the same standards as mechanical systems.”

So the general feeling is that the future of chemical dispensing lies in smarter systems. Does this mean there will no longer be a need for more traditional dosing options? Diversey Care’s Michael Bertucci believes there is room for both types in the market – but adds his own company is experiencing an increasing transition towards smarter alternatives.

“This is due to the benefits that smart systems offer to operators such as ease of use, sustainability, the reduction in waste and the increase in safety,” he said. “It’s a fact that glug-glug methods increase the risk of over-use, spillage and waste.”

Brightwell Dispensers’ Lesley McKenna is more ambivalent on the topic. “Depending on business needs, the environment in question and the installation space, customers’ needs will vary,” she said.

“Let’s take the case of water pressure for example. An environment with limited water pressure would be more suited to a manual dosing system whereas a venturi system will automatically dispense a ready-to-use cleaning solution when connected to a water main.

“The key is for customers to work with suppliers that can offer a range of solutions to cater to all needs.”

And Hydro Systems’ Blair-Davies takes a pragmatic view. “I believe there is a place for both smart systems and traditional dispensers - but this is highly dependent on the application and the type of dispenser,” he said. “The final decision will mainly come down to cost vs performance requirements.

“Chemical manufacturers are keen to keep down the cost of the dispensing systems they supply, but the use of smart systems would necessarily see an increase in dispenser cost as components are added. So it may be that smart dispensers will only be used where their requirement justifies the additional cost.”

Mentre le imprese si avvalgono sempre di più della tecnologia per migliorare i loro sistemi, ci si chiede se c’è ancora posto per l’erogazione tradizionale di prodotti chimici? I sistemi “intelligenti” che eliminano la necessità di prendere qualsiasi decisione da parte dell’operatore stanno diventando la norma piuttosto che l’eccezione? ECJ cerca di scoprirlo.

PRODUCTS: CHEMICAL DISPENSING

Four at once Brightwell’s Ecomulti chemical dilution system can dilute up to four products from one unit. This is a flexible solution allowing chemical cabinets to be installed on either side of the dispenser, with an alternative option of delivering chemical from hanging brackets.

Accessories like this, the company says, promote health and safety in the workplace as

they securely lock away concentrates. Other options include multilingual pictograms.

The innovative wheel design, says Brightwell, eliminates the need for cumbersome metering tips - enabling installers to select up to 13 independent dilution

ratios per chemical. www.brightwell.co.uk

Plug and spray Green Care Professional Quick & Easy is a portable, mobile and automatic dosing system for cleaning chemicals from Werner & Mertz. It was the winner of an Amsterdam Innovation Award during the ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam exhibition recently, in the category Equipment/Tools for Cleaning, Care and Safety.

Needing no installation, maintenance or instruction, the Quick & Easy system consists of one foam head and five cleaning concentrates that cover most

everyday cleaning tasks, says the company. The operator plugs in the relevant concentrate cartridge to the foam head for easy foaming of all surfaces. Dilution happens directly and automatically while foam spraying is taking place. www.wmprof.com

Adjustable foam CLEANLine is the new generation of cleaning sprayers from SOLO. At the heart of the range is varioFOAM, which allows the user to adjust foam quality by twisting a large, easy-to-operate dial. Foam moisture can be adjusted continuously without switching any components.

The two hand-held pressure sprayers 301-FA and 301-FB have a capacity of 1.25 litres.

The FA model is suitable for acidic, oil and solutions containing solvents, while the FB unit can be used with alkaline cleaning agents and disinfectants. www.solo-germany.com

¥ Le nouveau dispositif Ecomulti de Brightwell Dispenser permet de gŽrer la dilution de jusqu’ˆ quatre produits chimiques dŽbitŽs par un seul distributeur. ¥ Le syst•me Quick & Easy de Werner & Mertz est un dispositif portable, mobile et automatique de dosage chimique. ¥ Solo, un spŽcialiste des pulvŽrisateurs en mati•re plastique, a lancŽ une gamme d’Žquipements de nettoyage et de dŽsinfection. ¥ Der neue Ecomulti von Brightwell Dispensers ermšglicht die VerdŸnnung von bis zu vier Reinigungschemikalien aus einem Spender. ¥ Beim Quick & Easy-System von Werner & Mertz handelt es sich um ein tragbares, mobiles und automatisches Chemikaliendosiersystem. ¥ Solo, der Spezialist fŸr PlastiksprŸhgerŠte, hat eine Produktreihe mit Reinigungs- und DesinfektionsgerŠten vorgestellt. ¥ Il nuovo prodotto Ecomulti della Brightwell Dispensers offre il modo di diluire fino a quattro prodotti chimici con un unico dispenser. ¥ Il sistema Quick & Easy della Werner & Mertz • un sistema automatico mobile e portatile di dosaggio di prodotti chimici. ¥ La Solo, specializzata in spruzzatori in plastica, ha introdotto una gamma di attrezzi per la pulizia e la disinfezione.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 35

PRODUCTS: CHEMICAL DISPENSING

• Seko, un spécialiste des systèmes de dosage et de distribution, a lancé la Sekure Series.

• Le système de contrôle de la dilution Smart Mix Pro de Diversey Care prend la forme d’un instrument de poche.

Easy to use

• Seko, der Spezialist für Chemikaliendosier- und -spendersysteme, hat die Produktreihe Sekure Series vorgestellt.

• Das Verdünnungsregelungssystem Smart Mix Pro von Diversey Care bietet Verdünnungsregelung in einem Beutel.

• La Seko, specializzata in sistemi di dosaggio ed erogazione di prodotti chimici, ha lanciato Sekure Series.

• Il Sistema di controllo delle diluizioni Smart Mix Pro prodotto dalla Diversey Care offre il controllo delle diluizioni in una cartuccia.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 36

New from Seko is the Sekure series of chemical dosing and dispensing solutions, designed with ease of installation, ease of use and robust operation (units are made of ABS and feature locking door panels) in mind.

The range is comprised of SekureMax, an evolutionary chemical dispensing cabinet and

SekureDose, a simple all-in-one lockable dosing station. Both systems are modular, can be easily fixed to a wall and feature high levels of customisation with large areas for communication or brand promotion.

When used together with the ProMax range of dispensers SekureMax can be extended from a single dispensing point to a multi chemical station without the need for extra tools.

It can accommodate multiple formats and comes with a tube lance that ensures chemical is drawn up from the bottom of the container.

SekureDose offers built-in dosing and chemical containment in a single unit and comes in formats to dose into buckets, bottles or sinks - without the need for a water supply.

Features include a lock-out mechanism to avoid over-consumption and a stroke regulator to manage six dosing settings from five cc to 30 cc. www.seko-group.com

For small sites Featuring a patented dilution control technology using a sealed inner pouch and a simple mixing system, the Smart Mix Pro dilution control platform from Diversey Care is available in a range of professional grade cleaners and disinfectants - two of them certified EU Ecolabel.

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BIOFILMS

Biofilms - should we worry?

Biofilms are everywhere. They are highly resilient; hard to remove and implicated in a staggering 80 per cent of infections. But what exactly are they? Are cleaners aware of the dangers they pose?

And should we be scared?

“The challenge for biofilm removal is a battle against nature. Biofilms are complex organisms that have efficient mechanisms for attachment and for survival on surfaces. Inappropriatelydesigned surfaces can actually aid biofilm formation.”

It is the news that none of us wanted to hear: bacteria are becoming organised. We like to think of them as unsophisticated forms of life that are easy to kill with antibacterial products. But we have now come to realise they are banding together to form colonies.

It may sound like the stuff of science fiction. But biofilms are a real threat – one that is implicated in 80 per cent of infections according to experts. But alarmingly, few of us have heard of them.

A biofilm may develop on any surface that has been exposed to both bacteria and water. Biofilms can be formed by a single bacteria species but usually consist of many different types along with fungi, algae, protozoa and debris. They are bound together in a thick, gluey substance that can adhere to a range of surfaces including metals, plastics, soil and biological tissue.

Biofilms grow inside water and sewage pipes and thrive in the moist, warm environment of the shower. Food preparation areas are likely to harbour biofilms on floors and surfaces. They grow on rocks at the bottom of rivers and adhere to boat hulls. They even form in our mouths: dental plaque is a biofilm.

Increasingly advanced microscopes have led to a new awareness of the biofilm’s impact on the environment, industry and human health. But do cleaners understand the risks they pose and the need for removing them? And are chemical companies making products that can combat them?

High risk areas Biofilms are not a new phenomenon but they are a major problem according to Dr Schnell Chemie’s marketing executive Franz Felbermeir. “This is particularly the case in high risk areas such as care homes and hospitals,” he said. “Biofilms are a major issue in diluting stations and spray bottles and it is not easy to remove them – particularly from surfaces made from plastic or rubber.”

He says biofilms are forming at increas-

ing rates in hospital ICU and haematology units. “These areas are an important focus: especially when immune-suppressive people come into contact with them,” he said.

High concentration Dr Schnell Chemie offers a range of products that can tackle biofilms. “The key is a level mixture with a high concentration of active ingredients such as enzymes, peroxides, surfactants and chlorine,” he said.

A combination of chemical, thermal and mechanical action provides the best solution for removing biofilms according to Felbermeir. “But mechanical treatment cannot be provided in all situations and while disinfectants destroy microorganisms, it is difficult for active ingredients to attack the bacteria due to the polysaccharide and protein matrix of biofilms.”

He adds that the best way of addressing the problem is to prevent biofilms from forming in the first place.

“This can be done by educating people on how biofilms occur,” he said. “You need to consider the combination of water, air and temperature and what type of hazard can result from which situation. The topic of biofilms will become more prominent over the coming years and new products and materials will come on stream to remove and prevent them.”

Diversey Care’s UK and Ireland’s technical manager Pete Gilbert says biofilms have been implicated in medical devices introduced into the body such as catheters, prostheses and heart valves.

However he feels they are less of a threat in general cleaning.

“For a biofilm to be formed, a series of prerequisites need to take place,” he said. “Biofilms need food and water and their development should not be disrupted. During general cleaning regimes we tend to remove those parameters from surfaces.”

He receives few inquiries about the removal of biofilms, he says. “If a cusContinued page 40

June/July 2016 | ECJ |39

BIOFILMS Biofilms - should we worry? (continued) tomer has a problem with an identified biofilm we will recommend that they use an alkaline detergent combined with chlorine or some acid solution,” said Gilbert.

Once they are in place, he agrees with Felbermeir that they are difficult to remove. “A biofilm is formed by different layers so when you apply a disinfectant, you damage the top layer but in many cases you are not reaching the inside of the biofilm,” he said. “Furthermore you have to ensure that you remove every single organism and that the conditions that facilitated growth have been removed.

Otherwise some organisms will remain on the surface and when they find the right conditions, they will start to colonise again.”

He adds that physical energy will facilitate biofilm removal. “In order to kill bacteria you

nated by standard cleaning and sanitising methods. They can spread easily, contaminate other areas and cause illnesses – and this is a particular problem in healthcare environments.”

also need to follow recommended contact times when applying chemicals,” he adds. “In the case of biofilms, this should be extended since the disinfectant needs to penetrate the biofilm. The best technique is to clean first and dislodge the biofilm and then move on to the disinfection step.”

Biofilms have been on the radar for cleaning services provider OCS for some time according to head of standards and solutions cleaning Yvonne Taylor.

“They are complex and present sanitation issues and cleaning challenges,” she said.

“Biofilms are resistant to removal and tolerant to disinfectants. They also have a shielding effect on the bacterial cells within them which means they might not be completely elimi-

with suppliers to ensure they use the correct chemicals for the job.

“These include an alkaline detergent combined with chlorine, or certain acid solutions,” she said.

“We often use a 24-hour fogging process as an effective method of applying sanitiser to treat and eliminate biofilm contamination. And in highrisk healthcare environments such as operating theatres we provide dedicated cleaning equipment to remove the risk of cross-contamination.”

She says physical agitation is also required to remove biofilms. “The optimum technique is to perform routine cleaning first and then to carry out the

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 40

Form on surfaces She says biofilms are prone to form on surfaces that are not cleaned with sufficient frequency. “They can anchor themselves to many different surfaces and materials including medical implants and human and animal tissue,” she said.

Regular scheduled cleaning is the best way to combat biofilms, says Taylor. “This will disrupt the conditions for growth.” She adds that OCS is fully aware of the risks and works closely

sanitising process to dislodge the biofilm,” she said.

OCS staff are given detailed operating procedures plus bespoke work schedules based on client requirements. “Our staff receive induction training, refresher toolbox talks on correct hand washing techniques and other industry-approved training,” said Taylor. “They are also fully trained in chemical use.”

However, she believes the threat of biofilms is not currently on the increase in the professional cleaning sector. “But companies will benefit by building strong relationships with their suppliers and keeping up to date with the latest information on risks, methods, innovation and products,” she adds.

Healthcare cleaning expert Mike Rollins considers biofilms to be a significant threat in hospitals. “This is particularly the case where patients have a compromised immune system or where choice of medical treatment is restricted due to multidrug resistant organisms,” he said.

The challenge for healthcare environments is to maintain a low bio-burden on hand contact surfaces - particularly those close to the patient, says Rollins. “Unfortunately from a preventative perspective we cannot physically see biofilm contamination,” he said. “Microbiological testing is not regularly performed and even when a patient environment is cleaned and disinfected, the process of recontamination starts again immediately.

“This is why hand hygiene remains the principal preventative measure for crosscontamination and infection prevention.”

He says environmental research has grown significantly over the last decade as a result of increasing rates of healthcareassociated infections such as MRSA, Clostridium Difficile, VRE and CRE. “The challenge for biofilm removal is a battle against nature,” he said.

“Biofilms are complex organisms that have efficient mechanisms for attachment and for survival on surfaces. And inappropriately-designed surfaces can actually aid biofilm formation.”

As an example he cites a particular no-touch tap product promoted for use in healthcare. “In principle the concept was sound but we found that the tap mechanism harboured a reservoir that enabled biofilm formation,” said Rollins. “The subsequent water flow was contaminated and as a result it transferred viable bacteria on to healthcare workers’ hands. “This in turn provided the potential for cross-contamination on surfaces - including the patient.”

He says some surfaces are more Continued page 42

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BIOFILMS Biofilms - should we worry? (continued) prone to biofilm colonisation than others.

“Textured plastics commonly found in patients’ beds provide an ideal surface for adhesion,” he said. “The standard cleaning process may remove some top surface soil but will not be effective on this three-dimensional surface profile. As a result, residue may be left behind in the ‘valleys’. And if any moisture or nutrient remains in place, this will have the potential to ‘feed’ the bacteria which will lead to the biofilm quickly reestablishing itself on the surface.”

He agrees with other experts that it is easier to prevent the formation of biofilms than to remove them once formed. “Design, preventative maintenance and the use of antimicrobial devices can all help to achieve this,” he said. “These can include ultra-violet light, surface treat-

Il n’est guère de situation où les biofilms n’apparaissent pas. Très résistants, ils s’enlèvent difficilement et seraient responsables de 80 pour cent des infections. Mais de quoi s’agit-il exactement ?

Les nettoyeurs sont-ils conscients de leurs risques ?

Faut-il s’en inquiéter ?

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 42

ments with biostatic or biocidal properties, and nano surface coatings that inhibit biofilm attachment.”

When removing biofilms he says that traditional mop, bucket and wipe-clean methods are ineffective. “Superior performance has been demonstrated using cleaning methods such as microfibre textiles and dry steam vapour machines,” he said. “Meanwhile, new forms of disinfectants based on accelerated hydrogen peroxide, chlorine dioxide, peracetic acid and Quaternary Ammonium Compounds have emerged.”

Research needed He believes that many FM companies understand the risks associated with biofilms, but feels cleaning companies are unlikely to come under the same scrutiny.

Biofilme sind überall. Sie sind sehr widerstandsfähig, schwer zu entfernen und stehen mit atemberaubenden 80 Prozent aller Infektionen in Verbindung. Aber was genau sind sie? Ist sich das Reinigungspersonal darüber im Klaren, welche Gefahren davon ausgehen? Und sollten wir besorgt sein?

“Identifiable issues such as mould can be reported, but biofilm contamination is not readily identified during cleaning activity.

“In high risk environments such as healthcare, cleaning standards are documented and staff are trained towards those standards. But in times of austerity, these standards become the minimum and may not take into account the growing challenge of bacterial resistance, environmental contamination and the risk to patient safety.

“More environmental research is therefore needed and cleaning staff need to be trained in methods of removing surface decontamination. Cleaning is Job One, but competence in surface disinfection is an area which - in my opinion - requires further investment in the training of specialist ‘technicians’.”

I biofilm sono ovunque. Sono altamente resistenti, difficili da rimuovere e implicati per l’ incredibile 80 per cento delle infezioni. Ma cosa sono esattamente?

Gli addetti alle pulizie sono consapevoli dei pericoli che costituiscono? Dovrebbero quindi averne paura?

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HYGIENE IN FOOD PREPARATION

No room for complacency Although the number of cases of foodborne illnesses across the EU has been decreasing steadily in recent years according to latest figures, there is still much work to be done.

All businesses involved in preparing and serving food must have a proactive approach to food safety and hygiene in order to prevent problems before they occur.

Safe kitchen hygiene can only be achieved by a team of people who are all trained in the correct procedures, who know what they are doing and why they’re doing it.

The European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control analysed information submitted by 27 European Union member states on the occurrence of zoonoses and foodborne outbreaks in 2012. Zoonoses are infections and diseases that are naturally transmissible, directly or indirectly - for example via contaminated foodstuffs - between animals and humans.

The most commonly reported zoonosis continues to be Campylobacteriosis, with 214,258 confirmed human cases. There has been a significant decreasing trend in Salmonellosis since 2008, with 2012 rates seeing a decrease of 4.7 per cent over 2011 and 32 per cent compared to 2008 – there were 91,034 cases in 2012.

The report notes this postive progress is “mainly a result of the successful Salmonella control programs in poultry populations. Most Member States met their Salmonella reduction targets for poultry, and Salmonella is declining in these animal populations”.

On the increase, however is listeriosis at 1,642 cases. While the case rate seems low compared to other pathogens, a high fatality rate (17.8 per cent) was reported among the EU cases. Rates of verocytoxigenic Escherichia coli decreased by a significant 40 per cent over 2011 at 5,671, after increasing since 2008.

While progress is clearly being made, efforts must continue in reducing pathogens in foods in order to reduce the health impact on consumers. The global movement of food and people makes this especially important.

Improper cleaning and sanitisation of food service equipment, surfaces and utensils are a significant factor in the food production process. Microorganisms or allergens are frequently transferred directly onto food or surfaces during the food preparation, serving and storage cycle. Poor hand washing, failure to clean and sanitise a cutting board between uses, or using the same preparation table with

raw and cooked foods are all examples of how easy it is to move bacteria around the kitchen and create dangerous food safety risks.

Marc Hurst of Enviro Health in the UK specialises in helping restaurant and hotel operators to maintain a spotless record in instances of foodborne illness. As an expert consultant in professional kitchen hygiene he has worked for some of the world’s largest hotel chains and tour operators.

Rapid intervention “Being proactive is key,” he emphasises.

“Preventing outbreaks before they happen is what every business should be seeking to do. In the past many were not so thorough in inspecting kitchens for cleanliness and hygiene compliance but I’m glad to say that has changed significantly. It just simply does not make sense anymore to react to issues as they occur.”

Poor kitchen hygiene in hotels, restaurants, etc has a number of impacts.

First and foremost, the impact on the individual. Here, Hurst says, published statistics are a “drop in the ocean” because cases are simply not widely reported. “Illness is the consequence,” Hurst explains. “Diarrhoea and vomiting, fever, stomach pains, nausea. And all the implications that brings – time off work, inconvenience, suffering, etc. And for the more vulnerable groups in society, such as the very old, the very young and pregnant women, the implications can be much more serious. In the most severe cases, death.”

“So that means the quicker you can get to the source of an outbreak if one does happen, the better. Because you may be able to prevent further cases.”

Then there is the impact on businesses that have food poisoning cases as a result of poor hygiene. “If that news makes the national, or even local, media, it can be potentially devastating,” Hurst says. “It is possible for the authorities to close Continued page 46

June/July 2016 | ECJ |45

HYGIENE IN FOOD PREPARATION No room for complacency (continued) restaurants down for hygiene offences and even when they open again, word has spread about the problems and business may never return to normal.

“Restaurant owners can also be banned from ever running a food business again.”

The other factor increasingly coming into play is the compensation culture, which is particularly prevalent in the UK. “In today’s world so many people try to claim compensation if they think they have contracted food poisoning at a particular restaurant, for example, and that can hit businesses very hard,” Hurst explains.

All these factors combined make it essential for any business serving and preparing food to take a proactive approach towards hygiene, and to ensure their staff are properly trained in the correct procedures.

Varying standards Standards do still vary somewhat around the countries of Europe in Hurst’s experience. “I believe the UK is one of the best in Europe when it comes to food hygiene,” he says, “because the authorities are extremely good at enforcing laws there.

“Spain and Turkey in particular have improved immeasurably in recent years,” he adds. “Often tourists travelling there in the past would almost expect to contract some kind of stomach bug, now it’s increasingly rare.”

Hurst is commissioned by companies across the globe to advise and educate

Le respect des normes d’hygiène est vital dans les cuisines d’hôtels et de restaurants, et le seul moyen de prévenir les risques d’empoisonnement alimentaire est de prendre les devants. ECJ s’entretient de ces questions avec Marc Hurst, un consultant et spécialiste de l’hygiène des cuisines, qui travaille pour des tour-opérateurs et exploitants de restaurants dans le monde entier.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 46

on kitchen hygiene standards. So how does he work when he visits a kitchen?

“The first thing I do is wash my hands. By doing that I can tell if the staff’s hands are being washed – if the water runs hot immediately I know the tap has been used recently.

“Then I work through the kitchen looking for signs of any pests, checking the cleaning of floors, cleaning under cookers, equipment, utensils, etc. Cleanliness of the fridge, storage of food, use-by dates on food, ventilation and grease filter cleaning, the state of hand washbasins.”

Kitchen staff Hurst then turns his attention to the kitchen staff. “I observe their clothing, their behaviour. I ask to see their sanitisers, for example, the ones they use to clean surfaces. I question them about contact times, etc and ask them some more detailed questions about their cleaning procedures, food handling techniques, prevention of crosscontamination etc.”

To judge exactly how good the cleaning really is Hurst often goes down on his hands and knees to check underneath appliances in the kitchen. “Where I often find shortfalls in cleaning is underneath counter-top equipment such as meat slicers, tin openers, etc,” he says.

Hurst estimates that between 80 and 90 per cent of the kitchens he inspects have some issue with cleaning under large equipment. “Not only is that unhygienic,”

Die Hygienestandards in Hotel- und Restaurantküchen sind besonders wichtig, und ein proaktiver Ansatz ist die einzige Möglichkeit, um sicherzustellen, dass es keine Fälle von Lebensmittelvergiftung gibt. Das ECJ führt ein Gespräch mit Marc Hurst, einem Berater und Experten für Küchenhygiene, der für Tourenveranstalter und große Restaurantbetreiber auf der ganzen Welt arbeitet.

he points out. “It can attract pests.”

In many cases it’s the kitchen porters who are responsible for cleaning. “The problem with that is they are under the supervision of the chef, who is often not present when cleaning is being done.”

Hurst also often sees the incorrect products being used for cleaning – for example a detergent rather than a sanitiser. “I usually recommend that hot soapy water is probably the best solution for basic cleanliness. When using a sanitiser I often advise my clients to find one with as short a contact time as possible – five minutes, for example, is simply not practical in a busy kitchen.”

Vital to any hygiene programme, in any application, is hand hygiene and here Hurst finds much work to be done. “There is still a real lack of knowledge about the consequences of bad hand hygiene,” he explains. “Staff really must have proper training in hand washing technique, with soap and water and paper towels. In the kitchen, our hands are our worst enemies.”

Safe kitchen hygiene can only be achieved by a team of people who are all trained in the correct procedures, who know what they are doing and why they’re doing it. “There also has to be a supervisory system in place,” Hurst emphasises, “in order to monitor and check that standards are being maintained.

There is no room for complacency or negligence because the consequences can be extremely serious.”

Gli standard di igiene nelle cucine degli hotel e dei ristoranti sono di vitale importanza e un approccio proattivo è l’unico modo per assicurarsi che non si verifichino casi di intossicazione alimentare. ECJ intervista Marc Hurst, un consulente ed esperto in igiene delle cucine che lavora per tour operator e operatori di grandi ristoranti in tutto il mondo.

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PRODUCTS: HYGIENE IN FOOD PREPARATION

More functional

Organised tools

The new all-round foam gun Vario-Matic 1.25 PE from Birchmeier boasts extra functions, a new design and materials that are even more resistant to chemicals.

User friendliness and an increased range of applications were of prime importance when the company was developing this new model, it says. At

the heart of the device is the newly designed mixing head with four different mixing ratio settings. This offers mixing ratios of 1.5, 2.5, five and 10 per cent, or just water.

The Vario-Matic 1.25 PE can also be used for disinfection - the foam nozzle is simply replaced by the deflector nozzle that comes as standard. Other features include an ergonomic trigger valve and quick coupling for the hose. www.birchmeier.com

Each shadow board can be produced according to size and specification requirements.

The Anti-Microbial Shadow Boards are designed for use in conjunction with the company’s range of Anti-Microbial Hygienic Tools. www.hillbrush.com

Coloured sponge

For optimum hygiene in food preparation areas it is essential that cleaning tools are dried sufficiently, organised and stored properly. With this in mind Hill Brush has developed Anti-Microbial Shadow Boards.

These are different from conventional shadow boards, which have been a staple in the workplace for many years, in that they contain Biomaster antimicrobial technology. The silver ions actively inhibit the growth of bacteria throughout the board, offering a lifetime of protection against bacteria growth says Hill.

De Witte has developed a range of colour-coded sponges for food industry use. Color Clean sponges comply with HACCP regulations and are said to clean effectively without scratching surfaces. They trap less dirt than traditional products which reduces the amount of bacteria retained inside the sponge, claims the company.

Designed with a net structure, the sponges have polyurethane pressure spheres positioned inside them. These are designed to allow the operator to increase the force of their fingers on the cleaning surface to provide extra cleaning power, according to De Witte.

The sponges are claimed to leave behind fewer fibre residues on cleaned surfaces than rival products and can be washed in a washing machine or dishwasher at temperatures of up to 90°c. www.dewitte.biz

• Le nouveau pistolet à mousse Vario-Matic 1.225 PE de Birchmeir assure le moussage, le nettoyage et la désinfection.

• Pour l’organisation d’outils de nettoyage hygiénique, Hill Brush a développé des panneaux muraux antimicrobiens, dits Shadow Boards.

• De Witte affirme que ses éponges Color Clean sont les premières à être certifiées pour l’industrie alimentaire.

• Die neue Schaumpistole VarioMatic 1.25 PE von Birchmeier eignet sich zum Schäumen, Reinigen und Desinfizieren.

• Zur Organisation von hygienischen Reinigungswerkzeugen hat Hill Brush die antimikrobiellen Shadow Boards, die an der Wand befestigt werden, entwickelt.

• Laut De Witte handelt es sich bei seinen Color Clean Schwämmen um die ersten, die zur Verwendung in der Nahrungsmittelindustrie zertifiziert wurden.

• La nuova pistola erogatrice di schiuma Vario-Matic 1.25 PE della Birchmeier può essere utilizzata per erogare schiuma, pulire e disinfettare.

• La Hill Brush ha sviluppato i pannelli antimicrobici montati a parete Shadow Boards per organizzare e alloggiare gli attrezzi di pulizia.

• La De Witte afferma che le sue spugne Color Clean sono le prime a essere certificate per l’uso nel settore alimentare.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 49

PRODUCTS: HYGIENE IN FOOD PREPARATION

• Osprey Frank, un spécialiste du nettoyage à la vapeur sèche, a introduit le système d’essai hygiénique Clean-Card à l’intention du secteur agro-alimentaire.

• L’aspirateur à vapeur Kärcher SGV 8/5 satisfait aux strictes exigences d’hygiène des applications alimentaires.

• Brosserie Thomas a lancé une nouvelle gamme de raclettes longues qui répondent aux exigences HACCP. • SCA, le fabricant des produits Tork, propose des tissus réutilisables codés en couleur et des consommables en papier à usage unique.

• Le Multi-Surface Tool (MST) est un outil manuel de nettoyage des surfaces proposé par SYR et destiné à remplacer les produits en papier.

• Sous la dénomination Impact QF, Holchem propose un détergent qui peut servir pour le nettoyage d’ustensiles par immersion ou par moussage.

• OspreyFrank, der Spezialist für Trockendampfreinigung, hat Clean-Card, das Hygienetestsystem für Lebensmittelproduzenten, vorgestellt.

• Der Kärcher Dampfsauger SGV 8/5 erfüllt strenge Anforderungen von lebensmittelverarbeitenden Anwendungen.

• Neu von Brosserie Thomas ist eine Produktfamilie mit langen Abziehern, die die HACCPAnforderungen erfüllen.

• Tork-Hersteller SCA bietet wiederverwendbare, farbcodierte Tücher und Einweg-Papierprodukte.

• Beim Multi-Surface Tool (MST) handelt es sich um ein tragbares Werkzeug zur Oberflächenreinigung von SYR, das als Ersatz für Papierprodukte konzipiert wurde.

• Impact QF ist ein Waschmittel von Holchem, das zum Einweichen von Utensilien oder zum Schäumen verwendet werden kann.

• La OspreyFrank, specializzata nelle pulizie a vapore asciutto, ha introdotto il sistema per testare l’igiene Clean-Card adatto per i i produttori di cibo.

• L’aspirapolvere a vapore Kärcher SGV 8/5 è conforme ai rigorosi requisiti di igiene necessari nelle applicazioni di preparazione di alimenti.

• La novità della Brosserie Thomas è una linea di tergivetri lunghi conformi ai requisiti HACCP. • La SCA, produttrice del marchio Tork, propone panni riutilizzabili codificati in base al colore e prodotti monouso in carta.

• Il Multi-Surface Tool (MST) è un attrezzo manuale per la pulizia delle superfici prodotto dalla SYR progettato per sostituire i prodotti in carta.

• Impact QF è un detergente prodotto dalla Holchem che può essere usato per il lavaggio a immersione degli attrezzi o per erogare schiuma.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 50

Hygienic clean OspreyFrank says its dry steam technology is proven to achieve a 99.9 per cent reduction in contamination from E.coli, listeria and salmonella from surfaces. Dry steam is delivered at temperatures of up to 180°C and provides between 130 and 140°C at the point of use.

The challenge comes in providing evidence that visibly clean also means hygienically clean.

To tackle that OspreyFrank has developed the Clean Card PRO, a hygiene test that can evaluate the quality of the cleaning process quickly with the result shown within 30 seconds.

Simply moisten, wipe and see the result.

The Clean Card reacts with proteins as well as ammonium and amino-containing residues of detergents and disinfectants.

The test results correlate with the usual cultivation method and the card will react positively on the same areas where a microbial growth can possibly take place. www.ospreydc.com

tion of work.

This model uses hot steam to remove fats and oils, limescale or soap residues and eliminate the breeding ground for germs and bacteria. Steam is discharged from the floor nozzle under a continuous high pressure of eight bar.

For particularly stubborn dirt, a dose of 0.5 to three per cent detergent is added to cold water. After each use – immediately after using detergent or removing sticky dirt deposits – hoses, pumps and pipes can be automatically flushed to remove deposits and prevent germs.

The vacuum function can be switched on and off as required and the steam volume regulated via the control on the handle. www.karcher.com

Surface tool

Long squeegees In line with demand from cleaning professionals, Brosserie Thomas developed a range of long squeegees that comply with HACCP requirements. They can be used for the removal of liquids from large surfaces quickly and easily. www.brosseriethomas.com

Supports HACCP

For cleaning of surfaces in restaurants such as fast-food outlets SYR developed the handheld Multi-Surface Tool (MST).

This, it claims, improves cleaning efficiencies, reduces chemical and blue roll paper usage and makes the cleaner’s job easier and safer.

The white anti-static head can be used on almost all surfaces, and a grey version has been developed for stainless steel.

Surfaces are moistened with fine spray from a hand atomiser then wiped clean and dry using the washable microfibre pad. www.syrclean.com

Non-rinse

Steam vac The Kärcher SGV 8/5 steam vacuum cleaner has been specifically designed to meet strict hygiene requirements in the food processing industry. One of its key features is an automatic self-cleaning action that prevents the formation of germs inside the machine on comple-

with detergents and disinfectants without tearing, and can be rinsed, reused then thrown away at the end of the shift.

Tork Reflex Single Sheet Centrefeed is suitable for general wiping tasks and offers singlesheet dispensing to reduce consumption. The roll is fully enclosed and protected from splashes and dirt. Also available is a portable version that comes in a freestanding dispenser with its own docking station. www.sca.com

Tork manufacturer SCA offers a range of products for the food preparation area. These include reusable colour-coded cloths and one-use paper products.

Tork Coloured Long Lasting Cleaning Cloths provide a compromise between hygiene, sustainability and the need to keep down costs, the company says. Available in blue, green, yellow, red and white to support HACCP guidelines, the cloths enable food preparation staff to allocate different products for each task. They can be used

In order to comply with new regulation, many food producers have switched to QAC free disinfectants such as Tribac, Active and Ultra Secure Liquid.

This presents a problem as many ‘rinse off’ products used to clean and sanitise an area when switching between different recipes contained QACs. So Holchem launched Impact QF. Like non-rinse products it is based on a Triamine biocide but it is combined with a proven Holchem detergent. The solution can be used for soak cleaning of utensils, or dispensed through foaming equipment. www.holchem.co.uk

PRODUCTS: HYGIENE IN FOOD PREPARATION

Hand hygiene

able at all critical points where problems could arise. And giving employees access to products and systems they enjoy using encourages compliance. www.gojo.com

Floor cleaner Hand hygiene systems specialist GOJO Industries Europe says hand hygiene is an essential line of defence against the spread of infections in all food handling settings.

It emphasises good hand hygiene systems are essential to the smooth running of the entire business and in food preparation areas - only formulations that have been tested and passed in accordance with international food taint testing standard EN 4120:2007, should be considered.

This provides assurance that they are safe for use in food handling.

Easy-to-use hand hygiene products should be readily avail-

One area in food preparation areas that is often overlooked in terms of hygiene, says Kaivac, is the floor. And floors can grow and harbour dangerous bacteria.

The company developed the Kaivac dispense-and-vac system. Cleaning solution is applied directly to the floor from the bottom of a trolley bucket.

It never gets contaminated. A brush is used on heavily greased and soiled areas, then moisture and soil are vacuumed up. www.kaivac.com

Compact dosing Brightwell Dispensers says its new Quantura dishwash dosing range offers precise and consistent dosing for commercial dishwasher applications.

Included in the line is a two peristaltic pump dosing system for dosing dishwash detergent and rinse aid with the option to incorporate a third, additional,

peristaltic pump for dosing sanitiser. And for the use of powder bowls there is a solenoid valve version for customers who prefer a solid powder fed system.

The Quantura 10 is a single peristalic pump for dosing one dishwash chemical. www.brightwell.co.uk

• GOJO, un fournisseur de systèmes pour le soin de mains, souligne toute l’importance de l’hygiène des mains dans les applications de préparation alimentaire.

• Pour le nettoyage des aires de préparation alimentaire, Kaivac propose le système Dispense-and-Vac. • Qantura est une nouvelle gamme de doseurs pour le lavage de la vaisselle proposée par Brightwell.

• GOJO, Lieferant von Handpflegesystemen, unterstreicht, wie wichtig die Handhygiene im Bereich der Speisenzubereitung ist.

• Zur Bodenreinigung in lebensmittelverarbeitenden Bereichen bietet Kaivac das Dispense-and-Vac-System.

• Qantura ist eine neue Produktreihe mit Dosiersystemen für Geschirrspüler von Brightwell.

• La GOJO, fornitrice di sistemi per la cura delle mani, enfatizza l’importanza dell’igiene delle mani nelle applicazioni di preparazione alimentare.

• Per il lavaggio dei pavimenti delle aree di preparazione alimentare, la Kaivac propone il sistema Dispenseand-Vac. • Qantura è una nuova gamma di sistemi di dosaggio per lavastoviglie prodotti dalla Brightwell.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 51

BUSINESS: TAX

The global cost of tax avoidance

Whether driven by righteous indignation or plain envy, the bandwagon for a crackdown on tax avoidance by the superrich and multinationals has gathered pace since the Panama Papers revelations.

Hartley Milner looks at some of the actions pledged and asks whether there can ever be fairness in our tax systems.

Such is the resentment generated by tax avoidance in the UK that late last year a band of angry traders from a normally peaceful Welsh town rose up and started a rebellion that would have had their historic local hero Owain Glyndŵr applauding from the grave.

As in medieval warrior Owain’s day, the object of their ire was the Crown – or rather Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) which they claim is unfairly clamping down on small businesses while overlooking the huge multinationals that pay little or no tax in the UK. The alliance of family-run shops in the market town of Crickhowell took expert advice and submitted a DIY tax plan to HMRC, copying the offshore arrangements used by famous global brands such as Amazon, Google, Starbucks and Vodafone.

June/July | ECJ | 52

The traders’ journey to take the town to a tax haven was shown by the BBC early this year and centres on a trip they made to the Isle of Man, a self-governing British Crown dependency in the Irish Sea where Caffé Nero’s parent company is based for tax purposes.

“Until now, these complicated offshore tricks have only been open to big companies who can afford the lawyers’ fees,” said Jo Carthew, who runs Crickhowell’s Black Mountain Salmon Smokery. “But we’ve put our heads together and worked out a way to mimic them. It’s jolly clever really.”

But their long-term aim is not to avoid paying corporation tax, but simply to spotlight the unfair tax system and shame the government into doing something about it. It was hoped that the tax revolt, which also included the local coffee shop, bookshop, optician and bakery, would spread nationwide.

While not actually talking about a national tax rebellion, small businesses around the UK are seething over being singled out by the taxman as an easy revenue source. Investigations into SMEs raised an additional €623.8m in corporation tax in 2015 and the net is

likely to be cast even wider in coming years.

Accountant and business adviser UHY Hacker Young said this extra yield shows HMRC has ramped up its probes into ‘soft target’ small businesses in a bid to slash the corporation tax gap – the shortfall between the tax that should be collected and the amount that is actually raised.

Small businesses The SMEs’ share of the corporation tax gap contracted from €2.7bn in 2012/13 to €1.8bn in 2013/14, while the same gap for ‘large business service‘ stayed at €1.3bn across the same timeline.

“HMRC appears to be aggressively going after small businesses as ‘easy pickings’ and it’s possible they will look to accelerate investigations next year and beyond to further close the gap, rather than going after big enterprises,” said Hacker Young partner Roy Maugham.

But it is not only giant global corporations that have been embroiled in ‘tax avoidance’ revelations in recent times.

The leaking of 11.5 million confidential documents from Panama-based corporate services provider Mossack Fonseca this year provided detailed information about

BUSINESS: TAX more than 214,000 offshore companies – including the identities of shareholders and directors of the companies.

The first major casualty was Iceland’s prime minister, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson. The leaks showed Gunnlaugsson owned an offshore company with his wife but had not declared it when he entered parliament.

He was said to have concealed millions of dollars worth of family assets.

He stepped down from office amid growing public outrage that his family had squirrelled away money offshore but denied any wrongdoing.

Wealthy individuals Then Britain’s prime minister, David Cameron, found himself pulled into the row after the papers revealed that he personally profited from a stake in an offshore investment fund set up by his late father that paid no tax. In an unprecedented attempt to clear the air, Cameron published a summary of his tax returns from 2009-15.

However, these showed he had received a €255,000 gift from his mother that could potentially avoid inheritance tax. In the UK, inheritance tax is not payable on gifts that are made at least seven years before the source dies, be they property or money.

In both cases Cameron had done nothing wrong, but his enemies promoted the revelations as further examples of how wealthy individuals are getting away with using legal or quasi-legal tricks to deprive the taxman and hang onto more of their money while ordinary working people are harried for every penny.

UK chancellor George Osborne and Labour opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn were the next to publish their tax returns, along with Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon, the Welsh Plaid Cymru Party leader Leanne Wood and Mayor of London Boris Johnson. Others simply refused, notably UK Independence Party leader and former commodity broker Nigel Farage. “Actually, I think in this country what people earn is regarded as a private matter,” Farage said.

In response to the Panama Papers revelations, PM Cameron announced in

Qu’il soit animé par une vertueuse indignation ou la simple envie, le mouvement pour la répression de l’évasion fiscale parmi les super-riches et les multinationales s’est accéléré depuis les révélations des Documents du Panama. Hartley Milner se penche sur certaines des actions promises et se demande si l’équité peut vraiment être instaurée au sein de nos systèmes fiscaux.

parliament that he was bringing forward plans to introduce a new criminal offence for corporations that fail to take adequate steps to prevent tax evasion. He said the government would also create a new taskforce to investigate the financial affairs of companies mentioned in the leaked papers.

The taskforce will be jointly led by HMRC and the National Crime Agency with support from the Serious Fraud Office and the Financial Conduct Authority. According to HMRC, it is already investigating 700 current leads with a link to Panama.

Tax avoidance is costing the world economy hundreds of billions of dollars a year. According to the most conservative estimates from the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), between four per cent and 10 per cent of global corporate income tax revenues are being lost to tax avoidance.

The EU alone says its member states lose each year between €50bn and €70bn to those avoiding corporation tax. It estimates that multinationals can pay up to 30 per cent less than rival companies which do not operate across borders.

Tackling corporations The European Commission has announced proposals that it says will build on work it has already done to tackle corporate tax avoidance. In addition to other proposals to introduce sharing of information between tax authorities, it would require multinationals operating in the EU with global revenues exceeding €750 million a year to publish key information on where they make their profits and where they pay their tax in the EU on a country-by-country basis. The same rules would apply to non-European multinationals doing business in Europe. In addition, companies would have to publish an aggregate figure for total taxes paid outside the EU. This proposal is a “simple, proportionate way to increase large multinationals’ accountability on tax matters without damaging their competitiveness”, the commission says. The proposal also provides for stronger transparency

Ob getrieben durch gerechte Entrüstung oder schlicht Neid, der Zug für ein scharfes Vorgehen gegen Steuervermeidung durch die Superreichen und multinationalen Unternehmen hat seit den Enthüllungen durch die Panama Papers an Fahrt zugenommen. Hartley Milner betrachtet einige der versprochenen Maßnahmen und fragt, ob unsere Steuersysteme überhaupt jemals fair sein können.

requirements for companies’ activities in countries that do not observe international standards for good governance in the area of taxation. The commission pledged to build on its external tax strategy with the aim of establishing the first common EU list of such tax jurisdictions as rapidly as possible.

“Our economies and societies depend on a tax system that’s fair, a principle that applies both to individuals and to business,” said Jonathan Hill, European commissioner in charge of financial services. “Yet today, by using complicated tax arrangements, some multinationals can pay nearly a third less tax than companies that only operate in one country. Our proposal to increase transparency will help make companies more accountable. It will promote fairer competition between companies regardless of their size.”

He added that it was hard to justify to small and medium-sized companies “why they should be paying at a higher effective tax rate”.

Hard to justify, but even harder to rectify, according to independent business consultant Paul Petherick. “You can bet that once the hoo-ha has died down – as it always seems to with these things – it will be very much business as usual for the firms who find tax loopholes and help their wealthy clients through them.

“Just perhaps, something positive will happen this time, but I am sceptical that the measures go far enough. For instance, the commission plans require multinationals to reveal information about their EU operations on a countryby-country basis and also any operations in non-EU countries that it identifies as tax havens. Firms will have to reveal only aggregate figures for the rest of the world, so unless companies have to report on their activities in all the countries where they operate, they could continue to dodge tax on a massive scale, using the places still hidden from view.

“And, all said and done, whatever the UK and Europe agree, we need to get all the world’s countries operating internationally agreed transparency standards and there is still a way to go to achieving that.”

Sia che sia spinta da giusto risentimento oppure da semplice invidia, la battaglia contro il trend di elusione fiscale da parte dei superfacoltosi e delle multinazionali è aumentata sensibilmente dopo le rivelazioni delle Panama Papers. Hartley Milner esamina alcune delle azioni promesse e si chiede se ci potrà mai essere equità nei nostri sistemi fiscali.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 53

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ISSA/INTERCLEAN REVIEW

Compact trolley

Energy neutral

New from Greenspeed is the C Shuttle range of trolleys which are made from 75 per cent recycled plastic.

The three models in the range are all fully lockable and are said to be easy to manoeuvre.

“The ‘C’ is for compact but it also stands for creative and convenient,” said product and brand marketer Lies Marijnissen. “The small size of the trolleys means they can be used in difficult-toaccess environments.

Ecodos Easy, says Spectro, is an intelligent and energy neutral dispenser for cleaning agents.

The use of smart technology, the company claims, leads to the extra efficient use of its ecological cleaning agents - communicating usage data with other electronic devices enabling more proactive management.

Every function of the dispenser is registered and data can be used for cleaning plans. A timer delay prevents users from adding too much cleaning agent and two dosages are available at the touch of a button (separately adjustable from one to 100 ml).

For mobile operations, the Ecodos Easy dispenser can also be installed on any cleaning trolley. www.ecodos.eu

end-user experience.

The company claims its Washroom 5D system will help FMs to spot operational efficiencies and allow them to cut costs, reduce waste and invest their cleaning budgets more effectively. www.kcprofessional.com

Next edition of ECJ - September

Four new “They can incorporate any customer’s branding, which makes them creative. And the fact that customers can choose to have a trolley with one, two or three compartments makes them highly convenient.”

This was Greenspeed’s first exhibition appearance since its merger with Ecover.

The company also announced its new Cradle to Cradle Gold certification. This applies to Greenspeed’s kitchen and interior cleaning product lines. www.greenspeed.eu

Consultative Washroom 5D is the new consultative service for facilities managers and FM teams from Kimberly-Clark Professional.

Central to the programme is a site assessment by a KimberlyClark consultant. Data from this is analysed and feedback provided across the company’s five dimensions of cleanliness, hygiene, efficiency, sustainability and satisfaction. Recommendations are then given on how the washroom in question could be improved.

The report details how the washroom compares with industry standards using the company’s own experience and existing benchmark data.

Kimberly-Clark will also recommend tools to collect data on

Truvox International unveiled four new machines. There are two new battery-powered Valet vacuum cleaners - an upright and a backpack model which has an electric counterpart.

And the Orbis rotary line-up has been expanded with the Orbis Eco range.

The Valet Comfort Pro and its battery version have been designed with ergonomics in mind. Light to carry, the backpacks feature a specially designed Deuter Aircomfort harness, which adjusts for the best fit. Cleaning tools are stored conveniently on the belt. Battery run-time is 55 minutes and changing the power pack is quick and simple.

Designed for easier daytime cleaning is the lightweight Valet Battery Upright which features a carry handle for easy transportation. On a single charge of its lithium ion battery it can run for over 60 minutes.

And the Orbis Eco range of rotaries is designed to offer easy handling, productivity and low vibration levels for comfortable operation on long shifts. www.truvox.com

Robot disinfects The UV-Disinfection-Robot is a disinfection robot designed for use in hospitals with the aim of reducing hospital-acquired infection (HAI) rates.

Developed by Blue Ocean Robotics this model drives autonomously and targets the predefined area to be disinfected. The company says 10 minutes of exposure time kills up to 99 per cent of bacteria such as Clostridium Difficile.

UV-Disinfection-Robot consists of an AGV platform and a UV-C light system. Its autonomy

means it positions itself so the bacteria-damaging UV light is focused on specific infection ‘hotspots’ such as sinks, patient bed, handles, etc. It can also be used in operating theatres, isolation rooms and cleanrooms.

Virtually no human interaction is required and there is minimal impact on hospital staff workflow says Blue Ocean. www.blue-ocean-robotics.com

• Greenspeed a introduit la gamme de chariots de nettoyage C Shuttle, fabriqués à 75 pour cent en matière plastique recyclée.

• Kimberly-Clark Professional présente le programme Washroom 5D, un nouveau service consultatif pour gérants de multiservices.

• Truvox a introduit le Valet, un aspirateur à batterie proposé en deux versions, et a étendu sa gamme de machines à disque unique avec Orbis Eco. • Selon la société Spectro, son nouveau système Ecodos Easy est le premier distributeur d’agents de nettoyage intelligent et autonome en énergie.

• Le robot de désinfection aux UV der la société Blue Ocean s’utilise dans les hôpitaux pour réduire les taux d’infection iatrogénique.

• Neu von Greenspeed ist die Produktreihe C Shuttle mit Reinigungswagen, die zu 75 % aus recyceltem Plastik hergestellt werden.

• Kimberly-Clark Professional stellt seinen Beratungsservice für Facility Manager vor: das Washroom 5D-Programm.

• Truvox hat zwei neue akkubetriebene Valet Staubsauger vorgestellt, und darüber hinaus wurde die Produktreihe mit Einzelscheibenmaschine um die Orbis Eco erweitert.

• Laut eigenen Angaben von Spectro ist das neue Ecodos Easy-System der erste intelligente und energieneutrale Spender für Reinigungsmittel.

• Der UV-Disinfection-Robot von Blue Ocean wurde zum Einsatz in Krankenhäusern konzipiert, um die Rate der Krankenhausinfektionen zu reduzieren.

• La novità della Greenspeed è la gamma di carrelli C Shuttle prodotti con il 75 per cento di plastica riciclata.

• La Kimberly-Clark Professional introduce il suo servizio consultivo per i manager delle strutture, il programma Washroom 5D. • La Truvox ha lanciato due nuovi aspirapolveri Valet alimentati a batteria e ha esteso anche la sua gamma di macchine monodisco con la Orbis Eco. • A detta della Spectro, il suo nuovo sistema Ecodos Easy è il primo dispenser di prodotti detergenti che sia intelligente e energia neutrale.

• UV-Disinfection-Robot della Blue Ocean è progettato per essere utilizzato negli ospedali per ridurre il tasso delle infezioni acquisite in ospedale.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 55

ISSA/INTERCLEAN REVIEW

Toilet brush Robert Scott and Sons has revisited the toilet brush and developed a version claimed to be more effective, more hygienic and easier to clean.

The LooBlade replaces the traditional bristles with an eight-bladed cleaning head. This is said to clean the toilet rim more effectively.

“The problem with traditional toilet brushes is that they get clogged up,” said group sales

manager Gill Ireson. “They also breed bacteria, and this then sits in the brush-holder for days.

“The LooBlade is made from antibacterial rubber that kills 99.9 per cent of germs on contact. It can be washed like a squeegee and is practically dry again by the time it goes back into the holder.”

The LooBlade’s holder is ventilated to ensure that any remaining moisture evaporates swiftly. The product can also be used as a plunger if required. www.robert-scott.co.uk

For hands For employees working in the automobile, agricultural, metal and construction industries where eczema on the hands is a high risk - Dreumex has developed a hand cleanser for sensitive skin.

Dreumex Sensitive is a gel hand cleanser with allergen free ingredients that is also fragrance, pigment, solvent and preservative free.

And for people working out-

doors who experience excessive exposure to UV radiation from the sun the company has launched Sun Protection Foam SPF50+. It says the highest possible five-star UVA filters and vitamin E protection help prevent premature ageing of the skin. UVB filters protect the skin. www.dreumex.com

Spacer mop Made from a combination of microfibre and monofilaments, the Spacer semi-disposable mop from Decitex is said to be able to absorb 600 times its own weight of water.

It is designed to be discarded after 50 washes and aimed at any environment with limited washing facilities. The material is thinner than that of traditional microfibre mop heads. www.dreumex.com • La LooBlade de Robert Scott and Sons, une nouvelle version de sa brosse de sanitaire, incorpore une tête de nettoyage à huit lames.

• Comme produits nouveaux, Dreumex propose un nettoyant industriel des mains pour peaux sensibles, et une mousse de protection solaire.

• Decitex affirme que la Spacer, sa tête semi-jetable de balayage humide, est capable d’absorber 600 fois son poids en eau.

• Bei der LooBlade von Robert Scott and Sons handelt es sich um eine neue Version der Toilettenbürste, die einen Reinigungskopf mit acht Blättern aufweist.

• Neu von Dreumex waren ein gewerblicher Handreiniger für empfindliche Haut und ein Sonnenschutzschaum.

• Decitex teilt mit, dass der SemiEinweg-Mopp Spacer das bis zu 600-Fache seines eigenen Gewichts in Wasser absorbieren kann.

• Il prodotto LooBlade della Robert Scott and Sons è una nuova versione dello scopino per wc dotato di una testa a otto lamelle di pulizia.

• I nuovi prodotti della Dreumex sono un detergenti industriale per le mani per pelli delicate e una schiuma di protezione solare.

• La Decitex afferma che il suo mop semi-monouso è in grado di assorbire acqua fino a 600 volte il proprio peso.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 56

ISSA/INTERCLEAN REVIEW

Connected Focusing on its digital range of solutions for building cleaning was Kärcher, under the Connected Cleaning banner. Two systems are to be merged onto one platform, offering greater transparency of workflows and machine use to enable businesses to increase profitability and aid decision making it says.

The first element of the new platform is Kärcher Fleet - the fleet management system is based on the installation of a

assigned. At the same time, the completion of work is also documented and there is the option to manage quality control using a smartphone app.

In terms of new machine introductions, the BRC 40/22 C deep carpet cleaner was a focus. The head on this model can rotate 200 degrees to both sides which makes it highly manoeuvrable and reduces cleaning time by up to 30 per cent says Kärcher.

There is particular emphasis on intuitive and ergonomic opera-

tion of the machine - features include a simple rotary switch for setting the operating mode, changing of the roller brush and squeegees without tools, a separate cable guide and heightadjustable handlebars. www.karcher.com

Smart Tink Fooom has developed the Tink module, which can be fitted to both mechanical and auto-

matic washroom dispensers to transform them into ‘intelligent’ dispensing systems.

This means the dispenser can gather data concerning location, usage frequency and number of visitors, as well as filling intervals.

The Tink module is very small, stand-alone and does not need electrical power. It can be retrofitted to existing dispensers and data is monitored through the Fooom Tink app. www.fooom.eu

mobile communications unit in the cleaning machine. This regularly sends machine data from location to operating times, battery and maintenance status in order to help management improve utilisation.

Kärcher Manage is the second element of the platform and this allows cleaning processes to be recorded with a barcode scanner. Which makes it possible to determine the time spent on any type of room to which specific cleaning activities have been • Aux côtés de ses nouvelles machines, Kärcher mettait l’accent sur ses solutions numériques, réunies sous la marque «Connected Cleaning».

• Le module Tink de Fooom Advanced Dispensing transforme des distributeurs mécaniques et automatiques de toilettes en distributeurs «intelligents».

• Neben der Vorstellung von Maschinen konzentrierte sich Kärcher auf seine Digitallösungen, die unter der Marke „Connected Cleaning“ angeboten werden.

• Mit dem Tink-Modul von Fooom Advanced Dispensing werden aus mechanischen und automatischen Waschraumspendern „intelligente“ Spender.

• Insieme ai lanci delle sue nuove macchine, la Kärcher si è focalizzata anche sulle sue soluzioni digitali commercializzate con la marca ‘Connected Cleaning’.

• Il modulo Tink della Fooom Advanced Dispensing trasforma i dispenser per sale da toilette meccanici e automatici in dispenser “intelligenti”.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 57

ISSA/INTERCLEAN REVIEW

• Wetrok met en avant la performance, le faible bilan sonore et l’ergonomie de ses nouveaux aspirateurs, le Monovac Comfort et le Monovac Touch ‘n’ Clean.

• La plateforme Internet of Clean de Diversey Care assure la liaison de machines, distributeurs, capteurs, balises et autres dispositifs intelligents.

• Laut eigenen Angaben von Wetrok bieten die neuen Staubsauger Monovac Comfort und Monovac Touch ‘n’ Clean neben Leistung auch einen geringen Geräuschpegel und Ergonomie.

• Die Plattform Internet of Clean von Diversey Care verbindet Maschinen, Spender, Sensoren, Baken und andere intelligente Geräte.

• Monovac Touch ‘n’ Clean offrono rendimento, bassa emissione di rumore e ergonomia.

• La piattaforma Internet of Clean della Diversey Care connette macchine, dispenser, sensori, segnali luminosi e altri dispositivi smart.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 58

Performance vac Better performance, less noise and improved ergonomics are key features of its Monovac Comfort and Monovac Touch ‘n’ Clean dry vacuum cleaner range, says Wetrok.

The Touch ‘n’ Clean start/ stop function is one of the main developments - the motor of the machine engages as soon as the operator touches the handle.

When the handle is released, the motor stops automatically. This can result in energy savings of up to 30 per cent says Wetrok.

In the mid-size scrubber dryer range, three new models have been added following the launch of Duomatic Esprit last year -

Duomatic Intense, Endurer and Impulse. Features include patented Power Whirl nozzle technology for drying while passing, a large touchscreen colour display with six buttons for intuitive operation, and an upright handle that can be height adjusted during operation.

Wetrok also introduced a granulate which it claims cleans as effectively as any liquid cleaner.

The formula combines granular active detergents with positively charged molecules - making traditional dosage unnecessary. www.wetrok.com

Internet of Clean The theme for Diversey Care at the show was ‘Internet of Clean - Let’s Connect’ and its product innovations were based around connectivity, smarter working, sustainability and robotics.

The Internet of Clean (IoC) is a new platform connecting machines, dispensers, sensors, beacons and other smart

devices. This, the company says, allows businesses to monitor their operations remotely to improve productivity, safety and operational performance.

It claims the IoC also enables users to strengthen chemical dosing accuracy, reduce water and chemical usage and improve hygiene compliance.

Among the solutions on show were TASKI IntelliTrail, SmartView, TempTrip, IntelliDish and IntelliConsult. And now available with CE Marking are TASKI Intellibot robotic scrubber dryers.

Debuting was the TASKI swing 2100 micro-rider boasting ultracompact design, flexibility and on-board intelligence. www.diversey.com

ISSA/INTERCLEAN REVIEW More intelligent

Nilfisk president and ceo Jonas Persson told ECJ the cleaning machine specialist had its best ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam show ever. He remarked on the increasing presence of more intelligent solutions in the sector, for example tracking of machine fleets such as its own TrackClean.

“For large companies it’s an important benefit,” he emphasised, “ but for the smaller operators it’s less so for now.”

Persson also observed the increasing presence of robotics at the exhibition from various manufacturers - Nilfisk does not have a model on the market as yet. “At the moment what is on offer is not really good enough in my opinion,” he explained, “robots are not really working well in reallife situations.

“I think if we look ahead to the next ISSA/INTERCLEAN in two years time, however, robotic solutions will have developed significantly.”

Persson sees the market for these connected solutions lying predominantly with the larger operators. “In our experience the smaller companies just do not need so much in terms of features – we actually see a growing market for much simpler machines – and with that in mind we launched our new Viper models.

These are machines with simplicity in use as the key feature.

“When the economic situation is challenging,” Persson continued, “contract prices are much

lower so investment potential for service providers is reduced.

What’s needed are machines that are robust, have fewer features and are not of such high quality – value machines.

“From our point of view that market is growing much faster than the top end.”

The drivers in the cleaning sector right now according to Persson are productivity, chemical use, water use, energy use. “Total cost of ownership is far more important than intelligence right now,” says Persson. www.nilfisk.com

• Nilfisk signalait une progression du marché pour des machines simple d’usage et économiques, correspondant à la gamme Viper que ce fabricant vient de lancer.

• Pollet a introduit les Caps, qui sont des éléments recyclables de recharge chimique qui se vissent sur des pulvérisateurs.

• Nilfisk meldete einen Wachstum am Markt für benutzerfreundliche, kostengünstigere Maschinen – passend zur Markteinführung der Produktreihe Viper.

• Neu von Pollet sind Caps, wiederverwertbare Patronen mit konzentrierten Chemikalien, die auf Sprühgeräte geschraubt werden.

Refill option Pollet introduced Caps, which it describes as an ecological and safe refill option for spray cleaners. Caps, which are 100 per cent recyclable, contain cleaning concentrates which are screwed onto sprayers, for exact dosage without any dosing system. www.pollet.eu

• La Nilfisk ha segnalato l’aumento delle vendite e l’aumentata necessità di macchine facili da usare e più efficienti dal punto di vista dei costi, in linea con il lancio della sua gamma Viper.

• La novità della Pollet sono le ricariche di prodotti chimici concentrati Caps che vengono avvitate direttemente sugli erogatori spray.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 59

ISSA/INTERCLEAN REVIEW

Going digital Boasting 12 new product launches was Fimap, among them the Nano compact vacuum cleaner, a push sweeper, three injection-extraction models for textile surfaces and new wet & dry vacuum cleaner models.

Also new is the MMg ride-on scrubber dryer featuring a touchscreen display at the centre of the steering wheel. The display is the main interface of the new iD – intelligent Drive system available with the Plus version of the MMg. All machine functions are controlled and monitored from this display, which Fimap says will make the job more intuitive while also offering other features such as customisable working programmes and a rear view camera. www.fimap.com

Europe batteries Deep-cycle battery producer Trojan introduced three new EU (DIN) batteries - the TE35, 5SHP and 60AH AGM. These are available in sizes most commonly used on floor maintenance equipment in Europe.

The new batteries are available in 6V and 12V models ranging from 74-243H, suitable per BCI and IEC standards. And the maintenance-free design means no watering is required.

“Trojan customers in Europe require specific types of battery sizes for their equipment designs that provide longer runtimes with simple maintenance processes,” said Trojan’s Elke Hirschman. www.trojanbattery.com

Carpet standard The WoolSafe Organisation has developed the Enco Environmental Standards EGTS 1502 (liquid) and 1503 (dry compounds) for carpet maintenance products used in Europe.

The standards are similar in concept and content to the North American standards from Green Seal and EcoLogo, but incorporate the latest European cleaning chemical formulation practices and legislation.

Formulations must pass strict testing of colour protection, low re-soil, performance and safety before being awarded the standard. Products that meet all requirements of EGTS 1502 or 1503 are entitled to carry the EnviroSeal certification mark. www.enviroseal.eu

• Le produit phare du stand Fimap était l’autolaveuse MMg autoportée, dotée d’un écran tactile.

• Trojan présentait trois nouvelles batteries EU (DIN), les TE35, 5SHP et 60AH AGM. • La WoolSafe Organisation a élaboré les Normes environnementales Enco EGTS 1502 (liquides) et 1503 (composés secs) pour les produits d’entretien de tapis et moquettes.

• Der Star am Stand von Fimap war die AufsitzScheuersaugmaschine MMg mit Touchscreen-Display.

• Trojan stellte drei neue EU (DIN) Batterien vor, einschließlich TE35, 5SHP und 60AH AGM. • Die WoolSafe Organisation hat die Enco Environmental Standards EGTS 1502 (Flüssigkeiten) und 1503 (Trockengemische) für Teppichpflegeprodukte entwickelt.

• La protagonista sullo stand della Fimap è stata la lavasciuga pavimenti con operatore a bordo MMg dotata di display touch screen.

• La Trojan ha introdotto tre nuove batterie EU (DIN) che includono TE35, 5SHP e 60AH AGM. • La WoolSafe Organisation ha sviluppato gli standard Enco Environmental Standards EGTS 1502 (per liquidi) e 1503 (per miscele secche) per i prodotti di manuntenzione delle moquette.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 60

ISSA/INTERCLEAN REVIEW Fume-free

Big capacity

New from Tennant was the M17 battery-powered sweeperscrubber, designed to be easy to operate and maintain while also boasting productivity benefits.

These, it says, are possible thanks to developments such as Pro-Panel technology which integrates multiple controls into a touchscreen interface. Pro-ID allows supervisors to programme the machine to the relevant operator skill level while downloadable Pro-Check pre-operation checklists ensure successful starts says Tennant.

Cleaning efficiency can be enhanced with programmable Zone Settings, on-board videos and 28 different language options.

And operators can have an instant view of their cleaning path with PerformanceView. www.tennantco.com

New from Comac is the Versa, a walk-behind scrubber dryer with large capacity tanks and two disk brushes to cover working widths of 55 or 65 cm. Sweeper/ scrubber and orbital models are also available.

All versions can be equipped with the Comac Fleet Care (CFC) fleet management device this uses GPRS technology to transmit data in real time, giving customers a complete picture of the status of their fleet.

And the C130 scrubber has been revised and updated with a working programme selector and touchscreen display now incorporated in the instrument panel. www.comac.it

Single use With the launch of Wecoline

Clean ’n Easy, Wecoline claims to offer a complete range of singleuse products. Ready-to-use cloths and mops enable operatives to work more efficiently and help the customer achieve savings, according to the company.

Products are supplied nonwoven, dry or impregnated with cleaning detergent or dry microfibres. They come in sealable buckets - the dry versions can be manually moistened with water or chemical while the ready-to-use are impregnated with a cleaning agent.

The company also introduced its complete line of Wecoline by Americo floor pads. Every pad in the range has been made using Full Cycle base material, which benefits from better biodegradation it says. www.wecoline.com

• Comme produits nouveaux, Tennant alignait la balayeuse-laveuse accompagnée M17 et la laveuse accompagnée T300.

• Wecoline a lancé un tampon de récurage rouge en matériau Americo pour le nettoyage journalier et à cycle complet de planchers.

• Comme produit nouveau, Comac alignait son autolaveuse accompagnante Versa, que l’on peut équiper du système de gestion de parc Comac Fleet Care.

• Neu von Tennant waren die akkubetriebene handgeführte Scheuerkehrmaschine M17 und die handgeführte Kehrmaschine T300.

• Neu von Wecoline ist ein rotes Scheuerpad für die tägliche Bodenreinigung, das aus Americo Full Cycle hergestellt wird.

• Neu von Comac war die handgeführte Scheuersaugmaschine Versa, die mit dem Fuhrparkmanagementsystem Comac Fleet Care ausgestattet werden kann.

• Le novità della Tennant sono la lavasciuga pavimenti/spazzatrice a batteria e con operatore al seguito M17 e la lavasciuga pavimenti con operatore al seguito T300.

• La novità della Wecoline è un disco rosso per la pulizia giornaliera dei pavimenti fabbricato con materiali prodotti dalla Full cycle Americo.

• La novità della Comac era la lavasciuga pavimenti con operatore al seguito Versa che può essere dotata del sistema di gestione della flotta Comac Fleet Care.

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ISSA/INTERCLEAN REVIEW

• Parmi les lancements de produit de Columbus figure une gamme d’aspirateurs industriels et une autolaveuse de 120 litres.

• IBH-S est la génération la plus récente de nettoyeurs à eau chaude haute pression de DiBO, qui sont dotés d’un système de chauffage double.

• Rubbermaid a remanié la conception de ses poubelles pour rendre leur vidage plus facile pour les éboueurs.

• Unter den neu vorgestellten Produkten von Columbus waren eine Produktreihe mit gewerblichen Staubsaugern und eine 120-LiterScheuersaugmaschine.

• Bei IBH-S handelt es sich um die neueste Generation von HeißwasserHochdruckreinigern von DiBO, die mit einem Dual-Power-Heizsystem ausgerüstet sind.

• Rubbermaid teilt mit, dass seine Abfallbehälter überarbeitet wurden, damit sie vom Reinigungspersonal leichter zu leeren sind.

• Fra i nuovi prodotti lanciati dalla Columbus c’è una gamma di aspirapolveri industriali e una lavasciuga pavimenti della capienza di 120 litri.

• IBH-S è l’ultimissima generazione di idropulitrici ad alta pressione e acqua calda della DiBO dotate di un duplice sistema di riscaldamento.

• La Rubbermaid afferna di avere ri-progettato le sue pattumiere per rendere il loro svuotamente più facile agli addetti alle pulizie.

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 62

Industrial vacs Columbus has extended its range of cleaning machines to include wet and dry industrial vacuum cleaners. There are seven models ranging from 13 to 100 litres and the range of applications ranges from construction and workshops to food, pharmaceutical, steel mills and wood processing.

The galvanised steel housing is designed to be robust and there are three filter classes light, medium and high hazard.

The movable collecting tanks can be lowered easily and extended for emptying thanks to the lifting mechanism.

Also new is the ARA 85/BM 120 ride-on scrubber dryer for medium-sized areas. With

its 850mm working width and a 120-litre tank volume this model can clean around 3,600 square metres without a break on a single tankful.

Other features include the long ergonomic seat, adaptive brush system, convenient changing of brushes and pad holders and LED headlights. www.columbus-clean.com

Dual power IBH-S is the new generation of hot water high pressure cleaners from DiBO, incorporating the Dual Power Heating System.

Thanks to the combination of an isolated preheating system and the GreenBoiler the company says, there’s always a buffer of hot water immediately available and the machine consumes less fuel. And the GreenBoiler has been improved to ensure lower CO2 emissions.

The IBH-S has a radial high pressure pump with three full ceramic plungers and stainless

steel valves, and an electric motor with low speed which guarantees an extended lifetime.

Other features include an automatic start-stop system that puts the machine in standby mode when idle for 30 seconds. www.dibo.com

Light work Rubbermaid claims its new bins are 80 per cent easier to empty than traditional waste receptacles. This is because they have a vented interior design to facilitate the lifting out of filled bin liners.

“Our customers told us that removing heavy bin liners was an issue and we wanted to improve the experience for the user,” said Rubbermaid’s global brand activation director Bob Moffat. “By venting the bins we prevent air from becoming trapped inside the dispenser, which makes it harder to remove the filled waste sacks.” www.rubbermaid.eu

WINDOW CLEANING

The glass ceiling Some windows are harder to clean than others – particularly these days when challenges such as solar panels and angled glass are becoming more common. Ann Laffeaty asks window cleaning companies their opinions on today’s more difficult windowcleaning tasks, and finds out how they cope with them.

“Pure water systems should be designed into buildings to aid the window cleaner.

Rainwater could then be collected on the roof and this could be turned into pure water for window cleaning.”

What makes a window particularly difficult to clean? On the face of it, glass is glass and cleaning it simply involves the removal of dirt and grime with the aid of either a traditional squeegee or a brush and water-fed pole.

But windows are evolving all the time.

Architects are increasingly trying to make their buildings stand out by adding roofs and atriums fashioned from eye-catching angled glass. Meanwhile the growing awareness of the need for sustainability has led to the proliferation of solar panels on roofs.

Indoor window cleaning is a growing sector as building managers seek to retain the clean, bright appearance of their facilities inside as well as out. And each of these developments represents a new challenge for the window cleaner.

Indoor window cleaning can be a major issue, particularly in modern offices according to Ettore president Chris Smahlik. “Today’s employees tend to like to have their desks close to the window, and this makes it hard for the window cleaner – who will usually be equipped with a bulky belt - to gain access to the interior windows to clean them,” he said.

“The fact that much of the equipment on the average desk is now plugged in means there are leads and wires everywhere, and this further adds to the challenge.”

Smahlik claims indoor window cleaning in offices is a recognised problem in the industry – and one that most manufacturers are trying to solve. “We at Ettore are working on a solution using traditional tools that we hope to have available by the end of the year,” he said.

Solar panels are another challenge, he says. “People are putting solar panels on roofs and are only then trying to figure out how to clean them,” he said. ”The fact the surfaces of solar panels are horizontal makes it hard for the window cleaner to gain any leverage. And there is nowhere for them to stand in order to clean the panels.”

He says it is all too easy to scratch solar

panels as well, and when this occurs they become ineffective. “The best way to clean them is with a squeegee,” he said.

“This is lighter than a brush which means there is less weight to support. We are currently working on a tool that enables solar panels to be cleaned in a more traditional way - and I think this will be ground-breaking as no-one else is going in this direction.”

Smahlik says it can also be hard to clean high-rise buildings that have not been equipped with roof-down access.

“I think pure water systems should be designed into buildings to aid the window cleaner,” he said. “Rainwater could then be collected on the roof and this could be turned into pure water for cleaning.”

Angled glass Another issue is the angled glass that is often used in today’s new architectural designs, he says. “Sometimes it is impossible to clean these types of panes since there is nowhere for the operator to stand,” he said. “For building designers it is all about aesthetics and not about the cleaning – and it would save everybody a lot of work if cleaning were factored into buildings at the design stage, particularly if pure water is the future as seems to be the case in Europe.”

Managing director of CAM Specialist Support Matt Johnson agrees with Smahlik that modern buildings often incorporate windows that are difficult – if not impossible – to clean.

“Today’s building designs are innovative and energy-efficient but they involve considerably more complex shapes and detailed architectural features such as cantilevered glass elevations and doubleskinned climate walls,” he said. “These make window cleaning more challenging.”

According to Johnson, the large glass roof areas on shopping malls can be another issue. “The glazed canopies above entrance areas also cause problems - particularly in busy locations where factors such as public access and safety Continued page 64

June/July 2016 | ECJ |63

WINDOW CLEANING The glass ceiling (continued) need to be considered as well,” he said.

He concurs there should be greater consultation with window cleaners during the design stage of buildings.

“Many architects consult with access system specialists and engineers when designing a building, but the contractors who will ultimately clean the building are rarely involved,” he said. “The insight that experienced specialists bring to the operational and logistical challenges of cleaning surfaces at high levels is extremely valuable. It also significantly reduces the difficulties of cleaning complex buildings, and this can have the knock-on effect of reducing the running costs.”

He agrees with Smahlik that solar panels are an issue because they are easy to damage and hard to reach. “Most solar panels are placed in difficult-to-access areas to maximise their exposure to sunlight and keep them out of harm’s way,” he points out. The best way of tackling these is with the use of de-ionised water fed through a carbon fibre water-fed pole system, according to Johnson. He adds this should be used in conjunction with suspended access equipment or rope access techniques.

Indoor window cleaning can also be difficult – particularly since building managers like their windows to be cleaned without the operatives being visible to the public, he says.

High-rises difficult “There are now internal water-fed pole systems for cleaning glazing at high level in atria,” says Johnson. “This minimises the need for suspended access equipment, mobile elevated work platforms or rope access techniques. There are also remote controls and robot systems, but these do not currently have the capability of matching a skilled operative in achieving acceptable cleaning standards.”

IPC sales and business development manager Adriano Mariano feels that highrise windows are among the most difficult to clean. “In Europe we can clean windows that are up to 20 metres from the ground, whereas in other countries such as the US and Dubai it is more common to clean from top to bottom,” he said.

“But this type of roof-down access has Certaines fenêtres se lavent plus malaisément que d’autres et la multiplication de panneaux solaires, de tours administratives et d’immeubles vitrés n’a fait qu’amplifier ces défis. Nous interrogeons des laveurs de vitre sur les tâches qu’ils jugent les plus difficiles et contemplons les produits les plus récents pour le lavage des vitres les plus délicates et des panneaux solaires. 900

June/July 2016 | ECJ | 64

to be planned in at the design stage – and in Europe, most of the buildings have already been built.” IPC offers a selfclimbing window cleaning system that can be operated via existing roof rigs. The HighRise system is activated wirelessly via remote control.

Cleaning interior windows are another challenge, says Mariano. “You often need to reach up high which means you have to close off the area to the public,” he said.

He claims IPC’s Cleano range can facilitate the cleaning of interior windows. “This has a reservoir in the pole which allows the operator to spray the window to be cleaned,” he said. “The latest version also has a rubber interior that is resistant to chemicals which means it can be used with a detergent solution if required.

No consultation “And it can also be used with a telescopic handle to clean windows up to six metres from the ground. This means it can be used to tackle the high windows of hotel lobbies.”

Mariano adds the system works well for cleaning solar panels. “These represent a challenge for the window cleaner because of their size and inaccessibility,” he said.

“The HighPure system uses pure water that passes through four filtration stages to achieve a good finish.”

Moerman’s global sales and marketing manager Marc Roels has a long list of windows that he feels can be hard to clean. “Large glass roof windows – both internal and external – that are difficult to access are among the most challenging,” he said. “Also difficult are windows of an atypical shapes and size; deep frames; super-thin window seals, leaded light windows and those that have some sort of obstruction in front of them.”

He agrees with other manufacturers that the increased use of glass in new building designs makes the window cleaning job more challenging. “This is because window cleaning in these circumstances often requires a more skilled approach,” he said. “Also, accessibility problems make the window cleaner’s job more dangerous. And on top of this come the time pressures involved because the operative must complete the Manche Fenster sind schwerer zu reinigen als andere – und der wachsende Trend zu Solarkollektoren, Bürohochhäusern und dem zunehmenden Einsatz von Glas tragen alle zur Herausforderung bei. Wir befragen Fensterreiniger, wie sie mit den heutzutage schwierigsten Fensterreinigungsaufgaben fertig werden, und wir sehen uns die neuesten Produkte an, die zur Reinigung kniffliger Fenster und Solarkollektoren konzipiert wurden.

job for the lowest possible cost.”

In his experience there tends to be little or no consultation between architects and professional window cleaners when developing a building. “For this reason there are probably cases where it is almost impossible to clean windows properly in a safe way,” he said.

“We are developing EASE tools for safer working from the ground up. One of these is the Liquidator which enables operatives to clean right up to the edges of the window frame. This leaves little or no water residue and reduces the amount of time spent on prepping with a cloth.

“It removes the need for operatives to have to stretch out with a detailing cloth – which can heighten the risk of falling.”

TG Hylift offers a semi-automatic cleaning system for use on glass roofs and solar panels. Managing director Alfons Thihatmer agrees with other manufacturers that today’s building design makes window cleaning more difficult.

“However a semi-automatic cleaning system provides an alternative – and one that removes any physical stress on the part of cleaning staff,” he said.

According to Thihatmer a major problem today lies in the shortage of skilled window cleaning companies that can take on modern-day challenges. “There are a huge number of window cleaning companies capable of carrying out simple jobs,” he said. “However there are only a few able to focus on the challenges of modern architecture.”

The HyCleaner system comes in a range of options and can be adapted, Thihatmer says. “For example our HyCleaner Black Solar system is equipped with a radio remote control which enables precise cleaning to be carried out on the solar panels,” he said.

In his experience – and contrary to the views of other manufacturers - it is becoming increasingly common for architects to seek professional advice on cleaning and maintenance at the building design stage.

“However it would be helpful for the financier if this were to become compulsory,” he said. “This would allow for a better and easier long-term preservation of the value of buildings.”

Alcune finestre sono più difficili da pulire di altre e l’attuale tendenza verso i pannelli solari, gli uffici in strutture verticali alte e l’aumento dell’uso del vetro aumentano le sfide. Chiediamo agli addetti al lavaggio delle finestre come affrontano oggi i compiti sempre più difficili del lavaggio delle finestre e prendiamo in esami i prodotti più nuovi progettati per la pulizia di finestre più difficoltose e di pannelli solari.

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